RAGBRAI is the world's oldest, longest annual bicycle tour. Here's what to know about the 53rd annual edition July 19-25.
RAGBRAI 2026 will take riders on a scenic journey this summer from the Loess Hills overlooking the Missouri River in northwest Iowa through the plains of central Iowa to the Mississippi River on the state's eastern boundary.
The route for the 53rd edition of the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, announced on Saturday, Jan. 24, will extend 391.4 miles from Onawa to Dubuque. Along the way the seven-day bike tour will stop overnight in Harlan, Guthrie Center, Boone, Marshalltown, Independence and Dyersville.
It will be the shortest RAGBRAI ever, but will be hillier than all but nine other editions.
“The mileage is not as intense as it’s been in years past,” RAGBRAI Director Matt Phippen said. "What they can’t always plan for is the elevation.”
Here is what to know about RAGBRAI 2026.
What is RAGBRAI?
The world’s longest and oldest annual bicycle tour, RAGBRAI draws tens of thousands of participants from around the world. Spanning the final full week of July, it always goes from west to east across Iowa.
The ride begins at or near the Missouri River and ends at the Mississippi, taking advantage of the fact that Iowa is bordered by the nation's two longest rivers. The events division of USA Today Co., the corporate parent of the Des Moines Register, runs the ride.
How did RAGBRAI start?
RAGBRAI evolved from an idea hatched by riding buddies Donald Kaul, the Des Moines Register's Washington columnist, and copy editor and features writer John Karras. They called the 460-mile cross-state ride from Sioux City to Davenport the Great Six-Day Bike Trip.
At his editor's behest, Karras invited readers along. When Kaul and Karras arrived in Sioux City on Aug. 26, 1973, to start the ride, there were about 200 cyclists waiting for them.
They wrote stories along the way about the people they met and sights they saw in small towns across Iowa. Readers were enthralled with tales of the ride and characters like Clarence Pickard, a pith-helmeted, 83-year-old retired farmer from Indianola who rode the entire way on a used women's bicycle he bought just before the ride.
The Second Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, or SAGBRAI, followed in 1974. Karras renamed it the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa in 1975. Later, its date shifted permanently to the last full week of July each year, adding a seventh day.
Since then, RAGBRAI has grown into a professionally managed event that draws riders from all 50 states and as far away as Australia and South Africa. During its 50th anniversary edition in 2023, some 60,000 riders crowded onto the Day 4 ride from Ames to Des Moines.
When is RAGBRAI 2026?
RAGBRAI will be held Sunday to Saturday July 19-25. Most riders add an extra night, gathering in the starting town the Saturday before the ride begins for an early start the following morning. Colloquially known as "Day 0," this year's will be July 18 and the town will be Onawa, which will mark the event with a daylong festival and bike expo.
How long is RAGBRAI 2026?
This year's ride will cover 391.4 miles, making it the shortest RAGBRAI to date. The previous shortest edition came in 1977 with a 400-mile journey from Onawa to Lansing. Over the preceding 52 years, routes have averaged about 470 miles, according to RAGBRAI. On six occasions, including as recently as 2023, the route was more than 500 miles long.
Organizers will continue to change the route until after the annual Route Inspection Ride in June. Natural disasters like flooding and tornadoes, as well as road construction, can force organizers to make alterations.
Where will RAGBRAI 2026 go?
RAGBRAI 2026 will travel from Onawa in northwest Iowa to Dubuque in northeast Iowa. There will be 16,027 feet of climb, the 10th-most of any RAGBRAI, according to the organizers.
Is Iowa hilly?
No matter what route the ride takes, there are some serious hills, especially coming in and out of river valleys. In some years, like the hilliest-ever RAGBRAI in 2024, the hills never end. In 2026 the first and second days are short in mileage but will be the hilliest.
The first day packs 3,465 feet of climb into 58.5 miles as it climbs through the Loess Hills. The second day will be the hilliest of the week with 3,554 feet of climb crammed into just 53.9 miles.
“They’re so unique,” Phippen said of the Loess. “When you’re riding your bike in that area it doesn’t feel like Iowa. It doesn’t look like Iowa. … It’s another view of what Iowa has to offer.”
There also is the possibility that RAGBRAI will pass by Pilot Mound, setting up a steep drop into the Des Moines River valley near Boone, the Day 3 overnight town, and then a notorious climb back out. The final route has not been determined.
What will the hardest day be?
On paper the 81.4-mile fifth day from Marshalltown to Independence appears to be the hardest because it is 19 miles longer than any other day and has the third-most feet of climb.
But the hilly first and second days also could be challenging. As always, weather will play a large role in determining which days are the toughest because headwinds, heat or rain can make any day more challenging.
“You have days in the 60s (miles) and you have 1,500 feet of climb, so just a normal day of riding anywhere in Iowa. But, you throw in headwinds, and that day is super hard now,” Phippen said. “Unless Mother Nature blesses us with tailwinds every day, that’s the only possible way we have easy days on RAGBRAI.”
How much does registration cost?
Registration opened Nov. 15. Weeklong passes cost $250 until Feb. 28. Beginning March 1, weeklong prices increase, peaking at $400 beginning June 1. Single-day passes also are available for $45 until Feb. 28. They will cost more thereafter, reaching $70 when bought during the ride at the RAGBRAI campgrounds.
Weeklong nonrider passes for support drivers and others tagging along will cost $45 until the end of February and $50 after March 1.
How much does vehicle registration cost?
Registration is required for all vehicles entering RAGBRAI campgrounds. Weeklong vehicle passes cost:
- $45 for cars, SUVs, minivans and pickup trucks.
- $80. for box trucks and RVs up to 25 feet long and for 15-passenger vans.
- $100 for buses, RVs and pickup truck-trailer combos longer than 25 feet, up to a maximum of 45 feet.
- $120 for vehicles or truck-trailer combos over 45 feet.
Why register?
Registration pays for the things that make RAGBRAI, RAGBRAI, including:
- Four ambulances and paramedic teams on the route each day and free emergency medical transportation.
- Traffic control by Iowa State Patrol troopers.
- Daily baggage transportation.
- Free support and gear, or SAG, service, which patrols the route to pick up riders experiencing mechanical or physical breakdowns.
- Band performances each night
- Official camping areas with portable toilets.
- Route maps and GPX files for riders and support drivers
- Directional marking of the bike and support vehicle routes.
- An embroidered patch for weeklong riders and a century patch for those who complete the 100-mile loop.
- Bicycle shipping stations at the end of the ride.
- The opportunity to utilize long-term parking in the starting or ending town.
What are overnight towns?
The overnight towns are the six where riders will spend the night as they wend their way across Iowa: Harlan, Guthrie Center, Boone, Marshalltown, Independence and Dyersville.
What are pass-through and meeting towns?
Pass-through towns are where riders can pause for breakfast, a snack or refreshment and to play games and sometimes join spontaneous dancing, goat yoga and other shenanigans as they travel between the starting, ending and overnight towns. Meeting towns are daily midpoints where riders can rendezvous with companions and support vehicles.
What is the John Karras century loop?
Each year RAGBRAI has one day with an optional, added loop, providing riders who choose to take advantage of it enough distance to complete a total ride of at least 100 miles. The loop is named for RAGBRAI co-founder Karras, who died in 2021.
The optional century loop day will be announced in April, Phippen said.
Will there be gravel options on RAGBRAI?
Since 2015, RAGBRAI has offered optional detours for gravel riders.
Last year's route included daily optional gravel sections adding up to a total of 83 miles for the week. This year also will include gravel options every day. Details will be released in April, Phippen said.
“We have the best gravel in the nation,” he said. “So we want to show it off. As long as it makes sense, as long as it’s safe, we’ll find more ways to add gravel.”
Occasionally, the full route also has stretches of gravel due to road construction, flooding or other events. The full route in 2023 had a 2.5-mile section of gravel with two hills on it, and the 2024 route had a mile-long section.
As of January, there are no plans to take the regular route on gravel roads in 2026, Phippen said. But the final route is still being determined, he said.
“If something happens throughout the year, the route does evolve, it does change,” he said.
Will RAGBRAI visit any other states this year?
The question of whether RAGBRAI will visit any state other than Iowa would have seemed implausible before 2025 because, after all, it is the Register's Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. But on the second day of RAGBRAI's far northerly route last July it veered across the border for a 15-mile excursion through southern Minnesota.
Given the central Iowa route, RAGBRAI will stay solely within the confines of Iowa in 2026, Phippen said.
“There’s no plans to go to any other states this year,” he said.
What types of bikes are allowed on RAGBRAI?
Most riders favor road or gravel bikes, but heavier mountain bikes are far more popular than they once were. Tandems and recumbent bikes are everywhere. Each year there are more electric-assist bikes. And as always, RAGBRAI's rolling carnival attracts people on everything from high-wheeled penny-farthings to skateboards.
Will any celebrities ride?
Over its 53 years numerous celebrities and athletes have ridden RAGBRAI, from longtime Oakland Raider Ben Davidson in the 1980s to seven-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson in 2017 and "American Pickers" star Mike Wolfe in 2019.
Some celebrities give no advance notice of their plans to participate. It was a surprise treat in 2025 when NBA hall-of-famer David Robinson joined the ride.
How do you win RAGBRAI?
RAGBRAI is a bike tour, not a race. It's open to riders of all ages and abilities. People can ride all seven days or just one day. Some people go for the whole week but only ride parts of each day. You win by having as much fun as you can while moving along at your own pace.
RAGBRAI also asks riders to make sure everyone has a good time by respecting the residents of the towns that host them. The number of riders is often many times larger than their populations and the event is only possible because volunteers spend hundreds of hours preparing for and hosting the cyclists.
Philip Joens has ridden parts of 20 RAGBRAIs. He has completed the river-to-river trek nine times. He covers retail and real estate for the Des Moines Register and can be reached at 515-284-8184 or at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What to know about RAGBRAI as it prepares for 2026
Category: General Sports
