RAGBRAI XLVI: Book It To Iowa City

The 20,000 or so riders on RAGBRAI XLVI, the 46th iteration of the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, will begin streaming into Iowa City on the morning of Friday, July 27, 2018. For this penultimate segment of the week-long ride, bicyclists will be covering 58 miles from Sigourney to Iowa City; the last stretch, Day 7, will cover the final 69 miles to Davenport. Every year the ride commences somewhere along the Missouri River and ends somewhere along the Mississippi River. This year's route, which originated in Onawa, measures approximately 428 miles, and includes some 12,576 feet of climb.

The first ride, in 1973, was the brainchild of journalists Donald Kaul and John Karras of the Des Moines Register, and the ride has since evolved into an internationally renowned event, the oldest, largest, and longest such bicycle ride in the world. Unfortunately, one of the co-founders, Donald Kaul, died at age 83 on Sunday, July 22, 2018, coincidentally the first day of this year's ride.

Kaul was especially well known for his nationally-syndicated column "Over the Coffee," which skewered hypocrites of all political stripes, including himself, if necessary. Kaul's writing manifested good sense, an agile wit, as well as deep compassion and human decency, qualities which are always needed but often lacking, then as now. Three collections of Kaul's columns have been published, and an archive of later work (2008-2016) can be found online at OtherWords. "Newspaper Nostalgia" recounts some of the many changes Kaul witnessed in over 50 years of journalism, beginning with the start of his career at the Register in the early '60s.

The Common Curator rode RAGBRAI in 2012, details of which can be found in the post, Livin' XL.

Old Capitol Criterium 2018

Long a springtime tradition in Iowa City, the annual Old Capitol Criterium was held on Sunday, April 29, 2018 on the classic one-kilometer course that encircles the University of Iowa's Pentacrest and includes a short section through downtown Iowa City. The race began in 1977, and was originally spearheaded by Dan Nidey and Bill Casey. Results for all classes of riders at this year's race are available at the USA Cycling website. The Iowa City Cycling Club hosts the Old Capitol Criterium along with the Iowa City Road Race that together constitute the Chris Lillig Memorial Cup Race Weekend.

Olympic Opening Ceremonies: London 1908 to Rio 2016

A medley of opening ceremonies for the Summer Olympics since 1908. The 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin were the first to be televised, although only to local Berlin audiences; the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, were the first to be televised internationally. The modern Olympic Games began in 1896 in Athens.

RAGBRAI 2016 Overnight Towns Announced

The eight overnight towns for RAGBRAI XLIV, the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, were just revealed at the annual Route Announcement Party: Glenwood > Shenandoah > Creston > Leon > Centerville > Ottumwa > Washington > Muscatine. As has been the case since the inaugural ride in 1973, the ride begins at the Missouri River and ends at the Mississippi River.

This year's seven-day ride takes place July 23-30, 2016, and will be 420 miles in length with 18,488 feet of total climb, making it the 3rd shortest and 24th flattest route since RAGBRAI began. Registration for the world's oldest, largest, and longest recreational bike touring event is currently open, with a deadline of April 1, 2016 for online applications. Lottery results will be announced May 1, 2016.

People for Bikes: Join Today

People for Bikes began as Bikes Belong in 1999, and currently advocates for greater safety and opportunities for bicyclists throughout the United States. At the state level, the Iowa Bicycle Coalition also works to improve safety and develop transportation and recreation networks.

Wrestling in Jeopardy at Olympics

Olympic wrestling champion Dan Gable joins Iowa Governor Branstad and others at a press conference on February 15, 2013 to organize opposition to the International Olympic Committee's recent decision to drop the ancient sport of wrestling from the Olympics beginning in 2020. Let's Keep Wrestling is a new web site devoted to the cause, and an online petition has already garnered over 22,000 signatories.The petition reads as follows:

WE PETITION the International Olympic Committee to ensure wrestling remains a summer Olympic competition by including wrestling on the roster of events for the 2020 summer Olympic games. As one of the oldest non-running sports in the history of the world, wrestling has transcended generations in nearly 200 nations and has proved to be an inclusive sport providing opportunities for all genders and backgrounds. No sport captures the essence of the Olympics as does wrestling, and future generations should not be denied this opportunity that dates back to the ancient Olympic games.