​Everything You Need to Know About Riding RAGBRAI

Sure you’ll train for that seven-day stretch of 50 to 75-mile days on the bike. But nothing can prepare you for the rolling spectacle that awaits. “If you’ve never seen it, it’s inconceivable,” says Stephanie Westgate of Thompson, Pennsylvania. “You think you know it’s going to be a big group ride. Then you see what 20,000 to 30,000 cyclists look like, and it’s mind blowing. As far as the eye can see, the road is packed with four or five bikes abreast.” If you're not used to riding in a large group, it's a good idea to try it out as part of your preparation.

Even with that mass of humanity, cars are generally not an issue since the locals know it’s going to be chaotic and typically avoid the route when the ride is coming through. What you really need to watch out for is the pig trucks, cautions Steve Rowley, of Kendall Park, New Jersey, who is going into his 21st RAGBRAI this year. “The worst encounter is a pig truck going in the other direction. You are going to get wet with urine and feces. Get as far away from the pig truck as possible.”

Well, parts of it are. But many parts you’ll be riding across are relentlessly hilly, like with 5,000 feet of climbing over 65 miles hilly, says Randy Dickson of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, who has ridden every mile of every single RAGBRAI. “The route changes every year, though it always runs from the Missouri to the Mississippi. The Southern plain is very hilly as is the Northeast part.”

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Even when the route goes through the flatter part of central Iowa, it is not all smooth sailing. “Two of my hardest days ever at RAGBRAI were 70-mile days with less than 200 feet of climbing,” says Jason Uhlenhake Indianola, Iowa, who’s returning for his eighth ride. “There’s nothing to block the wind, so you’re just brutalized riding into wicked headwinds all day long.”

There may be no better place on the planet to host a massive rolling party than the hospital state of Iowa, says Rowley. “Iowans love to talk to people. One of the most enjoyable aspects of RAGBRAI is pulling off the road once in awhile and talking to some of the locals who are watching you go by,” says Rowley. They also open up their homes to strangers, says Westgate. “We were staying on the grounds of a nursing home and our contact person was telling us that there was no place for us to shower or do laundry when a total stranger walks by and says, ‘You guys want to stay in our open house? Our renters just left, and it’s totally open.’ You don’t see that anywhere else.”

Bring earplugs and bank some sleep. The majority of riders camp or stay in an RV. Every host town has live music and other entertainment that goes on until 1 or 2 a.m. “It’s very noisy,” says Rowley. “You want to bring a very good set of earplugs. I get tired enough to sleep after the first night. But the first night is very tough to get any sleep.”

It’s natural for experienced riders to want to ride in a paceline, especially on a long ride across a windy state. But RAGBRAI is not a race, and racing through it misses the point, says Dickson. “Back in the day, my brother and I would jam in the echelon going 26 to 28 mph to get to the next town, but we missed so much of the experience that way. The ride is really about everything that happens along the way.” Plus pacelines can wreak havoc in the pack at large, says Rowley. “There are teams that try to paceline their way through the riders. It can be a menace.”

All the towns—not just the host towns, but also the ones along the route—go all out to welcome riders and show them a good time. Stop and have one, says Rowley. “Each year there’s always something that stands out and stays with you. Like one year, Eagle Grove in central Iowa did up the town like the Andy Griffith show and had all these old cars in town and people dressed in character. The towns put in an unbelievable amount of effort.”

You can find plenty of cheap food and drink along the route, from Kiwani's pancake breakfasts to church buffets, but depending on your proclivity for a good party, it adds up over the course of the day, and everything is cash-based, says Uhlenhake. “Everyone in our group plans on spending about 100 to 120 bucks a day.”

Try the pies. You say RAGBRAI, and everyone says, “Pie!” The town churches serve up homemade pies that every rider we talked to swear are the best they’ve ever had. “I also recommend the corn cob roasted pork chops, which you can get roadside every day,” says Dickson.

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One of the biggest challenges of RAGBRAI is that you’re outside all day, every day exposed to the elements. One year it was over 100 degrees for four days in a row, topping off at 107 going into Marshalltown,” says Dickson. “You’ll make your nights much more bearable if you pack a small battery-powered fan for your tent,” adds Rowley, noting that you may also be riding in some rain and packing up some wet gear a day or two. “You can get torrential, frightening thunderstorms. Sometimes it will rain half a day or half a night. But I’ve never ridden in two consecutive days of rain there,” he says.

Leave a different time each day. Despite there being thousands of riders, you’re going to see the same people every day if you leave at the same time,” says Uhlenhake. We like to pick different times of the morning to start to meet new people every day.”

There are plenty of Porta Potties along the route, but RAGBRAI vets prefer a good cornfield pit stop when nature calls. “They’re more pleasing and scenic and less awful,” says Westgate. Even better, hold it for a few miles if you can. “There’s always a church along the way and the towns are only five to 15 miles apart.”

Bring some buddies. RAGBRAI is all about camaraderie. Most people register as a team, so they can share the experience and camp together at night. “Some teams go all out and dress in costume all week,” says Uhlenhake. Others, like Westgate’s team, are out raising awareness for causes. “We ride for Pedaling for Parkinson’s and have quite a few riders with Parkinson’s disease pedaling on tandems during the ride,” she says. But don’t worry if you’re solo—you’re bound to find a team to adopt you. Also: There will be lines. Ten to 30,000 riders. Food. Beer. Live entertainment. There will be lines. Some of them long. Be prepared to be patient.

The last town before the overnight town is the major party stop each day, which is where riders get in trouble because they’re so close, yet not quite there. “You’ll see people coming in at 10 or 11 p.m. at night…or getting swept up by their crew and poured into the campground,” says Dickson. Don’t ride intoxicated in the dark if you get swept up in the scene. Jump in a sag wagon.

Though RAGBRAI encourages people to register, the event is not without bandits—lots and lots of bandits. Depending where you are in the state, 50 percent of the field could be tag-alongs. Expect the most massive swells around the larger metropolitan areas.

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