Riding On RAGBRAI Shows Iowa’s Beauty

RAGBRAI. That’s a weird word. Actually, it’s an acronym for the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. Why would someone ride a bike across Iowa? In July? Not only that. Why would someone do it with 20,000 other people? If you’ve never ridden RAGBRAI, you may not be able to answer these questions. If you have gone on RAGBRAI, or simply, “The Ride” then you know. There are many reasons to go on what is billed as “the longest, largest and oldest recreational bicycle touring event in the world.” But all who ride can agree that RAGBRAI Shows Iowa’s Beauty.

And there are many sights to see. It’s easy to take snapshots along the way during the week-long rolling circus that is RAGBRAI. Now in its 45th year, images of more bikes than you can imagine, thousands of tents taking over small towns and the unlimited colors of countless bike jerseys are the subject of many snapshots. Images of outrageous people doing crazy things are also common. As one bike jersey proudly said: “Bad Choices Make GOOD RAGBRAI Stories.”

In Search of the Majesty

This year I rode my third full RAGBRAI, I rode with an eye for the majesty. I looked for the scenes and images that allow us to step back and take in the larger picture. Riders become focused on things like riding, distance, stamina, endurance, hydration and awareness of riders around them. It can become a small world. Of course, when one is in that small world, they can be quickly jolted out. It happens when they are beside an Adaptive Sports rider, who may be an amputee, double amputee or paraplegic cycling on a hand cycle recumbent. Or when you suddenly see the man in front of you with a sign that says “Having Fun at 91.” Maybe it’s when a paramedic on a motorcycle whizzes by, siren blaring, off to help a cyclist in need. For me one morning, it was upon entering a small town and the local nursing home had residents outside, in the shade in their wheel chairs, watching the odd humanity parading before them on bicycles.

In those moments, there is a sense that you are a part of something larger than yourself. Twenty thousand people riding across the State of Iowa for twenty thousand different reasons. Maybe it’s a challenge to yourself. Maybe it is to say “I Can” to someone who told you “You Can’t.” It could be for a cause, like the MS riders. Some ride to build teamwork, building relationships and helping young people attain goals through cycling like the Dream Team of Des Moines. Or it could be because life has thrown you a curve and you’re bound and determined to overcome it, like the tandem riders who’s sign on the back of their bike simply said: “Fuck Cancer.”

Could I capture the majesty, and at the same time, the intimacy? With photography, the answer is of course yes. Photography freezes the moment. It captures wide vistas while allowing the viewer to pause and look deeper. Photography allows us to see the infinite in a moment in time. It is the Infinite Still.