Team Flamingo

2011-12-17T16:50:00.001-06:00

photo, a photo by UNI Dr. Z on Flickr.

2011-11-22T22:59:00.001-06:00

photo, a photo by UNI Dr. Z on Flickr.

Thanks for the Lodging

2011-07-26T06:54:00.001-05:00

Thanks for the Lodging, a photo by UNI Dr. Z on Flickr.

Just wanted to give a big thanks to the wonderful folks who put us up and put up with us last night:
Gwen and John Detlefson, Kim Fara, John Pea, Phillip and Janet Myer Steve and Cathy Pfannkuch, Shawn and Michon Bakker, & Donna and Floyd Forman.
Your hospitality was greatly appreciated by us all.

Monday's Climb is a Tough One

2011-07-26T05:55:00.002-05:00

The Road to Willey, a photo by UNI Dr. Z on Flickr.

Monday was the toughest climb of the tour: 70 miles and climbed over 4,700 ft. It was another hot day with heat index of 110.
Lots of events:
-- Big Bird bought a new battery for the van so now he doesn't have to single-handedly push the 5 ton ban to get it started.
-- A bunch if birds went swimming in the pond outside of Carroll to cool off.
--Doodle bird found that she had a long-lost 2nd cousin in Manning.This second cousin placed us in homes with comfortable beds all over Manning.
--Mini-Shoop is beginning to hang around with Team Harold.
--Doodle Bird has discovered a new passion for drawing flamingos on the back of riders' legs.
Today will be a 70-mile day from Carroll to Boone. Most of it will be rolling hills except a huge hill going into Carrol. Should be fun.
Btw, the photo is the road to the town of Willey.

First Day Was Hot and Hilly

2011-07-25T08:51:00.002-05:00

First Day Was Hot & Hilly, a photo by UNI Dr. Z on Flickr.

Sunday was a great day for the beginning of our trek. It was 90 degrees with a 111 degree heat index. The route climbed over 4200 feet. Kudos to those who rode the whole route. These included Emily, Al, Michael, Mark, Bill, Nate (and his 12-year old daughter, Bethany, who joined him on their tandem, and Deb B. Most of the rest of us Bagged It at Carson or Griswold and took a van into Atlantic.

In Atlantic we stayed at three different homes of wonderful families. It was nice to sleep indoors instead of the hilly campground we enjoyed Friday night.

BTW, the photo is a Coke machine turned into an entertainment center at the Dave and Rosie Jones. Thanks!!

Team Flamingo Takes Off for RAGBRAI XXXIX

2011-07-23T10:17:00.001-05:00

Team Flamingo Takes Off for RAGBRAI XXXIX, a photo by UNI Dr. Z on Flickr.

We did it!

We met at Carolyn's house for a wonderful breakfast at 8:00.
We packed the 3 vans with bikes and gear for 20 . . . And we left at 10:00. We were aiming at 9:00 but it was the earliest departure yet.

"We came. We ate. We flocked"

Things look good for a wonderful RAGBRAI adventure ahead.

Communicating on RAGBRAI

2011-07-17T21:44:00.002-05:00

flickr.com/Donato Tundo

Riding RAGBRAI is a challenge, but communicating in the Iowa farmlands can be a great challenge as well.

Here are a few hints:

Use the team contact cards that Big Bird will distribute to add your fellow birds' phone numbers to your cell phone.
Stay in touch with your team. It is more fun if you coordinate your ride with your team.
Connect with your support team at the Meeting Town each day. They will not leave until they connect with every rider.
Phone coverage is intermittent throughout Iowa. Use text messaging when your phones don't have coverage.
Pass out stickers in towns to leave evidence that you were there.
When you tweet, use #RAGBRAI as the hashtag. Your tweet will appear on the official RAGBRAI website at http://ragbrai.com/twitter/
Share your photos with the world. Team Flamingo has a Flickr Group: Team Flamingo - RAGBRAI. You must be a group member if you want to post your photos. Contact Z-Bird if you want to join the group and he will tell you how to do this.

Do you have other ideas for improving the team's communication? Please share them as comments below.

RAGBRAI Packing List

2011-07-15T22:55:00.010-05:00

flickr.com/BenjaminLester

Trying to decide what to take on RAGBRAI?
We are in luck because Big Bird constructed a check list that you can use to get organized.
You can also access it through Google Docs right here. You can download it to your computer from here if you wish.

What did we forget?

RAGBRAI Check List

c RAGBRAI Rider/Driver’s Tags

c Bike

c Bike Helmet

c Bike Computer

c Feather Boas

c Trunk Bag/Handle Bar Bag

c Spare bike tube/tire changingkit

c Water bottles/Camelbackhydration pack

c Bike Pump

c Bike Gloves

c Sun Glasses

c Sun Screen

c Lip Block

c Power Bars/Gum

c Toilet paper (to carry onbike in case of emergency stop to corn field)

c Hand Sanitizer/TravelHandiwipes (see above)

c Team Flamingo jersey/bikingjersey

c Bike shorts

c Bike shoes

c Shower shoes

c Ball cap/sun visor

c Kerchiefs

c Socks/Undergarments

c Swim suit

c T-shirts

c Shorts

c Windbreaker/hoodie (in casetemps drop)

c Long pants (in case tempsdrop)

c Toiletry kit (soap, shampoo,baby powder, sunburn cream, etc.)

c Towel(s)

c Camera

c Cell Phone/charger

c Batteries

c Cash

c Credit card

c Rain jacket/poncho

c Tent/ground tarp

c Sleeping bag or bedding

c Ground pad/blow upmattress/camp cot

c Flash light

Meet the Team . . .

2011-07-12T17:24:00.008-05:00

Wondering who is actually on Team Flamingo?

This is a vibrant team and trying to identify who is actually on it at any one point is kind of a moving target. Once you are a flamingo, you are ALWAYS a flamingo.

You can meet the gang by clicking the Members tab on this page. You will be introduced to over 60 members. It is right below the Flamingo Blog title above.

QR code for Team Flamingo Blog

2011-07-09T17:08:00.000-05:00

It may seem a bit redundant to post a QR code that will direct someone to this website.

Nevertheless, this code might be useful for you if you want to send someone an easy way for them to access our blog through their phones. Sure, you could give them the URL, but this soooooo much coooooooooler.

What do you think?

Z

RAGBRAI Training: Save Your Knees Using the Right Gear

2011-07-07T10:20:00.000-05:00

www.flickr.com/gcfairch

Using the proper gears when riding RAGBRAI can make a big difference in how your legs and knees will holdout on the road.

David Ertl on the RAGBRAI blog shared some insights about how important it is to use the right gears. He notes that too often we use the large gear in the front so that we can pedal slowly. The problem is that we are exerting too much force on our legs with each stroke and we use more muscle fibers with each stroke. This means that we get tired earlier.

The key is to keep your cadence at over 75 revolutions per minute. You will use lower gears in the front ring, but you will not tire as quickly.

There is a great deal more that you need to know about this before your next ride. Read Ertl's article, Go for a Spin. It is quite informative.

What kind of rider are you? Are you usually above or below 75 RPMs?

On with the Early Bird Ride

2011-07-04T09:49:00.004-05:00

Another 55 miles of training. Yes, we are gluttons for biking. Early Bird (Al Hays) invited us to join him in a special ride. We met at the Hays' house at 8:00 AM and we were on the road by 8:30.

Early Bird took us on an interesting journey that took us through Black Hawk Park; down 1st Street to Union; South on Union to 12th; South to and around the Prairie Lake; Hustle to Hudson; North to Waterloo; East to the Sandpits and then back west to the Hays' near Peiffer Park.

Once we returned to the Hays' house, there was a huge spread of hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, cheesecake and other delicacies. Thank you, Early Bird and Mrs. Hays.

It was a good ride. The only problem was when Z-Bird committed Flamingo-cide in the early morn by backing his truck over the Hays' flamingo. Immediate first aid was administered and Fancy the Flamingo is re-adorning the Hays' front yard.

A second day of training for team flamingo

2011-07-04T07:30:00.001-05:00

Training is Coming to an End

2011-07-03T23:10:00.000-05:00

Yes, we only have 20 days left til we mount our bikes to ride our bikes 454 miles across Iowa. The challenge is to be ready for the day-after-day pedal-after-pedal progression up mountains and down hills.


Flamingos Prepare for the Saturday Ride

In preparation for our tour, we have been taking some wonderful rides. Saturday we rode 55 miles. This began at Cup o' Joe's and we rode the Great Loop through Hartman Reserve and around Green Hill. As always, we stopped for lunch at Toad's. In the afternoon, we did the Holy Trinity ride where we ride from downtown Cedar Falls to Waterloo, along the 63 highway to Hudson and down the 57 highway and Main Street to return to Cedar Falls. It is a wonderful ride.

Sunday Crew Hops Towards Another Ride

Sunday's ride didn't have quite the turnout, but it was a quality group. You will notice that we have assumed the mono-pedal Flamingo stance as a display of unity and balance.

This trip was to be another 50-mile day ride. This time we began the Holy Trinity ride in the morning. Unfortunately, Z-Bird got a flat tire and he had to fall out of the procession until lunch. The whole gang met at Mulligan's for lunch. Having had a productive morning, the team decided to return home and engage in their personal exercise programs.

The 4th of July will involve The Early Bird Special ride which begins at 8:00 AM at Al and Pam Hays' house. We will ride for 50 miles and then return to the Hays' for a Bar-B-Q. Should be a "gas" and we will provide photos as they appear.

XtraNormal Discussion about RAGBRAI

2011-04-22T20:56:00.004-05:00

Here is a fun description of RAGBRAI. The couple share some wonderful insights about RAGBRAI.
It was definitely created by a seasoned RAGBRAI-er.

2011 Route is Announced!!!!

2011-03-13T12:18:00.003-05:00

Glenwood to Davenport. Doesn't look like too much of a challenge this year. Looks like most of the work will be in the first two days. Sunday and Monday will each be about 5,000 feet climbs in 65 miles a piece. There will be a tough hill outside of Boone on the 3rd day but the rest looks pretty good. The Century Ride will be on the 3rd day between Carroll and Boone. It will turn the 72 mile day into a 100 mile day.

You can download and print the map above by just clicking on it and you will go to the RAGRAI website which houses that map.

38 Special will be a band that will rock in Coralville. It will be $10 admission but free for registered riders.

Looks to be a fun year coming up. Will you be riding? If so, then who is your team?

Z-Bird

We Made It!!!!!!

2010-08-05T21:49:00.000-05:00

Well, we had a wonderful week riding our chariots (bikes) across Iowa this year.

It was an amazing ride. We had 100 degree weather on Monday and Tuesday, monsoon rains on Friday morning and killer hills on Saturday. It was WONDERFUL!!!!

One of the greatest things about the ride was the community that prevails on RAGBRAI. On Thursday evening, we had two members collide, Northern Bird and Fire Bird, and Fire Bird lost consciousness for a few minutes. Fortunately, she rejoined reality shortly and was taken to the hospital for an MRI. The doctors gave her a clean bill of health and she rejoined the ride. Friday, we had riders coming up to us all day asking about Fire Bird's health. One man said that she had been in his prayers all day. Believe it or not, the entire Air Force Reserve team (140 members) were concerned for her health.

THAT my friend is community.

BTW, you can decode our Bird names by visiting our Members page on our regular website.

You can also see a some photos of Team Flamingo on our FaceBook Team Flamingo group photo page. If you have a FaceBook account, you can get to the photo page here.

Team Flamingo Makes it to the KWWL RAGBRAI Fashion Page

2010-07-28T20:12:00.003-05:00

Yes, it's true. If you wear pink feather boas while riding on your bike across Iowa, someday someone might pickup on the fact this is some sort of fashion statement.

KWWL's Rick Coleman was just the man who realized this in Charles City (Chucktown) when he interviewed Z-Bird on Main Street today. Z had just come into town in the middle of the Flamingo pack and was sitting on the sidewalk getting ready to find the home where they would be staying for the evening. None other than Rick Coleman walked up with his photo journalist and asked for an interview. (I want to point out that Rick road the 50-mile ride today in 3 hours.)
KWWL RAGBRAI Fashion video

This evening on the KWWL news, there was a 2-minute piece about RAGBRAI fashion and we were the central point of interest. I usually have a photo here and a fancy link to the video but can't do that now so just click on the following link to watch the video.

Have you seen us along the RAGBRAI road? What fashion tips do you have to share?

Z-Bird

Catching up on Flamingo Blogging

2010-07-26T20:19:00.000-05:00

For those of you who are wondering where all of the blogging is that I was promising you as we RAGBRAIed across Iowa, I am sorry but this evening (Wed) is the first time that I have had access to Internet so that I could share some of the things that have been happening.

While I haven't been able to blog, I have been twittering some about our trip. I have placed a gadget in the right hand column that will reflect twitters that talk about Team Flamingo.

I am in the process of setting up this blog so that I CAN blog from my phone. Only time will tell.

Thanks for following.

Z-Bird

Looks Like a Wet Week Ahead

2010-07-23T07:40:00.004-05:00

Looks like we will encounter some rain on our trek this coming week. I used the weather website, wunderground.com to compile the information in the table above (click on the graphic if it isn't big enough to read.) I decided that our sleeping situation was the most important, so I posted the forecast for the night of our stay in the various towns.

Please remember that meteorologists don't hold any faith in weather forecasts beyond 5 days so the further out the forecast the less certain we can be about its certainty.

Needless to say, we will have a wet week, so dress (or undress) appropriately.

Only 36 hours till we migrate to Western Iowa for Ragbrai

2010-07-23T00:08:00.000-05:00

Only 36 hours before Team Flamingo takes off for RAGBRAI. We plan to meet at 8:00 on Saturday and leave Waterloo by 9:00. This means that we will be lucky to leave by 10:00 unless a Whinwy Bird wants to dye her hair pink on Saturday morning again . . .

We plan to get to Sioux City in the late afternoon where we will all stay in a generous gentleman's home. That's how Flamingos Roll. We don't need no stinkin' campgrounds because Big Bird, Whiney Bird, and and Crafty Bird usually find homes where we can stay. (Truth is that we carry tents in our vans just in case.)

It's raining and thundering outside but that is OK because this means that the skies will be all rained-out when it is time to ride . . . Riiiiight!!!

I am writing this post using a small mini One Laptop Per Child computer. The keyboard is so small that I have to type using two fingers. That's OK. It's supposedly waterproof so I will take it on RAGBRAI. I will also post using my droid so it should be fun.

A Million Spokes: New RAGBRAI documentary

2010-07-19T01:03:00.001-05:00

Last year, a documentary production company followed us across Iowa and this year they are releasing their film, “A Million Spokes.” This feature-length documentary will make its world premiere in Sioux City at the start of RAGBRAI XXXVIII.

Yes, you can see me, Z-Bird, making my way up Snake Alley in Bettendorf at the final day of the ride (about 1:45 into the trailer.) It shows me riding in the 5-minute trailer of the documentary. Who knows what will be included in the full-length documentary.

The film focuses on some of the riders and teams that journeyed across the state last summer. The film highlights the diversity of RAGBRAIers as some come for the challenge, some come for the speed, some come just to party through the ride and others derive very specific meanings for the ride.

This special screening in Sioux City prior to the 2010 RAGBRAI will mark the first time this film will be viewed by the public. The film’s director, Varda Hardy, producers, Ken Gorrell and Talia Rodriguez-Shakur, will join many of the characters you will meet in the film to screen the project in its first public viewing.

Looks like an interesting documentary. Click the photo up there and you can watch it on YouTube.

Z-Bird.

There IS a LOOOOONG Hill on RAGBRAI

2010-07-01T22:39:00.002-05:00

RAGBRAI 2010 isn't all flat. There is a tough 1-mile hill on the last day of the ride at Potter's Hill. It averages about a 6% grade. Ride the hill above through the video.

The RAGBRAI blog provided 5 steps for making it up hills. Here is the list. You will want to go to the actual RAGBRAI posting for the descriptions.

Hills are Hard
Use Your Gears
Train on Hills Prior to RAGBRAI
Train Your Brain
Pace Yourself

Enjoy yourself Flamingos and Friends of Flamingos.

Z-Bird

Team Flamingo Scarecrow Wins BIG!!!

2009-09-20T07:48:00.004-05:00

Team Flamingo Scarecrow is #1

Our Team Flamingo Scarecrow won First Prize at the Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanic Gardens Fall Festival!!! Out of 85 scarecrows, he was judged the best!!

Pinky, Team Flamingo's scarecrow, is spending a little time with Pam and Al Hays at the Arboretum. Pinky was one of scores of scarecrows that were entered and auctioned to raise funds for the Arboretum. It was a wonderful success.

It's wet out there

2009-07-21T02:33:00.002-05:00

As I have said before, Monday was the steepest day for the whole week. Climbed 5000 ft. as if that was fun enough, it kind of sprinkled in the morning. The rain didn't really hit until we reached. The halfway point in Corning, We visited the home where Johnny Carson was born (see photo.)
For the last 37 miles we saw lots of hills and lots of rain. Whille hills are a challenge, we just need to "Granny-down" (drop to the lowest gear) and put one foot in front of another until we get to the top. This is a "life lesson" unto itself.
At the risk of being philosophical, RAGBRAI emphasizes many life lessons:
-- You need to prepare to succeed.
-- It is important to have a good support crew or system.
-- Pay attention to your tools/equipment. Everything is riding on it - literally.
-- Work with others to achieve your goals. Everyone helps everyone in RAGBRAI.
-- Your pathway to success may involve a pain in the butt but it's worth it.
Please add your own life lessons. They won't appear until I return to my computer after RAGBRAI but don't let that get in the way.
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Day 1 Complete

2009-07-19T19:31:00.001-05:00

Team Flamingo has completed Day 1. Great weather. While there were a number of hills, it wasn't too bad. We rode in two flocks today. I rode with the Michigan contingent from Tent City. We stayed there so we could watch the Bare Naked Ladies concert. The rest of the flock stayed a a house 9 mi. Out of town. We didn't see them all day.
We met up again at the Eubank's house. Great people and great house. Thank You!

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2009-07-18T14:37:00.001-05:00

Here we go. This photo was taken in front of a Subway sandwich shop in Jewell, IA. We tried to leave at 8:30 but due to a series of mishaps we have only made it to Johnston by 2:30. We r on our way to Council Bluffs an hope to get there by 5:00 we'll see..........

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Expanded Description of RAGBRAI XXXVII

2009-07-08T12:52:00.005-05:00

Ketch at GeoBike does a wonderful job of describing the upcoming RAGBRAI route:

Pie Owls of the Great Corn Desert

Welcome back fellow RAGBRAI riders!! As I see it, winter is in full retreat (at last!!!) and the cyclists are breaking out all over. We were blessed with a few summer-like days this past week and I was pleased to have encountered a number of fellow cyclists out on the road. Riding to Ogden, I noticed the ice on the Des Moines River was stacked up on the river bank fighting a loosing battle against the sun while a couple of Bald Eagles were soaring the skies. I also found time to sample some of the new trails in central Iowa. If you haven't been on it yet, the trail from Ankeny to Madrid is a dream to ride. I can't wait for the bridge between Madrid and Woodward to be completed.

Ahh - but the creme del la creme this season will be RAGBRAI XXXVII. T.J. and Wes are taking the ride across southern Iowa this year. We start our journey in Council Bluffs, end in Burlington, with overnights in Red Oak, Greenfield, Indianola, Chariton, Ottumwa, and Mt. Pleasant. This year we'll have about 445 miles to consider a lot of pie options. With over 23,000 feet of climb, we have an obligation to exercise a number of these without feeling guilty.... RAGBRAI XXXVII kind of does it all this year. It makes the Top 10 list in terms of climb AND difficulty - so saddle up now and start training. On the flip side, Day 7 into Burlington makes the Top 10 list for least climb AND easiest day. In addition, RAGBRAI adds a number of first time towns to the family: Williamson, Macksburg, East Peru, Truro, Oakley, Honey Creek Resort, Hedrick, Martinsburg, Pekin, Pleasant Plain, Germanville, Geode State Park, and Indianola as our overnight host on Day 3!

Day 1 is from Council Bluffs to Red Oak. The route takes us through Mineola, Henderson, and Emerson. The day starts with about 10 miles of flat running along the Loess Hills. After this warm up, the route turns east and starts hopping hills to Red Oak. All total, the day clocks in around 54 miles and a little over 3700 feet of climb.

Day 2 is from Red Oak to Greenfield. The route takes us through Stanton, Villisca, Nodaway, Dickeville, Corning, Prescott, Williamson, and Fontanelle. This day will get your attention as I'm showing almost 73 miles of riding and over 5000 feet of climb. Fortunately, there are plenty of through towns during the day and they're spaced about every 10 miles.

Day 3 is from Greenfield to Indianola. This will be our first time overnighting in Indianola! The route takes us through Orient, Macksburg, East Peru, Truro, St. Charles, St. Marys, Martensdale, and Prole. This day will also get your attention as I'm showing almost 78 miles of riding and over 4400 feet of climb. Like Day 2, the through towns are nicely spaced.

Day 4 is a a short ride to Chariton passing through Ackworth, Sandyville, Milo, Lacona, and Oakley. It will be only 45 miles of riding and ~2100 feet of climb.

Day 5 is from Chariton to Ottumwa and we return to some long miles. The route takes us through Millerton, Bethlehem, Confidence, Iconium, Honey Creek Resort, moravia, Unionville, and Blakesburg. We'll do about 77 miles and almost 3400 feet of climb.

Day 6 is from Ottumwa to Mt. Pleasant. The route takes us through Hedrick, Martinsburg, Pekin, Packwood, Pleasant Plain, Brighton, Germanville, and Lockridge. This will be the longest day at almost 78 miles and the climb is relaxed a bit to a little over 3000 feet.

Day 7 is from Mt. Pleasant to Burlington and takes us through New London, Lowell and Geode State Park. As I mentioned in above - easy day at 44 miles and 1175 feet of climb.

Hope to see you out training on the roads and trails, and on the RAGBRAI this summer. Keep your eyes open for the rare Pie Owl... Cheers everyone!

Ketch

2009 RAGBRAI route is announced

2009-03-07T10:45:00.004-06:00

IT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED!!!

Yes, the new RAGBRAI route has been announced. It will be along the southern third of Iowa. Beginning in Council Bluffs and ending in Burlington. I heard somewhere that the elevation included will be the 10th greatest over the past 37 years.

Unfortunately it is March 7 and still too cold to go riding. (Yes, I know there are some crazies who ride in the snow, but flamingos are not at all related to penguins or other arctic foul.)

Watch this blog for the latest news from the Flamingo Team. Go Flamingos!!!!!

Listen to the Podcast for the Latest

2008-07-22T23:53:00.003-05:00

I am sorry for not keeping up the written blog. Getting timely internet access is difficult on our RAGBRAI ride. I can only send 160 letters from my phone and it Verizon adds a bunch of advertising at the end.

I will be trying to keep you up-to-date through my podcast (see the Gcast buttons in the right column.) I can make these updates through my phone. The titles aren't too fancy (only tell you the date) but if you click on the right arrow in that box, it will play the latest. Click on the Posts button and it will give you a list of the podcasts that have been sent.

I will update the written part as is practical.

Hope that this is helpful.

Z

Tuesday ends in Ames

2008-07-22T23:46:00.003-05:00

We had the early birds who included Salsa, Early, Must-Go Mama, California Bird. The later birds were the rest of the flock.

Today's challenge was going to be the 1.5 mile climb before Boone. It was challenging but by not insurmountable. We actually traveled in different packs today.

Went to a RAGBRAI concert tonight in Ames where we saw Styx for only $5 a head. GREAT concert. They really know how to entertain.

Dropped a muffler

2008-07-19T11:58:00.004-05:00

On the road for 20 minutes & Big Bird's van dropped it's muffler. Called a friend who took the muffler and left. What will fall apart next on the van?

Finally on the Road to Adventure

2008-07-19T11:25:00.004-05:00

We are off! Having picked up Salsa Bird, we are on our way!! Starting off 2 hours late 'cause Whiney Bird dyed her hair pink at the last minute.

Time to Hit the Road!!

2008-07-19T07:26:00.003-05:00

It's Saturday Morning and we must head out.

It has meant months of packing and training (yeah, sure) to prepare us for the trek ahead.

Team Flamingo is READY TO ROLL!!!

Z-Bird

2008-07-13T13:42:00.002-05:00

RAGBRAI begins in one week. As our last ditch effort to Get in Shape, we took a 50-mile ride. This photo shows the other side of our training with margaritas and mexican food. GO TEAM!!! Load those Carbs!!!

We MADE it!! 2007

2007-07-28T19:36:00.002-05:00

Yes, we made it to the "Mighty Mississip" this afternoon. Our final town was Bellevue. You can see the four Flamingos who flew across Iowa with RAGBRAI this year. Theyy are (fom the left) Big Bird (Mike Knapp), Whiny Bird (Mica Lorenz), Weird BIRD (Juanita Williams), and Z-Bird (me-Leigh Zeitz). We are dipping our front wheels into the Mississippi to signify that we made it. What a trip!

Early Start on the Last Day

2007-07-28T09:23:00.002-05:00

it's the last day and we got an early start. That means that we woke up at 5:30 but for some reason we still did't get on the road until 7:30.

Heading into Dyersville

2007-07-27T20:28:00.001-05:00

Here we are with Steve & Liz Kilgarde. Liz used to be Deb's principal and they kindly opened their house to the Flamingos and Team Oz. We had the opportunity to swim in a pool, steam in a hot tub and enjoy S'mores. Rained a little last night but not enough to smear the artwork on the Flamingo truck.
We got off to an early start. This time it included Mike, Mica, Deb, Heather and Juanita with Bev & Kathy as the valuable support team.
We rode to the small town of p???? Where we saw a band named "The Second Shift.". This cleaver and innovative band really ROCKED.

Leaving Cedar Falls for Independence

2007-07-27T06:34:00.001-05:00

Cedar Falls was by far best stop of the trip. I don't just say this because I live there. I have heard this from other riders too. You can see the troop of riders that left from our house. Balding Eagle and Betty joined us in CF. The rest of the gang slept at home and met us in Denver. We left @ 7:40 and covered the 18 miles to Denver rather quickly. Made it to Denver by 9:20. Met the rest of the gang there an had a great trip. It was hot and had a bunch of headwinds, but it was the most beautiful terrain of the trip. We went through the Amish country. Also went through some tiny towns. I went through Clinger and didn't even know it. Pulled into Indendence where they had an awesome fair ground. Stayed in the lovely home of the Kilgardes.

Things may look a little crazy

2007-07-24T15:03:00.000-05:00

This has been an interesting week.

I had some problems with the blogging from my phone so you may find that
they are not in sequential order as I post them from my phone. Bear with us
and I will fix them when we return.

Keep riding!!!

Z-Bird

Rock Rapids take off

2007-07-22T07:57:00.000-05:00

We actually left at 7:30. Had a wonderful evening at the Ditsworths and their lovely kids: Xander, Accai, & & Adelinne. LOOK OUT WORLD, Here we come!!!!

How many flamingos does it take to empty a chinese restaurant?

2007-07-21T14:37:00.000-05:00

The team stopped in Charles City at the Human Buffet (I think that was the name.) Nice thing bout RAGBRAI is that all bets are off...so are any aspects of modesty. We entered the restaurant and it was half full. We were a bit rambunctious but fun loving. The stories ran wild and it was obvious that the RAGBRAI craziness has set in.

Team Flamingo takes off!

2007-07-21T11:55:00.001-05:00

Well, we're off. It was our typical belated...no...beleagured start. Meant to start @ 8 but didn't hit the road until 11:30. Here's a photo of our illustrated truck with the usual cast of characters: Biig Bird, Z-Bird, Whiney, 'Lzy Brd, Kat Bird, Mama Bird, Weird Bird, & Crafty Bird. What a CREW!!

Birthday Ride for the Flamingos

2007-07-15T08:27:00.002-05:00

RAGBRAI will begin in one week. We need to continue with our training. Weird Bird, Splat, Big Bird, and Z-Bird made the flight. Here we are at a break @ Cup o' Joe's. We had a number of people recognize us from the KWWL broadcast last night.

Team Flamingo Hits the Road for the Big One

2007-06-29T21:07:00.001-05:00

Once a year, Team Flamingo takes the MASTER ride to Center Point. This is
the 78 mile ride that proves to us that we can ride a full day in RAGBRAI.
No matter what anyone says, this ride isn't about endurance nor distance nor
building teamwork (although all of those are important.) This ride is about
TENDERLOINS. It is a 39 mile ride to enjoy the tenderloins at Jonesey's in
Center Point.

Anywho, we met at the Evansdale Trail Head at 8 AM to begin our challenging
trek. The brave folks for the day included Big Bird (B-Bird was delivering
mail and preparing for their trip that they would be leaving on that day),
New Bird and Music Bird, Z-Bird, and a new rider who was a friend of one of
Big Bird's employees. This new rider was Deb. Rumor had it that we would
be meeting Salsa Bird in La Porte and that Ron and Denise Birds would be
meeting us on the way.

We took off and had a great ride to La Porte. It was interesting to meet
with Deb and have Big Bird tell her his stories of many RAGBRAIs gone by.

It was a Flory reunion at La Porte. Salsa Bird had driven there and Ron and
Denise had left Evansdale long after us but made it to LP only a few minutes
after we arrived.

We took off for La Porte. This was the first time that I (Z-Bird) had ever
traveled this far along the route. The trail turned into gravel after we
left McFarland Park. It wasn't too bad.

We made it to Center Point where we were overwhelmed by the size and
quantity of food. Look at the photo and you will see that the large
tenderloin is larger than Big Bird's head - and THAT'S saying something!!!

It was hot today. Probably about 95 degrees. That is the ultimate test for
RAGBRAIers. It's important to drink LOTS of water on days like this.
Otherwise we can become dehydrated and suffer from heat exhaustion. Some of
our riders had some problems with this and had to bag the ride. We are
deeply indebted to Kat Bird who drove down from Cedar Falls to pick them up.

We hit some rain on the way home but it was a good ride.

Perhaps my greatest accomplishment for the day was that I (Z-Bird) made it a
Century ride. I began my day with a 13-mile ride from home. This meant
that I left Cedar Falls at 6:30 AM for the 8:00 ride. After the ride, I
finished by riding my bike, Bertha, back to my humble abode. This actually
accrued to a 105 mile ride in 13.5 hours from door to door. Actually it was
about 9.5 hours of actual riding.

Thursday Ride Gets Shortened

2007-06-15T20:25:00.000-05:00

Today's ride was fun. We got off a little late but were ready to have a
challenging ride of 20 miles or more. It was a good group of Big Bird, New
Bird (Carolyn), Music Bird (Bryn), Crafty Bird and Me (Z-Bird).

I have been having a problem with my bike. My odometer stopped working. My
rear tire is wobbly. My bike's squeaking. But I gotta ride!!!!

We took off from Pfeiffer Park. Rode north and then east towards Gateway
Park. We rode into Big Woods Lake but found that the City had decided to
rebuild the trail that leads to Lone Tree Road. We turned around and then
went back.

Big Bird and I discussed lots of different trails that would make up for the
unexpected detour. We were in the middle of the discussion when Big Bird
yelled out, "Deer!" Now I know that Mike and I are close, but . . . .
Really. Here he was calling me "Dear." I was contemplating this when I had
to swerve to avoid hitting a brown four-legged animal that was crossing the
road.

We got back to the cut-off leading over the Million Dollar Bridge. Crafty
Bird said that she had a headache so we decided to escort her back to her
car. By the time we got there, we had all rationalized a reason to stop
riding. I needed to go home to work on my bike. Big Bird had to get ready
for going to Washington D.C. New and Music decided that they needed to ride
to 4 Queens to get an ice cream.

Now we just need to get ready for the Monster ride on Saturday. We will be
riding to Center Point to get some great Tenderloins. Should be a 78 mile
day. That will be fun!!!

Training Continues

2007-06-12T11:27:00.000-05:00

Well, last night was a good night for riding.

Per our team's training calendar, we met out in Evansdale at the Nature Trail Head to begin our trek to La Porte. It was a good group of folks. It included Splat (Marybeth), Lazy Bird (Chris), Me (Z-Bird), Carolyn and Bryn Hildebrandt. I just realized that Carolyn and Bryn don't have nicknames. We will have to fix that this week. Wonder what we could use . . .

It was a good ride to La Porte. Carolyn's only quest was to get some ice cream at the Family Tastee Freeze in La Porte. We all happily joined her when we got there. Unfortunately, they didn't have any of the flavor burst ice cream but we had to settle for the twists.

I would guess that we probably spent too much time eating ice cream in La Porte because we didn't get back until dark. I was the only person who didn't have a bike light. It was a challenge riding through the dark at 12 mph - hoping that there wouldn't be any low hanging branches.

Flight Length - 24 miles.

We will be riding up Kimball on Wednesday. It is about 18 miles. Goes right by Weird Bird's (Juanita) house. We fly up to Eagle Center. A small 2-blink town with wonderful people.

The big ride will be on Saturday when we ride down to Center Point for some of the best tenderloins in Iowa.

2006-08-30T13:25:00.000-05:00

Do you like good Mexican food?

I just heard that El Mariachi's (on the Hill across from Kwik Star) is
having problems staying afloat. I don't think enough people know about them.

Drop by El Mariachi's for lunch or dinner and you will have a wonderful meal. It's a
great restaurant and the Hill needs more great restaurants. Give them your
support.

It is one of the few resturants that have dishes for meat eater, vegetarians and vegans!
Kathy

P.S. Please email this to your friends, department members, and other
people who like to eat.

This has been a public service announcement.

2006-07-31T21:53:00.000-05:00

Saturday, July 22 - On the Road to RAGBRAI

Saturday found Team Flamingo on the road for another RAGBRAI. This year's team was composed of:
• Big Bird (aka Mike Knapp), co-founder of Team Flamingo and veteran of the last 24 consecutive RAGBRAI's. A dashing figure in pink and feather boa, and the originator of the "pink" beard look on RAGBRAI.
• Madam Chair Bird (aka Mica Lorenz), co-founder of the team and veteran of 22 RAGBRAI's. Team task master and chief procurer of flamingo accessories adorning bikes and team members.
• Tweedy Bird (aka Deb Shoopman), four-year RAGBRAI veteran, also known as the "Housing Goddess" for her uncanny ability in securing overnight hosts for us through a vast network of friends, neighbors or strangers that makes the French Resistance of World War II look like a network of amatures.
• Z-Man or Z-Bird (aka Leigh Zeitz), also a four-year veteran. Z-Man is the IT guru of the team, setting up the Team Flamingo web and blog sites. Affectionately known on the team as "the media hound," Leigh leaves no stone unturned in his quest to be interviewed by every media representative present on RAGBRAI.
• Mother Bird (aka Bev Shaffer) is the support van driver (and mother of M. Lorenz). Bev's been driving the team support vehicle for the past eight years.
• Lazy Bird (aka Chris Klink Zeitz), a second-year rider. He wants to be known as "Lazy" because he likes to "kick back" as he rides his 3-wheel EZ-Bike recumbent. Actually, he is usually way ahead of the front of the pack.
• Kathy Bird (aka Kathy Klink-Zeitz), a first-year driver. She is always there to provide that additional bit of help to make the ride go more smoothly. She sets up tents, take people to the hospital or whatever it takes to make things run.

Things started off to a rocky start:
• loading delays pushed our actual departure from Waterloo-Cedar Falls from 10 am to nearly noon.
• About a hour on the road, the left rear tire exploded, casting shards of tire rubber across the highway.
• We discovered that parts to the jack were missing, preventing efforts to change the rear tire.
• Though only 10 minutes from a truck stop and towing service, we waited over an hour for the AAA towing service to reach us
• When the van came to a stop little was left but a slick band of rubber around the wheel. Our attempts

2006-07-27T20:58:00.000-05:00

Team Flamingo
Wednesday night we spent at the Hoover House. What wonderful Hosts. We had a great time, wish we could have spent more time visiting with them. The riders left about 8:10 am. While Bev and I waited for them in Montezuma we saw a blurr that was Lance Armstrong. Chris thinks Lance has only one speed - fast. One of the Tip Top Team road the last block into town with Lance and group. The rest of the day, many people had stories of riding with Lance. Chris has deserted us in the evenings for Team Roadshow. I met a young man today from Team Pella, he had been in an accident involving 20 bikes, fortunately only 3 (he was one of them) had to go to the hospital. I gave him a ride to the info booth at the main campsite so he could find his time. He was banged up, but walking on his own. All the people in the towns have been so helpful and great. Goodbye for now. Kathy

Info from Ragbrai!

2006-07-27T20:20:00.000-05:00

The Flamingo Team was interviewed by the Des Moines Register - see the written
article at
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060724/NEWS08/60724011/1001/NEWS

As Chris head out of Sergeant Bluff he got his picture taken by the Register
go to http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=galleries
Go to the picture labeled RAGBRAI begins - this will open another window
called galleries when you get to that click on the yellow arrows until you
get to picture #7 out of 10.

Mica, Leigh, Mike, and Deb had a photo op with the Register see this at
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=galleries
scroll down to - RAGBRAI: Sgt. Bluff to Ida Grove this will open another
window called galleries when you get to that click on the yellow arrow until
you are at 5 of 14.

Chris saw Lance fly bye as did other, but I will let them tell their story.

Blessed be,
Kathy

Life is short enjoy each day!

2006-07-26T09:48:00.000-05:00

Quick Note from Granger

Not much access on the road, so I have to apologize for not keeping you all up to date. This will only be a quick note from here in Granger, IA. Would you believe that they are offering school with 16 bathrooms AND an Internet Lab.

We are on our 4th day o f this epic journey. Huge torrential rains last night. Fortunately, we stayed in a house last night and only experienced minimal wetness. Today will be another 70 miles but should not be as challenging as yesterday (famous last words.) Began the day with a wonderful burrito at Mama Rafael's (a roadside vendor.)

Saw the ultimate use of technology. A tandem recumbent bike rode past me. It was a father -daughter team. Dad was in front and his 9-year-old daughter was behind him. They were both pumping furiously. He was driving and she was playing "Marbles" on his Blackberry PDA.

Stay dry and we will get more to you soon.

Pictures too.

We are ready to go!!!

2006-07-22T11:21:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are with the first day.

We have packed everything. The Zeitz clan bought a '95 Nissan Pick Up
truck to carry Chris's three-wheel recumbent bike (or at least that is
the excuse I used.)

Kathy did a wonderful job of organizing things and we now have a Team
Flamingo magnetic sign on the side of our truck.

The Knapp-Lorenz clan has filled the Team Flamingo van with bikes and
things.

It is a 4.5 hour drive over to Sergeant Bluff where we will begin.
Kathy is planning to attend a meeting for "first time drivers."
Should be useful.

We found a great little device that combines an ipod holder with a
speaker system. It hangs on my belt and works just great. Will get a
photo up here later.

Well it's time to move out. Keep in touch.

Z-Man

2006-07-18T23:07:00.000-05:00

It's time for another year of RAGBRAI.

Team Flamingo has been running for 25 years under the leadership of Big Bird (Mike Knapp) and Madam Chair Person - MCP (Mica Lorenz).

This year we will be riding 444 miles across Iowa from Sunday, July 23, through Saturday, July 30. We will begin with the Missouri River in Sergeant Bluffs on Sunday and end with the Mississippi River in Muscatine on Saturday.

You may have noticed in the news that Lance Armstrong will ride with US on Thursday from Newton to Marengo. It is nice to see that after training in the mountains of France for 7 years that he is at last ready to ride the REAL RIDE across Iowa. =-)

We hope to continue this blog as we progress across Iowa. Please read it daily and contribute your comments and questions. We will try to include some photos as we move along.

Z-Man