Before the announcement of this year’s RAGBRAI route, many speculated that Muscatine would be chosen as one of the overnight cities in order to honor the late Charlie Harper and his family’s bike shop, Harper’s Cycling & Fitness.
While he was disappointed that Muscatine was not included, bike shop owner Greg Harper said he’s still holding out hope for a good anniversary year for RAGBRAI and for some attention for the Muscatine community, even though it’s not an official stopping point.
“In talking with Director Matt Phippen at the route announcement, he said that they would be calling Muscatine this week, so even though we aren’t an overnight town or an ending town, there is the possibility that Muscatine will still be a part of this year’s RAGBRAI route, which would be a huge benefit for the community,” Harper said.