The 'Big Kids Bike Klub'

Ken and Carol had no qualms about meeting new friends when they moved to Western Home Communities. After seeing an article in The Journal about the Big Kids Bike Klub with an open invitation they greased their gears and got ready for the ride of their life.

What Ken didn't realize was that he would be rekindling old friendships along the way. Ken, a former professor in the UNI Drafting Department had worked with Ron, professor in the Department of Technology at UNI. Ron rewrote an entire BASIC language to Fortran language for Ken's drafting program, no easy feat at that time.

Ken also had a chance to reconnect with former Deere co-worker Mike. They had both been engineers at Deere in new product development.

Carol on the other hand used the opportunity to make new friendships. One of the first connections she made was with Rita, who she found lived just down the street from her and Ken.

These past RAGBRAI participants said, "Exercise is very important at this age and biking makes it enjoyable. The freedom of a bicycle will make you feel good and keep you active."

They also mentioned that people of any ability are always welcomed in the Big Kids Bike Klub. "Whether you are a new biker or someone who has rode for 50 years, we encourage everyone to join us."