The Five Senses of RAGBRAI

CORALVILLE — Clashing thunder, lightning and rain met thousands of bicyclists rolling into Coralville on the penultimate day of their seven-day trek across Iowa.

Cyclists arrived in the Corridor in the final days of RAGBRAI, the annual bike tour that this year stretches 462 miles from Sioux City to Davenport.

Friday, cyclists awoke from their slumber at campsites in Hiawatha, where they settled Thursday night, to begin the 66-mile ride to Coralville with stops in places like Springville and Mount Vernon.

RAGBRAI is a sensory experience — the sight of quaint towns; the aroma of homemade pies; the pain of struggling up a steep hill; the sound of fellow riders giving you a heads-up as they pass; the quench of thirst of a cold drink at the end of the day's journey.

SOUND

The hum of turning bicycle chains filled First Avenue in Springville as riders biked through. Gary Novak, 63, was there to greet riders with a wave and a smile.

'Enjoy your day,' he said as they passed.

Riders shouted 'bike on' as they merged back on to the main road. Others gave a courtesy 'on your left' as they passed.

Behind the sound of wheels hitting the pavement, speakers attached to bikes played everything from popular hits to rock classics.

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Pat Wikinok had the perfect spot to watch and listen to RAGBRAI riders in Coralville.

Wikinok could hear the riders signaling to one another as they sped past, notifying each other of oncoming cars or a looming large hill. 'It's just kind of like a hoot or a 'heads up,'' she said.

SIGHT

Curtis McBride, a 68-year-old North Liberty resident, sat atop a hill near Coralville Lake, one of the biggest hills riders faced all day.

'When cyclists reached the top of the hill, 90 percent say 'I thought Iowa was flat,' ' McBride said. 'They're pretty dog tired. Some of them are walking. Some of them are still riding ... They've always got a smile on their face.'

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What's the strangest thing Matt and Tricia Juszczyk, both 30 of Mount Vernon, have seen so far on their RAGBRAI trip? Tricia points to streams of toilet paper hanging off a building in downtown Mount Vernon, thrown by riders.

TASTE

For Patrick Cain, 60, a Fort Dodge native, it's the taste of home that brings him back each year despite the daunting hills. As he sat down at the Devonian Fossil Gorge at Coralville Lake, he remembered the tastes of Iowa he experienced this week.

Tasting Iowa sweet corn again is 'indescribable,' he said.

As self-described traditionalist, he also looks forward to 'church lady pie,' particularly apple, at the dinners churches often host.

Many of the pies he enjoys on the ride have crusts made with lard, just 'the way it's supposed to be,' he said.

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When Aaron Fulton, 24 of Iowa City, rides RAGBRAI, he tastes sweetness in the air and salt in his mouth from the sweat dripping down his face.

'Whether you want it to be there or not, it's there,' he said.

SMELL

The best way to cope with the scent of animal manure in the air is to breathe through your mouth, Fulton said. When passing a farm, there's nothing to stop the smell from intruding into everyone's nostrils, mixed in with the sticky, humid Iowa heat.

It's an incentive to pedal faster.

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Some, like Jim Ebensberger, 59 of Clinton, don't mind that overwhelming smell.

'I don't think it's a bad smell,' he said. 'I'm a farmer. You just have to smell that, and it's a smell I'd always remember.'

FEELING

Travis Heaverlo, 39, of Omaha, Neb., said the rain from earlier in the morning made it difficult to control his bike. The rain can bring up oils from the concrete, making the surface slippery.

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Being identical twins, Cindy and Kathy Savino are a lot alike. The 53-year-old women from Fort Collins decided to cross an item off their bucket list — riding RAGBRAI together for the first time.

Both are doing it with broken wrists.

Cindy broke her right wrist about a month ago, and Kathy followed suit by breaking her wrist on the first day of RAGBRAI in a bike crash.

Kathy sat out a few days after the crash, but eventually couldn't bear to miss out any longer.

'It was more painful not to ride,' Kathy said. 'I just couldn't stand it anymore.'