Forecast calls for bonus-size RAGBRAI as annual route inspection ride starts

Sergeant Bluff — About 7 a.m. Sunday, Matt Phippen found himself in an unusual position.

Long a volunteer for the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, he started participating in the annual Route Inspection Ride 10 years ago, when he worked as a manager for the Scheels sporting goods chain. But Sunday morning, he stood in the center of a circle in Sergeant Bluff, directing riders in his first pre-ride as chief of RAGBRAI, pointing them to a route devised under his direction.

Crossing the state July 24 to 30 from the Missouri River city to Lansing on the Mississippi River, the ride is back for its second year after a pandemic cancellation in 2020 and a change in leadership the previous year. Phippen replaced Dieter Drake in January.

While registration for the 2021 ride was down about 5%, Phippen said he's ready for a return to pre-pandemic levels of participation — or beyond. More than 17,000 weekly and day-long riders already are registered for the nation's largest annual cycling tour.

“It’s record up right now,” Phippen said. “People are excited for the ride. The towns have done a good job promoting what’s happening, so it’s creating buzz.”

Weeklong registration closed April 1 and day pass registration closed June 1. But riders can still buy day passes from RAGBRAI merchandise trailers on the route during the ride.

Non-registered riders inevitably join the ride, as well, Phippen said. In 2013, they swelled the ranks of cyclists to a possible one-day record 36,000 on the way from Perry to Des Moines.

"So we'll get another bump too," Phippen said.

Towns concur: Big crowds coming

After riders Sunday clocked up their first miles, battling a headwind and the deceptively steep hills of the Missouri River valley, they reached Anthon, the designated Day 1 meeting town, enroute to the overnight town of Ida Grove. Kevin Clausen, a member of the Anthon organizing committee who was there to greet them, said he's expecting a crowd of 20,000, far exceeding the one in 2006, the last time Anthon was on the route.

"I think it'll be potentially the biggest ever just because you've got so much pent-up demand to go on RAGBRAI as a result of maybe not being able to do it the last couple years," said Clausen, owner of the Fireside Steakhouse & Lounge in the town of 500. "So I'm optimistic that across the Midwest everybody is over it and ready to get out, and I think that RAGBRAI will be a good test."

Organizers in Sergeant Bluff also are expecting a big turnout. Standing on the site where people will gather at a bike expo July 23 in preparation for the ride's start the following day, Ron Hansen, co-chair of the Sergeant Bluff RAGBRAI organizing committee, and City Administrator Aaron Lincoln, pictured a crowd of more than 30,000.

That would be a 20% boost from 2006, a surge that may be driven in part by RAGBRAI's decision this year to drop its lottery system for ride passes and accept registration on a first-come, first-served basis.

"Now it's like back to the old RAGBRAI where it's just wide open," Hansen said.

More: New to RAGBRAI? Here's everything rookies need to know before riding across Iowa

Lincoln extolled the benefits of hosting RAGBRAI.

"It rallies your community around volunteering," he said, adding, "In 2006, after RAGBBRAI, it really spurred a lot of volunteers to do other things."

"It makes the town shine," Hansen said. "It brings the community together. It makes neighbors that don't know neighbors get to know neighbors."

Likewise Clausen said RAGBRAI is a chance to show off Anthon, where agriculture and the local schools are the largest employers, Clausen said.

"We're just trying to make the most of it," Clausen said. "We only get this opportunity once every 15 or 20 years."

Planning for the Century Day

The anticipated extra turnout won't be the only thing different about this year's RAGBRAI. Ride co-Founder John Karras died in November at age 91,  and the ride, dedicated to his memory, will return to the old tradition of having one day with a route of at least 100 miles.

That was the rule from the first RAGBRAI in 1973 until the 1985 edition.

Phippen acknowledged many riders are apprehensive about covering the distance on Day 4, when riders will pedal 105 miles from Emmetsburg to Mason City. But he said the RAGBRAI organization will be ready for those who decide it's a bridge too far, with two additional Support and Gear Wagons on the route to serve those who aren't able to finish under their own power.

More: Sugar Ray and the Eagles guitarist Don Felder to headline Mason City for RAGBRAI 2022

He also said the for the first time, the SAG Wagons will pick riders up in meeting towns each day. On Day 4 that's Britt, at just short of 60 miles. Riders can also request a lift by turning their bikes on their handlebars on the left side of the road, signaling passing SAG Wagons to pick them up.

"People are going to be smart," Phippen predicted. "People are going to ride into the meeting town and then SAG in."

What's not predictable is the weather and wind direction, he acknowledged, but "If everything works out and the stars align we'll have a tailwind and it'll be 75 degrees so everybody will ride the Century Day."

As in past years, when riders could bag a Century Day with a ride on an optional loop, they'll be able to claim commemorative patches around mile marker 75 or 85, Phippen said.

Keeping RAGBRAI founders in mind

Phippen did not rule out bringing back the Century Day in future years, especially with the 50th RAGBRAI coming up next year.

"It is so important this year because of Karras and celebrating him," Phippen said. "That's the saving grace. Let's pay homage to him, plus it's a pretty major accomplishment. To ride a bicycle 100 miles is a pretty big deal."

More: RAGBRAI is turning 50, and we want your stories for our documentary!

RAGBRAI staffers attended a memorial gathering for Karras in Des Moines on Saturday before traveling to Sergeant Bluff, so Karras wasn't far from Phippen's mind as the inspection ride began — especially given the milestone looming in 2023, when the ride will mark its 50th year.

"My job is to uphold (the legacies of Karras and co-founder Donald Kaul, who died in 2018) for years to come," Phippen said. "The 100-mile day and all these things keep it growing and keep it thriving."

Philip Joens covers public safety, city government and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-443-3347 at pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RAGBRAI 2022 route inspection ride gets underway in Sergeant Bluff