Varsity Cinema hosts premiere of 'Shift: The RAGBRAI Documentary' for sold-out crowd
A loving mom working through her youngest son's cancer diagnosis. A recovering opioid addict biking to heal himself and others. A longtime bicyclist looking to make riding more accessible for all. A couple seeking to give back to their small hometown.
These are the stars of "Shift: The RAGBRAI Documentary," which made its debut on the big screen Thursday night to a sold-out crowd at Des Moines' Varsity Cinema.
An eager group of cycling enthusiasts and general fans of the state of Iowa filled the seats of the intimate community theater to see the culmination of over a year of work led by co-directors Courtney Crowder, the Des Moines Register's Iowa columnist, and Kelsey Kremer, the Register's photo editor.
Some attendees sported their RAGBRAI jerseys and memorabilia from the past 49 years, and one dedicated biker even wore his blue bike helmet during the screening. People in the crowd laughed, cried and reminisced about the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, which somehow brought them all together.
"We wanted to tell a larger story," Crowder said during a discussion following the documentary premiere. "One that really goes back to Donald Kaul and John Karras, who were reporters at the Register, who believed, who understood, that Iowa is best told by going on her gravel roads and being in her main streets and talking to people eye to eye."
The documentary offered a peek into RAGBRAI's rich history – of that ragtag group of Register reporters and other Iowans who first traversed the state on their bikes nearly 50 years ago – but Kremer and Crowder said they aimed to tell a story that was so much more.
"We talked so much about the essence of RAGBRAI," Crowder said to Kremer on stage Thursday night. "Because it gets this sort of reputation for being a bacchanalia, and it's definitely super fun and there is lots of beer, but it is really more about the people who ride, the towns that host and the space, literal or metaphorical, that it offers you to find whatever made you put your life on hold and come out here in Iowa in the July heat to ride across the state."
The one-hour documentary embodies that essence by following the journeys of three riders and two community leaders as they overcome obstacles and reach new heights, changing their lives in the course of the weeklong ride across Iowa.
"It's amazing to me that a bicycle can bring us together like it does," said Adam Lineberry, one of the subjects, whose first ever RAGBRAI was documented in the film. "Most of you here tonight are probably here in some long-form version because of the bicycle. It's just amazing the camaraderie that RAGBRAI brings us."
While the documentary tells the stories of a diverse set of riders who each come on RAGBRAI for different reasons and who each learn something new about themselves along the way, some people in the audience said they found a piece of their own story within the film.
"We had a lot of parallels with what they were talking about today," said 79-year-old Ann Schuman, who has done all or part of at least 20 RAGBRAIs. "You get such a feeling of accomplishment when you're done. It's like I am capable. I can do anything."
The experiences of RAGBRAI riders, including the subjects of the documentary, mirrored Kremer and Crowder's own journey in producing the documentary, from discussing an idea sent in a text message over two years ago to accomplishing the fully realized vision that was shown on the big screen Thursday night.
"Tell me one of your biggest discoveries or 'aha' moments in this process," Crowder asked Kremer on stage.
"I mean that I can do this," Kremer responded, "that this is possible. This felt like this was a real challenge. We had never done something like this before. And sometimes it sort of felt like we're going to just go do it and let's see what happens. And we did, and it worked, and it was really good. And I'm so proud of that."
How to watch
Missed out on the premiere? There's still more than a dozen opportunities to see the documentary at the historic Varsity Cinema from Friday May 5 through Thursday, May 11. Tickets and more information are available at VarsityDesMoines.com.
More: More showings of 'Shift: The RAGBRAI Documentary' added at Varsity Cinema
The Varsity will hold additional showings during the month of May, as interest allows.
Screenings will also be hosted along the RAGBRAI route in July and in select Iowa towns. Details will be added to DesMoinesRegister.com/RAGBRAIdocumentary as they become available.
Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at@francescablock3.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RAGBRAI documentary delivers history, emotion for sold-out crowd
