This week AP and Murph sit down with ride director Matt Phippen to talk about RAGBRAI LI and the full 2024 route. This is part two where Matt dives into mileage, elevation and we talk a bit about each of the towns we will be visiting on the RAGBRAI route, from Winterset to Burlington. RAGBRAI Gives: https://ragbrai.com/community-fund/ Bozz Prints Merchandise: https://www.bozzprints.com/collections/ragbrai-li Clarence Pickard episode: https://soundcloud.com/justgobike/episode-286-parrottalk-reads-more-on-iowa-legend-clarence-pickard Have a topic for a future episode? Message us at justgobikepod ..read more

This week AP and Murph sit down with ride director Matt Phippen to talk about RAGBRAI LI and the full 2024 route. This is part one of two where Matt dives into mileage, elevation and we talk a bit about each of the towns we will be visiting on the RAGBRAI route, from Glenwood to Winterset. We also talk a bit about the RAGBRAI Community Fund and the recently released town t-shirts. Each community worked with the local Iowa artist to create a custom print that embodies their community. Proceeds from this merchandise line go to the Community Fund! Episode 289: https://soundcloud.com/justgobike/ep ..read more

The Dream Team has kicked off another year and director Jeff Van Genderen is on this episode along with youth member Addy who is returning to be part of the team again. The Dream Team is a nonprofit organization in the Des Moines area that partners youth with adult mentors to provide a unique opportunity to build relationships, learn life skills and achieve personal growth as they train to ride bikes across the state during RAGBRAI. The program has been around 27 years and Jeff is going to tell us some updates along with the latest news on the Dream Team. Addy shares her experiences being part ..read more

On March 24, 2024 Matt Bernhard passed away. Known as Mr. Pork Chop Jr., Matt was a RAGBRAI celebrity and alongside his signature pink bus, he made and sold grilled Iowa pork chops on the route each year. Riders would stand in long lines to get a chop that had been grilled on a bed of corncobs right there on the side of the road. His dad had launched the business back in the early 80’s after RAGBRAI came through their hometown of Bankroft and when Matt took it over, he perfected grilling techniques and riders responded by stopping whenever they saw the big pink bus. On this episode you will he ..read more

Joe and Coz Lindsay are on to tell us about life as a RAGBRAI SAG Driver. Joe and Coz are part of a great crew of drivers in 15 passenger vans that are spread out along the route each year, picking up riders who are not able to ride on. The guys tell Murph what it is like to be a SAG driver, reasons riders use the SAG, and also they provide riders with some good tips so you might not need to use their services. Have a topic for a future episode? Message us at justgobikepodcast@gmail.com. www.ragbrai.com www.murphologypodcast.com RAGBRAI LI Registration is open! ragbrai.com/ragbrai-li-registrat ..read more

We are rolling way back to the late 1800s on this episode to talk about Kittie Knox, a female African American cyclist who as a teenager took cycling to a new level for both women and women of color. AP digs deep into Kittie’s life and what it was like to be a cyclist in the 1890s. Sources for this episode: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kittie_Knox https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2020/05/26/breaking-the-cycle-the-kittie-knox-story/ https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-culture/kittie-knox-black-cyclist-activist-who-challenged-race-gender-barriers-1890s https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/r ..read more

Coach Ertl is back to talk to us about training for RAGBRAI! NOW is the time to get those training miles in so that you can be in your best shape to tackle the miles, and hills, of Iowa in July. Coach Ertl says preparation is the key…training your body to sit on the saddle for long periods of time, testing out equipment and clothing, and of course dialing in your nutrition are just a few ways to get yourself prepared. And don’t forget to get your bike tuned up! Coach Ertl Training Blogs and Training Plan: https://ragbrai.com/category/ragbrai-training-blog/ Have a topic for a future episode? Me ..read more

Will Walker completed his first RAGBRAI in 2023 in a different way than any other cyclist who rode their bicycle across Iowa. Will rode the whole route backwards! And by backwards, we mean he positioned himself so that his bike moved forward but his body was facing backwards. He sat on the handlebars and pedaled this way all 500+ miles!! Many years ago, biking backwards started as a kind of a joke or challenge with his friends and quickly became a way of cycling that is now Will’s normal. All of his rides are pedaled backwards so when he heard about a 7 day ride across Iowa, he didn’t even kno ..read more

Have you been lucky enough to meet Steve Lawyer and Bebe the Parrot on RAGBRAI? Bebe is a white winged parrot who for the last several years hangs out on Steve’s shoulder while Steve pedals them across Iowa each July, stopping frequently for selfies with riders and time to stretch Bebe's wings. Steve is on the podcast to talk about all things related to Bebe and biking, and what it is like to have a social bird who loves people and wants to go wherever Steve goes. Bebe even speaks up (or is it squawks up?) a few times during the interview, probably to tell us what it is like to be RAGBRAI famo ..read more

Team RWB is a community of veterans, service members, military families, and supporters, united by teamwork, shared values, and a common goal. They help veterans lead healthier lives through fitness events, training, and programs. Along with many other fitness options, Team RWB has a RAGBRAI team. Todd Cowan and Paul Wade are good friends, bike commuters, and veterans who are part of Team RWB and the bicycle team. They spent some time talking to Murph about the organization along with fun stories about RAGBRAI. Learn more about the Team RWB RAGBRAI team: https://teamrwb.org/ragbrai Todd Cowan ..read more