RAGBRAI 2024 kicks off day 1 of its 51st year with a southern route

HENDERSON — RAGBRAI has begun its 51st year feeling — if you will — more normal.

But is there anything about this river-to-river journey through the Hawkeye State really normal?

After celebrating its half-century with a bang last year, fewer cyclists are participating in the 2024 edition of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, which takes cyclists 424 miles across southern Iowa from Glenwood to Burlington. About 18,000 cyclists are registered this year, a huge drop from the 30,000 for the historic 50th anniversary ride but in line with 2022 numbers.

More: RAGBRAI 2024 Day 1 Preview: What You Need to Know About Sunday’s RAGBRAI Route, Glenwood to Red Oak

That’s good news for some cyclists, who say the first few foggy miles after Glenwood on Sunday were easier to ride.

“There are definitely fewer people,” said Mark Cosner of Chillicothe, Illinois, who is doing his 10th RAGBRAI. His team is raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “It didn’t matter on the road. It was more crowded at all the events and activities.”

As usual, the week-long event saw more riders and spectators expected in a number of overnight and transit towns.

Jennie Davis, executive director of the Mills County Chamber of Commerce, said Glenwood was preparing for 20,000 to 30,000 people. At least a few riders were expected from Council Bluffs and nearby Omaha, Davis said.

Indianola spokesman Aaron Young said the city is preparing for 20,000 to 30,000 riders if the bike ride goes ahead Wednesday. It’s the second year in a row that the ride has gone through the Des Moines metro, starting in Winterset that morning, meaning there will likely be more participants.

More: A new Mr. Pork Chop and his family are ready to continue their 40+ year old RAGBRAI tradition

RAGBRAI riders find different reasons to ride

Danny Davis of St. Petersburg, Florida, is riding his high-riding bike across the country, from Santa Monica, California, to Ocean City, Maryland, to raise awareness for autism and buy “special bikes for special kids.”

Davis, 54, rode out of Glenwood with a group of riders in thick fog around 7:30 a.m. RAGBRAI is part of his cross-country bike tour.

Davis drew large crowds of people wanting to have their photo taken at the RAGBRAI Bike Expo in Glenwood on Saturday night.

This year’s trip has more feet to climb — 18,737 — than any previous edition. Davis wasn’t ashamed to admit that he often has to walk his penny-farthing up hills. Between Silver City, the first transit town, and Henderson, Davis walked up a steep hill.

“I leave early in the morning and ride so I’m ready,” Davis said. “But if I have to get off and push, I do that. That’s part of it.”

He gave away 24 bikes in July, and he hopes to give away more than 50 by September when he’s done.

Torie Giffin came with a group of 20 people from the Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She and her son Daniel were featured in “Shift: The RAGBRAI Documentary” as the 17-year-old battles brain cancer.

Daniel rode last year, but is with his father in Texas this week. He had his seventh brain surgery in October.

“Every time they cut into his brain, they have to cut out a bigger circle that takes away more function,” Torie Giffin said Saturday at the RAGBRAI Bike Expo. She said another tumor developed in November and the “aggressive brain cancer” is spreading to new areas.

Daniel is still trying, his mother said. He hopes to ride RAGBRAI next year if his older brother and younger sister want him to.

Hills push riders into the mist

At 8 a.m., the cyclists were greeted by polka music in Silver City, the first transit town about 8 miles northeast of Glenwood. Soon, a crisis arose: all 400 pieces of pie were sold out!

But the pie crisis was a welcome respite from the treacherous road conditions Sunday morning. Thick fog blanketed corn and soybean fields between Glenwood and Silver City, creating whiteout conditions. There was at least one crash in heavy bicycle traffic. The cyclist was treated at the scene by paramedics and ambulance crews.

After the first pass-through town, Silver City — a stop on the Wabash Trace Nature Trail — the ride heads east, eventually traveling 42 miles to Red Oak. The support crew will meet their riders today at this Henderson meeting point.

This story is being updated.

Philip Joens is riding his 19th RAGBRAI. He has completed the river-to-river trip seven times. He writes about retail, real estate and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register and can be reached at 515-284-8184, [email protected] or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.