Description

Tour

Distance - 450-500 miles

RAGBRAI, The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, is an annual seven-day bicycle ride across the state. Heading into its 42nd year, RAGBRAI is the oldest, largest and longest bicycle touring event in the world.

In the beginning, no one imagined that RAGBRAI would become the Iowa tradition it is now.  We at The Des Moines Register thank all the riders who have joined us over the years.  We especially wish to thank the thousands and thousands of volunteers in the towns we’ve visited along the way for their tireless work to show RAGBRAI riders the hospitality that has made our ride world famous.

For those of you who have never ridden, this rolling celebration of Iowa attracts participants from all 50 states and many foreign countries.  It has covered thousands of miles through the years, and hundreds of thousands of riders have hopped in the saddle to pedal part of those miles.

Route

From Western Iowa border to the Mississippi River


The 418-mile route starts in Rock Valley, about eight miles from Iowa’s border with South Dakota, and ends at the Mississippi River in Guttenberg.

RAGBRAI Director T.J. Juskiewicz told the Des Moines Register that the northern route goes back to the ride’s small-town roots after 2013 stops in Council Bluffs and Des Moines and a 2012 visit to Cedar Rapids.

“There are no massive towns,” Juskiewicz said. “We’re getting back to smaller communities, which are the perfect size for RAGBRAI.”

Only Mason City has a population over 10,000. It has been 29 years since the ride visited the River City.

It is the third shortest and second flattest route in the RAGBRAI’s 42 years.

• Cities on RAGBRAI
• Rock Valley July 19
• Okoboji July 20
• Emmetsburg July 21
• Forest City July 22
• Mason City July 23
• Waverly July 24
• Independence July 25
• Guttenberg July 26

Registration

$160 for weeklong pass

Contact