If you’re entertaining the idea of setting up some kind of stand or vending apparatus along a Story County road when RAGBRAI riders pass through in July, the Story County Board of Supervisors might have already made that decision for you.
The three members of the board voted Tuesday to restrict temporary structures and vendors in the county’s right of way — 60 feet to each side of the road’s center line, according to Supervisor Rick Sanders — during the bike ride, which comes through the county July 24 and 25. The decision, however, is subject to a 14-day review to in part accommodate a June 6 planning meeting among area law-enforcement and emergency-management personnel, who are still preparing for the event.
“When the meeting is concluded, I’d like to see what your recommendations are,” Supervisor Martin Chitty told Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald. “If this fits, then we will go with that. If you’ve got anything else, we’d like to hear it.”
RAGBRAI, the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, sponsored by the Des Moines Register, will arrive in Ames for an overnight stop on July 24. The next day, riders will pedal through Nevada and Colo on their way out of the county toward Newton. Thousands of riders are expected to cycle through the county.