Party on Wheels

Charity bike ride to roll over portion of RAGBRAI route

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

The notion “Life is a journey, not a destination” has accumulated a lot of mileage lately. Maybe too much as it seems to have crossed from proverb into cliche territory.

When Regan Connell was born, he had a long arduous journey ahead of him. But his mother already mapped out a destination.

“When they told me that he would likely never walk or talk or even survive, I said, ‘My son is going to graduate from high school and go to college’,” Jill Connell said.

Due to a medical malpractice accident, Connell lost one of her twin sons, Ryan, in childbirth while Regan went 10 minutes without oxygen and was afflicted with cerebral palsy.

Defiant against the grave prognosis for her surviving son, Connell was determined Regan would lead a normal and productive life. She encouraged him to be involved in extracurricular activities, and Regan responded by becoming an honor student and multisport athlete at Charles City High School, where he graduated in 2016.

“And he just finished his freshman year at NIACC,” Connell said.

In the wake of losing Ryan, Connell looked for ways to mitigate her grief.

“I had to do something … I had to keep myself busy,” said Connell, who upgraded her level of community activism.

Aside from establishing a Memorial Garden along the Cedar Riverfront as a place of solace for parents who’ve lost children, Connell went on to become involved with the plight of abandoned and abused animals.

The Party Animals’ Charity Bicycle Ride — an event Connell conceived — will hold its sixth event on May 27 as a fundraiser for the C&W Rustic Hollow Shelter, Spay Neuter Assistance Program of Floyd County, and PAWS.

The 30-mile trek that begins at The Pub on the Cedar before concluding at DeRailed will include a portion of this summer’s Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) route.

“This year’s course is going to be easier than normal … it’s more flat,” Connell said of the 411-mile ride that does impose some graded elevation at the end.

“For someone thinking about doing it for the first time, our ride should be a good way to prepare as it will give them an opportunity to ride in a group,” Connell said.  “Riding in a group is much different than riding alone. You have to communicate more, like ‘on your left’ if you’re going to pass someone.”

A former triathlete, Connell is a regular RAGBRAI rider. So is Regan, who has covered portions of previous RAGBRAI routes on a custom-made three-wheel bike. Regan is also an experienced “Party Animal” rider.

At last year’s RAGBRAI, Connell rode in memory of Grace Marie Harkin, a 20-year-old cyclist who was killed in July of 2015 after being struck by a vehicle piloted by a texting driver.

Connell didn’t know the young woman personally, but as a registered nurse she was on duty when Harkin was brought into her emergency room.

“Many of us try to do things and activities that are healthy for us,” Connell said, “but some of theses things, like cycling, can be very dangerous.

“When my kids see me leave the house on my bike, they always tell me to be careful. They know there’s a chance I might not make it back.”

With a growing pandemic of texting, tweeting and — believe or not — TV show and movie smartphone watching drivers on the road, a cyclist’s best defense may be harsher legislation against “mobile” mobile device offenders.

Connell mentioned a proposed law that would have required drivers to signal and give wide berth to cyclists when passing them on two-lane roads. It was “poison-pilled” when reflective gear requirements imposed on cyclists was included in the bill.

Aside from practicing common sense and road etiquette, there’s one thing cyclists can do to make their rides safer: wear a helmet.

“If you do something like RAGBRIA and you’re not wearing a helmet,” Connell warned, “cyclists will come up to you and say something.

“The cycling community is a great group of people. It not surprising if someone loses a wallet during RAGBRIA that it’s usually found with the money still left in it. We’re always looking out for each other.”

Local sponsors for the sixth edition of the Party Animals’ Charity Bicycle Ride include Sutton Law Office, McDonald’s, Cresco Bicycles, Cambrex, Schmidtke Auto Body, Bortz Farm Seed, Quality Auto, Dr. Jodie Buehler, DDS., DeRailed, State Farm Insurance-Tom Rouse, Schiller Fine Art, Cedar Valley Orthodontics-Dr. Holahan, Central Park Dentistry-Dr. Scott Hansen, Shankland Insurance, The Pub on the Cedar, Daniels Auto Collision, RJ’s Framing, Edward Jones, Avenue of the Saints Animal Hospital, Stewart Realty, First Security Bank, Kloberdanz Insurance, First Citizens Bank, and Comet Bowl.

Party Animals’ Charity Bicycle Ride

May 27 — Noon start
at The Pub on the Cedar

ROUTE: 30 miles — Clark Street from The Pub to The Shed in Bassett, then on to the Hide-a-Way in Ionia, returning the same route to Cedar Ridge Golf Course, then ending at DeRailed in Charles City.

DONATION: $25 which includes T-shirt, guaranteed if registered by May 15. Proceeds to benefit C&W Rustic Hollow Shelter, Spay Neuter Assistance Program of Floyd County, and PAWS.

REGISTRATION: Entry forms may be obtained by emailing Jill Connell at jillconnell@hotmail.com. Riders may also register the day of the event, from 11 a.m. to noon at The Pub.

FOR MORE INFO: Go to Bike Iowa’s website ride calendar, or Facebook by searching “6th Annual Party Animals’ Charity Bicycle Ride.”