Through Heat, Headwinds, and Cornfields: My Ride Across Iowa

Endless cornfields, warm smiles from strangers, and long days on my bike, RAGBRAI was more than just a ride across Iowa. It was a reminder of how deeply I love being outside, how much I crave challenge, and how joy and struggle often travel side by side. 

I picked up the ride on Day 3 in Forest City, Iowa. It was brutal, 70 miles due south, 101 degrees on the heat index with a 30 mph headwind. I learned the term “corn sweat” and what happens when you don’t fuel properly. Around mile 45, my body said "no more", and I toppled off my bike. By mile 50, I couldn’t push anymore. Scraped up and exhausted, I climbed into our support vehicle. I was disappointed, but also strangely at peace. I had found my limit. 

The beauty of RAGBRAI, though, is that no day is the same. The next morning, the air was cool. As I pedaled through rolling hills and endless fields, a fellow rider pulled alongside me and said, “Wasn’t yesterday hard? And doesn’t that make today so much sweeter?” I felt tears sting my eyes, and my heart got light and heavy at the same time because he was right. The struggle of one day made the grace of the next feel like a gift. 

That’s the magic of cycling, or any time spent being active outdoors. It’s where effort and awe meet. It’s the adrenaline of not knowing what’s around the bend, mixed with the calm of trusting that my body will carry me there. It’s the laughter with friends at the end of a long ride, the quiet bond with strangers who share the same road, and the sense of wonder at skies that stretch forever. 

RAGBRAI gave me all of that: challenge, humility, gratitude, and joy. It’s hard to put into words, but maybe the pictures can say what I can’t. 

These jokers are my riding companions and my second cousins. They have been riding RAGBRAI since 1996! I can't wait to ride again next year!

• The artificial intelligence tool, ChatGPT-5, was used to improve the formatting and readability of the original draft written by the author. All content decisions remain entirely the author’s work.