Greetings all.

I'm looking for one or two folks interested in riding the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) this summer. It is always the last full week of July, which this year is from July 18-25. In case you don't already know, RAGBRAI is an annual seven-day bicycle ride across the state of Iowa, and is the oldest, largest, and longest recreational bicycle touring event in the world.

You will be riding literally with tens of thousands of your fellow cyclists (there are typically 10,000 or more who ride the whole week, joined by day riders that can bring the number to over 25,000). Riders come not just from the US and Canada, but overseas as well.

RAGBRAI is a different route each year (this is year 53), but is always from west to east. The start town in 2026 is Onawa, and the end town is Dubuque, with a route of only 391 miles (the shortest ever) and 16,000 feet of climb over the week. That may sound intimidating, but having ridden RAGBRAI four times previously, I can assure you that it is the easiest and most enjoyable 400 or so miles you'll ever ride.

I plan to drive, and am looking for one or two folks to share the ride and the costs (gas, tolls, parking). Coming from the East, the way things work is you leave your car at the end town, and take a shuttle to the start. As to lodging, camping is really the only option, and I use a charter service to handle the east-west shuttle and to transport my camping equipment, clothing and other gear. We will need to be in Dubuque the morning of the day before the ride to be able to take the shuttle to Onawa.

Happy to provide more information about RAGBRAI to anyone interested. You can contact me through the club or directly at challey52(AT)gmail(dot)com

Charlie Somerdyk