Riders travel on the first RAGBRAI in 1973. The first Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa began that year in Sioux City. The western Iowa city will also be the starting point for this year's ride, which begins Sunday.
Des Moines Register
Cyclists travel near Cherokee during the first leg of RAGBRAI on July 22, 2012.
For the seventh time, RAGBRAI will return to its original starting point with riders dipping their tires in the Mighty Mo’ in Sioux City this year.
During the first RAGBRAI in 1973, organizers Donald Kaul and John Karras, writers for the Des Moines Register and Tribune, wanted to see the state from their readers' perspective, according to “The History of RAGBRAI,” a brochure about the ride created in 2005.
The first ride, held Aug. 26-31, took participants from Sioux City to Davenport by way of Storm Lake, Fort Dodge, Ames, Des Moines and Williamsburg. Approximately 300 people showed up for the first day’s ride, with 114 completing the ride that day.
1978: July 30-Aug. 5. The route was similar to the original route in 1973.
1988: July 24-30. The ride, which included a night’s stay on the capitol lawn in Des Moines, passed through Ida Grove, Carroll, Boone, Des Moines, Oskaloosa, Fairfield and Fort Madison. The route was 433 miles.
1993: July 25-31. This route featured an overnight stop in Manchester with a finish in Dubuque.
2001: July 22-28. Spirits were high despite leaving Sioux City in a downpour and the route being the second longest and hilliest RAGBRAI ever.
2010: July 25-31. A number of riverfront projects had been completed since RAGBRAI’s last Sioux City showing, including the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and Betty Strong Encounter Center. A restored Historic Fourth Street was host to entertainment.
2015: July 19-25. This year’s route will take riders through Storm Lake, Fort Dodge, Eldora, Cedar Falls, Hiawatha, Coralville and finishing off in Davenport. The newly constructed Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sioux City will provide a large portion of the entertainment.
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Riders travel on the first RAGBRAI in 1973. The first Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa began that year in Sioux City. The western Iowa city will also be the starting point for this year's ride, which begins Sunday.
