RAGBRAI 2021 Day 1

[@fman4234]

Signing up for my first RAGBRAI and this is the first vid I picked to get an idea as to what I'm in for - great vid! Thanks, BBB!

[@BBB_Adventures]

Congratulations on making the great decision to ride RAGBRAI! This will be our 10th year. You are going to have a blast. You can watch the rest of the 2021 series and we just published our RAGBRAI 2022 series as part of The Apollo Mission episodes, which was our bike ride across North America. Also, we posted a video on how we pack for RAGBRAI back in 2021 you can find on BBB Adventures. Thanks so much for watching and for the comment. Enjoy the Ride

[@rogerverzosa5372]

This ride looks fun. My wife and I love to camp and ride our bikes. What I combination. Thanks for sharing your video.

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hi Roger! Thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers. For us, RAGBRAI is the best week of the year and since you and your wife like camping and riding bikes...it sounds like something you must try. Reserve the last week in July 2022 now and start making plans to participate in RAGBRAI. Pork Belly Ventures can really help make all the logistics planning much easier. Thanks for the comment. Enjoy the Ride

[@waltbrim5897]

This sounds so cool. I have friends that did it in the 70's and 80's. I have friends doing it this year. But then I see tent city and my crowd anxiety turns on. I'll have to consider rule number 5.

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hey Walt, Thanks for watching BBB Adventures and for the comment. It's super cool you have friends from that did RAGBRAI in the 70's and 80's. I'm sure it was a very different experience back then probably better in some ways and worse in others. We've been doing it together since 2014 and just love it. The crowds are something that comes with the experience but at the same time, it's a great way to meet a ton of interesting people, and Rule #5 absolutely helps. Please check out The Apollo Mission on BBB Adventures. It's our bike touring adventure across North America, it's totally different than RAGBRAI. Thanks again for watching. Enjoy the Ride

[@helmerporras6827]

Desde Colombia,, abrazos, excelente, algún día voy a estar ,en éste gran evento... maravilloso

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hi Helmer, Thanks for watching. It's great to have a viewer from Columbia!! RAGBRAI is a fantastic event and we would highly recommend you make plans to particulate. We appreciate your comment and the hugs. Disfruta el viaje Enjoy the Ride

[@helmerporras6827]

@@BBB_Adventures excelente evento , Díos los bendiga siempre,,, brothers

[@ridetillidie8090]

I can totally see how Rule #5 could harden you up. Great video! Nice to just see people riding along being people. No unnecessary narration, just riding and giving us the highlights. Well done! Stay safe!

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hi and thanks for watching and for the comment. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the video. Hopefully you've had a chance to watch the rest of our RAGBRAI 2021 series as well as get caught up on The Apollo Mission, our bike ride across the US. We are still on that ride and will publish new episodes as we find time to edit them. Thanks again for watching BBB Adventures. Enjoy the Ride

[@rangersmith4652]

I abhor the cliche, "Safety First." Safety is NOT first. If it were, you'd stay home on the couch doing nothing, getting nowhere, wasting your limited time on Earth. Living is inherently risky, and while we can take steps to mitigate or minimize some risks, safety is secondary to accomplishing one's goal -- in this case, making the ride. So make the ride as safely as reasonably possible. That said, great video!

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hi Ranger Smith, I totally get your point and agree with the logic. Risk management and mitigation is what's important. Riding a bike on a highway with trucks blasting by at 70 mph is not safe but we do what we can to minimize the risk like wear high vis clothing, always be aware, ride to the right, etc. These are the things we've been doing on The Apollo Mission to get safely across the US on our bikes. Maybe the saying should be "Life First" or something Thanks for watching and for the engagement. We really appreciate it. Enjoy the Ride (as safely as possible)

[@peterwinkler8382]

I loved this video. I live in on Maui and cycle a lot.

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hey Peter, Thanks for watching and for the feedback. Hopefully you found the rest of that RAGBRAI series and The Apollo Mission. We'll be bringing The Red Dragon back to Iowa for RAGBRAI 50 this year. I visited Maui once back in 2004 but wasn't cycling then. We'd love to come there to cycle and have talked about doing some bike touring in Hawaii. Enjoy the Ride

[@dietmdew845]

This woman is a sweatheart. Always positive and fun.

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hey Cast Iron, Totally agree. We had a good time talking with her and did see you several other times that year. Thanks for watching BBB Adventures. Enjoy the Ride

[@jacoolckers6465]

First time I heard of Ragbrai was From Ryan Van Duzer's chanel. I know that one day I will get my ass over to the USA and do the ride. It looks like a lot of fun.

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hi Jaco, Nice to hear from you and thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers. We are also huge Van Duzer fans and got to ride a bit with him during RAGBRAI 2019 and are looking forward to doing the same on RAGBRAI 2022, maybe you can target next year to ride as well. It really is an amazing experience and nearly impossible to capture the emotion and positive energy of the event on video, so coming to experience it first hand is a great plan. Enjoy the Ride.

[@tjellis1479]

Maybe you mentioned already...is RAGBRAI 2023 tandem this year for you 2... ?

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hey TJ, Yes!! We will be resurrecting the Red Dragon for RAGBRAI 2023!! Will we see you there? Thanks for watching. Enjoy the Ride

[@tjellis1479]

@@BBB_Adventures Outer Banks for me this year for July....I'm hoping for RAGBRAI 2024 and beyond. I just need to convince my wife.

[@brentgreen8080]

I spotted my tent in your drone footage.

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hey Brent. It's really cool you spotted your tent. I hope you had as much fun this year as we did. We can't wait for next year. We'll be posting the rest of our RAGBRAI 2021 series over the next few weeks so keep watching, maybe you'll see your tent again. :) Thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers. Enjoy the Ride.

[@brentgreen8080]

@@BBB_Adventures I'll definitely watch the rest of the series and I'll be looking for my tent...or even my face :) I just subscribed to your channel too! See you in 2022!

[@timmctaggart1145]

I need to get back on RAGBRAI. It has been three years for me. I miss this ride.

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hey Tim, First, thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers, we appreciate the support. Second, I totally agree that you need to get back to riding RAGBRAI. Hope to see you in Iowa in 2022. Enjoy the Ride

[@Maydeus]

Awesome video. A friend of mine who is from Iowa told me about RAGBRAI. I had never heard about it before so I searched here on KZbin and found your video. I’m glad I did. Subscribed.

[@BBB_Adventures]

That's great! Welcome to BBB Adventures. We are currently on a cross US bike ride which will include RAGBRAI 2022. We are riding our Priority Apollo bikes so we called the ride The Apollo Mission. We've been posting episodes as we can but are also posting real-time updates on Instagram (@busesbikesbeers). We are happy you found us. Enjoy the Ride

[@VagabondTurtle]

Looks like such a great fun! Sure it hurts, and it can be uncomfortable, but still, such a big happening to be part of!

[@BBB_Adventures]

HI and thanks for watching! Yes RAGBRAI is an absolute blast. For us it's the best week of the year. We had a great time and great ride this year as part of The Apollo Mission, our bike ride across the US. We will publish episodes of that adventure as we find time to edit all the footage. We are still riding after 64 days and will finish the ride in New York City in a couple of weeks. We hope you'll follow along as we publish the episodes. Thanks again for watching. Enjoy the Ride

[@danmathis4046]

Great video. But,...no word on the heat!

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hi Dan. It was hot but we spent 6 years in Taiwan and did a lot of hot and humid cycling there so perhaps we got used to riding in heat and don't focus on it. Thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers and for the comment. We're happy to hear you enjoyed the video. Enjoy the Ride

[@toddromer6116]

After a solitary early AM ride in the rain up here, this is a fun video to enjoy, vicariously taking in your camaraderie, sunshine and group riding experience. Its 9:00 here, but its a workday... a coffee will have to stand in for the beer. Appreciate your and MB's enthusiastic greetings and support for the po-po's, the service folks and anyone else in general, on the bikes or elsewhere on the road.... You're doing well to uphold the bicyclist's good will ethic and that's gotta be somewheres in the Keepers of the Cog rule-book too.

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hey Todd. Thanks for the encouragement and acknowledgement of the Keepers of the Cog!! We really are super appreciative of the support the Iowa State Police, the EMTs and all the volunteers that make RAGBRAI possible. Their contributions are key to making the event the amazing experience it always is. Yes...9:00 is too early for beer under normal circumstances but as you can see, RAGBRAI is an extraordinary situation and demands morning drinking. Thanks for the comment and support. Enjoy the Ride.

[@stevederr4927]

Ah! Red Dragon! A great name for “her”! I think that’s the first name you’ve given that was a two word name (Franklin, Luna). Love how you name them! Great video. Me thinks Bobby played high school and possibly college basketball 🏀! Enjoy the ride! Yes I’ve “borrowed” it! 😝

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hi Steve, Yes...we liked the name Red Dragon as well and that's an interesting observation about the one versus two word names. I'll have to put some thought into whether there's some deeper meaning to that....perhaps the two word name as something to do with the fact it's a tandem bike....??? I believe you are correct that Bobby played b-ball in high school and may still play today with his friends back home. I also believe he played other sports growing up and as you know, he's a HUGE NE Patriots fan. Glad you enjoyed the video and we hope you enjoy the rest of the series over the coming weeks. We certainly had a blast on RAGBRAI and putting the videos together is like reliving the experience. Enjoy the Ride (and feel free to borrow that anytime) Thanks for supporting BBB.

[@takatsu5]

Ooh, tandem. My brother and I will ride a tandem on 2022 RAGBRAI. Wonder if there's anything special we need to know. Obviously both of us are registered.

[@BBB_Adventures]

I don't think there is anything special you need to worry about with respect to the tandem. Obviously you've figured out how to get it to and from Iowa. And I'm assuming you have accommodations arranged with someone like Pork Belly or you're planning on using the RAGBRAI trucks and campgrounds. We did a "How We Pack" video which might be helpful if you haven't seen it. Please let us know if you have any specific questions or concerns and we'll do our best to answer. Thanks for watching. Enjoy the Ride

[@hemaccabe4292]

I love your travel video. I’d like to know more of the practical details. Is someone moving your tents? Is there a registration? Is there a way to stay at a hotel? Etc.

[@BBB_Adventures]

Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers and big thanks for the comments and questions, we love engaging with viewers and the community. I'll do my best to quickly answer your questions and also give you some additional places to go for even more details. RAGBRAI is a very large event with somewhere around 15,000 riders. Because of this scale and industry has developed to support the riders as they trek across Iowa. Our favorite support service is from a company named Pork Belly Ventures (pkbelly.com/) and we've used them for the last 7 years going back to 2014. They offer several levels of service and we use their full tent service where they provide the tent and support services like showers, food, etc. They move the tents and all the rider's luggage to the end-town everyday so by the time we roll into town on our bikes, everything is all setup and our bags are inside our tent. All we have to do is setup our air mattress, sleeping bag, etc. This allows us to focus on enjoying ourselves and finding a cold craft beer and not worrying about finding a place to setup our tent, etc. Pork Belly does offer options to stay in hotels for at least some of the nights and also offers a level of service where they provide a small air conditioned room with bunk bends in the back of a large truck trailer. I do believe there is a waiting list for this level of service. There are also other charter companies similar to Pork Belly that offer "5-star" accommodations including fresh made gourmet meals every night. There are typically fairly small operations and I don't know much about them. You must register for both the ride through RAGBRAI (ragbrai.com/). The specific route is typically announced in January and registration opens shortly after. Theoretically there is a limited number of registrations. We always register early and have never had an issue getting in. There also several books about RAGBRAI you might be interested in. RAGBRAI:: America's Favorite Bicycle Ride written by Greg Borzo RAGBRAI: Everyone Pronounces It Wrong written by John Karras (John is one of the two RAGBRAI founders) Both of these books are available on Amazon in the US. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you have more specific questions. We can't recommend RAGBRAI enough to anyone interested in a bike ride (not a race). Enjoy the Ride

[@yellajosyulaprabhat]

13:21 "We're late to Early!" 😂 Made my day

[@BBB_Adventures]

We are happy to hear we made your day! And we're happy to know our brand of humor is appreciated by at least some viewers. :) Thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers. Enjoy the Ride.

[@johnrobertd748]

Everyone is going that way. No one know where they're going. Haha

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hey John, Thanks for watching. RAGBRAI is a crazy event for lots of reasons but for us it's the best week of the year. Enjoy the Ride

[@richardwhitehead4684]

I love the concept, but didn’t realize there was so much pavement riding involved. How much of the route is on those paved roads with painted lines like those shown in your video? For me, 7 days of riding on flat, straight, paved roads seems kinda grim. Having said that, a week spent exploring the legendary gravel roads of Iowa sounds like a lot of fun. Especially the ‘drift less’ area around the IA/WI/MI tri-state region. Maybe someone should organize a Ragbrai gravel ride using one of the old trans-Iowa routes? Just a thought.

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hi Richard, Thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers and for the comment. RAGBRAI is fundamentally a road based ride. There is one day when there is an optional gravel loop but that's about it for "off road". The good folks at RAGBRAI determine the route early and announce it in January they also coordinate with the Iowa State Police who help control the daily route. The result is that for the most part, the RAGBRAI route is occupied with RAGBRAI riders and very few cars. In terms of being flat, it's certainly not mountain biking but Iowa has lots of rolling hills. I believe the total cumulative climb for 2021 was more than 12,000 feet. The real "magic" of RAGBRAI for us is the interaction with other like minded people, the positive energy of the event and witnessing the effort all the small pass-through towns put into giving the riders a great experience. I'm not aware of an organized gravel based ride across Iowa but with enough interest perhaps someone would start one. Sounds like something you'd be interested in...maybe you should go for it!! Thanks again for watching BBB. Enjoy the Ride.

[@richardwhitehead4684]

@@BBB_Adventures thanks for the detail. I’ve always been curious about Ragbrai. Sounds like a great social experience.

[@kellymorris10342]

Another shout out for Nick's! They're my LBS and absolutely awesome people!!! I love seeing them show in in videos.

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hi Kelly, Thanks for watching BBB. We don't personally know Nick's Bike Shop but it's so awesome that local bike shops support RAGBRAI and RAGBRAI riders. It's such a great event and all the support is what keeps it going. I'm already super excited for next year. Thanks again for watching and for the comment. Enjoy the Ride

[@LindaD2023]

Thanks for the video. Silly questions but why are the bikes upside down outside the tents at night? How do you know which tent is yours and most importantly how do you charge your devices? I can't imagine not being able to charge a phone, camera or headphones.

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hi Linda, first of all, thanks for watching! If a bicycle doesn't have a kick stand, turning it upside down is one way to store them overnight without taking up too much room. We use Pork Belly's tent service. They put the tents up in the same grid each night. So once you know your tents location in the grid on the first night, it's easy to find each subsequent night. Each tent has a unique number and the isles are indicated with big flags like 1-100, 101-200, 201-300, etc. You will not get the same tent each night, so be sure to get everything packed up into your bags. We lost a light one year, left it hanging in the tent. And for charging our devices; Pork Belly provides a "Charging Thingy" trailer. When we get into camp each night we take our Garmin's and phones and spare batteries (power banks) to the charging trailer and we charge up. Some things charge over night in the trailer, but in the morning we pick up our devices before starting that day's ride. We hope this helps! Again, thanks for watching. Enjoy the ride.

[@violetlydia]

i wish i could do this someday but i don't think i could handle it!

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hi Violet, Thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers and for leaving a comment. RAGBRAI has become our favorite week of the year and we recommend and encourage everyone to participate. We see all types of people with all types of abilities and the culture and environment is super supportive. Also, the RAGBRAI people have an outstanding support structure in place which includes a SAG van and trailer so you can easily choose to ride part of a day. There are also charter services that will bus you and your bike for a day if you want to take a day off during the week. Please continue to consider participating. Thanks again for watching Buses Bikes and Beers and please stay tuned for more of our adventures. Enjoy the Ride

[@reneacevedo87]

They gonna anouce the route for the ragbrai tonight

[@BBB_Adventures]

So exciting!!!!

[@reneacevedo87]

@@BBB_Adventures i know and better i watch your videos on it and im love it i will be there 🇵🇷💯 i just subscribe to videos

[@robertbotta6536]

Awesome. Thanks!

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hey Robert. Thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoyed the video. We appreciate you watching. Enjoy the Ride.

[@hemaccabe4292]

Does Pork Belly provide electricity?

[@BBB_Adventures]

Yes. They have trailers with lockable compartments and in each compartment is a standard US 110V AC outlet. They operate a series of generators that power all the outlets. You can see one of these trailers at time 1:54 on our Day 4 video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnSbdq1pmsyBgq8). Thanks for the question and for watching BBB. Enjoy the Ride.

[@hemaccabe4292]

@@BBB_Adventures I found your pack for Ragbrai video which was a gold mine and answered a lot of questions. Thank you.

[@BBB_Adventures]

@@hemaccabe4292 Glad you found this video and even more happy you found it useful. Hopefully it gets you one step closer to making the decision to participate in RAGBRAI. We'd love to see you there. Enjoy the Ride

[@Rottingboards]

Restoring your hope for humanity. RAGBRAI!

[@BBB_Adventures]

Absolutely. For us it's the best week of the year. We are on our way to Iowa now on The Apollo Mission. Got to Valentine, Nebraska yesterday and will be back on the bikes tomorrow after a rest day. Should enter Iowa in the next 3 or 4 days. Thanks for watching and for the comment. Enjoy the Ride

[@HuntersCyclingAdventures]

Rip Mr Porkchop

[@BBB_Adventures]

So sad. I will totally miss those delicious Pork Chops and seeing the smoke from those pits...and the big pink bus. :( Thanks for watching. Enjoy the Ride

[@HuntersCyclingAdventures]

@@BBB_Adventures well good news his family is going to continue the Mr. pork chop Legacy. They will be there

[@TL243]

Forgot to like this one!

[@BBB_Adventures]

Thank you. We appreciate your support. Enjoy the Ride

[@hydrazi]

RIDE BIKES RIDE BIKES

[@BBB_Adventures]

Hi Matt. Thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers and for the comment. Yes RAGBRAI is 7 glorious days of RIDE BIKES. Enjoy the Ride

[@RonMagaw]

Enough where are the rules...huh..rest nonsense

[@BBB_Adventures]

We thought the rules were entertaining. There are always crazy and interesting things to experience on RAGBRAI. Thanks for watching. Enjoy the Ride

[@lightdark00]

Why is this the top result for "ragbrai vegan" and fourth for "ragbrai plant based"? I really want to see a group of plant based people, who don't even drink beer, do this ride. The worst part is if helmet wearing is enforced in a state that doesn't require helmets. But, they do make for good camera mounts.

[@BBB_Adventures]

Thanks for the comment and questions. I don't have any idea why our video comes up given your search criteria, but I might be able to help you a little in your quest. First, you can check out Ryan Van Duzer on KZbin, kzbin.infofeatured He has videos from RAGBRAI in 2018 and 2019 and he is a vegetarian and doesn't drink beer. Second, we lived a vegetarian lifestyle for several years and also rode RAGBRAI. There are lots of food options for vegetarians. I have no experience with the idea of no beer drinking, but there are a lot of people that participate that don't consume any alcohol. Finally, I honestly don't understand your point about helmets. I'm not sure why anyone would get on a bike without wearing a helmet, whether it's officially or legally required or not. When I got hit by a car last year (kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqCXhH9voralo68), my helmet absolutely saved me. I recommend wearing a helmet. Enjoy the Ride

[@GermanDiManzo]

First of all, 'Buses Bikes & Beer' congrats on a well done video and great image quality!!! First time I visit your channel but will come back to see the rest of RAGBRAI and more :-) I'm also vegan and I'm considering doing this ride, but when I see stops like the pork chop stand it gets me thinking if I could just 'ignore it' and continue enjoying the rest of the day, as it really makes me feel sad and out of place. My biggest concern is if I will be able to find something to eat that provides enough nutrition for the ride. Mr Ryan leaves on tortillas and beans (so that might work!) but there's also a huge gap between vegetarian and vegan in particular for this case. As an example, Ryan gets to eat a lot of pie and ice cream, which exist in vegan versions, but probably not in the middle of Iowa. Plenty of water and other drinks for sure if you don't like beer.. I'm sure that's not an issue ;-) Who knows...maybe I will do it and document the vegan ride for others interested. It might be a 'can you survive?' type of video I guess.

[@lightdark00]

@@BBB_Adventures Vegan/plant based cuts out eggs and dairy, so that cuts out a lot more than a vegetarian eats. The reason for no helmets is for everyone's safety. People are given more room in a bicycle gutter without a helmet. Also, no helmets gets more people cycling the safer they think it is. More cyclists mean drivers will be expecting cyclists more often. I'll check out that channel. Thanks.

[@lightdark00]

@@GermanDiManzo Seeing guys cooking right on the road edge, billowing smoke across the roadway should be illegal. I normally don't swear, but I would have choice words for them. Also don't like those squirting water in the road leaving no path dry. Anyways, I'm also low/no salt, so the grocery stores there probably don't have salt free versions of beans. So, I would need fuel and a cooker. I'd also try to buy fruits and veggies each day from a local grocery store. I would for sure be cycling with panniers. I just wish stores would sell frozen plastic water bottles. I like them to keep things cold, and they are still drinkable water once melted. Finally, I just love roasted sweet potatoes for ride fuel. That's not easy to do or get while on the road.

[@lightdark00]

@@BBB_Adventures Now I see why you pointed me to that guy, he has a short interview spot with you on the third 2019 video. I don't like his content, he loves ice cream and pies. Pies from grandmothers or the Amish are going to have butter and/or eggs without a doubt.