Ogden consumed by RAGBRAI

Watching all the bicyclists  I figured out the reason I have never ridden RAGBRAI.  I just don’t have the right attire - bright-colored spandex shirt and biking shorts. (At least that excuse doesn’t make me appear lazy.) But if I were to join up with a team I found the perfect one - “Team Stops a Lot.” Those words on the back of one of the shirts gave me a chuckle. Riders began trickling into town early Tuesday morning. Before long, Ogden’s main street was a site to behold. Bicyclists in masses, either walking or coasting along, while vendors flanked the way for blocks on end. They may have been strangers initially, but by the time they made their way out of town, they had shared something about themselves while learning about the people and community they had just passed through.

RAGBRAI brought riders from all around the world to our little hamlet, some from as far away as Ireland.

Although Ogden was considered just a pass-through town along the route, most riders had worked up quite a thirst and appetite after the ride from Jefferson. They were drawn to the many tempting food venues. I have always heard pies were a big draw and apparently a slice of pie and ice cream for breakfast is just fine. Think about it: You usually have some form of a milk product, and sometimes fresh fruit in the morning, so why not combine them. 

A slice of cherry pie went to Zion Lutheran Church’s first customer at 6:30 a.m. The gentleman from South Carolina who had gotten an early start to his day spent time visiting with the workers as they finished setting up. In addition to pies, they served pork burgers and Skotcheroos. Church member Linda Trudo said they ran out of food by 11 a.m. “I checked church record from 10 years ago when RAGBRAI last passed through and we sold 700 pork burgers then. We decided to go with that amount this time. But we could have sold a lot more this year.”  She had to chuckle at the number of Easterners who didn’t know what Skotcheroos were. It must be a Midwest thing, she figured.

McGraw Senior Center started the day with almost 95 pies, cut into six to eight pieces each. “Those pies went fast,” said Barb Henning who serves on the Center’s board. “By 11:45 they were gone. We could have sold three times that many. The favorites were gooseberry, rhubarb, raisin, fresh berry and pecan. Almost everyone requested ice cream on top.” Henning said she was surprised coffee was a big item. The senior center offered not only pie, but an air-conditioned place to rest and recharge cell phones. 

Read more in the Aug 1 issue of The Ogden Reporter.