Former Dubuque man’s winter bike ride takes him through Clarion

Originally published in the Telegraph Herald, Dubuque, Iowa on February 16, 2020.

When I was growing up in rural Iowa, I explored every country road within a bicycle ride of our family’s apple orchard. Riding across the entire state was unheard of then, yet it was something that always intrigued me.

Now, even in Alaska, where I live these days, everyone has heard of RAGBRAI.  But the annual event – joining thousands of people biking across the state in summer humidity – has never appealed to me.