NEAR PRIMGHAR — Blessed are those with the strength to pedal through headwinds.
As eastbound riders on the first day of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, Sunday, July 20, struggled to make progress against winds of up to 17 mph, Duane Konz, 82, stood in front of his home giving away wooden crosses carved by his brother Jim, 84,
Konz displayed the plywood and oak crosses on a roadside picnic table. Boxes contained about 500 in all.
Lori Pholen and Duane Konz gave away free crosses near Primghar on Sunday, July 20, 2025.
He said his brother, who lives nearby but wasn’t healthy enough to join the giveaway, has handed out the crosses at events around Iowa and at first communions and confirmations.
Konz and sister-in-law Lori Pohlen started giving away the crosses to the passing riders at 6 a.m.
“This is something that they can have for nothing,” he said. “If you go on RAGBRAI, there’s so much stuff that you’ve got to pay for.”
More: Iowan, one of the last to die in Vietnam War, remembered for his sacrifice 50 years later
Riders appreciated the offering and the extra motivation it gave them as they battled the wind. Thomas Guadalupe, 25, of Clayton, North Carolina, who claimed one of the crosses as he rode his first RAGBRAI, said he considers himself a Christian.
“The reason I’m here in Iowa is because I was led here,” Guadalupe said.
The crosses symbolize sacrifice as well as faith. Konz served in the Vietnam War with a mortar squad near Chu Lai, Da Nang, and the notorious Hamburger Hill, where at least 630 North Vietnamese soldiers and 72 Americans died in a battle over a promontory with little strategic value.
He proudly displayed a “Veteran” sticker on a golf cart his grandchildren were climbing on. On a nearby shed was the silhouette of a kneeling soldier.
Konz said he fought for the right of Americans to hold events like RAGBRAI, and he soaked in the fun and freedom of the day.
“It’s tremendous,” he said. “How can Iowa do something like this that’s so big? It’s cool.”
Philip Joens is riding his 20th RAGBRAI. He has completed the river-to-river trek eight times. He covers retail and real estate for the Des Moines Register and can be reached at 515-284-8184 or at pjoens@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Passing RAGBRAI riders get free crosses from Vietnam veteran