Every one has heard of the Tour De France the world famous bike ride across France. But did you know RAGBRAI, Iowa’s own great bike ride has its own claim to fame?
RAGBRAI, or the “Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa” is not only the oldest, but also the longest and largest bicycle touring event in the world!
RAGBRAI was started in 1973, by two columnists at the Des Moines register who challenged each other to ride across Iowa and write about what they saw. That first year 300 people showed up and pitched tents on yards along the way, thus beginning a great tradition.
This year, RAGBRAI will see about 10,000 riders make there way from Sioux City to Dubuque, making it the 3rd easiest ride in RAGBRAI’s history. This year riders will get to ride past the Grotto in West Band, boating on Clear Lake and the Field of Dream’s in Dyersville.
Along the way riders will be greeted by townsfolk happy to lend a hand. Whether it’s a day stop, where riders can relax for a few hours and enjoy homemade lemonade and some entertainment. Or a night stop where riders are welcomed into the homes of Iowans for a home cooked meal and a place to rest their head and feet for the night.
Along the journey you’ll see thousands of bikes, traveling bike shops offering repairs, vans of team members offering refreshments and encouragement to their teams and plenty of crazy outfits and possibly crazy people.
By the end of the journey, when the riders make the annual dip of the tire into the Missippi river, riders will have traveled 442 miles and climbed 14,527 feet ( a wimp in comparison to last years 22,000 feet).
For more information on how to join next year, where else RAGBRAI stops this year or more history check out their website: www.ragbrai.com

RAGBRAI, one of the most celebrated yearly events in Iowa, announced the route for their 2010 bike trek across Iowa. Every year this week-long event brings cyclists from around the United states to Iowa to celebrate the country roads, corn, and comradery. This year’s event starts off in Sioux City and takes a northern path across the state that includes stops at Storm Lake, Clear Lake and Waterloo before finishing up in Dubuque. The 442 mile route may seem like a long one but it’s actually one of the shortest and flattest routes in the 37 year history of RAGBRAI. Despite the lack of character in the route there will undoubtedly be no shortage of characters participating in this unbelievable event. Still not sold on RAGBRAI? Hear about it below from someone that knows a little bit about cycling and has made several trips to Iowa for the annual event.

@dsmhomes

When people think of the state of Iowa they think of pigs, cows and corn fields. Although we do have our fair share of those things, there is a lot more beauty to the landscape of Iowa that can simply take your breath away. From the bluff-lined rivers to the rolling prairies, the variety of typography in our state parks offers a lot to the recreational person.

One state park in particular, Ledges State Park, just about an hour drive from Des Moines, is a haven for bikers and hikers. Boasting thirteen miles of trails, Ledges surprises even the most seasoned of hikers with steep inclines, winding paths and majestic views like the one here, courtesy of Gary D. Tonhouse of Reflective Images.

Photo by Gary D. Tonhouse

Although we are quite proud of our farming heritage in Iowa the Department of Natural Resources works hard to care for and develop our state parks so that the millions of people that enjoy visiting our parks remember our state as having more beauty than just the Midwest farm view that you see from the highways.

@dsmhomes