RAGBRAI Preview
In just four days, I will set out on the second longest bike tour I have ever done: a seven day cruise across the state of Iowa over 500 miles. Unlike #EyesUpRide, the longest bike tour I have ever done, I won’t be anywhere close to alone at any point during the seven days. I will be riding as part of RAGBRAI ([Des Moines] Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) with more than 28,000 other people and good friends.
Picturing the sheer volume of people and bicycles is quite the challenge and I am both excited to have the energy of so many people around and a little apprehensive at how the logistics will run. This is the 50th year of RAGBRAI, so the previous 49 years must have been useful for getting the details locked in and running smoothly. We’ll see.
We also will see what it feels like to be back on a bike in touring format for a whole week - I am eager to be back on a point-to-point route with a clear goal each day and to participate in one of the most spirited events around. I have no idea what to expect but I have been told to expect lots (and lots) of good food everywhere from local vendors, live music, and people enjoying life in one of the simplest forms.
RAGBRAI comes at an interesting time for me as I am figuring out what the next steps in my career will be and where I will put myself geographically long term. Many ideas have swirled through my head since I shifted my focus away from public speaking this spring, ranging from becoming a pilot to fighting wildfires. At most of the previous junctures in my life where the path of certainty bends onto a road of unknowns, something has either crossed my mind or an opportunity has clearly presented itself and has resonated. I have yet to have a moment like that so far in this process.
At most of the previous junctures in my life where the path of certainty bends onto a road of unknowns, something has either crossed my mind or an opportunity has clearly presented itself and has resonated. I have yet to have a moment like that so far in this process.
More recently I have been thinking that perhaps the strategy of thinking about all of the what ifs and exploring each one is not the strongest. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all of the possible outcomes and the self-imposed pressure to make the right choice when there is so much freedom. I think it may be throwing off my energy and mindset. Instead of feeling like whatever is next must be a dreamlike scenario, I am working on keeping an open mind to those more subtle opportunities that may already be out there and listening closely to what my gut and heart are saying.
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to spend a week riding in a beautiful state with a large handful of friends and surely a ton of new friends and riding buddies. This ride will be a good time to reset, take my mind off the stress of what’s next, and be present with what’s right in front of me. That’s the beauty of traveling by bicycle: the simplicity of the activity automatically sheds the web of complications that day-to-day life can accumulate and pares one’s schedule down to the essentials. And, you’re outside - what could be better?
Stay tuned for updates on how the ride goes and as always, thank you for reading and being part of this journey! Talk to you in two weeks.
-Ben Grannis
#EyesUp
