Time for hill training!
The RAGBRAI 2017 route was announced Saturday night! The course goes way north this year – it doesn’t even leave the two northern most counties in Iowa!
I am confused by the starting town NOT being on the western edge of the state. You traditionally start by dipping your back tire in river (Big Sioux or Missouri) at the western edge of the state, and end with dipping your front tire in the Mississippi River on the eastern edge of the state. I must not be in the know.
They’re calling this year’s course as “Take it easy, go north,” but the day we plan to ride, Day 7, doesn’t sound easy – it’s the hilliest ride of the week with 3,200 feet of climb over 44.8 miles. That will be the hilliest RABGRAI course my dad and I have ridden. When we first rode, in 2014, we climbed 3,073 feet, but over a longer distance of 67.5 miles (other years we’ve done have been tame – 1,644 feet, 2,377 feet, and 1,314 feet). I have a feeling Day 7 this year will be BRUTAL.
But I’m super pumped to train for it to make it as not painful as possible! I am guessing my dad won’t be in for riding Day 6 too, which is 60.1 miles with a climb of 2,483 feet. Hey, I don’t know until I ask though, right?!
Themocracy
Oh, I didn’t realize that the course changed from year to year. That doesn’t sound like ‘take it easy’ day! Do you prefer doing hill training for running or biking?
Yeah, it’s different every single year, which is pretty cool! I’d actually rather run hills than bike them… but, I think that just means I need to get better at it! 🙂
Ha ha no harm in asking! That’s a lot of hills, how do you train for that on the bike?
I am going to! I will train for it by finding hills and riding them. There are some hilly routes in Wisconsin. And I can put an extra block under the front wheel of my bike when I am on the trainer, to raise it 🙂
Oh wow! That is a crazy hilly leg of the course to ride!! I’ll be interested in your bike hill training methods for this.
I think in the winter I will start with “intervals” with my extra block under the front wheel, then when I can get outside, I will go ride hills 🙂 Hopefully! ha ha
I agree with everyone else – nothing “easy” about that ride! You might be surprised at how much strength/hill training you can do on the trainer. But still!
At least the downhills will be worth it?! 🙂