Build Our Ballpark

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We left Ames very early on Wednesday morning, embarking on a two day segment which including an overnight in the state capital of Des Moines and stopping along the way through Slater, Madrid, Polk City and Ankeny - a relatively easy 54 miles and 1,300 vertical feet. After a music-filled evening hosted by the Des Moines Register (the “R” is RAGBRAI) we ran headlong into the toughest day – 90 miles and 5,000 vertical feet as we rode through Altoona, Mitchellville, Colfax, Newton, Kellogg and Grinnell before dragging into Tama-Toledo for the evening. The temperatures continued to climb, hitting the high 90’s on the road on Thursday which did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the riders or the townsfolk in communities we visited. We started the day early, riding through crisp and refreshing fog over the cornfields which helped speed us along.

As the heat kicked in more and more families whose homes we were passing by to set up sprinklers to cool down riders as they passed. Lemonade stands, watermelon and pickle venders and companies handing out free water bottles were everywhere as the people of Iowa turned out to support the effort. The heat notwithstanding, the number of riders swelled to an estimated 70,000 for the Ames to Des Moines segment as the Register encouraged day riders to set an unofficial world record for bike riders in one day.

The vagaries of life in small town American was present everywhere – some vibrant with new houses and other infrastructure (as a result of a new company bringing jobs) and others suffering with potholes, aging buildings and empty storefronts. And yet through it all the pride people felt in showing visitors their town was present throughout.

As we wrote this weekend, we’re crazy enough to be out here – will you support us in this cause and consider a donation to Build Our Ballpark. 100% of your dollars go directly into facilities for kids – and make a tremendous difference for these communities. We’re raising via a special Go Fund Me link: https://gofund.me/45620df1
A number of you have indicated you would rather write a check directly. Thank you! And the mailing address for Build Our Ballpark is:

Build Our Ballpark
3846 Trent Lane
Waterloo, Iowa 50701

From the backroads of Iowa, we hope you are having a terrific summer. Thank you – and as in past years, you’ll receive a couple of updates with pictures and commentary over the remainder of the week.

Thank you for your support!

The RAGBRAI Build Our Ballpark team