Due to popular demand, Laird Big Bird shared a suggested list of items that are recommended for your RAGBRAI trip. You may have other items that you want to take, but please keep in mind that space is at a premium. Try to limit your gear (excluding tent/sleeping bag/mattress pad/cot, etc.) to a medium size duffel and a carry on.
RAGBRAI Check List
Due to popular demand, Laird Big Bird shared a suggested list of items that are recommended for your RAGBRAI trip. You may have other items that you want to take, but please keep in mind that space is at a premium. Try to limit your gear (excluding tent/sleeping bag/mattress pad/cot, etc.) to a medium size duffel and a carry on.
___ Bike (computer, trunk bag, etc.)
___ Helmet
___ RAGBRAI rider's tag/packet
___ Spare tubes (2)
___ Tire iron/tire changing kit
___ Sunscreen
___ Chap stick
___ Handiwipes travel pack
___ Hand disinfectant
___ Credit card/cash (don’t count on working ATM’s
in rural Iowa)
___ iPod/MP3 player/ear buds/bike sound system
___ Cell phone
___ iPod/Cell phone charger
___ Sun glasses
___ Sun visor or ball cap
___ Cycling jerseys (2)
___ Cycling shorts (2) (keep separate from Al’s)
___ Socks (7 pairs – wear 1 pair after ride/on
ride next day). Adjust if you wear
sandals at night and/or sandals to ride in.
___ Bike shoes or sandals, or shoes with hard
sole.
___ Shorts for evening wear (if you can find
travel shorts with liners you can eliminate undies)
___ Undies (you be the judge of number needed)
___ T-shirts (one for each night/ each day you
ride if don’t have jersey)
___ More money
___ Hood, sweat shirt or windbreaker in case temps
dip
___ Pair of long pants in case temps dip
(optional)
___ Sweat band or bandanna
___ Sleeping bag/bed roll/cot/bedding (whatever
you plan to sleep on)
___ Tent (in case we have to camp or housing
breaksdown)
___ Shower shoes or flips
___ Toiletry kit
___ Sunburn cream or spray/mole skin, band aids
___ Camera if phone doesn’t have one.
___ Pocket flashlight
___ Pocket knife
___ Pink feather boas/flamingo adornments and
accessories
___ Ink pen, post card stamps, mailing labels
___ Roll of camping TP (for dashes into the corn
fields)
___ Towel
Team Flamingo Swag in the State Historical Museum of Iowa
A few weeks ago, Z-Bird received a request from the State Historical Museum of Iowa for a helmet. They were opening a RAGBRAI exhibit in the museum and they wanted to include Team Flamingo.
After a bit of discussion, we decided that the helmet was not enough. We needed to make certain that Team Flamingo was properly represented so we included:
We don't know how they will display all of this, but it is certain that they have the materials to do Team Flamingo RIGHT!
You can see more of this on the History Biker Facebook page in a June 13 posting.
After a bit of discussion, we decided that the helmet was not enough. We needed to make certain that Team Flamingo was properly represented so we included:
- Helmet
- Camel Back water bag
- Jersey
- Do-Rag
- Water Bottle
- Stickers and
- LOTS of road-weary feathers.
We don't know how they will display all of this, but it is certain that they have the materials to do Team Flamingo RIGHT!
You can see more of this on the History Biker Facebook page in a June 13 posting.
Mileage for the 2013
Just thought you might want to see the mileage stats for the 2013 route. It's not a tough route this year and the days will be rather short.
It is only 406.6 miles for the whole trip. Longest ride is 83 miles and shortest is nearly 50.
The average day is 58 miles.
It is only 406.6 miles for the whole trip. Longest ride is 83 miles and shortest is nearly 50.
The average day is 58 miles.
- Sunday
- Council Bluffs to Harlan - 56.8 miles and 2,476 feet of climb.
- Monday
- Harlan to Perry - 83 miles and 4,239 feet of climb
- Tuesday
- Perry to Des Moines - 49.9 miles and 1,308 feet of climb
- Wednesday
- Des Moines to Knoxville - 49.9 miles and 2,920 feet of climb
- Thursday
- Knoxville to Oskaloosa - 52 miles and 2,808 feet of climb
- Friday
- Oskaloosa to Fairfield - 52 miles and 1,222 feet of climb
- Saturday
- Fairfield to Fort Madison - 63 miles and 2,427 feet of climb
Related articles
Weather for RAGBRAI
IT'S GOING TO BE HOT!!!!!!!
I was wondering what the weather was going to be like on RAGBRAI so I went to Wunderland.com and got the latest news. Below is a compilation of the weather forcasts for each of the cities for the day we will be sleeping there.
Remember to hydrate and don't be silly. Sagging is completely acceptable in the heat.
I was wondering what the weather was going to be like on RAGBRAI so I went to Wunderland.com and got the latest news. Below is a compilation of the weather forcasts for each of the cities for the day we will be sleeping there.
Remember to hydrate and don't be silly. Sagging is completely acceptable in the heat.
Weather Report
from Wunderland.com
(as of 9:00 AM
Friday, 7/20)
Sunday – Cherokee – 97F (Heat Index – 118F)
Partly cloudy. High of 97F. Winds from the South at 5 to 10
mph
Monday – Lake View – 97F (Heat
Index – 118F)
Overcast in the morning, then partly cloudy with a chance of
a thunderstorm and rain. High of 97F with a heat index of 118F. Winds from the
SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40% with rainfall amounts near 0.2 in.
possible.
Tuesday – Webster City – 99F
(Heat Index – 120F)
Overcast in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 99F
with a heat index of 120F. Winds from the South at 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday – Marshalltown - 93F
(Heat Index – 109F)
Partly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm. High of 93F
with a heat index of 109F. Winds from the SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain
50%.
Thursday – Cedar Rapids –
93F (Heat Index – 113F)
Partly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm. High of 93F
with a heat index of 113F. Winds from the SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain
70% with rainfall amounts near 0.5 in. possible.
Friday – Anamosa – 90F
Partly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm. High of 90F.
Winds from the SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Clinton – Saturday – 99F
Mostly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm. High of 99F.
Winds less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Stay Cool!!!!!!
photo, a photo by UNI Dr. Z on Flickr.
Leigh Zeitz enjoying a "small" ice cream cone at the Union Stop in La Porte City. This sweet treat was earned on July 21 when Team Flamingo rode the Too Late to Train ride. This 35-mile ride preceded the annual Too Late to Train party at Jan Gallagher's house. (yes, I know that I should have posted a photo of the team on the ride, but I forgot to take one.)
| Team of Flamingo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Here are some updates for this coming weekend's rides:
Saturday, July 7: Friends of the Depot Ride.
Meet
at Cup O' Joe on Cedar Falls package at 9:00 am. Bike the trails system
to Gilbertville to join the “Friends of the Depot” celebrating the 100th
year birthday of the Gilbertville Depot, then on to La Porte for lunch and
return ride back to Cedar Falls. The Friends of the Depot are trying to
save the Gilbertville Depot from being torn down and keep it as a landmark on
the Cedar Valley Nature Trail.
Heat Alternative: Flamingos
wishing to ride earlier and avoid some of the heat, can meet at Bill
and Moria Brown's home at 8:00 am for ride
to Gilbertville and back. They will probably do lunch in Evansdale
instead of riding on to LaPorte.
Sunday, July 8: Trinity Ride: Same ride but with start time moved up to 8:00 am for heat relief.
Meet
at Cup O' Joe on Cedar Falls parkade at 8:00 am. Bike on trail to
Waterloo to Hudson and back to Cedar Falls. Lunch at Mulligan’s at Noon.
Bike the trails again at 1:00 pm. Morning ride and afternoon ride both
approximately 30 miles each.
See you this weekend.
Mike Big Bird Knapp
Notes for Our Team Kickoff Day on July 21

Just wanted to talk a little more about Saturday, July 21st, departure day for RAGBRAI.
1) Be at Carolyn's at 8:00 am so that we can get bikes and baggage loaded and get on the road by 9:00 am to take advantage of the cooler temps in the morning.
2) Limit yourself to one bag, sleeping bag, tent, cot/air mattress, pillow, etc. to conserve space.
3) Use soft luggage -- duffel bag, gym bag, etc. rather then hard shell suitcase.
4) Bring snack food/beverage along for the ride. We can stop and shop in Sioux City for supplies you want for the week (beer, pop, etc.) once we're there rather then cramming everything in for the ride out. We will try to have a cooler of some type in each vehicle.
5) Remember, we are staying in Sioux City, not Sioux Center on Saturday night. We will have about an hour's drive to start point on Sunday morning, so it would be helpful if we didn't have to off load bikes Saturday night. Perhaps you could pack Sunday riding clothes separate from your main kit so that we can leave as many things loaded on the vehicle as possible for a quick start in the morning.
6) If you want to bring a camp chair along, bring it that morning to Carolyn's. If there's room to carry it on the vehicle we will, but no promises until we get everyone's gear assembled for loading.
7) Put your luggage tag on your main duffel bag, so we have a way of tracking who's bag is whose when we load up each morning. Don't want to leave you gear behind like Emily's was two years ago.
8) Everyone will be assigned to a specific support vehicle for the ride. Assignments were made with size of vehicle, types of riders, genders, and housing combinations, so hopefully everyone is happy with their van mates. If not, bring a book to read.
9) Your support vehicle driver is just that. A driver. He or she is not expected to unload your gear and carry it into the house that night, or out to the vehicle the next morning. You are responsible for that. Treat your driver nicely, it is hard to get support drivers and vehicles.
10). We will have the FlamingoLoo along when/if we camp and the KYBO's are too far away for late night potty runs.
11) Each vehicle will have a hand sanitizer and a first aid kit on board for emergency needs, bandages, etc. Tylinol, Ibupufren, etc. are not provided.
12) Each vehicle should have a floor air pump and tire gauge on board.
Big Bird (Mike Knapp)
Thanks for the Lodging
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
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.
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
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!!
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
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
![]() |
| flickr.com/Donato Tundo |
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
![]() |
| 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.
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 changing
kit
c Water bottles/Camelback
hydration 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 on
bike in case of emergency stop to corn field)
c Hand Sanitizer/Travel
Handiwipes (see above)
c Team Flamingo jersey/biking
jersey
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 case
temps drop)
c Long pants (in case temps
drop)
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 up
mattress/camp cot
c Flash light
Meet the Team . . .
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
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
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
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