Riders conclude with Mount Pleasant to Burlington trek

Posted on by Vaseline

Day 7 RAGBRAI 2024 map

Day 7 RAGBRAI 2024 map

The hilliest ride in RAGBRAI history will wrap up its final miles on Saturday, as weary riders slide down to the Mississippi River in Burlington for the traditional end-of-ride tire dip. Will they return home happy to be done with the seven-day journey, or will they wish for just one more day?

This is what we’re going to do.

Saturday’s RAGBRAI route

From Mount Pleasant to Burlington.

What to know

Riders make their way up a 21% gradient as they "Gathering to the alley" challenge during RAGBRAI 2019 at Snake Alley in Burlington.Riders make their way up a 21% gradient as they "Gathering to the alley" challenge during RAGBRAI 2019 at Snake Alley in Burlington.

Competitors will brave a 21% incline as they complete the “Rally to the Alley” challenge during RAGBRAI 2019 at Snake Alley in Burlington.

It’s only 46.5 miles to Burlington, and there are just two stops along the way: Mediapolis and Kingston. But that doesn’t mean riders will suffer for lack of variety. They’ll have covered just over half the distance by the time they reach Mediapolis, and the city is ready for a hungry horde. The Facebook page lists nearly two dozen vendors offering breakfast specials ranging from oatmeal to tacos to ribeye.

It is also planning a scavenger hunt. Take a selfie at seven locations across the city and enter to win Mediapolis merchandise.

Tiny Kingston, population about 80, is the other stop where cyclists begin the final stretch of the historic Great River Road through the Mississippi Lowcountry to Burlington.

There’s a tendency for riders to scatter once the tire dip passes, but Burlington, the second-largest city on the 2024 route after the overnighter town of Ottumwa on Day 5, tries to give them a reason to stick around a little longer. The biggest draw is Snake Alley, the famous winding, brick-paved road featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not that winds through steep switchbacks with a 21 percent gradient and 1,100-degree bank. If riders haven’t had enough of hills, they’re invited to take on the Snake Alley Challenge and ride to the top for a chance to win a koozie.

And for those who haven’t partied enough, the city’s RAGBRAI Facebook page promises food and drink vendors, musical performances, and a commemorative album from Burlington’s own RAGBROS, featuring the folk song “Dip Those Wheels (Mississippi Flow)” and even a song about pie.

Weather

Mostly sunny, with a maximum temperature of around 30 degrees.

Looking forward to…

From 2009: Day 7 of RAGBRAI took riders including Dick Mellen and Terry Henderson of LaQuinta, California, and Greg Henderson of Jacksonville, Florida, from Mount Pleasant to Burlington to dip their tires in the Mississippi River. They traveled through New London, Lowell and Geode State Park.From 2009: Day 7 of RAGBRAI took riders including Dick Mellen and Terry Henderson of LaQuinta, California, and Greg Henderson of Jacksonville, Florida, from Mount Pleasant to Burlington to dip their tires in the Mississippi River. They traveled through New London, Lowell and Geode State Park.

From 2009: Day 7 of RAGBRAI took riders including Dick Mellen and Terry Henderson of LaQuinta, California, and Greg Henderson of Jacksonville, Florida, from Mount Pleasant to Burlington to dip their tires in the Mississippi River. They traveled through New London, Lowell and Geode State Park.

We’ll do it again next year!

This article originally appeared on the Des Moines Register: Preview: RAGBRAI 2024 on Day 7, Mount Pleasant to Burlington

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