Rockford, Marble Rock included in RAGBRAI route leading into Charles City this summer

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The day before bicyclists on this year’s RAGBRAI roll into Charles City, they will have ridden the longest day of the week – a 105-mile Wednesday slog from Emmetsburg to Mason City.

The Thursday trip from Mason City to Charles City, on the other hand, will be the shortest of the week – less than half the distance of the previous day at an easy 48 miles.

Whether that means riders will arrive in Charles City relieved, refreshed and ready to party is mere speculation.

The RAGBRAI organization announced the full route over the weekend.

It had earlier listed the overnight stays – starting Sunday, July 24, in Sergeant Bluff then spending the next six nights in Ida Grove, Pocahontas, Emmetsburg, Mason City, Charles City and West Union before arriving in Lansing on Saturday, July 30 – but it had not listed the actual route and the towns the biking hoard will pass through on its way.

In this area part of the route, riders will go through Algona, Wesley, Britt and Klemme before arriving in Mason City to spend Wednesday night, then will go through Rockford and Marble Rock on the way to spending Thursday night in Charles City.

Leaving Charles City, the riders will go through Ionia, New Hampton, Lawler, Waucoma and Hawkeye before reaching West Union Friday for the penultimate night’s stay.

This will be the first time in 38 years that the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa includes a ride of more than 100 miles as part of the regular route, the RAGBRAI organization said.

Typically a 100-plus mile route is available as an option on one of the days for riders who want to earn their “John Karras Century Patch,” given to bikers who have ridden 100 miles or more in a single day and named in honor of one of the Register writers who helped found the event. This year’s entire ride is being dedicated to the memory of Karras, who died last year.

This will be Charles City’s sixth time hosting RAGBRAI as an overnight stop, having done it before in 1982, 1996, 2002, 2010 and 2017. Charles City is the second-largest town on this year’s trip, behind Mason City.

Charles City volunteers are busy organizing for the mountain of work it takes to host the event. Registration for any of the many committees that will be required to organizate the sleepover is available at the city’s Facebook page dedicated to this year’s ride, facebook.com/ccragbrai.

Officially, 10,000 riders are allowed to register for the event and receive the support and amenities during the ride that the RAGBRAI organization offers, but many more participate as unregistered riders for all or part of the route, plus there are support people officially connected with the ride and riders’ family and friends who drive ahead with RV’s or other gear.

Last year’s event, a return after the ride was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic, had an estimated 15,000 riders when it started out from the Missouri River, headed toward the Mississippi, according to coverage by the Des Moines Register, the sponsor of the event since its beginning in 1973.

And in addition to those connected to the bike ride, area residents often also gather at the overnight stops to take part in the food, refreshments, entertainment and other activities planned for the evening.