As RAGBRAI prepares for its hilliest edition ever, here are two climbs from past rides that veteran riders count among the most challenging they've encountered on the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.
Pilot Mound/'Twister' Hill
The road takes its name from a 70-foot glacial mound located just southeast of the tiny city of Pilot Mound, to which it gives its name. But the area's most impressive topographic feature is the descent of 130th Street as it passes eastward along the northern edge of town, then plunges 600 feet into the deep-riven Des Moines River valley.
Over the 50 editions of RAGBRAI so far, this hill has terrified RAGBRAI riders numerous times as they hit speeds of 40 mph on the descent. And then, reaching the bridge across the river, they face grinding their way back out. RAGBRAI has climbed Pilot Mound in at least 1980, 2011 and 2018.