Jack Trice Stadium in Ames throws gates open for RAGBRAI's Iowa State fans
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For Iowa State University fans and alumni riding RAGBRAI's 50th anniversary edition Tuesday, a memorable pitstop was waiting as they entered the overnight town of Ames ― a loop through Jack Trice Stadium on the track around the football field.
"This is our second home!" one man hollered as he pulled off the track surrounding the cardinal-and-gold football field to take a breath and snap photos.
The first time riders were invited to take a lap in the stadium was when the ride last visited Ames in 2018. With a second ride, it's now entering the realm of tradition, and the ISU mascot, Cy the Cardinal, awaited the Cyclone faithful.
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Many donned school apparel for Tuesday's ride even though College Jersey Day isn't until Friday.
Jeff Lanser, a second-time rider from Grinnell who graduated from Iowa State in 1983, said earlier Tuesday he was "definitely planning" to stop in Jack Trice and cracked a joke about the Cyclones' interstate rival.
"I'm disappointed, there's a lot of Iowa jerseys here!" he said.
Steve and Linda Haywood, who live in Union but just bought a house in Ames, have ridden in the last 11 RAGBRAIs. They were thrilled when they saw that the 50th ride's route would take them through the campus of their alma mater.
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Both husband and wife donned ISU jerseys, and Steve rode a cardinal-and-gold bike like one he'd first spotted at a bike shop in Ames before tracking one down at a warehouse sale in Des Moines.
"This thing has just been a conversation piece," he said, gesturing at the bike. Moments earlier, it'd been borrowed by a group taking photos with Cy.
"Some will say, 'Oh! A Cyclone bike!'" he said, "and the Hawk people will go, 'That's the ugliest bike I've seen in my life!'"
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Kinnick pass-through also planned
ISU fans will get a chance to return the razzing on Hawkeye turf Saturday, when Iowa's Nile Kinnick Stadium will make its debut on the ride.
Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Des Moines Register. He previously reported on Missouri government & politics for the Springfield News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@registermedia.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RAGBRAI riders welcomed to Ames with lap of ISU's Jack Trice Stadium
