Day 6, Friday, July 26: Ottumwa to Mount Pleasant

• Miles: 84.8.
• Feet of climb:3,160.
• Themes: Mr. Pork Chop Jr. Day, John Karras Century Loop.
• Pass-through towns: Agency, Eldon, Selma, Libertyville, Pleasant Plain, Brighton, Wayland, Trenton.
• Meeting town: Fairfield.
• Gravel option: 8.4 miles, 218 feet of climb.

Day 6 will honor the late Matt Bernhard, aka Mr. Pork Chop Jr., who died March 24 after carrying on the Mr. Pork Chop business, a RAGBRAI staple his father founded. Agency offers gravel riders a chance to visit the grave of Chief Wapello, and Eldon has the American Gothic house of Grant Wood fame, though it's not on the main route. Who can pass up the chance to pose like the couple in the world-famous painting? Fairfield is one of the most unique places in Iowa, a town in the Iowa countryside that's home to Maharishi International University, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who taught the Beatles transcendental meditation in India. Mount Pleasant is home to the annual Midwest Old Threshers Reunion, a Labor Day weekend gathering of collectors of steam engines, farm tractors, antique cars and other mechanical memorabilia.

• We ride the route on the same time and day of the week that RAGBRAI will ride in July.
• We identify any unsafe traffic patterns like a factory shift ending as we are rolling by, etc..
• We look for any road hazards or conditions that may need improvements before the event. That data is shared with the county engineers.
• We visit with all the towns and give them an idea of when they can expect riders in their towns when RAGBRAI comes through.
• We answer any questions the town committees and their business owners may have.
• We share the experience with registrants.
• We showcase the beautiful route and everything these communities have to offer.