Iowa
World’s biggest recreational bike ride begins anew for golden anniversary trek across Iowa
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — What bills itself as “the world’s longest, largest and oldest recreational bicycle touring event” was more like the world’s biggest traffic jam Sunday as riders, packed together in a sinewy stream of brightly colored jerseys and shorts, churned across the Loess Hills on the western edge of Iowa.
It’s called RAGBRAI — the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa — and it promised to be bigger than ever this year, as the brainchild of two writers from The Des Moines Register celebrated its golden anniversary with a route similar to its first.
That meant a start in Sioux City, where ambitious riders ceremonially dipped their rear tires in the Missouri River, and a finish for those with the legs and the temerity to last that long seven days later in Davenport on the Mississippi River.
Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard has won the Tour de France for a second straight year as cycling’s most storied race finished on the famed Champs-Élysées.
Tadej Pogačar has pipped defending champion Jonas Vingegaard to win the Tour de France penultimate stage but it won’t be enough to stop his great rival winning the race.
Matej Mohorič has edged Kasper Asgreen in a photo finish to win the Tour de France’s 19th stage and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard has protected his commanding lead.
Everything moves so fast.
Along the way there is plenty of pie, more than enough beer, and countless spaghetti dinners served in church basements in tiny towns that dot the heartland. There are riders on bikes that cost the equivalent of a down payment on a house, others on hand-me-downs that announce their arrival with every creaking pedal stroke. The riders themselves come from all corners of the globe, including one intrepid group from Australia, and represent just about every U.S. state.
“Participating in RAGBRAI is an extraordinary experience. It’s truly a source of pride for many of us in the cycling community, especially if you call anywhere in Iowa home,” said Lisa Carponelli, who along with business partner Kim Hopkins used the ride in 2015 to help launch their business, Velorosa, which produces cycling gear for women.
“You’ll meet countless interesting people in every town and along every stretch of pavement,” she said. “Everyone is participating in a great outdoor activity, and you’ll always have something to talk about: the weather, the hills — don’t think it’s only flat here — the scenery, bike issues, and where to find the best food and the coldest beer in every town.”
Riders, participating in RAGBRAI 50, (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa), slow to cross train tracks on the way out of Sioux City, Iowa, Sunday, July 23, 2023. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Des Moines Register via AP)
Oh, and Carponelli promises it will be hot. Temperatures during this year’s 500-mile journey could hit triple digits.
So what exactly is the allure? Why has such a ride in Iowa, of all places, become an event that cuts across generations?
Mostly it boils down to the people.
Two of them, to start: John Karras, an avid cyclist and features writer for The Des Moines Register, and Don Kaul, who wrote a column called “Over The Coffee.” Karras thought it would be fun for Kaul to write his column as he crossed the state, so the two got the support of their editors and set off that first year — on August 26, 1973 — with about 300 people tagging along.
“The early years were great because they were freewheeling, so to speak. It was new. It was fun. It was unique,” said Bob Molsberry, who watched that first ride go through Iowa City as a college student and joined in the following year.
He will be riding part of RAGBRAI for the 30th time this year with his daughter and two grandchildren.
“Even Kaul and Karras were surprised at the response,” Molsberry said. “They had a couple of hundred show up that first year and didn’t have hotels or anything. People just showed up. The second year they had a truck that carried our gear, but people were just kind of on their own. Then it grew up gradually as the bicycling craze caught on.”
The ride really took off during the 1980s, when Greg LeMond put American cycling on the map with his three triumphs at the Tour de France, and the 1990s, when Lance Armstrong — a frequent RAGBRAI rider — was wearing the yellow jersey.
Some of the quaintness of the ride has been lost, of course, as commercialism took root along the route. Some of the dedicated charters these days carry gear from town to town, cook food each night and even set up riders’ tents before their arrival.
The charm of the ride still exists, though.
It was evident in the man pulling his kid in a wagon down the road, and the youngster doling out fruit snacks (two for a dollar) and granola bars to other weary riders. Or the riders that stopped just outside Sioux City to help a stranded rider helplessly holding his broken chain. Or the myriad teams that continue to rip the seats out of old school buses, paint them in often garish colors, pack them full of refreshments and set off down the road for a week in the Iowa sun.
The charm is evident in Victor Fassano, a retired sheet metal worker from New York, who decided he wanted to start doing “epic adventures” at this stage of his life. He was on his way to the start when the transmission in his group’s car blew up. But rather than stew over the crater it just put in their wallets, the group’s first thought was: How do I get to Iowa now?
After some frantic hours, they managed to rent a pickup truck with a hitch for their bike racks and were on their way.
“For me,” Fassano says, “as a kid having a bicycle was freedom. I wanted to get that feeling back as an adult. I ride in groups, which is so much fun, and every once in a while just heading out by yourself to clear my head is the best.”
There is no heading out by yourself this week.
There are 20,000 registered weeklong riders, and another 9,000 that have secured day passes. But they are joined by thousands more who crash the ride, which means there could be more than 50,000 on the road some days this week.
Get ready for more traffic jams.
Or just go slowly and enjoy the ride.
___
Dave Skretta is a Kansas City, Missouri-based AP Sports Writer who also has covered pro cycling since the 2012 Summer Olympics. Skretta grew up in Decorah, Iowa, and has ridden RAGBRAI many times, though this will be his first time putting in 80-mile days and then writing about it. He is providing periodic updates from the road. His total mileage on Day 1: 75.
___
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
- Aiden Anderson
Aiden Anderson
GOWRIE — Southeast Valley High School senior Aiden Anderson has been elected secretary for the North Central Iowa District of Future Farmers of America (FFA).
Anderson was elected to district office at the state FFA convention in March. In that role, he helps to organize and facilitate various district functions throughout the year as well as Chapter Officer Leadership Training for chapter officers and Greenhand Fire-Up for first-year high school FFA members. Anderson also works at district convention, soils and livestock judging, and chapter visits.
“I am honored that my fellow members have elected me to this role, and am incredibly excited to help inspire and develop FFA members from across the district and to serve them in any way that I can,” said Anderson.
Anderson also serves as the treasurer for Southeast Valley’s Central Plains FFA chapter.
Anderson joined FFA as a freshman and is beginning his fourth year. He is involved in various contests such as leadership development events and career development events, including parliamentary procedure, soils evaluation and judging, livestock judging, agronomy, and many more.
“I also enjoy planning and participating in other leadership and community service opportunities the chapter and other levels of FFA provide,” said Anderson. “Above all, I enjoy every opportunity I get to make a difference in my community or with another member.”
Anderson and his parents, Dave and Trena Anderson, live outside of Paton on the family farm.
Summer’s here, but it’s never too late to plan your 2024 travel bucket list. Forget over-crowded destinations, exhausting city breaks, and pricey resorts. This year, get away from it all in one of Iowa’s beautiful small towns where the most stressful activity is picking the perfect backdrop for your vacation snapshots. Here in the heartland of America, you will see the country at its best. Welcoming communities, historic architecture, scenic backcountry roads, and midwestern charm. Visit the Hawkeye State in 2024, and you will find yourself coming back year after year.
Dyersville
Named one of America’s best small towns by the Smithsonian, Dyersville was founded by English entrepreneur James Dyers, who arrived in the area in 1847 and decided to turn the small Bavarian farming settlement into a thriving town. Modern-day Dyersville is a testament to Dyer’s vision with a thriving downtown, unique attractions, and beautiful scenery. It’s also a familiar pilgrimage for fans of the iconic 1989 movie, Field of Dreams, which was filmed in town. The site is open to the public and baseball fans can also get their fix at the nearby Baseball Hall of Dreams.
Dyersville is also home to one of Iowa’s two basilicas. Open daily and offering group tours, the imposing Basilica of St Francis Xavier is a gorgeous example of medieval Gothic architecture. To enjoy the best of Dyersville’s natural attractions, take the 26-mile Heritage Trail, which follows the old railroad into the deep valley of Dubuque County, meandering through old mining and mill towns.
Pella
Pella is a one-of-a-kind community in central Iowa that owes a lot to its original inhabitants. Founded by immigrants from the Netherlands, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d been miraculously transported over the Atlantic to Europe. Home to North America’s largest working windmill, this beautiful town is heavily influenced by its Dutch heritage, which is on full display at the Pella Historical Village and Vermeer Mill, a cute recreation of a miniature Holland village.
Get more Dutch flavor on Main Street, you will find the Pella Klokkenspel, a traditional clock framed in an old-world courtyard. Mechanical figures appear and perform a spirited dance when the clock chimes. Stroll around the Molengracht Plaza, a replica of a Dutch canal, for more photo-worthy scenes and finish up with a bite from the Jaarsma Bakery, family-owned and operated since 1898 and home of the best Dutch pastries in Iowa (probably).
Winterset
Don’t be fooled by the name, Winterset is a beautiful destination all year-round. This small midwest town is famous for its stunning covered bridges and was the inspiration for the film, The Bridges of Madison County. You can see the bridges for yourself with a short self-guided tour on the Covered Bridges Scenic Byway. But Winterset is more than pretty bridges. It’s also the birthplace of America’s favorite cowboy, John Wayne. Learn about the actor’s life on and off screen at the John Wayne Birthplace and Museum downtown. Also downtown, you’ll find the Madison County Historical Complex, a historic village consisting of the 1856 Bevington Mansion, blacksmith shop, log post office, school, and other 1800s structures.
Eldora
Founded in 1853, Eldora’s beautiful downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Check out the Hardin County Historical House for a stunning example of Victorian architecture. This family home was built in 1891 and includes a carriage house and historical library. You’ll also want to see the 1913 Grand Theatre, which has been restored since its heyday and still has the original canopy and marquee. Located on the Iowa River, Eldora also has plenty of scenic riverside trails and pathways to tempt nature-loving visitors. Visit the Sac and Fox Wildlife just outside town for incredible views over the Iowa River Valley.
Okoboji
Explore Iowa’s Great Lakes from the beautiful town of Okoboji on West Lake Okoboji’s eastern shore. Enjoy these stunning glacially-carved lakes from Okoboji’s busy waterfront, where you can pick up the Iowa Great Lakes Trail that winds over 40 miles around the lakes, past sandy beaches, green city parks, blooming wildlife preserves, and tranquil creeks. Also, on the water, you’ll find the world’s largest ice fishing house, the Fish House. This floating restaurant takes weekly cruises around the lake in the summer and is a great spot to enjoy a sundowner on the water.
For a glimpse into Okoboji’s long history as a lakeside settlement, visit the Westport Schoolhouse. Built in 1896 and used until 1952, this tiny museum is located in the sprawling 70-acre Kenue Park, where you’ll also find the Dickinson County Nature Center.
Bentonsport
The entire village of Bentonsport is designated a National Historic District, making it a must-see on any Iowa itinerary. Located on the Des Moines River, Bentonsport was once a steamboat town. Now, it’s a small community with a quaint downtown full of antique shops, craft boutiques, and perfectly preserved historic buildings from the mid-1800s. You’ll get a great shot for your vacation scrapbook at the old truss bridge, restored and opened to the public as a pedestrian walkway with beautiful views over the river. Bentonsport’s former locks are now a blooming rose garden.
From there, it’s a short stroll to the Indian Artifacts Museum, which houses over 5,000 Native American artifacts. For a truly unique shopping experience, visit the Iron and Lace Shop. This fascinating pottery and blacksmith shop was built using 100-year-old posts and beams salvaged from old barns. Browse the store’s collection of ironwork, hand-woven rugs, and pottery to pick up a one-of-a-kind gift.
Clear Lake
If relaxing on the shores of a spring-fed lake, toes in the sand sounds like the perfect vacation, head to Clear Lake, Iowa. This beautiful small town is made for long summer breaks with perfect fishing, water-skiing, and boating. Keen anglers can catch Walleye, Yellow Bass, or Catfish in the 3,684-acre natural lake. Or you can take it easy with a lazy ride on the Lady of the Lake, an authentic paddle wheel excursion boat that offers regular cruises and narrated tours. It’s not just the water that draws tourists to Clear Lake. The town has a more somber claim to fame — it’s the site of the 1959 plane crash that killed legendary musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson. Today the crash site is memorialized with a poignant glasses marker.
Idyllic Iowa
Don’t underestimate Iowa. This isn’t a flyover state, it’s a stop-and-stay-a-while state where beautiful small towns nestle against sprawling glacier-carved lakes, amid rolling farmland, and in lush river valleys. Historic mill towns, European-inspired settlements, steamboat ports — you never know quite what to expect from an Iowa vacation. Visit in summer to enjoy stunning hikes, fun on the water, and sunny strolls downtown. Plan a winter break to try snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and cozy holiday markets. Iowa is idyllic all year round!
EATS serves the interests of industrial livestock operations. As local people push back against corporate ag, we need more control over what happens in our communities, not less.
When the House Agriculture Committee marked up its draft farm bill in late May, representatives included a provision that’s a big gift for the corporate livestock industry. Dubbed the EATS Act (Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression), the measure would strip state and local governments of their ability to enact policies that protect our air, land and water from problems caused by factory farms.
Most of the attention, including a recent guest column in the Register by former Iowa Pork Producers Association President Trish Cook, has focused on how EATS would challenge California’s Proposition 12. Using corporate ag talking points, Cook and others are trying to portray factory farms as the victim. That’s just not true.
The reality is that Prop 12 was passed in 2018 by a huge majority of voters (63% to 37%). It requires hog factories in California to allow more space and freedom of movement for confined animals (sows, in particular). It also says California retailers can’t sell meat in their state if it doesn’t comply with this standard.
Prop 12 incensed the industrial livestock lobby, particularly in Iowa. All of Iowa’s U.S. senators and representatives have joined the EATS bandwagon. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, and Reps. Ashley Hinson, Randy Feenstra, Zach Nunn, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks are all co-sponsors of the EATS Act. Gov. Kim Reynolds also supports EATS. Our delegation wants to shield the factory farm industry from local control and other state and local measures that protect people and our environment.
More: Farm bill must expand American food security and the farm safety net
Thousands of everyday Iowans have worked for years to strengthen environmental standards, assure local government authority to restrict factory farms, and mandate serious fines and penalties for polluters. We want our state and county governments to do more to protect our water, air and land from factory farm pollution. Industrial livestock operations should be regulated like any other industry that produces high levels of pollution and public health risks.
Factory farm rules, as minimal as they are in Iowa these days, are deeply personal to me. Back in 2002, a developer from 60 miles away wanted to build a 7,000-head sow confinement just 1,975-feet from our house in rural Adair County. Every year, 10 million gallons of liquid manure would be hauled up and down the gravel roads in our community and applied on various fields. Our neighbors joined with us and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (Iowa CCI) to fight back against this invasion. We worked with our local Board of Supervisors to voice our concerns. And because of our state laws (and grassroots organizing), we were able to stop that factory farm from being built.
Those of us challenging factory farms are not taking this corporate power grab lightly. Over 120 grassroots organizations across the U.S., including Iowa CCI, will keep organizing and talking with our neighbors throughout the farm bill debate to make sure EATS is removed from the final legislative package. The Senate draft is coming soon, and it doesn’t include EATS. Thirty senators and 172 representatives have signed letters opposing EATS in the farm bill. Those numbers are far more than the handful of co-sponsors captured by the factory farm lobby.
Let’s be clear: EATS serves the interests of industrial livestock operations. As local people push back against corporate ag, we need more control over what happens in our communities, not less. And we don’t need our elected officials working against us.
Barb Kalbach is a fourth-generation family farmer in Adair County and board president of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. Contact: barbnealkalbach@gmail.com.
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