RAGBRAI riders feel unfazed by hilliest day of week as they enter central Iowa

GREENFIELD — Hills? No problem.

Tuesday's jaunt on the third day of the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa took riders from Atlantic to Winterset over 82 miles and 4,519 feet of climb. The day was expected to be the hardest of RAGBRAI 51, but riders shrugged off concerns about the hills amid temperate weather early Tuesday morning.

Bill Penn, of Andover, Connecticut, still had "virgin" scribbled on his left calf, signifying that it's his first RAGRAI. On Tuesday morning in Greenfield, Penn said RAGBRAI was "everything he heard about" and met all of his expectations.

Riders like Penn who left before dawn were treated to temperatures in the 60s and 70s through the early morning hours, creating perfect conditions to sprint uphill. By noon, temperatures rose to about 80 degrees, relatively mild for Iowa in July.

Penn said the hills left him unfazed and that he was looking forward to seeing the scenery. This is Penn's second ride across Iowa; last year he rode across the state during a cross-country trip about three weeks before RAGBRAI.

"In Connecticut, if you take the average elevation per mile for the average ride, it's bigger than this," Penn said of the hills.

More: How remote is southern Iowa? RAGBRAI riders came across a bar called the Middle of Nowhere

Riders will work to see scenery as they enter Madison County

Madison County is known for its scenery made famous by the 1995 Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep movie "The Bridges of Madison County." On a 2021 episode of the "Dale Jr. Download" podcast , Atlanta Braves legend Chipper Jones said Winterset is his favorite place in the country to hunt. "Love it up there," Jones said on the episode.

But that beauty comes at a cost for cyclists. Rolling hills and steep terraces cover the area near Winterset. The longest climb of the day was a more than mile-long climb into the 5,000-person town.

The first two days offered riders a taste of what is to come, the prologue for Tuesday's 12-round fight with gravity. Sunday packed 2,435 feet of climb into 42 miles. Monday offered even cooler weather and a manageable 1,700 feet of climb.

Tuesday packed more 4,519 feet of climb into 82 miles. It is the second longest-day of the week, shorter than only Friday's ride from Ottumwa to Mount Pleasant. But by far it was the hilliest day of the week.

The longest climb is a more than a mile-long climb as riders hike into Winterset.

Riders left Atlantic as early as 5 a.m. Tuesday as they conquered the first hills under moonlight, long before dawn. Riders feared the worst heading into the day.

"We’re gonna get our butts kicked tomorrow," Valley Mobley from Charlottesville, Virginia, said on Monday evening in Atlantic while on her second RAGBRAI. "Mentally, I don’t think we can do it until we’re there."

Darrell Schmidt, of Schleswig, registered for Monday and Tuesday.

"I like the hills. I'm about 30 pounds heavier than last year," Schmidt said in Massena, the second pass-through town of the day. "That's my problem. But my legs are in good shape."

Philip Joens is riding his 19th RAGBRAI. He has completed the river-to-river trek seven times. He covers retail, real estate and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register and can be reached at 515-284-8184 at pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RAGBRAI riders feel unfazed by hilliest day of week as they enter central Iowa