Iowa

Towns of RAGBRAI 2026: What to know about the communities on the route

Published

1 month ago

January 24, 2026

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Towns of RAGBRAI 2026: What to know about the communities on the route

From Boone to Dyersville to Dubuque, there’s lots to love on the RAGBRAI 2026 route.

The route for the 53rd edition of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, announced on Saturday, Jan. 24, will extend 391.4 miles from Onawa to Dubuque. Along the July 19-25 journey, riders will stop in Harlan, Guthrie Center, Boone, Marshalltown, Independence, and Dyersville.

Here’s what to know about the starting, ending and overnight towns.

Onawa

Population: 2,906.

Previous times on RAGBRAI: Starting town: 1977, 1983, 1987, 1995, 2004 and 2018.

The county seat of Monona County, Onawa was named for a character in the 1855 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow epic poem “The Song of Hiawatha.”

Edy’s Pie, America’s first chocolate-covered ice cream bar, was created in 1920 in Onawa when a young customer of local ice cream parlor owner Christian Nelson had a hard time deciding whether to buy a chocolate bar or ice cream.

“‘I want ‘em both, but I only got a nickel,’” the boy said, according to the Iowa History Journal.

Nelson found he could make melted chocolate harden into a sturdy shell by adding cocoa butter to the mix before dipping a block of vanilla ice cream in it and putting it in a freezer. He also created a machine to dip the bars.

Nelson partnered with candy entrepreneur Russell Stover to distribute the product, branded as Eskimo Pie at the suggestion of Stover’s wife Clara. In 2021 the product was renamed Edy’s Pie to honor candy maker Joseph Edy.

On a less sweet note, from 1944 to 1946 during World War II, Onawa was home to a small prisoner of war camp for German soldiers.

Harlan

Population: 4,893.

Previous times on RAGBRAI: Overnight town: 1976, 1983, 1994, 2000, 2008 and 2013.

Harlan is named for James Harlan, a two-term U.S. senator from Iowa who served around the time of the Civil War and Reconstruction. He also was briefly U.S. secretary of the interior.

Milk & Honey, a local landmark, is a one-of-a-kind farm-to-table restaurant in a rural small town. Don’t miss its skillets, omelets and French toast.

Harlan was the hometown of DeWayne Louis “Tiny” Lund, a journeyman stock car driver who won the 1963 Daytona 500. Lund began his career at the local Shelby County Speedway, a one-third-mile dirt track.

Lund was given his ironic nickname because his 6-foot-5-inch 260-pound frame barely fit in the cars he raced. Lund won at Daytona while filling in for his friend Marvin Panch after pulling him from a fiery crash in a sports car race just days beforehand.

Lund was killed on Aug. 17, 1975, in a crash during the Talladega 500. The annual Tiny Lund Memorial Weekend at Shelby County Speedway celebrates his life and legacy.

Guthrie Center

Population: 1,593.

Previous times on RAGBRAI: Overnight town: 1974, 1983. Pass-through town: 1986, 2001, 2006, 2013.

Guthrie Center, on the far western edge of the Des Moines metro, served as an overnight town twice in RAGBRAI’s first 11 years. While RAGBRAI has passed through four times since then, it hasn’t repeated as an overnight town until this year.

The county’s first railroad, a narrow-gauge line, is now part of the Raccoon River Valley Trail that links with other central Iowa trails to form a 120-mile paved loop that reputedly is the longest in the nation.

Guthrie Center is the county seat of Guthrie County.

Boone

Population: 12,460

Previous times on RAGBRAI: Overnight town: 1975, 1988, 1998, 2011. Pass-through town: 1973, 1976, 2008, 2018.

Two iconic Iowa businesses opened their first stores in Boone. The Fareway supermarket chain, incorporated in Ames, began with a store in Boone in 1938 and was headquartered there until moving to the Des Moines suburb of Johnston in 2024.

Casey’s General Stores started with a single Boone location in 1968. Now based in Ankeny, it’s the third-largest convenience store chain in the nation.

Today both Casey’s and Fareway serve hungry RAGBRAI riders throughout Iowa.

Among Boone’s natives: Mamie Doud Eisenhower, wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

A railroad town, it’s home to the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad excursion trains and a railroad museum.

Marshalltown

Population: 27,591.

Previous times on RAGBRAI: Overnight town: 1974, 1994, 2004, 2012.

On July 19, 2018, an EF-3 tornado ripped through Marshalltown and damaged almost every building in the city. They’re now restored, including the historic courthouse, which took a heavy pounding from the storm, losing its spire.

Taylor’s Maid Rite, a franchise of the loose-meat sandwich chain, is a local, family-owned landmark at 106 S Third Ave., where it’s been in business since 1928. Marshalltown also is home of the nationally known tool company that bears its name.

Drone video shows extent of tornado damage in Marshalltown

Drone video shows the extent of the damage around the square and coliseum after a tornado ripped through Marshalltown.

Brian Powers and Michael Zamora, The Register

Independence

Population: 6,064

Previous times on RAGBRAI: Overnight town: 1982, 2007, 2014. Pass-through town: 1989.

Independence is appropriate place for RAGBRAI to celebrate during America’s 250th year. It was founded in 1847 when the Iowa Legislature moved the Buchanan County seat to the then-new site. With Fourth of July approaching, the village’s residents chose to name it in honor of the Declaration of Independence, according to the Independence Area Chamber of Commerce.

Built in 1854, the Wapsipinicon Feed Mill is a local landmark on the Wapsipinicon River. The current mill dates from 1867 and operated until 1976, when the Buchanan County Historical Society turned it into a museum.

RAGBRAI this year honors water towers on its logo, and the Independence water tower is an appropriately painted with a blue tank and red and white stripes.

With its broad patio, Denali’s on the River, northwest of town on the Wapsipinicon, is a fun spot to enjoy a meal and watch the river flow by.

Dyersville

Population: 4,477

Previous times on RAGBRAI: Overnight town: 1989, 2007. Pass-through town: 1983, 1993, 2010.

RAGBRAI riders can get a taste of heaven in Dyersville, the eastern Iowa town made famous when the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed on two farms just outside its boundaries.

One of the classic baseball film’s most memorable moments comes when James Earl Jones, playing writer Terence Mann, is befuddled by the ghost players on the baseball diamond that Kevin Costner’s farmer character Ray Kinsella has built amid tall cornstalks. He asks Kinsella, “Is this Heaven?” Kinsella replies, “No, it’s Iowa.”

In the decades since the movie was filmed, the site has become one of Iowa’s most popular tourist attractions. In 2021 Major League Baseball hosted its first game on a special field built next to the movie’s ballfield.

In 2010, the last time RAGBRAI passed through Dyersville, the route went right by the movie site. Major League Baseball will hold another game between the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies at the site on Aug. 13, less than three weeks after RAGBRAI visits.

Dubuque

Population: 59,667.

Previous times on RAGBRAI: Ending town: 1974, 1983, 1993, 2010.

The first town founded in Iowa will be the last on RAGBRAI 53.

French trader Nicholas Perrot, one of first Europeans to reach the upper Mississippi River valley, established a trading post near modern-day Dubuque in the 1680s. About a century later, in 1785, French-Canadian explorer Julien Dubuque became the first permanent settler on the site of the town that would bear his name.

The city of Dubuque was incorporated in 1837, and attracted immigrants from Ireland and Germany. The archdiocese of Dubuque that served those immigrants remains the seat of the Roman Catholic church in Iowa.

Occupying a scenic site on the western banks of the Mississippi and spilling over onto the tall bluffs beyond, Dubuque’s attractions include historic architecture, a casino, the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium and a unique funicular railway that carries passengers from the downtown basin to a hilltop neighborhood.

Philip Joens has ridden parts of 20 RAGBRAIs. He has completed the river-to-river trek nine times. He covers retail and real estate for the Des Moines Register and can be reached at 515-284-8184 or at pjoens@registermedia.com.

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Iowa

2026 Iowa high school boys basketball state tournament brackets, schedule

Published

11 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

2026 Iowa high school boys basketball state tournament brackets, schedule

The Iowa high school boys state basketball tournament is just around the corner and the full field has now been set.

By March 13, four teams will be crowned state champions and there are plenty of worthy squads vying for the title. On Tuesday, the final brackets were released and we now have a clear picture of the eight teams in each class hoping to take home the trophy.

Here’s a look at the first-round pairings and the full state tournament schedule for next week’s IHSAA action.

Class 4A Iowa boys state basketball tournament schedule

State quarterfinals, Monday, March 9

No. 4 Dowling Catholic vs No. 5 Dubuque Senior, 5:30 p.m.
No. 1 Cedar Falls vs No. 8 Urbandale, 7:15 p.m.

Tuesday, March 10

No. 3 Waukee Northwest vs. No. 6 Johnston, 10:30 a.m.
No. 2 Waukee vs No. 7 Cedar Rapids Prairie, 12:15 p.m.

State semifinals, Thursday, March 12

TBD vs. TBD, 10:30 a.m.
TBD vs. TBD, 12:15 a.m.

State championship game, Friday, March 13

Class 3A Iowa boys state basketball tournament schedule

State quarterfinals: Monday, March 9

No. 1 Ballard vs. No. 8 Gilbert, 10:30 a.m.
No. 4 Pella vs. No. 5 Carroll, 12:15 p.m.
No. 2 ADM vs. No. 7 Xavier, 2 p.m.
No. 3 Storm Lake vs. No. 6 Solon, 3:45 p.m.

State semifinals, Wednesday, March 11

TBD vs. TBD, 5:30 p.m.
TBD vs. TBD, 7:15 p.m.

State championship game, Friday, March 13

Class 2A Iowa boys state basketball tournament schedule

State quarterfinals: Wednesday, March 11

No. 1 Kuemper Catholic vs. No. 8 Union Community, 10:30 a.m
No. 4 Treynor vs. No. 5 Grundy Center, 12:15 p.m
No. 2 Unity Christian vs. No. 7 Western Christian, 2 p.m.
No. 3 Regina Catholic vs. No. 6 Aplington-Parkersburg, 3:45 p.m.

State semifinals, Thursday, March 12

TBD vs. TBD, 5:30 p.m.
TBD vs TBD, 7:15 p.m.

State title game, Friday, March 13

Class 1A Iowa boys state basketball tournament schedule

State quarterfinals: Tuesday, March 10

No. 1 St. Edmond vs. No. 8 Woodbine, 2 p.m.
No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 5 Bellevue, 3:45 p.m.
No. 2 MMCRU vs. No. 7 Boyden-Hull, 5:30 p.m.
No. 3 Bishop Garrigan vs. No. 6 Marquette Catholic, 7:15 p.m.

State semifinals, Thursday, March 12

TBD vs TBD, 2 p.m.
TBD vs TBD, 3:45 p.m.

State title game, Friday, March 13

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Iowa State announces gymnastics program will be discontinued

Published

23 hours ago

March 3, 2026

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Iowa State announces gymnastics program will be discontinued

Iowa State University announced March 3 that it is cutting its women’s gymnastics program, weeks after abruptly canceling the remainder of the season due to what athletics director Jamie Pollard said were “unreconcilable differences” in the program.

Cyclone gymnasts were informed of the decision to cut the program by ISU associate athletics director Shamaree Brown in a meeting on Tuesday morning, two people with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports Network.

Iowa State gymnastics head coach Ashley Miles Greig and her three assistant coaches were told that their contracts would not be renewed, the university’s news release stated. Miles Greig’s contract was set to expire after the season on June 30, 2026.

Cyclones gymnasts will have the option to remain at Iowa State to finish their degrees, or to transfer to another NCAA school to compete in gymnastics. If they stay at Iowa State, ISU will honor their scholarships. Iowa State’s release said its compliance department would work with the NCAA on waivers to help gymnasts receive an additional year of competition.

Tuesday’s announcement ended weeks of speculation about the program’s future that began when Iowa State canceled its gymnastics season on Feb. 8. In a statement at the time, Brown said the decision was because the Cyclones did not have enough athletes available to compete. In a letter to the gymnastics team and alumni on Feb. 17, Pollard wrote that the cancellation resulted from “a series of complex internal conflicts between individual teammates, coaching staff members, and parents,” language that Iowa State repeated in Tuesday’s release.

In a video released by the school, Pollard said Iowa State would take the next several months to decide which women’s sport would replace gymnastics so that the athletics department remains compliant with Title IX, a federal law that requires NCAA schools to provide proportional participation opportunities to men and women.

“I also want to say, this is not a financial decision. This is a student-athlete experience decision,” Pollard said in the video. “Adding another women’s sport will probably cost equal or more than what we’re already spending on the gymnastics program. This is about student-athlete experience.”

Pollard said that Iowa State conducted reviews of its gymnastics program in 2018 and 2023 stemming from unspecified issues. The 2023 review, conducted by an external law firm, led Iowa State to part ways with then-head coach Jay Ronayne. Miles Greig was hired in April 2023.

On Tuesday, Iowa State denied USA TODAY Sports Network’s public-records request for the findings of the university’s 2018 and 2023 gymnastics probes. In an email denying the request, Ann Lelis, a member of Iowa State’s office of general counsel, cited portions of state open records law that prevent the disclosure of personal information of students or public employees. Lelis also said the requested records were not subject to disclosure because they contained confidential attorney privileged documents.

In the video, Pollard said he asked his senior leadership team “to meet with those individuals in our department that work really closely with our gymnastics program and make a recommendation to me about what we should do going forward.”

The leadership team recommended to Pollard that the school discontinue the gymnastics program, Pollard said, and use those resources for a different women’s sport. Pollard accepted the recommendation from his staff, and he spoke with university leaders. “We are all on the same page,” he said. “This is the right decision for our athletics program and for our student-athletes.”

Cyclone gymnast Samantha Schneider, a redshirt freshman, wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday that she was heartbroken by the decision and criticized Iowa State’s administration for deflecting blame onto the gymnasts.

“Terrible that this is the result of the lack of support from Iowa State’s Athletic Administration,” Schneider wrote. “For the last 5 months, we have come forward as a team regarding (certain) situations and environment concerns and nothing has been done to protect us as athletes on this team. The gymnasts should NOT be blamed or be sharing any part of the responsibility for this decision being made.”

A former member of this season’s coaching staff also mourned the decision in a text message to USA TODAY Sports Network on Tuesday. The person requested anonymity for fear of repercussions.

“At the end of the day this is unfair to the athletes and the alumni that have built this program and have continued to ask for better,” the coach wrote. “It appears that the department was looking for an easy way out or an easy solution, not realizing they would hurt a lot of people in the process. My only hope is that the athletes can come back stronger than ever.”

Miles Greig could not be immediately reached for comment when contacted Tuesday morning by USA TODAY Sports Network.

The Iowa State gymnastics team participated in four competitions this season before the athletics department shut down the remainder of the season on Feb. 8. Nick Joos, Iowa State’s senior associate athletic director for communications, told USA TODAY Sports Network at the time that the cancellation was due to a “combination of injuries and other health issues.”

During what ended up as Iowa State’s final meet against Denver on Feb. 1, several Cyclone gymnasts fell off the uneven bars. The Cyclones forfeited their next meet on Feb. 6 against West Virginia, with Miles Greig saying in a statement, “At this time, we do not have enough student-athletes available to safely field a team against West Virginia, and regrettably must cancel this competition.”

Two days after that, Brown met with gymnasts on Feb. 8 at Iowa State’s on-campus practice gym and informed them that their season would not continue.

Iowa State’s annual financial report submitted to the NCAA for fiscal year 2025 showed the gymnastics program generated $287,392 in total operating revenues with $1.69 million in expenses, a gap of about $1.4 million. Iowa State allotted 14 scholarships to gymnastics. Football and men’s basketball are the only Iowa State sports in which revenue exceeds spending.

Cyclone gymnastics recruits who had committed to the program for the 2026-27 season can commit to a different school or attend Iowa State and have their scholarship agreements honored.

Former Iowa State gymnast Shea Mattingly, whose last name was Anderson when she graduated in 2012, said she had been in contact with other former members of the team after Tuesday’s announcement.

“We’re all frustrated. We’re all angry,” Mattingly said. “That (Pollard) video made us all really mad, honestly. … It places all the blame on these student-athletes whereas the administration’s accountability in this, they hired these coaches that maybe it seems like they couldn’t handle the program.”

Mattingly said she and other alums aren’t giving up hope on the future of the program.

“I think we’re still going to fight,” she said. “So we’re going to send emails. We’re going to call. We’re going to do all we can, even though it seems his mind has been made up.”

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Seven Of Eight 3A Slots Filled For Iowa High School Boys State Tournament

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Seven Of Eight 3A Slots Filled For Iowa High School Boys State Tournament

Seven of the eight spots for the upcoming Class 3A Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Tournament were determined Monday night in substate championship action.

Advancing to the Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Iowa were ADM, Ballard, Storm Lake, Carroll, Gilbert, Pella and Solon. On Tuesday, Cedar Rapids Xavier will play Dubuque Wahlert Catholic, as that game was moved due to the Dubuque Wahlert Catholic girls competing in the girls state tournament.

The seven teams advancing were all the higher seeds, as six of the seven picked up victories on their home court. The other – Storm Lake’s 66-53 win over Sergeant Bluff-Luton – was held at nearby Buena Vista University.

ADM claimed a 30-point decision over Nevada while Ballard bested Oskaloosa, 79-45. Carroll claimed a three-point triumph vs. Sioux Center, Gilbert bested rival North Polk, 73-62, Pella eliminated Keokuk, 60-47, and Solon downed Central DeWitt, 49-44.

The state tournament bracket will be released following the conclusion of the Cedar Rapids Xavier-Dubuque Wahlert Catholic contest.

The 4A substate championships are also on deck for Tuesday evening.

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