Divided We Fail Rides to Break Partisan Gridlock
The Divided We Fail team dips their tires in the Mississippi River.
From left to right: George Kelemen, Patrick Cobb, Bob Kearney,
Mark Fetterhoff, Barry Jackson, Ed Burtenshaw and Anthony Carroll.
Battling wind, rain and popped tires, our team of Divided We Fail cyclists recently crossed the state of Iowa in a seven-day bike ride known as RAGBRAI - Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa . From July 19 to July 26, our team joined thousands of riders to complete the 472 mile journey, while spreading the word about breaking through partisan gridlock. Champ and the ChampMobile came along for the ride - a major attraction for race participants and spectators alike.
What started as a casual bike ride among friends in 1973 has evolved into the longest, largest and oldest bicycle touring event in the world. RAGBRAI is a really big deal in Iowa, and the entire state gets into spirit. Thousands of people gave up their spare bedrooms and basements to host cyclists, invited strangers in for a meal or simply showed their support along the way.
From left to right, Mark, the legendary Mr. Porkchop, George, and Patrick.
Everyone seemed to take a break from the hectic pace of the day-to-day routine to make you feel special.- whether it was the legendary Mr. Pork Chop, who served grilled pork chops along the route; assisted living residents, who let us camp out at their facility; or Iowa State University cheerleaders, who came out to cheer us on. The Hawkeye spirit really is something to behold.
Wearing our stylish Divided We Fail jerseys, we were quite the talk of RAGBRAI. Together with Champ and the Champmobile, we were able to talk to people from all walks of life about about health care and life-time financial security and the need to end partisan gridlock.
The Champmobile at RAGBRAI
One of the highlights of our ride was In North Liberty. The Champmobile joined us at a Cajun zydeco concert sponsored by AARP. Hundreds people signed the Divided We Fail pledge, and we passed out stickers to everyone in sight. We were even invited to get on stage to talk about Divided We Fail and throw t-shirts into the audience. The crowd loved it -- and so did we.
RAGBRAI was definitely the experience of a lifetime...maybe we'll see you there next year!
Visit our online community to see more pictures from the week.
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