I am the bringer of bad news. =PDo you remember when Ragbrai came through Harlan last year? If you do, then you know how big a thing it is. People from literally everywhere come to Iowa to participate in it. This year, It started in Council Bluffs on the 19th and went through to Burlington on the 25th.Riders dipped their tires in the Missouri on Sunday, and they all dipped their tires in the Missouri on Saturday - all but one man. 69-year-old Dr. Donald D. Myers from Missouri got into a downhill crash halfway through the 43-mile-long route on the final day, near Geode State park. Luckily, everyone stopped in time and he was not run over, plus there was an ambulance nearby. Unluckily, he died the day after due to his serious injuries.Dr. Myers was not the first person to die in all of Ragbrai's 37 years. He, among 27 others, have died to both bike-related and non-bike-related incidents, including drownings and heart attacks. For this reason, a few of Iowa's counties have banned Ragbrai from passing through their towns.As someone who has experienced Ragbrai, I have to say this is a scary thing to find out about. but crashes are an inevitable part of Ragbrai - they cannot be avoided. Everyone either gets in a crash, passes a crash, or knows someone who got into a crash. I, myself, got into a crash, although it was in slow-motion and both me and the other person saw it coming (and my lovely mountain bike was totally busted up). This isn't to say Ragbrai is bad. No, Ragbrai is a very fun, interesting, and exciting part of Iowa culture, something Iowa has that no other state does. Not to mention it's a great way to stay in shape. =)
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