“Maybe there was some compromise – Saturday is only 33 miles – enough time to finish and go to the start of RAGBRAI!” Much more likely working together Mizzou. I look for a Sioux City start for RAGBRAI.

RIDE RIGHT

My guess (and I’m wrong a lot when it comes to guessing the route): LeMars

OK, I will take a guess that is almost certain to be wrong. RAGBRAI will steal a page from the TdF playbook and start in Sioux Falls next year. First overnight town will be in Minnesota!

Please, please, please, RAGBRAI; locate the starting town as far south as possible. Maybe even in the State of Missouri. Hopefully they will not be tempted to kowtow to all this nonsense.

klkoopman….Northern routes have broad appeal, and that Iowa’s Ride route looks pretty good. A far south ride would probably hurt RAGBRAI as much as it would hurt IR, maybe more. Not sure that the DMR wants a pyrrhic victory.

Further division is a losing strategy for everyone. The date change and east to west route tees it up nicely for RAGBRAI to grab the opportunity and turn this into something really unique and cool. The absolute best outcome for riders is for the two camps to come to terms in a way that RAGBRAI, Iowa’s Ride and cyclists all win.

I concur, picking sides has done no good. The level of anti IR on this forum by some people has been very disappointing and discouraging. The vitriol has sapped much of the joy from this ride for me. When the participants make an activity unappealing with their rancor, it doesn’t matter what the organizers do.

If RAGBRAI is near the IR end town on Expo day (or in it) that Will be great for those that want to do both. It will also be a great cycling celebration for Iowa. If not, RAGBRAI will do what it is going to do and it will be great too. The state if Iowa can support another ride if it wants to. And nothing but good can come from that.

The anti IR feelings here are understandable. He tries to spin it another way but the fact is that TJ turned traitor without warning and deserted us. People legitimately feel angry about that and it will take time for everyone to get over it. A few pro-IR partisans have come here to make trouble but they’re either gone or haven’t had anything to say lately. I forgave TJ the day he moved IR to another week. Others will too, with time.

Understandable, I suppose. Still doesn’t make me and others feel welcome or excited about RAGBRAI. If their reactions are valid, so are mine and others.

This forum is not RAGBRAI. A relatively very small number of people have made the comments for or against both RAGBRAI and IR. The total participants would represent much less than half a percent of the riders on either ride. I am sure you would have the same positive experience on either ride from the vast majority of the riders.

I concur, picking sides has done no good. The level of anti IR on this forum by some people has been very disappointing and discouraging. The vitriol has sapped much of the joy from this ride for me. When the participants make an activity unappealing with their rancor, it doesn’t matter what the organizers do.

Before we talk at length about the vitriol sapping your joy due to the rancor, perhaps we need to take a walk down memory lane.

Back to October 15th to be exact when TJ Juskiewicz entered the scene by making his very public departure from Ragbrai. Not just a departure, but a plan by the (formerly) trusted caretaker to destroy this cherished Iowa tradition and replace it with a ride in his own image. An image that can be found on his own website no less.

As long as we are walking, let’s go back 16 months when TJ filed the papers to start the organization that became the Iowa’s Ride.

Only a remaining few of the faithful still believe his motives were centered around Carson King or charitable endeavors.

Rather, most now see it for what it was, an attempted theft of a 48 year tradition.

Ragbrai had other plans. Rather than stand by like a helpless victim, they assembled a competent staff and legal team willing and able move forward. They treated Ragbrai as the time honored Iowa tradition that it is, dedicated to preserve it. They slammed the door in the face of the petulant ex-employee and presumptive thief.

Six weeks later TJ’s ride is on now moved to a different week going in a different direction with less than 1/4 of the 20,000 riders he dreamed of.

This shift in the business model did not happen out of any magnanimous gesture on his part to calm the “custody battle over the team bus”. No, but rather the realization that the Ragbrai nation is not hesitating to expose his ethical shortcomings.

TJ has done his best to make his name and Iowa’s Ride synonymous with each other. If you are disappointed, discouraged and find Ragbrai unappealing for having defended themselves from a hostile takeover, maybe you should lay the responsibility at the doorstep of the petulant ex-employee who stirred this up in the first place.

This is a forum for Ragbrai………if you want to find people to talk nice about the jerks that are trying to destroy it go to their site along with the other 15 people that I hope does their ride.

Good summary and well said Joseph Schlau.