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More than 30 years of bike rides

  • Dan Dingman, from Mason City, comes into Ionia. Dingman heard about the ride from his girl friend, who lives in Charles City. Dingman and his girlfriend plan to ride on RAGBRAI this summer.

  • Ben and Steven Swartzrock stop in Ionia and sip on a Gatorade before they hop on their bikes to complete the 55-mile ride.

  • Two sets of fathers and sons come into Ionia, Saturday, July 2. DeLain Freeseman and Lance Freeseman ride solo and Steve Martin and Drew Martin come in on a tandem bike.

  • The group of riders that started off from Charles City on a bike ride leading to Nashua, Colwell and Ionia. The riders go as far as 55 miles. Press photos by Thomas Nelson

By Thomas Nelson, tnelson@charlescitypress.com

Dick Neal and a crowd left First Security Bank at 8 a.m. Saturday and traveled from Charles City to Nashua, from Nashua to Ionia, from Ionia to Colwell, through North Washington, and back to Charles City, totaling 55 miles.

Originally the ride was called the Rubber Duck Memorial Ride, Neal said.

“We dropped that; now we make it easy to go,” Neal said. “Five dollars covers the Gatorade and cookie and ice and pays for the sag wagon.”

The sag wagon is for people who are either too tired to complete the ride, or need to get back to Charles City sooner than a bike can take them.

Many of the riders who participated in the ride said they will be participating in RAGBRAI later this month.

Neal started to enjoy bike rides while going from Charles City to Floyd, and the miles increased from there.

Eventually Neal went on RAGBRAI with his brother Bill Neal, and has been hooked ever since, he said.

“Good exercise, keeps you in shape and you meet a lot of nice people,” Neal said.

Every Tuesday night Neal and others gather and ride 20 miles out on Clarksville Road in a 20-mile loop.

This week the group will be meeting on Wednesday instead because of the Fourth of July, Neal said.

The group that made the Saturday ride was made up of 45 to 50 people.

The route has remained relatively consistent, rarely changing through the years.

“If we have any money left over, we usually donate to Charley Western Trail,” Neal said. “We keep enough to make sure we can do it (the ride) next year.”

Ben and Steven Swartzrock have been going on the bike ride for more than eight years, doing three of those together on a tandem bike.

Steven Swartzrock has gone on all but one RAGBRAI, he said.

“It’s a sport you can do as you get older,” Swartzrock said. “It’s not so hard on your body.”

Josie Neal and Josie Krumwiede provided sag wagon services for the riders.

Riders from all around the Midwest came to join Neal on the ride.

The youngest  was 12-year-old Drew Martin, who rode with his father, Steve Martin, on a tandem bike.

Several father-son teams went on the ride, including Charles City Council Member DeLaine Freeseman and his son Lance.

Freeseman intends to ride RAGBRAI this year.

Bob Krueger is one of the original riders and has been a bike enthusiast since 1986 when he did RAGBRAI.

“Usually its somewhere between 30 and 50 people (that participate),” Krueger said. “Today’s about as beautiful as it can get.”

Krueger and Neal are all part of the North Iowa Touring Club.

 

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