What is RAGBRAI?

 RAGBRAI is an acronym for Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. It is a non-competitive bicycle ride across Iowa that draws recreational riders from across the United States and overseas.^[1] They ride from a community on Iowa's western border to a community on Iowa's eastern border, stopping in towns across the state. RAGBRAI is limited to 8,500 week-long riders and 1,500 day riders.^[1] The length of the route averages 472 miles^[1] Eight "host communities" are selected each year; one each for the beginning and end points, while the other six are overnight stops. The distance between host communities is on average sixty-eight miles.^[1] At the beginning of the ride, participants traditionally dip the rear wheel of their bikes in either the Missouri River or the Big Sioux River (depending on the starting point of the ride). At the end, the riders dip the front wheels in the Mississippi River.

RAGBRAI began in 1972 when Des Moines Register feature writers John Karras and Donald Kaul decided to go on a bicycle ride across Iowa. Both men were avid cyclists. Kaul would write articles about what he experienced during this ride.
The newspaper's management approved of the plan. Don Benson, a public relations director at the Register, was assigned to coordinate the event. The writers invited the public to accompany them.
The ride was planned to start on August 26 in Sioux City and end in Davenport on August 31. The overnight stops were Storm Lake, Fort Dodge, Ames, Des Moines and Williamsburg. The Register informed readers of the event, and the planned route. The ride was informally referred to as "The Great Six-Day Bicycle Ride".
Some 300 cyclists began the ride in Sioux City; 114 of them rode the entire route. A number of other people rode part of the route. Attendance was light the first year. The ride was announced with only six weeks' notice and it conflicted with the first week of school and the final weekend of the Iowa State Fair.
After the ride was over, Kaul and Karras wrote numerous articles that captured the imaginations of many readers.