RAGBRAI ’23 is Coming!

Do you hear that? That distant rumble is the beginning of the convergence of hordes of bicyclists upon Iowa. Once again, I’ll be escorting the Buff Riders on their journey from one side of the state to the other.

50th Anniversary

This year’s event is the 50th anniversary of the original ride across Iowa. It is sure to bring a record number of bikes out. Although this is good for the event as a whole, it has me a little worried as the 4th-day route only goes from Ames to Des Moines. This is significant as the short stretch and the proximity to Des Moines will likely result in massive crowds for that day. Many of which will not be experienced riders.

However, the organizers of the event have also lined up their best lineup yet for the nightly concerts. The entire event is sure to be an epic ride.

Like in past years, I fully expect RAGBRAI ’23 to provide a treasure trove of potential content for the Rural Resurrection blog. I’ve started looking at towns along the way that might provide inspiration. But if you know of any unique aspects or stories about the following communities, let me know.

RAGBRAI 2022 – Anthon

I’ve also included links to each Meeting Town’s and each Overnight Town’s Facebook page for the event below. Check them out. Every community approaches the annual event differently. Regardless of if your community is in Iowa or another state, it is a good practice to see what each community does for such large events. You can also see how each community handles marketing. After checking out a few websites or Facebook pages, you can typically tell who does a good job and why.

Meeting Towns

Meeting towns are communities that usually provide a lunch stop. Well, except for those crazy riders that start at 4 am. They’re usually too small to hold riders overnight, but big enough to handle the influx for a few hours. It’s usually a nice mid-point for riders and their support crew to meet up.

• Washta                          (Facebook for the Event)
• Lake View                     (Facebook for the Event)
• Rippey                           (Facebook for the Event)
• Ankeny                          (Facebook for the Event)
• Newton                         (Facebook for the Event)
• Morengo                       (Facebook for the Event)
• Muscatine                     (Facebook for the Event)

Overnight Towns

Overnight towns are communities that host most of the riders for the evening. These communities are large enough to handle all the riders and are typically the county seat for their respective county.

• Sioux City                     (Facebook for the Event)
• Storm Lake                  (Facebook for the Event)
• Carroll                          (Facebook for the Event)
• Ames                            (Facebook for the Event)
• Des Moines                 (Facebook for the Event)
• Tama-Toledo               (Facebook for the Event)
• Coralville                      (Facebook for the Event)
• Davenport                   (Facebook for the Event)

Hopefully, I’ll have time to post to social media channels along the way. So be sure to subscribe and check Rural Resurrection’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for short bits of content along the way.