'Des Moines-apalooza' to be city's theme as it hosts 50th anniversary RAGBRAI

Des Moines' logo and theme for RAGBRAI's 50th anniversary ride pays homage to the "one epic ride/one epic party" planned for July 26, when riders overnight in the capital city after a 54-mile roll from Ames that will seek to shatter the world record for the largest one-day ride.

It will be the fourth of seven days on the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa from Sioux City to Davenport.

The riders will camp in Water Works Park, and the highlight of the evening is expected to be a free concert with a yet-to-be-announced major headliner. It's the inspiration for the logo's theme, “Des Moines-apalooza,”a nod to the music festival Lollapalooza.

The logo features a guitar outlined with a bike chain and a neck and headstock shaped like the 801 Grand skyscraper, Des Moines (and Iowa's) tallest building. Below it is an image of the city's skyline in black and white, resembling piano keys.

The city's tourism bureau, Catch Des Moines, designed the logo. Ben Handfelt, its director of creative and communications said RAGBRAI ― which annually draws riders from around the nation and world ― presents the city with an enormous chance to showcase itself.

RAGBRAI “casts a huge spotlight on every town that it comes into and RAGBRAI is more than a bike ride,” Handfelt said. “It’s this huge communal experience for everybody. When they pull into a town it’s like the circus comes to town.”

The precise roads riders will follow through Des Moines have not been announced, but riders are expected to enter town on East 14th Street, passing the gold-domed Iowa Capitol on the final stretch to Water Works Park.

RAGBRAI has told Des Moines to prepare for 50,000 registered riders, said Trina Flack, Catch Des Moines vice president of sales. Thousands more unregistered riders could ride too, and Ride Director Matt Phippen has estimated there may be as many as 100,000 as RAGBRAI reaches the city.

Flack serves on the Des Moines RAGBRAI organizing committee, which is comprised of members from Catch Des Moines, the city government, the Greater Des Moines Partnership, Polk County and the Water Works Park Foundation. Catch Des Moines has created a website for the ride's visit, with updates on housing, maps, vendor forms, volunteer opportunities, entertainment and more.

Check out the 50th anniversary RAGBRAI pass-through and meeting towns

At more than 1,500 acres, Water Works Park is almost twice the size of New York's Central Park, according to the city. It also is home to 25,000-capacity Lauridsen Amphitheater.

“It just naturally has the infrastructure to be able to host all of the pieces,” Flack said.

But as details about the route into and out of town are finalized, the city wants to make sure downtown bars and restaurants still benefit, Flack said, so shuttles will run from Water Works Park to downtown.

“Now with pulling that to Water Works Park, we still want to make sure that our businesses, whether it be downtown or Ingersoll or wherever, still get the exposure that they need,” Flack said. “(With so many riders expected in Des Moines) there are plenty of people to market to and go around.”

This will be the sixth time RAGBRAI visits Des Moines. In addition to 2013, it served as an overnight town on the initial ride in 1973 and in 1988, 1992 and 1997. When Des Moines last hosted RAGBRAI, Water Works Park was the main campground but the amphitheater had not been built, so the performance stage and bike expo were downtown near the Principal Riverwalk.

With new amenities like the Lauridsen Skatepark and the growth of it bars and restaurants, downtown has become a much bigger attraction, Handfelt said, and Flack said Des Moines in general has become a much more accommodating site for major events.

'Shift: The RAGBRAI Documentary' to premiere May 4: Meet the subjects featured in the movie

In March 20,000 visitors came to the city for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, said Catch Des Moines President & CEO Greg Edwards. July 26, when RAGBRAI arrives, also will be the first day of the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics at Drake University and the last day of Tech Hub Live, an ag tech event, at the Iowa Events Center.

“The community works together really well to accommodate and host,” Flack said. “There are so many more ways to accommodate and create an experience for events.”

Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RAGBRAI theme for Des Moines celebrates cycling and music