RAGBRAI Participation Increases By Nearly a Quarter in 2022

RAGBRAI Participation Increases By Nearly a Quarter in 2022

Photo by Hilde Demeester on Unsplash

Iowa roads are crowded with bicyclists this week and its towns are filled with natives and visitors alike as they always are this time of year. It's time for the Register Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), and three days into its run in 2022, the Des Moines Register says it's seeing a hefty increase in ridership.

Riders packed Sergeant Bluff Saturday night before taking off for the ride's official first day through Loess Hills and Ida Grove. The Register says that after seeing 0 riders in 2020 due to the pandemic, and 18,000 last year, there was a 20 percent increase in ridership at the start of the ride this year, with an estimated 21,000 participants in all.

The slightly more crowded field of riders and in some cases, very hot weather conditions have been a challenge to some riders,  but not a deterrent. Jason Andres is on his 15th RAGBRAI and said

It’s harder today just because of all the people. When you’re on a tandem and there are people spread across the road you lose all your momentum.

The thousands of riders every year participate in RAGBRAI for different reasons, whether it be for their health, the challenge, or the connections they make, but even under this year's crowded and hot conditions, they all do it for fun. Today, Monday is the third day on the route, with the Ida Grove to Pocahontas leg taking place.

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Filed Under: nl, RAGBRAI
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