I am pretty sure the Missouri River meets Iowa at Sioux City . So any start town North of Sioux City is not on the Missoury River .

Posted 5 months ago ago #447127

no organized ride to the river , Missouri or Big Sioux north of Sioux City. Depends on where we start if we go near it on Sunday or not. Saturday (Day Ought) is usually consumed with getting there, setting up, catching up with people, eating for tomorrow and the bike expo, usually followed by a band or two and fireworks around 10-11:00

Posted 5 months ago ago #447304

Iowa is bordered by rivers on both the “west coast” and the “east coast.” On the west is the Missouri River to where the Big Sioux River flows into the Missouri at Sioux City and then the Big Sioux River becomes part of the “west coast” of Iowa running further north to the Minnesota/South Dakota border. On the “east coast” is the Mississippi River. Iowa is the only state in the US of A which is bordered on both sides by rivers. So, if our RAG start town is at Sioux City or further south you dip your tires in the Missouri River. It the RAG start town is somewhere north of Sioux City it is perfectly “acceptable” to dip your tire in the Big Sioux River as your “tradition” to start your ride, cycling every mile across Iowa and finishing up your ride by dipping your tire in the Mississippi a week later. Many riders, especially virgin RAGBRAI’er’s, opt to dip the tires on the “west coast”, then ride every mile across Iowa and dip their tires in the Mississippi. Many of the “old timers” of RAG opt to just start the ride from wherever the start town is located and dip their tires in the Mississippi the following Saturday. Iowa also has the “Iowa Divide”, a topographical feature which is often quite noticeable when you bike across the Divide about the 2nd or 3rd day of RAG. The hills seem longer going up on the west side of Iowa and they seem longer going down on the east side of Iowa. Fun!!! Cheers.

• This reply was modified 5 months ago by  knees36.

Posted 5 months ago ago #447756

Knees, also know as the M&M Divide, there’s a corpoate tie in the havent used.

Posted 5 months ago ago #448411

Sandaltan

My first ragbrai was #3. I did not dip in 1975, nor in any of the years since. It just did not seem important to me.

To each there own.

rjj

Posted 5 months ago ago #448977

The best part about Sat. is catching up with friends from around the country you maybe only see one week out of the year. For Virgins & Newbies the spectacle of 1000′s of riders showing up to ride a week across Iowa is amazing.
After 23 years I still get excited, but Day 0 has lost some of the ‘Awe Factor’. I’m more interested in getting on my bike that first morning. Knowing that no matter how hot, cold, windy, rainy, hilly, crowded, the route is; I’m going to ride to the next town and figure out how to have a good time doing it. I’m on Vacation!

Posted 5 months ago ago #450811

Saturday, in the start town (to be announced Jan 26th), the day before the ride begins, is magical.

Riders, world-wide, make their final decent on this cycling mecca, a single spot in the Iowa countryside, with one thing in common; A quest to eat, drink, mingle, dance and set sail on a full day’s bike ride… all day… every day… for SEVEN days… on a seemingly-endless ribbon of highway, hills and byways, with 20,000 other bicyclists. Just think of the possibilities!

Some riders head to the start town a day or two early just so they can absorb it at leisure. But all the major bicycle, accessory, clothing manufactures, food and repair booths will beat them to the punch to formulate RAGBRAI EXPO!

Posted 4 months, 4 weeks ago ago #452423