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RAGBRAI

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RAGBRAI (pronounced "RAG-brye") is a massive cross-state bicycle ride across Iowa that is well known throughout the U.S. and the world. The title RAGBRAI is an acronym for Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. 10,000 cyclists register each year to ride from a community on Iowa's western border to another community on Iowa's eastern border, stopping in towns across the state.

File:Ragbrai riders, Clintion, IA 2004.jpg.jpg
RAGBRAI riders at the Mississippi River, 2004

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 either the Missouri River or the Big Sioux River (depending on the starting point of the ride), and at the end, the riders dip the front wheels in the Mississippi River.

In 2006, RAGBRAI began on July 23 and ended on July 29. The communities involved in the 2006 ride were Sergeant Bluff, Ida Grove, Audubon, Waukee, Newton, Marengo, Coralville, and Muscatine.

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 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 Council Bluffs and end in Dubuque.

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 2007 ride will be RAGBRAI XXXV. 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.

RAGBRAI riders enjoy a week of good fun, but more importantly good food. One of the most famous food contributors is Mr. Pork Chop, who drives a pink converted school bus. On the 2005 ride, Mr. Pork Chop had his bus parked at the Paul Harrington farm just east of Woden, on the leg between Algona and Northwood. Two more Harrington brothers, Tom and John, were sitting by the roadside playing guitar and banjo. Their nephew Jon Mahoney, a finalist in the Bill Riley State Fair competition, joined them with his Irish whistle. As the beer flowed and the day went on, they were joined by bicycle-riding musicians, and "The Roadside Boys" were formed.

The Roadside Boys recently released "Pork Chop"(link to an mp3 file)

Over the years, 24 people have died during the ride itself, or from injuries sustained on the ride. Only two of these deaths resulted from injuries sustained while actually riding on bicycles. Most of the deaths were due to heart attacks that riders suffered while resting. On the first night of the 2005 ride, Michael Thomas Burke - a native of Donnellson, Iowa who was living in New York City - died when a storm blew a tree limb down on the tent in which he was sleeping.

A plane carrying a pilot and a young Canadian woman who was making a documentary about the ride also crashed during the course of the 2005 RAGBRAI. In this case, the pair only received minor injuries. Pilot Jim Hill of Manchester, Iowa and Amy Throop of Ottawa, Canada were following the route on a plane near Riceville, Iowa when the plane went down. Both Hill and Throop walked away from the accident. Throughout the ride ultralights fly over riders a few feet above the trees to get a good shot of the astonishing amount of riders.

RAGBRAI has had nationwide media exposure, and other rides based on RAGBRAI have been started in other areas of the country. Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong rode the Wednesday and Thursday stages of the 2006 event, and has hinted that he may ride segments of the 2007 event.

Overnight stops by year

Year Length (miles) Route (start to finish)
1973 412 Sioux City, Storm Lake, Fort Dodge, Ames, Des Moines, Williamsburg, and Davenport
1974 422 Council Bluffs, Atlantic, Guthrie Center, Camp Dodge, Marshalltown, Waterloo, Monticello, and Dubuque
1975 450 Hawarden, Cherokee, Lake View, Boone, Newton, Sigourney, Mount Pleasant, and Fort Madison
1976 430 Sidney, Red Oak, Harlan, Jefferson, Nevada, Grinnell, Iowa City, and Muscatine
1977 400 Onawa, Ida Grove, Laurens, Algona, Clear Lake, New Hampton, Decorah, and Lansing
1978 440 Sioux City, Storm Lake, Humboldt, Iowa Falls, Vinton, Mount Vernon, Maquoketa, and Clinton
1979 480 Rock Rapids, Spencer, Rockwell City, Story City, Tama, Fairfield, Wapello, and Burlington
1980 468 Glenwood, Atlantic, Carroll, Perry, Webster City, Waverly, Elkader, and Guttenberg
1981 490 Missouri Valley, Mapleton, Lake City, Greenfield, Leon, Centerville, Keosauqua, and Keokuk
1982 523 Akron, Cherokee, Estherville, Forest City, Charles City, Independence, Tipton, and Davenport
1983 492 Onawa, Harlan, Guthrie Center, Ames, Clarion, Grundy Center, Manchester, and Dubuque
1984 474 Glenwood, Shenandoah, Creston, Adel, Pella, Ottumwa, Mount Pleasant, and Burlington
1985 540 Hawarden, Sibley, Emmetsburg, Humboldt, Mason City, Waterloo, Monticello, and Clinton
1986 479 Council Bluffs, Red Oak, Audubon, Perry, Eldora, Belle Plaine, Washington, and Muscatine
1987 437 Onawa, Denison, Storm Lake, Fort Dodge, Forest City, Osage, West Union, and Guttenberg
1988 433 Sioux City, Ida Grove, Carroll, Boone, Des Moines, Oskaloosa, Fairfield, and Fort Madison
1989 479 Glenwood, Clarinda, Atlantic, Jefferson, Story City, Cedar Falls, Dyersville, and Bellevue
1990 495 Sioux Center, Spencer, Algona, Hampton, Oelwein, Cedar Rapids, Washington, and Burlington
1991 432 Missouri Valley, Atlantic, Winterset, Knoxville, Grinnell, Amana, Anamosa, and Bellevue
1992 494 Glenwood, Shenandoah, Bedford, Osceola, Des Moines, Oskaloosa, Mount Pleasant, and Keokuk
1993 525 Sioux City, Sheldon, Emmetsburg, Clarion, Osage, Decorah, Manchester, and Dubuque
1994 511 Council Bluffs, Harlan, Carroll, Perry, Marshalltown, Marion, Maquoketa, and Clinton
1995 493 Onawa, Lake View, Fort Dodge, Iowa Falls, Tama, Sigourney, Coralville, and Muscatine
1996 437 Sioux Center, Sibley, Estherville, Lake Mills, Charles City, Cresco, Fayette, and Guttenberg
1997 464 Missouri Valley, Red Oak, Creston, Des Moines, Chariton, Bloomfield, Fairfield, and Fort Madison
1998 488 Hawarden, Cherokee, Rockwell City, Boone, Eldora, Cedar Falls, Monticello, and Sabula
1999 487 Rock Rapids, Spencer, Algona, Clear Lake, Waverly, Decorah, Manchester, and Bellevue
2000 450 Council Bluffs, Harlan, Greenfield, Ankeny, Knoxville, Ottumwa, Washington, and Burlington
2001 506 Sioux City, Storm Lake, Denison, Atlantic, Perry, Grinnell, Coralville, and Muscatine
2002 525 Sioux Center, Cherokee, Emmetsburg, Forest City, Charles City, Oelwein, Anamosa, and Bellevue
2003 495 Glenwood, Shenandoah, Bedford, Osceola, Oskaloosa, Bloomfield, Mount Pleasant, and Fort Madison
2004 490 Onawa, Lake View, Fort Dodge, Iowa Falls, Marshalltown, Hiawatha, Maquoketa, and Clinton
2005 485 Le Mars, Sheldon, Estherville, Algona, Northwood, Cresco, West Union, and Guttenberg.
2006 444 Sergeant Bluff, Ida Grove, Audubon, Waukee, Newton, Marengo, Coralville, and Muscatine

RAGBRAI Teams

RAGBRAI teams are a unique part of the experience. Teams dress up old school busses and vans, they and head to the western side of Iowa each year to ride together, drink together, and party together. A team creates a social and support experience to help you get through each mile.

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