Serendipitous meeting with Team Nasty (but nice)

RINGSTED–Just how nasty is Team Nasty? Not very, according to its members.
The team of mostly extended family members formed 10 years ago as Jimnastics, in honor their “patron saint” Jim Drexler.
Then the name quickly shortened to Jimnasty and they eventually settled on nasty – not just for the intimidation factor, but the sharpness and ease that rolls with it off the tongue.
“It’s more of a cliche of the other team names,” said team member Ben Kaufmann, of New York. “We ride pretty fast. But in most other respects we’re very nice.”
During a brief chat in a coffee line, I learned Kaufmann is the cousin of one of my former co-workers and another good friend from high school back in North Carolina — turns out that friend, Drew Belz, rode with the first ever Team Jimnastics RAGBRAI appearance in 2004.
That’s RAGBRAI for you. Bring on the serendipity!