IOWA, USA — Good news, bikers: there will be a grand, though not as grand as usual, bike ride through Iowa in 2020.
RAGBRAI announced Saturday they would be hosting a ride for the fall of 2020 called The Great Iowa Ride, which will consist of two full days of biking: one day of road riding and one day of gravel riding.
Both of those days will be out of Iowa Falls. The official routes haven't been mapped out yet, but the hope is that riders will get to venture throughout the city and surrounding towns.
The regular week-long ride, which would normally be happening next month, was canceled for 2020 because of COVID-19. RAGBRAI Director Dieter Drake says the cancellation left a rift that just needed filled.
"There's a void now," Drake said. "RAGBRAI is not happening itself in July, so people are looking forward to experience that if they can, even in a small way."
But COVID-19 isn't gone. Only a certain amount of riders wanting to experience the Great Iowa Ride will actually get to because of that, as Drake says there will be a cap of somewhere in the realm of 2,000-3,000 people.
Riders who sign up may also have to be screened and fill out a questionaire to ensure as much safety from the virus as possible.
Above all else, though, Drake is just happy to have something to get out of 2020.
"Hopefully they'll be accepting of this, and I'm sure they all will be, so we're excited about that," Drake said. "And also bringing some excitement to each of those communities as we pass through."
As of now, details on the specifics of the new ride are slim, but Drake says he does hope to continue the Great Iowa Fall Ride into future years as well. More details will be released on July 25.
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