Crazy enough, I was somewhere in that crowd at the top of the hill. I was riding with my brother that year, and we waited up top for several hours. We had no idea that the guy had died until after RAGBRAI was over. The hill was pretty steep and you have to be careful of cracks, but that is just part of riding in Iowa. It is quite hilly and there are cracks due to the drastic temp changes of the seasons. Honestly, Iowa should be commended for the shape of the roads. With about 30,000 riders on RAGBRAI every year, I am surprised that there are not more accidents.
Originally Posted by
one_beatnik
He was wearing a helmet. He caught the crack between the concrete in the center of the road on a downhill and it flipped him. They estimated his speed at about 45 mph. This was in 2004. It's the first time I had seen RAGBRAI stopped. We got stopped in the town just before this hill while they took care of things. He was life flighted to Sioux City. This picture was from the DM Register:
That hill is not as steep as it looks but good enough.