RAGBRAI

RAGBRAI (pronounced "RAG-brye") is a massive cross-country bicycle ride across Iowa that is well known throughout the U.S. and even the world. The title RAGBRAI is an acronym for Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Thousands of bikers show up each year to ride from a community on Iowa's western border to another community on Iowa's eastern border.

The length of RAGBRAI varies from year to year, but it is usually 400 to 500 miles long. Eight "host communities" are selected each year; two of them are the beginning and end points, while the other six serve as overnight stops for the bicyclists. The distance between each host community is usually between 50 and 70 miles. At the beginning of the ride, riders traditionally dip the rear wheel of their bikes in the Missouri River, and at the end, the riders dip the front wheels in the Mississippi River.

In 2005, RAGBRAI begins on July 24 and ends on July 30. The communities involved in the ride in 2005 are Le Mars, Sheldon, Estherville, Algona, Northwood, Cresco, West Union, and Guttenberg.

History

RAGBRAI began in 1973 when Des Moines Register feature writers John Karras and Donald Kaul came up with the idea to go on a bicycle ride across Iowa. Both men were avid bicycle riders. Karras would write articles about what he experienced during this ride.

Karras agreed if Kaul would ride with him. They took their plan to the newspaper's management, who approved of the plan. Don Benson, who was a public relations director at the newspaper, was assigned to coordinate the event. The men invited the public, or a "a few friends" as they called them, to accompany them.

The ride was planned to start on August 26 in Sioux City and end in Davenport on August 31. The towns where the riders would stop overnight were Storm Lake, Fort Dodge, Ames, Des Moines and Williamsburg. The Register informed readers of the event, and the planned route. The ride was informally referred to as "The Great Six-Day Bicycle Ride."

During the first year, 300 bikers began the ride in Sioux City; 114 of them rode the entire route. A number of other people rode part of the route. Attendance was light the first year because of several factors, including the fact that only six weeks notice was given, school was starting that week, and the ride started on the final weekend of the Iowa State Fair.

After the ride was over, Kaul and Karras wrote a number of articles that helped build excitement about the ride. The newspaper received many calls and letters from people who wanted to go but couldn't because of school, the State Fair, or not having enough time to take vacation time for that event. As a result, a ride was planned for 1974, which would take place from August 4th through the 10th. The route would begin in the Omaha, Nebraska, suburb of Council Bluffs, Iowa. It would end in Dubuque, Iowa.

The 1974 ride, known as the Second Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (or SAGBRAI), was more carefully planned. The Iowa State Patrol was involved in the planning, and arragements were made to have medical services available for riders. For the first time, the route was driven in advance. The communities involved were Atlantic, Guthrie Center, Camp Dodge (which is near Des Moines), Marshalltown, Waterloo and Monticello.

After the second year, the ride continued to grow in popularity. The RAGBRAI name, with Roman numerals following it, was adopted for RAGBRAI III in 1975; thus, the 2005 ride will be RAGBRAI XXXIII. The ride eventually moved to the last full week in July, starting on Sunday and ending on Saturday.

Riders come from all over the world, and many ride as clubs or teams. Some of the notable teams are The Killer Bees, The Whiners, Team Pink Floyd, and Team Half Fast. Team Gourmet travels with their own chef, and Team Dragbrai rides in drag. All come to Iowa to celebrate summer on two wheels.

Over the years, 23 people had died during the ride itself, or from injuries sustained on the ride. Only two of these deaths had resulted from injuries sustained while actually riding on bicycles. Most of the deaths were due to heart attacks that riders suffered while resting.

RAGBRAI has had nationwide media exposure, and other rides based on RAGBRAI have been started in other areas of the country.

Overnight stops by year

External links

• The RAGBRAI Web Site
• The RAGBRAI Forum the unofficial RAGBRAI Message Board