History of R.A.G.B.R.A.I.- 1973-1984
The Register’s bicycling tradition began with an idea-a kind of a challenge between Des Moine Register feature writer/copy editor John Karras, and avid bicyclist, Donald Kaul, author of the Register’s ‘Over the Coffee’ column. It was August 1973. Karras suggested that Kaul ride his bicycle across Iowa and write about what he saw from his perspective. Kaul, also an accomplished rider, lived in Washington D.D. and wrote his column from the Register’s Washington Bureau. Kaul liked the idea and said he would do it, if Karras would agree to ride with him. The plan was approved by the Register and Don Benson, public relations director, was assigned to coordinate the ride. The Ragbrai trio was formed. Benson was the ride coordinator until 1991 when he retired. Jim Green replaced him.
They invited their friends, the readership of the Register to join them for the ride. The route was laid out and on August 26, 1973, Ragbrai began in Sioux City and was scheduled to end on August 31st in Davenport. The overnight stops were Storm Lake, Fort Dodge, Ames, DesMoines, & Williamsburg. Until Ragbrai XXIV this first Ragbrai had the largest overnight town population of any Ragbrai on record. The ride was informally referred to as ‘The Great Six Day Bicycle Ride’ and was scheduled to tie in with the Register’s and Tribune Co’s annual circulation sales meeting in Des Moines.
Kaul, Karras, and Benson made arrangements to stay in motels overnight for themselves. They didn’t give much thought to the accomodations needed for the nearly 300 riders who showed up for that first ride. Motel operators and the Naval Reserve Center in DesMoines came to the rescue. From Ames to DesMoines the ride swelled to 500. By actual count 114 rides made the entire distance from Sioux City.
Notable characters showed up that first year. Among them were Clarence Pickard of Indianola. The 83 year old gentleman showed up on a used ladies schwinn. He hadn’t ridden much in the years previous. He rode all the way to Davenport, including the leg from DesMoines to Williamsburg in 100 degree heat, a 110 mile trek! Kaul and Karras’s articles about Pickard and the sights along the way are responsible for the growth of the ride. After the ride letters poured in to the Register. People were upset that the ride was held the first week of school so students and teachers couldn’t participate. They pleaded for another ride.
Ragbrai II August 4-10, 1974: Don Benson had more time to organize the ride that year. So he included the Iowa State Patrol, medical, sag, information, and baggage trucks. The route was driven ahead of time and the communities along the way were contacted.
The SAGBRAI route was from Council Bluffs to Dubuque with stops in Atlantic, Guthrie Center, Camp Dodge, Marshalltown, Waterloo, & Monticello. Approximately 2700 riders showed that Sunday morning. Approximately 1700 made it all the way to Dubuque.
Ragbrai III: August 3-9, 1975: The overnight stay in Guthrie Center was such a hit in Ragbrai II, that the organizers decided not to rule out the smaller towns as overnight hosts. So in 1975, the little town of Hawarden, population 2700 was chosen as the starting point. It had now become a tradition for riders to dip their rear wheel in the Missouri river at the start of the ride and their front wheel in the Mississippi river at the end. The organizers determined that Hawarden located on the Big Sioux, a branch of the Missouri, qualified. That year’s ride spent overnights in Cherokee, Lake View, Boone, Newton, Sigourney, Mount Pleasant, and ended in Fort Madison. About 3200 started the ride and 2400 made it all the way.
It was now apparent that the ride’s popularity would not allow it to end in 1975, so it was officially named the Register’s Great Annual Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. It would be called RAGBRAI with the year designated by Roman numerals.
Ragbrai IV: August 1-7, 1976: Ragbrai IV began in Sidney in southwest Iowa and riders most remember the sandburs in the campgrounds caused the thin tires to explode, sounding like fireworks. The ride ended in Muscatine, with overnight stops in Red Oak, Harlan, Jefferson, Nevada, Grinnell, and Iowa City.
Ragbrai V: July 31-Aug 6, 1977:This Ragbrai began in Onawa and followed the shortest and flattest route of 400 miles through Ida Grove, Larens, Algona, Clear Lake, New Hampton, & Decorah before ending in Lansing. Everyone expected the hills in the Northeast to be killers, but since the roads were laid out in the state’s early development, they f0ollowed the valleys and ridges, avoiding the hills. However the roads in the remainder of the state followed the section lines over the hills.
Ragbrai VI: July 30-Aug 5, 1978: Ragbrai started in Sioux City and closely followed the route of the first ride as far as Storm Lake. Then it went through Humboldt, Iowa Falls, Vinton, Mount Vernon, Maquoketa, and ended in Clinton. This was the second year the ride made a stop at a college campus, at Cornell College (Mike Conklin’s ala mater) in Mount Vernon. It had stayed at Luther College in Decorah.
Ragbrai VII: July 20-Aug 4: 1979: Ragbrai started in the extreme northwest portion of the state in Rock Rapids on the Rock River, a branch of the Big Sioux and ended in Burlington with stops in Spencer (where riders experienced the first major rain storm on Ragbrai), Rockwell City, Story City, Tama-Toledo, Fairfield, and Wapello. This was the first year of having a ‘Century’ day. The 100 miler was between Tama-Toledo and Fairfield.
Ragbrai VIII: July 27-Aug 2, 1980: The ride started in southwest Iowa in Glenwood and made a repeat visit to Atlantic, then went to Carroll, Perry, webster City, Waverly (Warburg College) Ekader and finished in Guttenberg.
Ragbrai IX: Jul 26-Aug 1, 1981: This ride was distinguished as having the worst weather of any ride in the history of Ragbrai. The campground in Missouri Valley where the ride started was damp from continuous rains, and it poured off and on as the riders went over the Loess Hills in Mapleton on Sunday. The next day between Mapleton and Lake City the temperature dropped to the upper 40’s (remember this was July!) and the riders rode the hills into a strong headwind and pouring rain. Very few riders made it beyond the first town of the day, Schleswig. Farmers and townspeople pitched in to haul riders into Lake City in cattle trucks, campers, flatbeds, and pickups. The camp grounds in Lake City were under water so residents came to the rescue and put the riders up in homes and garages and even the newly refinished floor of the high school gym. The day was dubbed ‘Soggy Monday’ and the Registerd marketed a patch commemorating the day. The next day the weather turned beautiful and stayed that way the rest of the week for the ride through Greenfield, Leon, Centerville, Keosauqua (2nd smallest town with only 1000 residents) and Keokuk.
Ragbrai X: July 25-31, 1982: The 10th ride was the longest Ragbrai to this point in its history, 523 miles. It was seven days of fantastic weather from Akron to Chrokee, Estherville, Forest City, Charles City, Independence, Tipton, and Davenport. This was the first time that Ragbrai ended before August 1st. It then became a tradition for the ride to be scheduled the last full week in July, beginning on a Sunday, and ending on a Saturday.
Ragbrai XI: Jul 24-30, 1983: In the winter of 1982, Clarence Pickard, who was then 92, was killed by a motorist walking across a street in Indianola, his hometown. Although he had only completed one full Ragbrai and one leg of the second ride, he had become a legend. The Register named Ragbrai XI as ‘Clarence Pickard Memorial Ride’ in his memory and the commemorative patch in the shape of the helmet he wore was created. The ride started in Onawa for the second time and stopped along the way in Harlan, Guthrie Center, Ames, Grundy Center, and Manchester before ending in Dubuque.
Ragbrai XII: July 22-28, 1984: Register columnist, Chuck Offenburger, really got into the act with Ragbrai XII. He insisted that the route include his hometown of Shenandoah and the town went all out for him and the 7500 riders. The ride started for the second time in Glenwood, then stopped overnight in Shenandoah, Creston, Adelo, Pella, Ottumwa, and Mount Pleasant before finishing in Burrlington. Because of the increasing size and cost of the ride, the Register decided to charge a fee to ride for the first time.