Thousands of bicyclists are making their way to the northwest Iowa town of Emmetsburg. Jane Whitmore has helped organize the events for RAGBRAI’s overnight stay. “It’s quite a challenge for our little community of 3,900 to quadruple our size,” Whitmore said.
Previous experience helps, according to Whitmore, as Emmetsburg has hosted RAGBRAI for overnight stops before in 1985, 1993, and 2002. “We have watched RAGBRAI grow from 2,000 to 10,000 bicycle riders and another 10,000 support people,” Whitmore said. RAGBRAI started on Sunday in Rock Valley with riders pedaling just under 70 miles to Okoboji.
Today’s trek covers nearly 41 miles. This year’s RAGBRAI route covers a total of 431 miles from river to river.
(Reporting by Ryan Long, KICD, Spencer)