Des Moines, Iowa — We won’t be seeing many RAGBRAI riders in our part of northwest Iowa this year, as this summer’s 51st running of the statewide bicycle ride will take a southern route.
Organizers say it’ll be the hilliest RAGBRAI ever, with more than 18-thousand feet of climb, including daily climbs for cyclists of at least 3,000 feet. Perhaps to compensate, the ride will also be 434 miles, making it the eighth shortest route. Running July 21st through the 27th, RAGBRAI will start in Glenwood this year and end in Burlington, with overnight stops in Red Oak, Atlantic, Winterset, Knoxville, Ottumwa, and Mount Pleasant.
Last year’s ride started in Sioux City. In 2022, the ride started in Sergeant Bluff, which is also near Sioux City. In 2020, it was to start in Le Mars, but COVID canceled the ride, so that route was used in 2021 instead. The last time the ride started in one of the four northwest Iowa counties was in 2017, when it started in Orange City. In 2014, the ride started in Rock Valley. In 2012 it started in Sioux Center, and back in 2007, the ride started in Rock Rapids.
Last year, ride organizers footed the bill for each overnight town’s musical performances, but this year, RAGBRAI will instead be giving each town $50,000 to spend, including to book their own entertainment.