Monday, July 24, 2023
Day 52
Day 2 RAGBRAI L
Miles: 57.3 – Total accent: 1,779 – Hours: 4 hours, 39 minutes
Totals:. Miles- 2,586.68-Accent- 86,185 feet climbed
196hrs 45 minutes in the saddle
Storm Lake to Carroll, IA
The beauty of the sun rising over the water is breathtaking. A promise of a new day…a day to explore and experience…a day to meet new people and to feel alive!!
Riders were up early and setting out to beat the heat. By 7 am, the Pork Belly Camp was nearly empty.
Being day 2, we are still quite vigilant of other riders, uncertain how much experience they have riding in large groups and communicating their position.
After about 2 hours, we came across the corn stop. It is a must! The corn is grown locally and picked the night before or early that morning. Once cooked, it’s dipped in a vat of butter and served on a sheet of foil. It is the most delicious corn I’ve ever eaten and has me spoiled. I now only eat corn on the cob during RAGBRAI. lol!!
When we arrived in Carroll, we located our tent so we could drop things off before going out to get ice. And what a lovely surprise!! Our tent was nestled amongst a small group of trees in the shade!
Off to Casy’s for ice and then back to set up for the night. Showers weren’t far away and felt amazing!
As I was returning to the tent, I walked past the kybos and found man collapsed on the grass. He had fallen to the ground from severe leg cramps. Just then, his wife Tammy noticed he had fallen. Both were so frightened. He felt another cramp coming on and started to bear down in pain. “No! Breathe…like you’re having a baby.” My guess is that he bore down with the first cramp causing his heart rate to drop and passed out as a result. His pulse was strong and regular and he ramained oriented x 3. After about 5 minutes, a PA from the camp was present so I let her take things from there. Tammy was shakened and said “I’m not ready to be a widow”. I gave her a hug and assured her ‘not today’.
Staying hydrated, managing electrolytes and nutrition, especially in hot, humid conditions is work. You can’t get behind. My guess is we’ll see more incidents like this over the week.
Now back at the tent, we get dinner and come back to eat in the shade.
Tomorrow is a big day and rest is critical!