RAGBRAI

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article.
Please improve it or discuss changes on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions.

RAGBRAI (pronounced "RAG-brye") is a massive, festive, and non-competitive cross-state bicycle ride across Iowa that draws recreational riders from across the United States and overseas. RAGBRAI is an acronym for Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Ten thousand cyclists register each year to ride from a community on Iowa's western border to a community on Iowa's eastern border, stopping in towns across the state. State officials estimate ten to twenty thousand cyclists and their support vehicle drivers ride without official registration.

While the ride is non-competitive, each year a cycling team is recognized as "winning" Ragbrai. This determination is made by judging team cycling ability, willingness to ride after partying and community service.

Ragbrai is open to all kinds of people

The length of the route varies annually between four hundred and six hundred miles. Eight "host communities" are selected each year; two of them are the beginning and end points, while the other six are overnight stops. The distance between host communities is usually fifty to seventy 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). At the end, the riders dip the front wheels in the Mississippi River.

The ride starts on the Sunday of the last week of July and ends on the following Saturday. In 2007, RAGBRAI begins on July 22 and ends on July 28. The 2007 route travels through Rock Rapids, Spencer, Humboldt, Hampton, Cedar Falls, Independence, Dyersville, and Bellevue.^[1]

1 History
- 1.1 First year
2 Overnight stops by year
3 RAGBRAI teams and charters
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

[edit] First year

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

The newspaper's management approved of the plan. Don Benson, a public relations director at the Register, was assigned to coordinate the event. The newsmen invited the public to accompany them.

The ride was planned to start on August 26 in Sioux City and end in Davenport on August 31. The overnight stops 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."

Some 300 cyclists 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. The ride was announced with only six weeks' notice and it conflicted with the first week of school and the final weekend of the Iowa State Fair.

After the ride was over, Kaul and Karras wrote numerous articles that captured the imaginations of many readers. Among those who completed the 1973 ride was 83-year-old Clarence Pickard of Indianola. He rode a used ladies Schwinn and wore a long-sleeved shirt, trousers, woolen long underwear and a silver pith helmet. The newspaper received many calls and letters from people who wanted to go on the ride but were unable to for various reasons. As a result, the 1974 ride was scheduled before the fair, from August 4-10. The route began in Council Bluffs and ended 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 arrangements 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. Other than the award-winning teams of Team Butt Ice and Team DAWG, 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, 24 people have died during the ride itself or from injuries suffered 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 suffered 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 announced that he will ride the entire 2007 route.

[edit] Overnight stops by year

Main article: List of RAGBRAI overnight stops by year

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.

[edit] RAGBRAI teams and charters

RAGBRAI teams are a unique part of the experience. While some of the teams have a well-earned reputation for hard partying and heavy drinking, most are serious well behaved bicyclists.

Teams create a social and support system that adds a non-cycling dimension to RAGBRAI. Teams customize old school buses and vans. The team buses serve as transportation to and from the ride, and a combination clubhouse and sleeping quarters during the ride.

Charters are bicycle clubs and for-profit companies that provide weeklong support for riders. For a fee, charters typically transport riders to and from the ride, secure preferred camping areas, rent and sometimes pitch tents, provide some bicycle repair services, and offer additional evening social activities. Charters are a common option for riders coming from outside Iowa.