The Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. RAGBRAI organizers have put in place many coronavirus safety precautions for this year's return. Currently, hundreds of new COVID-19 cases are confirmed in Iowa every week and vaccination demand has weakened in the state.
Ali Campbell is excited for businesses in her small town of Iowa Falls to benefit from the thousands of cyclists from across the country who will stay overnight during RAGBRAI in 2021. Iowa Falls, which has a population of around 5,000 people, was selected as an overnight town in January 2020. That was just before the coronavirus pandemic really took hold across the country.
The 2021 route is mostly a holdover from last year and that means towns like Iowa Falls have been anticipating the event for well over a year.
“Yes, it’s hectic, yes it’s stressful,” said Campbell with a smile. “Our government agencies are spinning but it’s going to happen!”