News : RAGBRAI inspection team rides through Vinton

Cyclist leave Celebration Park, heading for Shellsburg after lunch in Vinton.

VU Director Melissa Schwan photographs bacon lover Brenda Hackbarth with a RAGBRAI rider.

Matt Phippen's daughters wave as he rides his bike into Celebration Park with other RAGBRAI riders.

“Daddy!!!!!”

Three young girls stood at the southwest corner of Celebration Park, waiting for the arrival of the bicycles.

When Matt Phippen rounded the corner, his three daughters cheered and waved. They had been waiting several days to see him.

Phippen is one of 30 official RAGBRAI Route Inspection Team members who has spent the week riding the route that 10,000 or so bikers will take when they cross the state for the annual bike ride late in July.

The 30, along with a few other cyclists who join the ride just for fun, meet with organizers in each community, answer questions and discuss the various details about where the thousands of riders and support crew members will travel as they ride through each community.

Another important job of the crew is to inspect the roads on which all those cycles will roll.

As an annual RAGBRAI rider, Phippen says he sees the conditions of roads improve ever year; he believes the effort of county and city leaders to make sure the roads are safe for cyclists are making a difference. The riders report on the condition of the highways and county roads, and then ask local leaders for help in making improvements.

Nearly 50 people, including riders and support team members, arrived in Vinton at around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. Police Chief Ted Paxton led them through town, and to the park, where the Benton County Cattlemen had cooked burgers and steak, and Vinton Unlimited representatives served lunch, greeted the group and discussed the event with RAGBRAI Director T.J. Juskiewicz.

Sign-up sheets for local volunteers

A local committee of volunteers has been meeting regularly to discuss all of the logistics involved in welcoming the riders, and providing places for local businesses and organizations to sell refreshments.

VU Director Melissa Schwan said a sign-up sheet for specific volunteer duties is being prepared. The next RAGBRAI committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23, in the basement of Farmers Savings Bank.

For more information or to sign up, email Schwan at melissa@vintonia.org.

See more photos HERE.