Episode 86: Tandem Riding with Cheryl Oreglia

Posted on by Victoria

—RAGBRAI—

What’s that? Well…if you’re like me, one of the uninitiated, Cheryl’s at your service, ready to explain.

RAGBRAI, friends, stands for: 

Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa and Cheryl, along with her dear husband, Larry made the trek back in July. Yep. Riding a tandem bike across Iowa from the Missouri River to the great Mississippi -along with 20,000 other cyclists. Like a pilgrimage.

Cheryl shares all the good, bad and fantastic details in her RAGBRAI post. Hilarious and entertaining, we could listen to Cheryl for hours as she regaled us with stories about port-a-potty challenges, humidity and mud. And by golly. Pork chops, too. Epic Iowa pork chops.

But there’s so much more to the RAGBRAI experience. Cheryl’s writer’s heart took over, poetically telling us about the cathedral of light in the early morning. Greeting riders with heaven sent hellos. And the friendliness of local folks who cheered them on as champions as they rode.

What I appreciated most in our chat was Cheryl’s insight about challenging fears. Not only related to a long-distance endurance ride across Iowa. Any fear. Life is full of them.

Cheryl’s phrase, “holding fear in communion with potential” speaks to me about the sweet spot I seek. Pushing myself through trepidation so I can greet satisfaction on the other side. Much like Cheryl, her hubby and 20,000 friends when they said hello to the Mississippi River.

You will love this episode! Thank you, Cheryl.

Vicki and Wynne 😊

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 86: Tandem Riding with Cheryl Oreglia

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

Cheryl’s blog: Living in the Gap

RAGBRAI 2024 – Living in the Gap (cheryloreglia.blog)

Other episodes with Cheryl:

Episode 61: The Writers Conference with Cheryl Oreglia by Sharing the Heart of the Matter (spotify.com)

Episode 30: True Grit with Cheryl Oreglia by Sharing the Heart of the Matter (spotify.com)

Episode 7: Grow Damn It! by Sharing the Heart of the Matter (spotify.com)

From the Hosts:

Vicki’s recently released book: Surviving Sue

Wynne’s book about her beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith

37 thoughts on “Episode 86: Tandem Riding with Cheryl Oreglia”

  1. Pingback: Courage is Contagious – Surprised By Joy

  2. I thoroughly enjoyed Cheryl’s odyssey and her lively re-telling of it al. what an amazing undertaking that she never imagined she’d be taking. you learn as you go, see how much you are capable of, adjust and adapt as needed, form a like – minded community, and enjoy your adventure. brilliant –

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    2. Thank you Beth. You are so kind. RAGBRAI was one of those life changing experiences in that I never thought I could accomplish, that I could survive the camping, or the long distances and live to tell. I think the biggest take away was learning to overcome my fear of the unknown and just try. What’s the worst that can happen? Thank you for listening, engaging, and sharing your thoughts. Hugs, C

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  4. Such an Inspiring Story! Just what the doctor ordered today for this rainy Friday. You go Cheryl. Never a doubt! You’re riding again next year, right? Ha, ha. Love how Larry changed the rules late in the game – no SaG stopping. Ha, ha. I’m sure that made the first couple of days interesting. 😆😆😎

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    2. Hi Brian, thank you, I so appreciate you taking the time to listen, to share your thoughts, and especially how you noticed the “change of rules late in the game,” that was unexpected for sure. Larry always has his own agenda! And yes, we hope to ride RAGBRAI again in 2026! Hugs, C

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  6. Thank you Wynne and Vicki for hosting me on Heart of the Matter, for listening to my stories, and making me feel so welcome when we come together. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. I think it’s fascinating how summarizing this adventure on your podcast really helped me look at the entire ride and discover that learning to trust myself, to overcome my fears was the souvenir I came home with. Something I will treasure for years to come. I’m looking forward to our next conversation. Hugs, C

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    1. Cheryl…you are always a delight! In addition to the giggles and enjoyment, I always come away with an ‘a-ha’ or two…or three. Thank you for sharing with us. The best sort of souvenir! xo! 🥰

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  7. Pingback: Episode 86: Tandem Riding with Cheryl Oreglia – The Story Lady

    2. Hi Elizabeth! I hope you enjoy the conversation. These two ladies have such a delightful spark, what a joy to sit for a spell and our latest adventures, challenges, and insights. Thank you for joining the ride. Hugs, C

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  9. Cheryl’s recap of her Ragbrai experience was totally enjoyable. My husband and I have always enjoyed riding the bike trails, Had we known about the Ragbrai when we were more adventuress, we’d have seriously considered doing it. Thank you all for sharing! 🙂

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    2. Thank you Nancy, I’m thrilled you enjoyed the conversation. It was quite the adventure, and I was rather stunned that I loved it so much. Iowa is gorgeous, kind people, and more corn than you can imagine. Thanks for joining us. Hugs, C

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  12. What a wonderful and engaging conversation. Cheryl is a fantastic storytelling and the journey sounded incredible. I can see those shards of early morning sun in my head and smell those porkchops at the top of the hill. What a fun experience to enjoy with 20,000 other people! I will say, the thought of sharing 8 Porto potties with a thousand people is probably a reason for me not to try something like this but everything else sounds just incredible!

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  13. I’d never heard of this bike ride, and it was fun to listen to Cheryl’s story about her experiences in the journey. Such a great accomplishment for the riders! And I loved what Cheryl said about being scared of something, but trying it. Because you might surprise yourself and succeed 🙂

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  14. Pingback: Family…Permanent, Perpetual, Perdurable – Living in the Gap

  15. I finally had the chance to watch this tonight. I always enjoy Cheryl’s blog, so I knew this would be great fun to watch. I love the image of people carrying toilet paper under their arms and offering it to others. You know you’re close when you’re sharing toilet paper. 🤣 Paying to stick your bike tire in the water? How American is that? Very impressive to get stronger each day. Cheryl is an animal!

    I especially like the takeaway of how we can surprise ourselves with what we can do. I think it’s human nature to think we can’t do something we really can. What a great feeling when we accomplish those things! “We did it, babe. We did it!” I’m still not buying that Cheryl is introverted. She seems like the kind of person anyone would want to hang out with.

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  16. Pingback: Two Again Tuesday – The Heart of the Matter

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