Ragbrai 2009 is over.  Another year of fun, fitness, socialization and food has come to an end. I love Ragbrai! It is a wonderful combination of the expected and unexpected. You can always count on great people, delicious food, seemingly limitless amounts to drink and many many hills. As for the unexpected, you never know when the next party is going to pop up, where the next pond is going to be or when the next naked guy will run out of the corn field to dive on to the beer slide. This is Ragbrai!

Despite riding in the rain, the weather was nearly perfect. The rain is never bad when it allows you to have an impromptu cattle trailer party (see pictures). Where else could someone come up with the lyrics to ‘Row row motorboat’? Being wet, cold and tired is only a disaster if you are out of beer.

I became good friends with the mobile bike shops for the second year in a row. My two year old Motobecane Sprint broke down more than it did last year. I had it in the shop nearly every day. The Motobecane is going straight on Craigslist or eBay when I get back to Las Vegas. Letsche’s Bike Shop out of Cherokee, Iowa deserves a big pat on the back for helping me out so many times this year.

I want to especially thank all of my Ragbrai friends, new and old. The people are what make this event so addicting.

Matt (Team Sin)

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