Thursday, July 17, 2025
Day 47

Sheldon, IA to Le Mars, IA

Miles: 38.35 miles
Elevation: 558 feet
Time: 3 hours 8 minutes

Total miles: 1,805.91 (2,456.26 w/ Uhaul)
Total Elevation: 75,661
Total Time: 176 hours 47 minutes

Baby’s got new tires!! Woohoo!

This morning the Uhaul goes back and we continue, on schedule, towards Orange City, IA for our week in the corn.
Earlier on tour, when we had the REALLY tough day riding into Deadwood, we came across an awesome bike shop in Spearfish that sold a special edition gravel tire in PINK! Yes please! We purchased them then not knowing when the next nail or the next whatever would occur. In preparation for our week long RAGBRAI, Drew put the new tires on along with sealant. And his tire that went on my bike as an emergency repair was then placed on his bike. We are ready for the 400+ miles across Iowa.
Departing Sheldon under a beautiful cloud kissed sky, we headed to Le Mars along streets, gravel roads and Interstate 60. The ride was easy with minimal climbing, taking us through Hospers and Alton. Soon, we arrived in Le Mars, home of Blue Bunny! Since we were too early to check in, we had to go get some ice cream!! Drew enjoyed cookie dough and birthday cake while I ate spumoni. So yummy! We explored downtown a bit before checking in. Next, a stop at Walmart for supplies that would get us through the next week and a visit to Goodwill where I found the coolest Le Mars cycling jersey for $5, then to a nearby restaurant, 4 Brothers where we got dinner. Back at the room, we sorted and sorted again in preparation for RAGBRAI. And before you know it, it’s 10 o’clock and time to sleep. We have been watching weather throughout the day. Looks like we may see some rain this next week. Oh, such an adventure!!
We hope you are thriving and safe wherever you are. 💕

RoadrunnerTour2025