Daily Iowan photojournalist John Charlson rode the full 406-mile and seven day trek with a camera capturing his journey along the way. Checkout dailyiowan.com for more photos and John’s story about his journey.
The Register’s 52nd Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI LII) started on Saturday, July 19, in Orange City, Iowa with live music, food, and a plethora of bicycle related vendors lining the downtown streets. Among the entertainment that evening was a flyover performed by a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker over the main expo downtown.
The following morning, riders left Orange City for Milford, passing through Granville, Primghar, and meeting in Hartley for the 71.8 mile ride’s midpoint town. The sun kicked up in the afternoon, leaving many riders exhausted when setting up camp in Milford, whose town of about 3,300 grew by 20,000 with all of RAGBRAI’s registered riders enjoying local food and entertainment after the first day’s ride.
Day 2 proved more accommodating to riders, with only 41.2 miles until Estherville, and a cool morning fog to block out the sun. Cyclists even made history and left Iowa for a brief stretch for the first time in RAGBRAI history. Cyclists passed through Jackson County, Minnesota on their way Superior, Iowa. The Minnesota detour allowed riders to take in the picturesque beauty of Loon Lake at Brown Park, a stop set up on the Minnesota side of the route.
Riders arrived early into Estherville that afternoon and set up camp to rest before the optional Century Loop on Tuesday, a challenge that adds about 26 miles to the already long ride to Forest City.
