Where Were the Fashion Police?

Personal expression was in full force at RAGBRAI! Everyone wore bike jerseys, which either represented the team they were on or races in which they had ridden. This year’s RAGBRAI jersey (modeled by Gerry Morris) featured pie. Most of the participants had one, so this was the most common jersey you saw on the routes and around town.

Cathy and I were thrilled to see a member of Team Gourmet. This group from Chicago is well-known for the fact that they travel with a chef and enjoy the fanciest meals of any group. Their jerseys have the week’s menu printed on them. So we photographed it all and wondered how they manage – like us the chef cooks in someone’s kitchen. I’ve included one day’s menu for you to see what they do. Pretty fancy stuff!

This group dressed as cowboys, complete with stick horses attached to their bikes and cowboy hats attached to their helmets. Gerry said they also carried cap guns in holsters and would yell and fire them in the air when they entered a town.

This fellow, riding alongside the bandidos was dressed as the Cat in the Hat.

Thank goodness the weather cooperated for this rider. The chicken costume had to be hot.

Team Flamingo is another colorful group. They ride in hot pink jerseys and pink feather boas. It’s quite a site to see them “flying” down the road. The leader of Team Flamingo found our own Captain Bill to be just as colorful.

Hot dogs and beer go together. And these two riders proudly proved it…for nearly 500 miles.

If you remember the Team Cow bus, you’ll find the team jerseys very appropriate. The bike even has a tail on it. Some of the helmets had udders on them.

I don't even know what to say about these guys....

Where’s Jimmy Buffett when you need him? This fellow looks like he took a wrong turn on the way to a concert. Speaking of skirts, there were rumors of a team of guys riding in kilts. Our riders saw them once or twice, but we never got pictures. I kept wanting to know how they rode if they work kilts in the traditional Scottish way. Had to be uncomfortable…

Wasn’t sure whether to put this one in the section on riders or bikes, since both are decorated. Either way, it’s pretty amazing.

This rider took her dog along on the journey in the carrier.

If you're going for a simpler look, the most obvious place for adornment is the bike helmet. Both teams and individuals decorated their helmets with everything imaginable. From margarita glasses to Spam cans (Team Spam of course). Click on the image for a larger view.

This couple was chose an All-American theme. We saw them on the last day, too, so Uncle Sam survived the whole ride.

And finally, there are the riders who wear their underwear on the outside. Some people should not be seen in thongs. Pretty scary, don’t you think?