RAGBRAI Day 1- Glenwood to Atlantic

This year's route had two rough days at the start- both with over 4000 feet of climb. I wasn't sure how bad it would be, but it's been quite challenging so far. There is no flat ground. I'm about 46 miles into the day as I write this, and the whole day has been down a hill, then up another. None of the uphills are so short as to allow you to use your momentum. They are all long, grinding uphills. Had a nice breakfast at Chris Cakes, and kept stopping to grab more liquid, as the temperatures climbed past 100. I've found I've had to stop and rest several times, and with the stop for Mr. Pork Chop and Kelly's Pie, that means my overall average speed is well below 10 MPH- making it a long day. All those 4-5 MPH uphills in granny gear certainly slow things down. I'm in the library posting this for a little cool-down time in air conditioning. Nothing too terrible so far, just definitely much harder than any previous ride has been- just a long, slow grind. More later...