Since 1983, Rotarian Kathy Countryman has been part of a team crossing the State of Iowa almost every summer during RAGBRAI - the (Des Moines) Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. She recounted the fun and the obstacles the week-long excursion has provided while speaking at this week’s Rotary meeting. Begun in 1973 as a challenge between two of the newspaper’s columnists who were avid bicyclists, the ride has grown from about 300 cyclists (an estimated 150 got all the way across the state the first year) to 15,000 cyclists and 30,000 total participants. The ride is held the last full week in July (no ride was held in 2020 due to Covid-19).
Countryman said you start by dipping your rear bicycle tire in the Missouri River and end by dipping your front tire in the Mississippi River. The route in between continually changes over the years. Towns actively solicit to host an overnight stay with service clubs and non-profit groups providing food and services along the entire route. An estimated $3 million can be spent at an overnight stop with about $25 million spent during the whole week. The roughly 500-mile route has passed through 82% of Iowa towns, 40% of the riders come from Iowa, and the average age of a participant is 46.9 years.
Countrymen said the team she and her husband are with has 25 to 30 participants each year and they use an old school bus for transporting equipment. Overnight accommodations are generally a tent some homeowner has allowed them to pitch in a front yard. Shower facilities vary from schools to car washes. Their basic supplies include a comfortable bicycle seat, helmet with lights, biking attire, sunscreen, and maps. Countryman said one year she and her husband did the trip on a tandem bike (this was never tried again). She noted there is always plenty of food available and admitted she can actually gain weight while doing the ride. Come rain or shine, warm or cold, Countryman said there is a special camaraderie and fun that comes from doing the bicycle ride across Iowa and enjoying the amazing hospitality of its residents.
River Cities Rotary Club in cooperation with the Mississippi River Runs Through US Rotary Club, is sponsoring a Mississippi River Shoreline and Runoff Area Cleanup and Debris Tracking Event from 10:00 a.m. to noon this Saturday, April 17. COME JOIN US!
To Participate:
1. Get a partner or small group and choose one of four launch points: Rotary Park 224 S Main St., Port Byron, IL; River's Edge Park, 500 Third St., South Cordova, IL; Schuler's Shady Grove boat ramp in Rapid City, IL; or Albany Municipal Ramp in Albany IL.
2. Decide if you would like to track the debris you find using the Marine Debris Tracker on your Android or Apple phone at https://debristracker.org. Use the training guide to get familiar with the process; https://debristracker.org/resources. Sign in using "Rotary" as the email and "Mississippi" as the password. Practice using the app before the event without uploading it.
3. Gather gloves, boots, optional life jacket, drinking water (reusable container), and a COVID-19 mask (in case of groups passing) to use at the event.
4. Come to the event at your chosen launch point. You will be assigned public access areas along the river to pick up and track debris. Larger debris will be marked using the app for pickup by others after the event.
April 13, 1743 – The principal author of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, is born in Shadwell, Virginia.
April 17, 1837 – Banking financier John Pierpont Morgan is born in Hartford, Connecticut.
April 16, 1867 – Aviation pioneer Wilbur Wright is born in Millville, Indiana.
April 16, 1889 – Film legend Charlie Chaplin is born in Walworth, England.
April 14, 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln is shot and mortally wounded while watching a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C.
April 15, 1912 – The supposedly unsinkable luxury ocean liner Titanic strikes an iceberg while crossing the Atlantic on its maiden voyage and tragically sinks with a loss of more than 1,500 lives.
April 15, 1947 – 28-year-old Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American player in Major League Baseball when he steps onto Ebbets Field to compete for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
April 12, 1961 – Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in outer space. His 108-minute orbit of the earth propels him into international fame.
