Experiencing RAGBRAI: A Journey Through Iowa

I pedaled my way across Iowa this summer but didn’t spend all my time on a bicycle seat.

At one point, I found myself wedged behind seven bikes in the dusty bed of a pickup truck, rattling down a gravel road toward the start of that morning’s bicycle route in Charles City.

The night before I had slept at a Iowa farm south of town where a cattle feedlot had been transformed into a replica of Centre Court, Wimbledon—the All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club. My friends and I chose to veer out of town for the chance to visit such a quirky spectacle.

Let me pause and put this in plain terms before you stop reading: I spent seven days bicycling 468 miles across Iowa, visiting rural tourism curiosities along the way such as the finely manicured grass tennis “Court of Dreams.”

I’m not alone in my devotion to this annual tradition. I was among more than 18,000 bicyclists who joined yet another epic RAGBRAI, the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Founded in 1973 by a pair of Des Moines Register journalists, RAGBRAI in nearly 50 years has evolved into a cultural phenomenon in which thousands of people from around the globe swarm into Iowa to discover it isn’t as flat as advertised. However, at least restrooms are as ample and convenient as the nearest cornfield.

What is RAGBRAI?

RAGBRAI is the world’s oldest, largest, and longest bicycle touring ride.

Each year’s route follows a different path from west to east, between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. However, many towns and roads have been repeated since ‘73. The overnight towns—the basic outline of that year’s route—are announced in January, followed a couple of months later by the more detailed path. Riders pay $175 for a weeklong registration (or $35 for a day pass) and receive an official wristband and another band for their bike. RAGBRAI caps the number of registrants (about 10,000 weeklong riders, for instance). Therefore, if you like the look of the route, plan to register early in the year. The ride is always held during the last full week in July.

Like so many events, RAGBRAI skipped 2020 at the height of the pandemic, thus 2023 will mark both its 50th ride and 50th anniversary.

The journalists with the brainstorm, the late John Karras and Donald Kaul, were self-described “wanna-be hippies” who simply schemed to get away with indulging their biking habit on the job. They invited readers along for the ride, and for their sins, Karras and Kaul became pioneers of the modern bicycling culture we now enjoy.

I fell in love with RAGBRAI and renewed my childhood love of bicycling as a journalist reporting on the ride, and I’ve kept pedaling since I left the newsroom in 2018. This was my 11th RAGBRAI on a bike.

RAGBRAI is not a race or a group workout

RAGBRAI is a serendipitous summer experience—neither a race nor a group workout. Everybody more or less follows their own schedules, although there tend to be crowds of riders in the mornings. RAGBRAI shuts down vendors from west to east throughout each day to encourage everybody to keep moving to the finish line. A given day may carry a specific theme—for instance, riders are encouraged to wear their college jersey.

“You need to train, but not for the reasons you might think,” was how my RAGBRAI teammate Tom Fudge put it.

He’s right. General aerobic fitness helps you enjoy a week on RAGBRAI, as does deft handling of a pie fork. But what your body probably needs most is resilience at key pressure points: neck, shoulders, back, knees, and behind. Regular biking—and a professional bicycle fit—provide sound preparation.

Moreover, everybody belongs on RAGBRAI. From newborns to nonagenarians. From svelte athletes wrapped in sleek Spandex to the guy pedaling along in a rumpled green Gumby costume. There are “sag wagons” for those who get exhausted on the road and want or need to be picked up.

RAGBRAI’s cast of characters

RAGBRAI attracts characters from all corners. By noon on my first day this year, all 50 states except West Virginia were represented in a pin-your-hometown map posted at the Mr. Pork Chop stand. Yes, even the food vendors become hallowed icons on RAGBRAI.

In the town of Galva, I met a product designer from San Francisco slowly making his way to a new home in Boston via RAGBRAI. He had already spent 56 days bicycling to reach Iowa, marveling at the gorgeous vistas from atop the Rocky Mountains.

This was one of several conversations while I stood in a marathon breakfast line to purchase a ticket for a burrito, then stood in another line to exchange said ticket for the food.

I would’ve waited in a third line for coffee if not for my smiling team captain, Bill Danforth, who appeared out of nowhere to hand me an extra cup of joe.

The day-to-day of the ride

RAGBRAI really is a series of short rides; stopping often is the point. Each day features “pass-through towns” where fire departments, churches, 4-H clubs, American Legions, and all manner of community organizations provide calories to hungry riders.

On the eve of this year’s ride, the elementary school in Sergeant Bluff in northwest Iowa offered showers on one side of the building, and a spaghetti dinner on the other.

“I’m trying to say I’m the ‘shower girl’ without it sounding pervy,” said a woman stationed at an entrance, offering directions.

On Edith Blanchard’s farm south of Mason City, one of my teammates received a pair of raspberry plants that she and our captain strapped to their bikes for the rest of the day. A young black goat bleated nearby in a makeshift petting zoo as part of a 4-H fundraiser. His name: Johnny Cash, the kid in blaaaack.

Speaking of noise, RAGBRAI also comes with its own cacophonous soundtrack that blares from Bluetooth devices on bikes, DJs in beer gardens, and Iowa State Patrol troopers stationed at intersections with giant speakers powered by their car batteries. Imagine the last 50 years of popular music tossed in a blender, heavy on the ‘70s.

This year there was even a mobile karaoke team: One biker hauled a large P.A. on the back of his bike, while all team members wore headsets and took turns warbling songs. I was thoroughly impressed they had enough breath to sing—even badly—while panting uphill.

7 top tips for RAGBRAI newbies

• Try to ride at least 500 miles in the months leading up to RAGBRAI, to help condition your body and willpower.

• Ride with friends or a team; it’s more fun.

• Despite biking all week, you may gain weight—especially if you have a taste for homemade pie.

• You’ll still need to bring cash; you can’t purchase all your roadside refreshments with credit cards or apps.

• If you love to camp outdoors, you’ll have plenty of options. However, I always recommend setting up accommodations in Iowans’ homes along the route. This fellowship is a big part of the RAGBRAI magic.

• There will be plenty of bike mechanics available on the route.

• There’s a RAGBRAI Newbies Facebook group.

The best, must-have gear for RAGBRAI

• Helmet, gloves

• A few pairs of bike shorts, different jerseys

• Air mattress and sleeping bag

• Chain lube and cleaning cloth

• Tire pump

• Spare tube (unless you ride tubeless)

• Sunscreen

• Small fold-up rain poncho

• Extra external battery (if you worry about keeping your phone charged)

• Velcro straps (handy for strapping shirts, etc., to the top tube of your bike)

RAGBRAI is an experience like no other, one that celebrates the joy of cycling, community, and exploration. As you navigate this remarkable ride across Iowa, prepare to create lasting memories while embracing the unique culture and camaraderie of fellow cyclists.