It begins at or near the Missouri River and ends at the Mississippi, taking advantage of the fact that Iowa is bordered by the nation's two longest rivers.
The events division of Gannett Co. At his editor's behest, Karras invited readers along. They wrote stories along the way about the people they met and sights they saw in small towns across Iowa. Readers were enthralled with tales of the ride and characters like Clarence Pickard, a pith-helmeted, year-old retired farmer from Indianola who rode the entire way on a used women's bicycle he bought just before the ride.
Later, its date shifted permanently to the last full week of July each year, adding a seventh day to the ride. For its 50th anniversary edition in , it drew some 60, riders on a stretch between Ames and Des Moines, showing off Iowa and its legendary hospitality to tourists from all 50 states and countries as far away as Australia, South Africa and Japan.
Most riders add an extra night to their trip, gathering the day before the ride starts, This year, that day will be July 19 in Orange City, which will hold a daylong festival and bike expo. It will be miles long. On six occasions, including as recently as , the route was more than miles long. Northern Iowa routes like this year's always tend to be shorter than routes in central Iowa, as in , or in southern Iowa, as in , because the state is narrower across its north. By having as much fun as you can while moving along at your own pace.
People can ride all seven days or just a few days. Some people go for the whole week but only ride parts of each day. RAGBRAI also asks riders to make sure everyone has a good time by respecting the residents of the towns that host them. The number of riders is often many times larger than their populations and the event is only possible because volunteers spend hundreds of hours preparing each community.
