RAGBRAI Day 3: A long day on a short ride

RAGBRAI DAY 3 ROUTE

Estherville to Forest City

MILEAGE

74 miles

ELEVATION GAIN

1,327 feet

HIGHLIGHTS

RAGBRAI 52 is one of the shortest on record, but this will be its longest day. That's what's in store as riders on the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa set out Tuesday, July 22, to cover the distance from Estherville to Forest City. Fortunately, the 74-mile trek follows a day when the ride was a mere 41 miles. With so many miles to cover, there is an abundance of towns to stop in along the way, cutting the route into manageable segments.

First up is Armstrong, one of a dwindling number of Iowa towns that's never before been on the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. It's celebrating that distinction with the theme "First Time's the Charm." And as the first stop, it's a breakfast town, with the local VFW post among the vendors helping riders pack on a good feed to sustain them for the miles to come. The ever-popular goat yoga also is on the menu.

Next stop: Swea City, with more breakfast offerings but also a beer garden to get the day started right. And keep an eye out for the Swea City donut. Meeting town Bancroft follows, offering baseball fans a chance to visit the nearly 80-year-old ballpark that helped launch major leaguers Joe Hatten and Dennis Menke.

Bancroft's fire department will be offering firehose fights, and Bancroft is home to S&B Farms Distillery, which Des Moines Register Iowa columnist Courtney Crowder recently spotlighted with the moving story of owner Sara Winkleman and her late, veteran grandfather, who helped her perfect her spirits in more ways than one.

Titonka plays on the Sioux heritage of its name, said to mean "big black buffalo," with a theme of "The Great Stampede." It's right past Titonka that riders who want to rack up a full century — a 100-mile ride — can peel off to cover the extra distance by taking the optional Karras loop, named for late ride co-founder John Karras, who believed the ride should always have at least one 100-mile day.

If you're hungry again and opt to stay on the main route, Woden will be offering gourmet comestibles including lobster rolls and wagyu burgers. And you can find out what tape measure races are all about (please let us know). The final pass-through town, Crystal Lake, is a don't-miss photo stop, famous for the World's Largest Bullhead, a 12-foot-long statue of one of the bottom dwellers on the shore of the community's namesake water body.

It's been 11 years since Forest City, the overnight town, has been on the route, and it will be putting on a show to celebrate RAGBRAI's return. Shows, actually. The historic Forest Theatre will be offering continual showings of — what else? — "Forrest Gump" as a fundraiser. Also, providing photo ops in town will be a giant Forrest Gump bench. And the Brick Street Theatre will stage a performance of "9 to 5: The Musical."

The RV campground in the city that is the founding home of Winnebago Industries will be the most deluxe possible: the vast Winnebago Rally Grounds, long home to an annual gathering of Winnebago owners. And the Winnebago Industries Visitor Center will be open for those who want to know more about the company whose name is synonymous with RVs.

ENTERTAINMENT

Birdchild at 5 p.m. and headliner Decades at 8 p.m.

FORECAST

The heat is picking up, though it's nothing out of the ordinary for July in Iowa: a high of 89 with a chance of thunderstorms. The wind, however, is expected to remain strong, gusting into the 20 mph range. At least it's out of the south and not in riders' faces.

LOOKING AHEAD

It's another long ride Wednesday, but to an enticing destination, Iowa Falls, "The Scenic City," where the cliff-lined Iowa River promises a cooling dip for weary riders.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RAGBRAI Day 3 will be longest ride of the week