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.
Total mileage: 462.2 mi. (19th shortest route in history)
Total climb: 15,948 ft. (13th flattest route in history)
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.
RAGBRAI XLIII route: Unique attractions every few miles