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Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa
RAGBRAI logo
Event logo
Status Active
Frequency Annually
Venue Varies
Location(s) State of Iowa
Country United States
Years active 44
Inaugurated August 26, 1973
Founder John Karras and Donald Kaul
Activity Bicycling
Sponsor The Des Moines Register
Website ragbrai.com
RAGBRAI is an acronym and registered trademark for the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, which is a non-competitive bicycle ride organized by The Des Moines Register, which goes across the U.S. state of Iowa from west to east, that draws recreational riders from across the United States and many foreign countries.[1] First held in 1973, RAGBRAI is the largest bike-touring event in the world.[2]
Description
Riders begin at a community on Iowa's western border and ride to a community on the eastern border, stopping in towns across the state. The ride is one week (seven days) long, ending on the last Saturday of July each year, after beginning on the previous Sunday. The earliest possible starting date is July 19 and the latest is July 25.
RAGBRAI holds an annual lottery which selects 8,500 week-long riders. The lottery is held beginning November 15 of the previous year and until April 1. Random computer selection determines the participants. A registration form is available on the RAGBRAI web site and can either be entered online or printed and mailed to the Des Moines Register. Entrants are notified by email on May 1 as to the lottery results. There are also passes on a first come, first served basis for 1,500 day riders; these are limited to three per person. Additionally, Iowa bicycle clubs and charters, as well as teams and groups (many from out of state), receive a number of passes for which members apply through those organizations.[1] Despite the official limits, unregistered riders have on many days swelled the actual number of riders to well over the registered number count.
RAGBRAI is open to all kinds of people
The length of the entire week's route over RAGBRAI's first 40 years from 1973 through 2012, not including the Century Loop, averaged 467.925 miles (753.052 km), with the average daily distance between host communities 67.09 miles (107.97 km).[3] Eight "host communities" are selected each year: one each for the beginning and end points, the other six serving as overnight stops from Sunday through Friday for the bicyclists. At the beginning of the ride, participants traditionally dip the rear wheels of their bikes in either the Missouri River or the Big Sioux River (depending on the starting point of the ride). At the end, the riders dip the front wheels in the Mississippi River.
The 44th ride, RAGBRAI XLIV, was held July 24-30, 2016, beginning in Glenwood and staying at Shenandoah, Creston, Leon, Centerville, Ottumwa, and Washington before ending in Muscatine. The 45th ride, RAGBRAI XLV, took place from July 23-29, 2017, beginning in Orange City, with overnight stops in Spencer, Algona, Clear Lake, Charles City, Cresco, and Waukon, before finishing in Lansing. In 2017, the "Mile of Silence," which remembers the riders that have been lost throughout the years, happened on the first day after leaving Granville. The optional 3rd Annual Gravel Loop also occurred the first day on the way to Sutherland. [4] The 46th ride, RAGBRAI XLVI, will be held from July 22-28, 2018, beginning in Onawa, with overnight stops in Denison, Jefferson, Ames, Newton, Sigourney, and Iowa City, before ending in Davenport.
Overnight stops
Main article: List of RAGBRAI overnight stops
The ride has passed through all 99 of Iowa's counties in its history. A total of 14 communities have served as the starting point, while 12 have hosted the finish and 105 other communities have been overnight hosts during the week of the ride.
An event known as the RAGBRAI Route Announcement Party is held the last part of January to release the names of the overnight towns. The route is fleshed out in the following weeks and is announced in the Register and the RAGBRAI web site in early March. Even after then, changes to the route have sometimes been made.[1]
