Brush with Ragbrai celebrity

No, not Lance. John Karras, founder of The Des Moines Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. We were riding out of Coralville/Iowa City on the last day. Let's face it: our butts were sore. Sore like they might not recover from this particular ride. We were done -- ready for the air-conditioned bus ride back to Urbandale so we could pick up the kids and get back to Minnesota where it was naturally cool. Ha. It was not cool in Minnesota. Anyway, we had seen John Karras at various points along the route. He must be in his 70's. He wears two knee/leg braces. Gary wondered if he plays the "I started this whole ride across Iowa" card for free beers along the route. I don't think so. I don't think 75% of the riders or bar owners know who he is. But there we were riding out of Coralville, up the 958th hill, and Gary said to me, "You know what the great thing is about tomorrow, don't you?" Me, "Tell me." "We don't have to get on these damn bikes!" And there was John Karras on Gary's right side, laughing his hiney off. Was his hiney as sore as ours?