RAGBRAI 2025

Register's 52nd Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa

Richard Rathe July 2025 (with Commentary)

It just happened that this year's RAGBRAI ended in Guttenberg, which is homebase for us. I joined my Sister and Niece on day three in Forest City. We camped under the town's windmill which chirped like a bird all night. The presence of so many windmills was an ominous sign. The next day developed into a slow trudge against 20 mph headwinds and 106° heat index. I got heat exhaustion and had to be picked up after about 40 miles.

After that it got easier (kind of). My Niece paired up with family friends and I rode at my own slow pace. We survived a strong overnight thunderstorm in Iowa Falls. Luckily no one was injured by the lightning or falling limbs.

The word that comes to mind is Spectacle. The parade of over 18,000 cyclists seemed endless. Going slowly I was in a good position to experience both the variety and conformity (more on this below).

I'm glad I finally participated in this singular event. That said, I would not repeat the experience. Here are my impressions in no particular order:

July is perhaps not the greatest timing for this event. It was too hot and humid most days. I know that it is part of summer vacation for many, but the world is warming! I'd much rather tour with a smaller group in the cooler months.
My major complaint has to do with music of all things. About every tenth bike that passed me had a high quality boombox blaring music. My Niece told me that this is now routine for many cycling groups. I found it rude, unappealing, and disruptive.
For reasons I do not understand—law enforcement officiers were also blaring hard rock music at each major intersection. This was a consistent occurrence and they were using professional equipment. I'm mystified why this is/was a thing? What happened to the quiet sounds of the great outdoors?
There is a significant party tour/binge drinking aspect. Ubiquitous beer halls and barbecue luaus appeared each day with hundreds of participants. Drinking alcohol was the last thing on my mind.
As a slow cyclist I was continuously being overtaken. In sailing (and other sports) the entity being overtaken always has the right-of-way. This is apparently not the case with cycling? I frequently had the impression that I should get out of the way even tho I was always far right except to pass.
Starting and stopping was also odd. Many stopped on or so close to the pavement I could not get by them. The protocol for rejoining the flow appeared to be yelling Biker On and pulling out in front of oncoming traffic. I was shouted at when I signaled and attempted to make a left turn. I also heard several pejorative comments about old people and slow cyclists. Not very friendly. 🙁
The event is billed as non-competitive. In spite of this I frequently felt like I was in a race.
The variety of vehicles and people I saw were amazing. For example: Many men my age had tricycle recumbents with Easy Rider handlebars. There were many electric bikes, some with fat tires. Some with one or more kids riding behind their parent. There were many clubs of tight knit cyclists all drafting each other (and often playing loud music). There were over 200 active duty Air Force cyclists. They were the unofficial emergency mechanics and trail orderlies. I saw them stop to help distressed cyclists more times than I can count. Kudos! There were several standard and home built tandems. Of particular interest was one built out of two recumbents with the rear cyclist obviously disabled with something like cerebral palsy. I saw at least one triple tandem. Lots of young children on add-on tandem setups, and lots of small children in trailers. There were even a couple on inline skates!
Cruzbike
Of all the recumbents one type stood out to me—the Cruzbike—unusal because the powertrain is all on the front wheel. This means the derailleur is out in front where you can see it and the chain is a normal length. They look very stable and easy to start & stop. The seat is high enough that you have good visibility all around. I want one!
There is a trend to add rumble strips to the paved shoulders of country roads (aka the one foot bike lane outside the white line). This is obviously bad for cyclists.
Kudos to the USDA personnel who put up rest stations with water and free bananas! I had a long conversation with two of them about their program to take marginal farmland and turn it into habit for wildlife. 🙂
Cell phone service was unreliable or non-existant. (I have AT&T.) To me this is a symptom of infrastructure being inadequate and potentially hazardous. I actually used the SOS feature of my phone to text my location for pickup via satellite!
The small towns along the way did a good job of supporting the throngs. Downtowns had the feel of chaotic but orderly carnivals. I was particularly thankful to members of a local Catholic church who made sure I could arrange a needed pick-up.
This is big business. Very commercialized. Very entrepreneurial. That's both good and bad I suppose. There were several concierge services whose clients got the best campsites and other perks. The emphasis was clearly not on the individual or small group riding unsupported. It could be seen as yet another example of gentrification.

This is a slide!