DES MOINES, Iowa — For RAGBRAI's 50th anniversary, ride officials are expecting some of their biggest crowds ever, and that means some major opportunities for Des Moines entrepreneurs.
For the first time since 2013, RAGBRAI (July 22-29, 2023) is coming back to the Des Moines metro.
Riders said glowing things about the trip back then.
"When the weather is like this, and the roads are nice and straight, flat, It's the best way to cycle. It's been marvelous," one cyclist said at the time.
RAGBRAI officials are hoping that legacy continues when riders roll into town in July.
"We looked at RAGBRAI history, and it means a lot to so many people and these communities that were on [the] route Year 1. They deserve to show it off again," said Matt Phippen, Ride Director of RAGBRAI.
The Tuesday leg of the ride from Ames to Des Moines is expected to have the most cyclists, and organizers believe they may even be able to top the world record for largest bike parade. That took place in Italy in 2000 and included 48,615 riders.
The Ames-to-Des Moines ride is only 50 miles—the shortest leg of the journey—and the anniversary itself is expected to attract plenty of extra interest. Local bike shops are already planning to be a little busier than usual over the next few months.
"There's so much logistics out there that you want your bike to be prepared, and so we do a lot of stuff for RAGBRAI and leading up to it," said Kyle Robinson, Owner of Kyle's Bikes.
But it's not just cycling shops that'll see some extra traffic. Restaurants, hotels, and more all get a bit of a boost when tens of thousands of riders come to town.
"We saw a huge economic impact last year with the towns we rolled through, we saw that the town showed up for the riders, and the riders spent a lot of money in those communities. The big towns that we're going to be hosting in have the ability to just draw bigger crowds, just in general," Phippen said.