From 17 to 59, Cedar Rapids man marks another year in RAGBRAI tradition

CEDAR RAPIDS - When Rick Paulos was 17, his mom suggested he try a new bike ride she had heard of - the Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. So he skipped school to ride with his family.

Now 59, Paulos still is going on that annual trek. And he hasn't missed once since its inception in 1973.

In all those years, Paulos has missed only eight riding days total of what's now known as RAGBRAI. He rode despite having a sprained neck and a herniated disk. About five years ago, he suffered a heart attack but still went on RAGBRAI later that year.

'It's kind of a force of habit,” he said. 'I got to keep the streak going now.”

Born in Davenport, Paulos lives on the west side of Cedar Rapids and works at the University of Iowa in medical research, Nothing has prevented him from going on the journey each year - camping, sleeping in people's homes, and for the last 20 years, staying in churches.

One year, he said, after spraining his neck, he woke up the next morning, mid-RAGBRAI, incapacitated. After resting up at home for two days, he was back on the road, pedaling across Iowa.

Lisa Paulos, his wife, said this dedication may surprise people who don't know him very well. But for her, it seems almost normal.

'One time he didn't go to his sister's wedding,” she said. After all, the big day was scheduled during RAGBRAI.

His first year, Paulos rode a Schwinn Varsity and since has tried a variety of cycles. riding a different one every summer and even switching mid-ride. He's even taken out a tandem bike and built a bike meant for four.

During the year, his training varies. It usually entails riding a few weekend rides, small tours around the state, or parking his car 5 miles from work and taking his bike from there.

Paulos said that over all those years, he has seen the event change.

Now, he says, the ride is a lot easier. He's not sure if that's because there is more encouragement to ride the whole thing, or if it's because it's during the summer instead of the school year. Both, he said, encourage more riders, which probably forced the route to become a little simpler.

RAGBRAI, which will mark its 43rd year starting this weekend, now boasts approximately 8,500 riders every year.

For Paulos, this group of people is truly a unique community.

'There are people that have gone to RAGBRAI that have gone almost as many years as I have,” he said, adding he enjoys catching up with everyone on the route but that because of the huge crowd, he doesn't necessarily get to see them all.

People are often surprised, Lisa Paulos said, to learn her husband has ridden in every ride.

And it's not just something he does on his own - it's a family event. He rode bikes with his family and relatives growing up, and now rides RAGBRAI with his wife.

'It started with (his mom) and it seems to have stuck with Rick the most,” Lisa Paulos said, adding that his family used to ride bikes everywhere,

It is also how the Paulos' met - at RAGBRAI 10 - and they ride together at least a couple days almost every time.

'Cycling is very much a part of our lives,” Lisa Paulos said. 'It's part of a lifestyle.”