No, I’m not referring to the 1969 western comedy, I’m referring to you. After doing RAGBRAI L you will all be part of the over-the-hill gang. This year’s route will go up a total of 16,549 feet! That’s over three miles straight up! This year’s RAGBRAI is the 6th hilliest in the 50 year history of the ride. Now it’s not all at once and it’s not straight up (although at times it may feel like it), but it is pretty much non-stop. To illustrate this point, here are the elevation maps for each day,
Except for Day 3 and 4, you will be mostly either going up or going down. So be prepared, both physically and mentally. Here’s how:
Physical Preparation: This one will seem obvious – to prepare for hills, get out and ride up hills. The difference between a casual cyclist and one who is more serious and actually training for something is that the serious cyclist will actually seek out hills to ride. It’s tempting to avoid hills on your ride but you won’t be able to avoid them on RAGBRAI so best to be prepared for them.