Tour de Kota 2008: Final Thoughts

I was asked several times during the week whether I would ride in Tour de Kota again next year. As the week progressed, my answer quickend. When asked Friday, I didn't even think about it and found myself blurting out "no".

This ride was tough. If you recall from my opening thoughts, I didn't feel I had the training miles logged that I should have for a ride of this magnitude. I don't really feel that was the biggest issue for me. I feel a ride this early in the season in South Dakota comes with unsettled weather. This was evidenced by facing an easterly headwind, the stormy nights, the cloudy days and the very chilly mornings.

This ride is young. This being the 4th year of Tour de Kota, many communities just aren't sure what bikers are looking for when passing through. This was clear on day four as we rode the entire day without any offering of a meal. Also, very noticeably absent were sports drinks of any kind. No Gatorade. No Propel. No Powerade. Don't get me wrong, we appreciate water, baked goodies and trail mix, but these things alone simply will not fuel you for 77 miles.

For the 2 reasons mentioned above, I prefer RAGBRAI. The weather is more predictable. It will be hot. It might rain, but probably overnight. The wind will be from the west. The communities know what bikers want.

The mere mention of RAGBRAI during Tour de Kota draws sneering comments. I'm not sure why TDK riders have such disdain for RAGBRAI, but there seems to be an underlying rivalry which is too bad. In fact when questioned further, many riders can't cite specific reasons why they don't like RAGBRAI, in fact many of those I spoke to have never ridden RAGBRAI. The size of RAGBRAI seems to be the chief complaint. To that, I say the host communities of Iowa take better care of 15,000+ riders than our fine South Dakota communities take care of 500 riders. I think they simply need a little guidance. There is *much* to be learned from RAGBRAI, it should be embraced. There is a reason it is the oldest, largest, and longest regular bike tour in the world.

Am I glad I rode TDK 2008? You bet. As I said in the beginning of this post, it was challenging and do enjoy a good challenge. It definitely helped having a co-rider along. Riding with Wags made some of the long stretches go by quickly as we chatted, complained, gossiped, and reminisced along the way.

So, will I ride TDK 2009? As of right now, no. However, I do reserve the right to change my mind. Winter in SD is long and somehow diminishes the bad memories while magnifying the good when it comes to any outdoor activity. You never know, I may sign up in a moment of weakness. RAGBRAI is probably out for next year, so it might be nice to get one tour in.

Thanks for reading our posts! We've had a great time this week, and we hope that you experienced a little piece of it right along with us!!

Look out for posts from RAGBRAI coming in late July.

Kyle & Wags.