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LeClaire couple take tandem bicycle in journey across state

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By Kurt Allemeier | Sunday, July 20, 2008 |

John and Debbie Chebubar of LeClaire, IA., make thier way out of Missouri Valley, IA., early Sunday July 20, 2008. Sunday marked the first day of RAGBRIA which will end in LeClaire on July 26 after 471 miles of riding. "I lost count of how many people said you're riding home, how cool." Debbie said. (Kevin E. Schmidt/QUAD-CITY TIMES) Buy this Photo

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RAGBRAI

The long ride home started Sunday for John and Debbie Chebuhar.

The Chebuhars, of LeClaire, Iowa, are among 229 members of the Quad-Cities Bicycle Club who are riding with thousands of others in RAGBRAI — the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. The seven-day ride started Sunday in Missouri Valley. The 59-mile stage ended in Harlan.

It stops Friday in Tipton and ends Saturday with the dipping of wheels in the Mississippi River at LeClaire.

LeClaire is on the RAGBRAI route for the first time in the event’s 36 years, and it is the first time the event has visited Scott County since 1982.

The ride down Wisconsin Street passes within a few blocks of the Chebuhars’ house. They ride the event every three or four years, and rode RAGBRAI last year. They decided to do the event in back-to-back years because it ends in their backyard.

“We had to ride home,” John Chebuhar said. “It goes within half-mile of our house.”

The Chebuhars ride a 24-speed tandem bicycle they received as a wedding present almost 13 years ago. John has been a serious rider for a long time, while Debbie wasn’t. The tandem suits them well.

“For me, going slow is just as tough as it is for her to go fast,” John said.

The couple lent a hand in LeClaire’s RAGBRAI planning, and John

volunteered at long-term parking for riders Friday before he took the couple’s tandem to the loading point for the Quad-Cities Bicycle Club.

“We’ve been a part of everything going on with the folks from LeClaire since we have experience knowing what people are looking for,” Debbie said.

Local riders are excited to have the ride end so close to the Quad-Cities.

“RAGBRAI couldn’t miss us too many more years, especially with the waterfront we have around here,” Donnie Miller, of Moline, a member of the Quad-Cities Bicycle Club board of directors. This year’s RAGBRAI is his first.

The number of local participants going with the bike club is up from last year, due to interest in the LeClaire ending, Davenport’s Darlene Moritz thinks. Moritz, riding her eighth RAGBRAI, is the bicycle club’s representative with the event’s organizers.

While Miller says he will be up and on the road early each day, the Chebuhars ride a little more leisurely pace. The riders say they make sure to stop frequently for home-baked pie.

“Twenty, 40, 60 miles seems like a lot of work,” John Chebuhar said. “When you are on RAGBRAI, it doesn’t seem like that. There is always a thousand bikes ahead of you and a thousand bikes behind you.”

Kurt Allemeier can be contacted at (563) 383-2360 or kallemeier@qctimes.com.