(Iowa) The 52nd annual RAGBRAI, the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, kicks off today with a 406-mile route winding through northern Iowa. Ride director Matt Phippen says more than 20,000 cyclists from across the U.S. and around the world are expected to participate.
The journey begins today in Orange City, with riders pedaling 71 miles to Milford. On Day 2, the route briefly crosses into Minnesota before ending in Estherville on Monday night. From there, cyclists will cover nearly 74 miles to Forest City on Tuesday, 69.8 miles to Iowa Falls on Wednesday, 50 miles to Cedar Falls on Thursday, and 38.4 miles to Oelwein on Friday. The ride wraps up Saturday with a 61.6-mile trek to the Mississippi River town of Guttenberg.
The short jaunt through Minnesota covers 15 miles through Jackson County into Brown Park South before returning to Iowa to camp in Estherville.
