SPAM-tastic voyage: Austin women represent their town on RAGBRAI ride
Published 5:45 pm Monday, August 5, 2024
Carolyn Rugg of Austin sports her SPAM jersey and SPAM can on her head will cruising through RAGRBAI. Photo provided
Carolyn Rugg, left, and Robin Dillon, right, were all smiles at the finish line. Photo Provided
Robin Dillon, left, and Carolyn Rugg, right, of Austin recently finished RAGBRAI. Photo provided
Carolyn Rugg, left, and Robin Dillon, right of Austin pose with Matt Phippen, RAGBRAI Ride Director with their SPAM gear on during their ride. Photo provided
RAGBRAI’s course featured plenty of hills this year, including this one. Photo provided
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Even when they are exhausted, it turns out, people are drawn to SPAM.
Robin Dillon and Carolyn Rugg of Austin recently finished a seven-day, 477-mile trek across the state of Iowa for RAGBRAI, and they drew as much attention as anyone. Dillon and Rugg sported SPAM cans on their heads and they wore SPAM jerseys, which drew plenty of people asking them to take a photograph or inquire about the product.
“We were like mini-celebrities,” Dillon said. “Last year we did RAGBRAI on its 50th Anniversary ride and we wore SPAM cans on our he ads, so we could find each other. It was such a big hit last year and tons of people stopped us and asked us about it. It was a big deal. We thought this year we would really represent SPAMtown. It’s surprising how many people get excited about it.”
Dillon and Rugg received the jerseys for free from Hormel and it added to the experience as they wore them on the ride. They heard other cyclists sing the SPAM song as they passed them on the road and they also heard SPAM related quotes from the film “SPAMalot.”
“They would ask if we were from Hawaii and we would say Austin. Then they would say Austin, Texas? We had to explain it to them,” Rugg said. “A lot of people don’t know SPAM is made in Austin. But they do now.”
When they weren’t dealing with SPAM fans, Dillon and Rugg were battling strong headwinds and fighting through the hilliest course RAGBRAI has ever offered. Amongst the 18,000 or so other cyclists, they saw one rider riding backwards, an old time penny-farthing bicycle with a large front wheel and a bicycle that included four riders.
Dillon and Rugg had a driver follow them on the weeklong trek so they were able to sleep in a motorhome at night. Before riding in RAGBRAI, the duo had put in 1,000 outdoor cycling miles this year and they’ve also been regular participants at the indoor spinning classes at the YMCA in Austin.
“Even with that, it’s still very hard. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done physically,” Rugg said. “I don’t know how we got up and did it every day, but we did it. Somehow.”
Dillon and Rugg have often been mistaken for sisters, but they are not related. They became friends when they both started working at the YMCA in 2018 and each of them have been cycling for less than 10 years, but they’ve embraced the hobby in their retirement.
“I haven’t ridden all over, but that’s what’s neat about cycling,” Rugg said. “You can start at any age, stop it and start it again. You can do it at any age and there were people at RAGBRAI in their 70s and 80s. It’s life long and I love it.”
RAGBRAI, which stands for Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, started in 1973. The average route of the ride is 470 miles and it takes place every summer from July 21-27. It draws riders from all around the country and beyond.
Dillon and Rugg credited the YMCA, Rydjor Bike and Hormel for helping them along in their journey. They also said any prospective RAGBRAI riders should make sure and prepare themselves if they want to try the ride in the future.
“You have to train for it,” Dillon said. “It’s not just something you can go out and do.”
