UPDATED BIXBRAI: Thousands complete ‘amazing’ trek in Davenport

“You did it.” That was probably the most repeated comment uttered Saturday, July 29, in downtown Davenport. During that busy, crowded day, thousands of visitors bicycled, ran and walked through the city to the numerous chants of “You did it.” Those chants and visitors crowded into Davenport for two two massive summer events – the 49th running of the Quad-City Times Bix 7 road race, and the final day of the 50th RAGBRAI (The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) bike trek across the state.

The two events, dubbed BIXBRAI by Quad Cities tourism officials, brought together at least 50,000 people to downtown Davenport. The Bix 7 race had a little more than 10,900 runners and walkers, Bix 7 Race Director Michelle Juehring told the race participants moments before the 8 a.m. Saturday start. This year's winners in the elite category were Biya Simbassa in the men's division with a winning time of 32 minutes and 34 seconds. The top women's finisher as Kellyn Taylor. The two Beat the Elite runners, Kelli Grubbs and Nathan Windt, both finished ahead of the elite runner field. After the Quad Cities survived a week filled with sunny, hot days with temperatures in the 90s, race conditions Saturday morning were a bit better than expected. The skies clouded over and the temps stayed in the lower 70s at race time. But the race was still a challenge for the many runners. “It’s really muggy,” said Lucas Wagner, 16, of Urbandale, Iowa, moments after he won the Quick Bix race. “I haven’t been feeling well, but I’m really happy now. … I had heat exhaustion a few days ago; that's why I’m not running the full Bix 7 race.” Officials said there were four dispatches on the Bix 7 race course: MEDIC EMS transported two race participants to local hospitals, and responded to an additional 11 dispatches during the race that were non race related.  Also, an additional two patients were transported to local hospitals from the RAGBRAI. Just before the race started, another runner said his plan for the day was to take a very slow pace for the Bix 7. “My strategy is to run as slowly as possible without running out of time. After three and a half hours on the course, they make you run on the sidewalks,” said another Bix 7 runner, who would only give his name as Billy S. But the Bix 7 was more than a race. The morning in downtown Davenport also was filled with the post-race party, music from a bagpiper and from the Locust Street Boys band, and plenty of post-race refreshments for participants.

The party-like atmosphere also was alive and well for some 30,000 RAGBRAI riders as they ended their 500-mile, week-long ride across Iowa in Davenport with a ceremonial tire dipping at the Marquette Street Boat Ramp, 315 Marquette St. For many of the thousands of cyclists, the end-of-the-trip ceremony was the same: dip the front tire of their bicycle in the Mississippi River, lift the bicycle over their head and make sure family members and friends get plenty of pictures of the events. “Remember, you want to dip your front tire. If you dip your back tire, you’ve gone too far. … And don’t forget to hit the brakes before you hit the water,” said Kai Swanson, who hosted some of the welcoming events for the RAGBRAI riders as they made their way to the boat ramp. After the boat ramp ceremonial ending to the ride, many of the riders made their way to the food trucks, vendors, live music at nearby Centennial Park and other festivities. But many of the riders said they were only in the mood to go home and get something to eat.

“I’m tired and I’m hungry, that’s how I feel,” RAGBRAI rider Rachael Lee of Boise, Idaho, said shortly after dipping her front tire in the river. Ms. Lee added, though, she was happy to see the weather in Davenport was relatively cool with an overcast sky and temps still in the 70s by about 9:30 a.m. Saturday. “People were nervous about today, since yesterday was 105 degrees. But, this is really nice today,” she said. In addition to the relatively cool conditions, other riders also remarked how they were thankful for the “amazing” week and welcoming spirit of the many Iowans they met on their trek.

“I feel amazing,” said Juan Valencia, of Rochester, Minnesota, shortly after finishing his eighth RAGBRAI ride. “This whole week has been amazing. … The last 70 miles of this ride were the easiest 70 miles of the week.” Other riders, like David Fisher of Johnston, Iowa, simply added: “It’s great to finally be done.” RAGBRAI Race Director Matt Phippen said the week zipped by and he couldn’t believe it was already done. “There were challenges all week. There was the heat. We had storms last night. …. Some of the people were struggling this week,” he said. “Now, they’re smiling.”