SIOUX CENTER, IA –  Joe Bauter, marquis rider with Team Road Kill, is pictured here leading the breakaway group on County Road B40 heading east out of this year’s first overnight town.  TRK turned aggressive this year, tackling the first leg of RAGBRAI XL six months ahead of the start date.   No doubt spurred on by the mild winter weather, Bauter and his teammates, Chris Kane and Gary Schmaltz, got a jump on the rest of the field.  “He was behaving erratically after Saturday’s (RAGBRAI) route announcement,” said Becky Bauter, wife of the cyclist, “but no more than usual.  Then Sunday, he just disappeared along with his bike gear.”  

It was unclear whether the early breakaway group could maintain their impressive gap.  Fans throughout the cycling community were monitoring their progress to see if the TRK riders would be caught before reaching Cherokee.  “What Joe, Gary, and Chris are doing is really unprecedented – we’ll have to wait see what happens,” commented an unidentified and slightly confused official with Team Road Kill.  No matter what happens with the trio, it is sure to be a great RAGBRAI XL this July.