The Winning Towns of RAGBRAI 2026

Another successful RAGBRAI has ended. Tired riders, tired event staff, and a myriad of others have all gone home for a good rest. The Buff Riders team “won” the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Though the “bicycle ride” is not a “race”, we all have our little wins. Mine was my first full-day ride on a peg leg and a prayer.

The communities are winners too. Not just the “Overnight Towns” that host the hordes each night. The “Meeting Towns” that host lunchtime gatherings between bikers and their SAG crews win as well. And, once again, I got the opportunity to see a few of the towns in between win as well. The Aventon bike I’ve ridden over the past couple of years has given me the ability to see a few of these “Pass Through Towns” that I’ve missed out on over the years.

Each of the communities along the route put their best foot forward and welcomed riders with open arms. These communities did an amazing job of showing their Iowa hospitality and charm.

No Awards, Just Winners

In the past, I would “award” one “Meeting Town” and one “Overnight Town” that appeared to excel above the rest. However, more and more, my team isn’t wandering into town as much as we did the past few years. So, anointing one town as a winner over another that I didn’t get to experience fully would be unjust. Hence, once again, no awards will be handed out this year from Rural Resurrection.

Yet, I did see quite a few interesting aspects in each community that were worth pointing out. Some were related to how they handled the ride across Iowa. Others had unique aspects about the community itself that I just have to point out.

Honorable Mention – Soldier

Any town that has a kid’s lemonade stand near the entrance starts off well in the eyes of the Buff Riders. We’d rather donate to a kid’s fund than pay some corporation for food and drink (We also happen to carry flasks in our bike bags to help the flavor a little).

Not many Pass Through Towns get mention each year in this review as I’m typically driving the bus. But Soldier gets a mention in this one. It’s mainly because of writer’s privilege though as Soldier was an important community to my father growing up due to its proximity to the burgeoning metropolis that is Moorhead, Iowa. It also helps that I had my own personal cheering section there with two of my sisters, as well as two of my cousins! (I’m still kicking myself for not getting a picture to put in this post!)

Honorable Mention – Marshalltown

At first, I wasn’t even going to include Marshalltown. Our night there was spent under the stars…just a couple blocks away from the rail yard. There was also a very pungent stench in the area we were that we could only potentially tie to the meat packing plant.

However, the setup in downtown Marshalltown was ideal. They had not one, but two stages set up, providing entertainment for the masses. If the band on the main stage didn’t interest you, the secondary stage had something different for your pallet. You could also tell that the town had just upgraded the streetscape in the area.

Honorable Mention – Woodward / Madrid

One more honerable mention needs to go out to two towns that weren’t even on the route. On the third day the RAGBRAI route went from Guthrie Center to Boone. It was a northeasterly route with a relatively stiff wind coming out of the north. The team decided to take a detour and check out the High Trestle Bridge. This famous former railroad bridge sits on the Des Moines River and offers iconic public art improvements to the structure and scenic views. Judging by the traffic we encountered, we weren’t the only ones with the idea to get off the path beaten down by RAGBRAI. Several others were taking this route that day. They too wouldn’t be disappointed with what they saw.

At either end of the bridge are of the communities of Woodward and Madrid. Two communities that have made significant strides to be viable trail towns. Each had a variety of trail-orient amenities and businesses that served those who used the trail.

Manchester

The meeting town of Manchester could’ve been been overlooked as I was driving our bus that day and they set up the SAG drivers in the far southwestern corner of the community. Though it was a wide-open layout with easy access to supplies and gas at a nearby Casey’s, it was far from the action.

But Manchester’s social media campaign was impressive, almost annoying. They posted regularly leading up to the event. It drew me in to see what all the roucus was about. Sneaking Buff Force One into the southern edge of downtown, I parked in the public works lot, hopped on my bike, and went to take a look. What the community has accomplished along the Maquoketa River is stunning for a town of Manchester’s size. They’ve created a water park out of the river that encourages residents and visitors to interact with the river. From spatious rock jettys to sit on, to a series of rapids that draw kayackers, tubers, and other adventure seakers, the riverside is a gem that the community was proud to show off.

I’m pretty sure I’ll have a seperate post on Manchester in the coming months…

Dyersville

As a baseball nut, Dyersville (Facebook Link) was the crown jewel of the ride that I was looking forward to. The home of the Field of Dreams was the last overnight town before event ended in Dubuque the next day. With such an attraction, one could easily just overlook the community. But that would be a horrible oversight. The community had a wide-open square near the North Fork of the Maquoketa River. This provided the best overall concert setup of any of the communities along the route. The community also had a nice mix of older, well-maintained buildings, and newer apartments nearby.

But then there was the Field of Dreams. Though there was no SAG route that allowed drivers to get close, was not to be detered. I rode with my motley crew out to the ballfield and back on my bike through a heavy mist. It was worth it. To walk out apon that field was epic. They had both the larger stadium and the original Field of Dreams open and we crawled all over it. Not only could you take batting practice, but it was thrown by one of the original cast members in the uniform that he wore for the movie. Others that may/may not have been in the movie were also in uniform and posing for pictures.

A Comprehensively Great Effort

All the communities that participated in RAGBRAI 2026 did a great job this year. Whether it was a “Ride Through Town”, a “Meeting Town”, or an “Overnight Town”, they all did a great job. As always, I’m already looking forward to next year!