Bike

FINISHED!

Sun, 30 Jul 2006 10:19:02 GMT

Hello From Iowa One Final Time!

Friend Kirsten Klepfer and I finished the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa yesterday (Friday) at about 11:30 a.m. Having dipped our back bike wheels in the water of the Missouri River when starting the ride on the West side of Iowa, we headed right for the river's edge in Muscatine, Iowa to dip our front wheels in the Mississippi River. What a relief. I found myself offering repeated and deep prayers of gratitude for having been able to complete the ride and for having made it safely across the state without one of those ambulances which ran each day ever having to come out for one of us. Well, the shuttle driver came 15 minutes early to take me to the airport so I have to run. Thanks again for your love, prayers and support!

Pastor Robyn

Almost There

Sat, 29 Jul 2006 11:21:31 GMT

Thank you to everybody who has been holding me in prayer during my ride across Iowa! My bike odometer shows that I have ridden 400 miles since Sunday. Now (Saturday morning) I am preparing for the final 50 mile ride. The days have ranged from 48 - 77 miles with very little rain but some temperatures in the low 90's and a couple with high humidity. My Sacramento training could not prepare me for that Iowa humidity!

Yes, Lance Armstrong was here for two days. I can't quite say "I rode with Lance," but he and 35 to 50 people trying to ride with him blew by me on two different days! That made me rather nervous, but I held my line and stayed upright on my bike as they flew by me on the left and a few contstantly coming by on my right at the same time, too.

If possible, I will find a computer at the hotel in Des Moines tonight and try to write one more update and share a few more stories from the experience once the ride is finished. Thanks again for your support! It has meant a lot.

Pastor Robyn

Getting Ready To Ride

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 08:01:56 GMT

P.S. I will probably be asking others to post comments for me about how the ride is progressing when I am too busy biking or resting to do so myself!

Getting Ready To Ride

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 07:59:04 GMT

Thank you for your interest in my bike ride across Iowa, RAGBRAI 34 (Registers Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa for the 34th year in a row). This year's ride will include about 15,000 people riding 440 miles over seven days. Lance Armstrong will even ride with us one day! You start by dipping your back tire in the Missouri River and end seven days later by dipping your front tire in the Mississippi River. To learn more about the ride, visit www.ragbrai.org. The route we will be riding each day can be found at http://www.ragbrai.org/maps2006.html/. The ride raises funds for many Iowa charities.

In addition, I am dedicating my ride to the One Campaign and will be wearing my white "One" wristband all the way across Iowa. The One campaign does not collect funds but is a campaign to rasie awareness as to how we can hold our leaders accountable to the global Millenium Development Goals. You can learn more about the One Campagin at http://www.elca.org/advocacy/one/default.asp.

Thanks to all of you for your encouragement, prayers and support! I am both excited and nervous, which is to be expected. I have put in 1100 biking miles since the first week of May, so I hope I am ready for the first two and a half days of lots and lots of hills! I leave for Iowa soon to go spend a few days with my 100 year old Grandmother in the Clarence Iowa Nursing Home before the ride starts on Sunday, July 23rd.