A Council Bluffs man is getting some double-takes as he bikes RAGBRAI — the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa.
Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner, is scheduled to ride Thursday’s RAGBRAI route. Todd Smith of Council Bluffs won the “Lance Armstrong Look-Alike” contest in Manning, a break town along Monday’s RAGBRAI route. “Oh, it’s pretty simple,” Smith said of his winning strategy. “Just stand here and that’s it.”
Like the man he closely resembles, Smith offered this answer when a reporter asked what his “secret” to looking like Armstrong was. “Ah, no secret,” he said. “Just bike.”
The wind was a huge factor for bikers on Monday’s route from Ida Grove to Audubon. The wind was blowing into riders’ faces. “Pretty tough,” one cyclist said as he peddled the route. The thousands of bicyclists headed out of Audubon this (Tuesday) morning, bound for an overnight stop in Waukee.
John Campbell, the sports director for KCRG television, is riding his bike — which he calls “Old Yeller” — on the RAGBRAI route. “Yesterday was a tough day. No doubt about it,” Campbell said during an interview on KCRG TV this (Tuesday) morning — as he rode his bike.
According to Campbell, the wind was the biggest factor for riders yesterday. “(The wind) was from the south and we rode south quite a lot. The wind just beats on you and beats on you and beats on you and then as the afternoon came on, it really started getting hot,” Campbell said. “I saw some hurting people and I’ll tell you what, my tank was near empty when I got in.”
Manning was one of the break towns on Monday’s route. The city strung a yellow band around its water town — with the words LiveStrong on it — just like the yellow wrist bands which symbolize Lance Armstrong’s successful battle against cancer.