Never too early to start thinking about it eh? I’m thinking it’s been a while since it started in the southwest. Maybe like Missouri Valley, Glenwood, Sergeant Bluff or such. Since we’ve hit Keokuk and Burlington recently, maybe ending in the northwest like Bellevue, Guttenberg, Dubuque, or such. There have been several rides angle across like that. I’m not thinking Des Moines just yet. The reason I think that is because I’m wondering what the odds are that they’ll do Sioux City, Des Moines, and Davenport on the 50th ride as a tribute to the first ride? The founders statue is in the park where the main campground has been on a previous ride through Des Moines, so how fitting would that be for the 50th regardless of where it starts or ends? So Des Moines next year on the 49th ride, I’m guessing not.
I’m going to echo Matt here: No way they run though Des Moines next year, as if they’re going to really make the 50th something special in terms of the route, it’s going to have to go though Des Moines.
I agree with the Southwest start, too, but deep South. Maybe a newcomer like Sidney to start with?
About the 50th: I’d love to see them re-do RAGBRAI I. I know it’s one day shorter, but they could do something just like this year and add a town for Friday night that’s a 30-mile hop into Davenport to make the timing work out. Or, well, do a huge party in Des Moines, and do another huge party Friday night in Davenport, so while we wouldn’t ride on Saturday, the ride would officially still end on Saturday.
I had heard that Des Moines was already a lock for 2023. I also heard something about Okoboji being on RAGBRAI 50. That said, south route next year. My way too early prediction: Missouri Valley – Harlan – Greenfield – Osceola – Knoxville – Ottumwa – Mount Pleasant – Fort Madison.
Kind of a related two questions…..Next year it is going to be year 50 for RAGBRAI but only the 49th ride due to last years Covid cancellation. Do you think it will be marketed, celebrated, touted as the 50th year of RAGBRAI or do you think they will hold on to those references until 2023 for the 51st year but the 50th ride? I hope that makes sense.
Secondly, does anyone know the applicatiaon deadline for towns that wish to be under consideration to host an overnight stop?
UK:
“..or do you think they will hold on to those references until 2023 for the 51st year but the 50th ride? I hope that makes sense.” 2021 jerseys were printed XLVII, the 48th year. I think 2022 will be XLIX, the 49th year. Seems to me that in early September letters are sent to some 250 or so communities to determine interest in overnight hosting for the next ride. What is the “drop dead date” is a good question.
HA! Ya thanks for the correction hnschipper. Correct, Sidney not Sergeant Bluff. But it sounds like Sandaltan has some fierce Cons for Sidney. And frankly Missouri Valley is quite mid, but there are so few south towns. Uncle Kraig has a good point. Will they celebrate the 50th year, the 50th ride or the 50th anniversary and what does that even mean thanks to covid? I vote to celebrate it all (parrrtaayyy). Ok, mix a stiff drink before this next part.
Yes, thanks to covid the 49th ride is now the 50th year of RAGBRAI’s existence (we had the Virtual ride in covid year). The 50th ride will always be the 50th ride RAGBRAI L. Originally the 51st ride would have been the 50th anniversary. Think about it. The 1st anniversary for RAGBRAI was year/ride 2 (for example you don’t celebrate your 1st wedding anniversary the day you get married). But now the 50th ride could be the 50th anniversary (if you consider covid and count the Virtual ride year). If you don’t count the Virtual ride, then we’re back to the 51st “official” ride being the 50th anniversary. Aargh my head hurts. Does anyone else need another good bloody mary after that? So, I’m back to my parrtaayy statement. In 2022 we celebrate the 50th year, in 2023 we celebrate the 50th official ride, and in 2024 we celebrate the 50th official ride anniversary. That’s going to drive Anne and Andrea nuts hehehehe. So maybe
FIFTY Years of RAGBRAI ! then
RAGBRAI L ! then
RAGBRAI’s Golden Anniversary !
Although, I might be willing forego one celebration to have the warm fuzzy feeling of RAGBRAI L also being the Golden (thanks covid and Virtual ride).
Can’t see ending in SE, Keokuk was almost dipping front wheel in MO just two years ago. Thinking Rock Rapids start and straight across and dropping down to Guttenburg to finish.
2022 will be my first, so it will all be new to me! That said I like maps and it is fun to speculate. Has anybody ever run a pool on guessing the towns? Haha. Looking at the history, it is not a definite rotation, but it does look like the southern corridor is due.
Tim: We sort of did. “The 2014 overnight Okoboji stay was hosted by five communities: Arnolds Park, Milford, Okoboji, Spirit Lake, and West Okoboji”. That was a fun overnight, too :) I can’t comment on hard to get in and out of, as I don’t remember anything really bad that year. I remember it being cold. That was about it.
Steve: For the last bunch of years, not including this year, RAGBRAI itself has had a submission page where you could put your best guess in for the route, and whomever got the closest to reality got a honorable mention at the route announcement party. There isn’t a perfectly clean rotation to it, indeed.
The wildcard this year may be the new management. The 2020/2021 route was already planned by the old management when they bailed, so the new crew stuck with what was planned. Now that 2022 will be completely with the new crew, we’ll see if they keep the rotation or go a different direction. Every ride director has done something a little different (look at the mileages though the 1990’s, for example), so now we’ll get a taste of what the next decade of RAGBRAI will look like. I’m lookin’ forward to it :)
Sandaletan: Ohhhh….I forgot about that! It was in the book: the hell that those goathead thorns caused. John wrote something like the one bike shop that was on the ride those years ran out of tubes in the first hour. But: that was a long time ago when good tires tires weren’t nearly as tough as even cheap ones are now. Maybe not as much of a problem? Then again, for all we know, Sidney has never put in to be the opening town after that. Perhaps once was enough for them, too.
See you in July,
-Chris
This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Chris.
I wonder if Storm Lake, and Maqoketa will be back in play for overnights in 2022 since they opted out this past year.
People talk about logistics of Okoboji as an overnight a few years ago. It was a logistical nightmare, but I’d like to go back to the Amanas again. That was a great overnight.
So, the DSM and Okoboji news was actually shared during Kaul/Karras statue unveiling in the spring by DD himself and both towns would be on RAGBRAI 50. That would be a hell of a route.
43 Replies
Never too early to start thinking about it eh? I’m thinking it’s been a while since it started in the southwest. Maybe like Missouri Valley, Glenwood, Sergeant Bluff or such. Since we’ve hit Keokuk and Burlington recently, maybe ending in the northwest like Bellevue, Guttenberg, Dubuque, or such. There have been several rides angle across like that. I’m not thinking Des Moines just yet. The reason I think that is because I’m wondering what the odds are that they’ll do Sioux City, Des Moines, and Davenport on the 50th ride as a tribute to the first ride? The founders statue is in the park where the main campground has been on a previous ride through Des Moines, so how fitting would that be for the 50th regardless of where it starts or ends? So Des Moines next year on the 49th ride, I’m guessing not.
I’m going to echo Matt here: No way they run though Des Moines next year, as if they’re going to really make the 50th something special in terms of the route, it’s going to have to go though Des Moines.
I agree with the Southwest start, too, but deep South. Maybe a newcomer like Sidney to start with?
About the 50th: I’d love to see them re-do RAGBRAI I. I know it’s one day shorter, but they could do something just like this year and add a town for Friday night that’s a 30-mile hop into Davenport to make the timing work out. Or, well, do a huge party in Des Moines, and do another huge party Friday night in Davenport, so while we wouldn’t ride on Saturday, the ride would officially still end on Saturday.
Either way, see you in July.
-Chris
Sergeant Bluff is up near Sioux City. It is not southwest.
I had heard that Des Moines was already a lock for 2023. I also heard something about Okoboji being on RAGBRAI 50. That said, south route next year. My way too early prediction: Missouri Valley – Harlan – Greenfield – Osceola – Knoxville – Ottumwa – Mount Pleasant – Fort Madison.
We did Sidney once which was enough. Never again due to the goathead thorns.
RIDE RIGHT
Hamburg to McGregor ;)
Kind of a related two questions…..Next year it is going to be year 50 for RAGBRAI but only the 49th ride due to last years Covid cancellation. Do you think it will be marketed, celebrated, touted as the 50th year of RAGBRAI or do you think they will hold on to those references until 2023 for the 51st year but the 50th ride? I hope that makes sense.
Secondly, does anyone know the applicatiaon deadline for towns that wish to be under consideration to host an overnight stop?
UK:
“..or do you think they will hold on to those references until 2023 for the 51st year but the 50th ride? I hope that makes sense.” 2021 jerseys were printed XLVII, the 48th year. I think 2022 will be XLIX, the 49th year. Seems to me that in early September letters are sent to some 250 or so communities to determine interest in overnight hosting for the next ride. What is the “drop dead date” is a good question.
RIDE RIGHT
RIDE RIGHT
HA! Ya thanks for the correction hnschipper. Correct, Sidney not Sergeant Bluff. But it sounds like Sandaltan has some fierce Cons for Sidney. And frankly Missouri Valley is quite mid, but there are so few south towns. Uncle Kraig has a good point. Will they celebrate the 50th year, the 50th ride or the 50th anniversary and what does that even mean thanks to covid? I vote to celebrate it all (parrrtaayyy). Ok, mix a stiff drink before this next part.
Yes, thanks to covid the 49th ride is now the 50th year of RAGBRAI’s existence (we had the Virtual ride in covid year). The 50th ride will always be the 50th ride RAGBRAI L. Originally the 51st ride would have been the 50th anniversary. Think about it. The 1st anniversary for RAGBRAI was year/ride 2 (for example you don’t celebrate your 1st wedding anniversary the day you get married). But now the 50th ride could be the 50th anniversary (if you consider covid and count the Virtual ride year). If you don’t count the Virtual ride, then we’re back to the 51st “official” ride being the 50th anniversary. Aargh my head hurts. Does anyone else need another good bloody mary after that? So, I’m back to my parrtaayy statement. In 2022 we celebrate the 50th year, in 2023 we celebrate the 50th official ride, and in 2024 we celebrate the 50th official ride anniversary. That’s going to drive Anne and Andrea nuts hehehehe. So maybe
FIFTY Years of RAGBRAI ! then
RAGBRAI L ! then
RAGBRAI’s Golden Anniversary !
Although, I might be willing forego one celebration to have the warm fuzzy feeling of RAGBRAI L also being the Golden (thanks covid and Virtual ride).
Can’t see ending in SE, Keokuk was almost dipping front wheel in MO just two years ago. Thinking Rock Rapids start and straight across and dropping down to Guttenburg to finish.
48 years of routes and haven’t overnighted in Spirit Lake? Any ideas, maybe summer traffic? Was Okoboji difficult to get into and out of?
2022 will be my first, so it will all be new to me! That said I like maps and it is fun to speculate. Has anybody ever run a pool on guessing the towns? Haha. Looking at the history, it is not a definite rotation, but it does look like the southern corridor is due.
Tim: We sort of did. “The 2014 overnight Okoboji stay was hosted by five communities: Arnolds Park, Milford, Okoboji, Spirit Lake, and West Okoboji”. That was a fun overnight, too :) I can’t comment on hard to get in and out of, as I don’t remember anything really bad that year. I remember it being cold. That was about it.
Steve: For the last bunch of years, not including this year, RAGBRAI itself has had a submission page where you could put your best guess in for the route, and whomever got the closest to reality got a honorable mention at the route announcement party. There isn’t a perfectly clean rotation to it, indeed.
The wildcard this year may be the new management. The 2020/2021 route was already planned by the old management when they bailed, so the new crew stuck with what was planned. Now that 2022 will be completely with the new crew, we’ll see if they keep the rotation or go a different direction. Every ride director has done something a little different (look at the mileages though the 1990’s, for example), so now we’ll get a taste of what the next decade of RAGBRAI will look like. I’m lookin’ forward to it :)
Sandaletan: Ohhhh….I forgot about that! It was in the book: the hell that those goathead thorns caused. John wrote something like the one bike shop that was on the ride those years ran out of tubes in the first hour. But: that was a long time ago when good tires tires weren’t nearly as tough as even cheap ones are now. Maybe not as much of a problem? Then again, for all we know, Sidney has never put in to be the opening town after that. Perhaps once was enough for them, too.
See you in July,
-Chris
This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Chris.
I wonder if Storm Lake, and Maqoketa will be back in play for overnights in 2022 since they opted out this past year.
People talk about logistics of Okoboji as an overnight a few years ago. It was a logistical nightmare, but I’d like to go back to the Amanas again. That was a great overnight.
So, the DSM and Okoboji news was actually shared during Kaul/Karras statue unveiling in the spring by DD himself and both towns would be on RAGBRAI 50. That would be a hell of a route.