RAGBRAI, the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, has officially kicked off.

This year’s ride will go 500 miles — the longest since 2001 — starting in Sioux City on Sunday, July 23, and ending in Davenport on Saturday, July 29. Riders will climb 16,549 feet along the route, making it the sixth-highest elevation RAGBRAI ride.

The 2023 edition marks the 50th anniversary of the longest multi-day bicycle touring event in the world, with the first ride in 1973. This year’s ride includes five of the eight towns on the original route — Davenport, Sioux City, Ames, Des Moines, and Storm Lake. The other three towns include Coralville, Carroll, and Tama-Toledo.

“With so much history around this ride, we wanted our fiftieth to celebrate some of those original communities and add just a little twist to keep riders guessing,” RAGBRAI director Matt Phippen said at the RAGBRAI route announcement party at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines on Jan. 28. “RAGBRAI Nation is excited to ride their bikes across our state this July.”

RAGBRAI co-founders John Karras, a former copy editor and features writer for The Des Moines Register, and Donald Kaul, the paper’s columnist at the time, wanted to write stories about their journey through Iowa and ended up inviting readers to tag along. The first ride started in Sioux City, and they were shocked when they arrived and about 250 people were there to join them.

Half a century later, tens of thousands of people from across the world clear their calendars the last week of July each year to come and ride through the state filled with rolling hills, corn fields, and unmatched summer sunsets.

There are 28,000 riders registered, including for single days, compared to last year’s 18,000. Tens of thousands more unregistered riders are expected to join RAGBRAI as it goes through Sioux City, Iowa City, and the state capital Des Moines, with the potential to break the world record for the largest single-day bike ride.

The current record for the most amount of riders at a “parade of bikes,” or bike event, is 48,615 riders, which was set in Italy on July 11, 2000. Phippen has said in interviews he anticipates the total ridership this year to potentially hit 100,000, which would overwhelmingly take the record.

Anyone can technically participate in RAGBRAI without registering, but officially registered riders receive special benefits. Standard registration is now closed, but Day passes and Non-Rider passes will be sold at each overnight and meeting town.

Unregistered cyclists can ride the whole route because RAGBRAI is purposely routed along public roads. But this is not recommended as registration fees help cover the cost of putting together the route and holding the event.

Displaying their official RAGBRAI wristband gives registered riders access to support and gear services, and they will not be required to cover additional costs for any medical emergencies involving an ambulance ride. The official ride start time is 6 a.m. each day, and safety and medical support services monitor the route until 6 p.m.

Riders will either sleep in hotels, which historically only a small portion of riders can book in time, or campgrounds. These campgrounds provide space to set up tents and include showers, porta-potties, and first-aid stations.

Campgrounds will be set aside by each overnight town on school grounds, city parks, or county fairgrounds and have enough space to hold all registered riders. Cyclists also rely on support vehicles to transport their luggage and camping supplies. All vehicles must be registered with RAGBRAI before the ride to enter the campgrounds.

There will be bicycle repair shops dispersed throughout the route, including in Coralville and Iowa City, and additional repair services available in designated campgrounds. Bicycle repair shops are labeled on the RAGBRAI bike maps and sanctioned shops will have signs that say “OFFICIAL RAGBRAI BICYCLE SHOP.”  Discounts will be given to those who have an official wristband.

While RAGBRAI is not considered a race, it is much more than a simple bike ride.

In each of the eight overnight towns, there will be a show put on by the RAGBRAI Concert Series. Each show is free and open to the public. This year’s line-up celebrates the rides’ 50th anniversary with nostalgic bands from the past five decades such as Hairball, The Spazmatics, The Pork Tornadoes, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, who will perform in Des Moines.

The second-to-last overnight town on the ride is Coralville. This year’s event marks Coralville’s sixth time hosting RAGBRAI, dating back to 1995. There will be food vendors located at the Coralville Community Aquatic Center parking lot, and English rock band BUSH will headline the main stage at S.T. Morrison Park at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, July 28.

“RAGBRAI is a special event that the city of Coralville holds near and dear to our hearts,” Meghann Foster, the mayor of the city of Coralville, said. “The synergy of this being the 50th anniversary of RAGBRAI and the 150th anniversary of Coralville is a perfect fit. We’ll be ready to welcome riders to the ‘Hub of Hospitality’ in Coralville.”

On July 29, cyclists will leave S.T. Morrison Park, ride through Kinnick Stadium for the first time, and travel through the heart of downtown Iowa City on their way to the final destination in Davenport. There, cyclists will dip their front tires into the Mississippi River, signifying the end of the ride.

RAGBRAI x Kinnick Stadium 🤩#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/Wm8y7Lp1D8

— The Iowa Hawkeyes (@TheIowaHawkeyes) July 21, 2023

RAGBRAI participants will also find vendors everywhere along the route to stay hydrated and nourished. Some vendors include Big Foot’s BBQ, Big Grove Brewery, Campbell’s Concessions, and Iceskimo Snow.

There will also be non-food vendors set up. In Des Moines, RAGBRAI participants can visit the Retail and Non-Profit Village, which includes Coin Operated Jewelry, Rolling Cigars, and Scudo Sports Wear LLC.

RAGBRAI does not make any decisions about what the vendors may offer to sell to riders or receive any funds from vendor fees. RAGBRAI is one of the best events for churches, Boy Scout or Girl Scout troops, 4-H clubs, Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts, and other local businesses to promote their work and take in some extra cash.

One concern about RAGBRAI each year is safety. There have been 30 deaths during RAGBRAI, with the last two fatalities occurring in 2014.

Tom Teesdale, a 62-year-old from West Branch, Iowa, died of a heart attack along the route near Graettinger, Iowa, on Monday, July 21, 2014. George “Frank” Brinkerhoff, a 74-year-old cyclist, was found dead inside a tent along the route in Mason City, Iowa, on July 24, 2014.

Most deaths have resulted from heart attacks while resting and other natural causes, but with the increased number of riders this year, there are more opportunities for crashes on the road.

And with more riders comes more e-bikes, which are equipped with electric motors to help cyclists travel at higher speeds and allow for more control over the pedals.

E-bikes are attractive to cyclists who are older or have physical limitations but still want to experience the thrill and scenery of RAGBRAI. Switching from driving cars to riding e-bikes can also help eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.

These higher speeds, however, can result in more severe injuries in the event of a crash.

Cara Hamman, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa of Public Health, recommends doing your research before jumping into the micro-mobility scene.

“Micro mobility devices like e-bikes and e-scooters can be positive additions to our transportation system, but we really need to hone in on safety and policy and give them the attention they need to keep up with these new devices,” Hamman said.

One way to ensure a more enjoyable ride for yourself is to start training several weeks before the event because many injuries result from a lack of conditioning. This includes riding over hills, riding against the wind, and riding hundreds of miles a week.

The organizers of RAGBRAI encourage all riders, regardless of bike type, skill level, or registration status, to follow a series of safety tips: wear a helmet and gloves, carry a spare inner tube in case of a flat tire, call out to fellow cyclists when you are going to pass them and ride in a straight line to make it easier for those behind you.