RAGBRAI 101

Have you wondered what RAGBRAI exactly is? Where do you start as you plan your trip to Iowa? What do all those phrases mean? Read on for our RAGBRAI 101 Guide to all things RAGBRAI and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime!

What is RAGBRAI?

RAGBRAI is a 7 day ride across the state of Iowa, traveling West to East, the last full week of July. RAGBRAI is a ride, not a race, so enjoy the miles, new friends, and experiencing Iowa on bike. Some traditional highlights of RAGBRAI include pie, beer, Mr. Pork Chop, and live music every night.

Riders primarily camp each night, with their baggage transported between towns by the RAGBRAI baggage service. Many riders also have “support drivers” as well, be it friends or family who want to come along and bring gear  to each overnight stop but don’t necessarily want to ride.

RAGBRAI starts with the Day Zero Expo the Saturday before the ride. The expo includes vendors from cycling-specific and outside lifestyle brands, events, gear, local shops, food, beverages, entertainment, the Tire Dip in the Missouri River, and opening ceremonies!

Each day, riders travel further across the state, stopping in towns and communities of all sizes! Along the way, you’ll find roadside activities like wading pools and water slides, petting zoos and photo ops, games, bake sales, and more! Many towns have historical museums or art and landmarks to explore.

Each town will have an official RAGBRAI Bike Shop for any mechanical issues, snacks, or bike gear you need.

The Meeting Town is the lunch stop town each day, and is the only place along the route that riders and support drivers can meet during the day. The Meeting Town will feature more vendors traveling with RAGBRAI. At the end of the route, the Overnight Town hosts the daily expo with RAGBRAI Merch, our partners, tons of local and food vendors, and amazing entertainment!

The End Town is exactly that, the end of the route for the year. The end town will feature a tire dip in the Mississippi River to celebrate your achievement and lots of fun and other celebrations.

RAGBRAI Vocab

Here are some terms and things to know as you prepare for RAGBRAI.

Overnight Town: Where you’ll stay each night along the route. The Overnight Town hosts the Main Campground, that night’s expo, vendors, Bike Shops, and entertainment!

To learn more about each overnight town and that day’s route and entertainment, visit the town pages linked from our Route and Town pages.

Breakfast Town: Traditionally, the first town you arrive at on route each morning.

Meeting Town: A town usually mid-way through the route with expo, local vendors, opportunities to meet your support drivers, and more amenities to explore around lunch times.

Pass Thru Town: Towns along the route that you ride through. Typically smaller towns, but they are still big on hospitality and welcoming riders with vendors, activities, and more!

Main Campground: The primary campground for registered riders. This is the main HQ with the RAGBRAI Info, baggage, SAG drop-off, showers, portable toilets, med bike pick-up, and more. Tent camping is available for registered riders. Depending on the area, RV/camper vans may also be in this area or have their own specific area tailored to vehicles. Shuttles run from the Main Campground into the overnight expo, as well as around town so you can get where you want to without riding.

Service Hours:  The RAGBRAI Route is officially open with support from 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. each day, although the final day will close earlier. You can find all shutdown and service times on the route maps and Ride with GPS maps. Support and ride amenities during this time includes select intersection control by Iowa State Patrol, roving medical support, vendors, Bike Shops, and SAG.

Each town has Service Times that end on a rolling basis between 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Towns are “closed” by Iowa State Patrol to help riders keep moving along the route. Riders should plan their ride with this in mind.

Support Drivers: A support driver is someone who drives a vehicle supporting their group of riders. Drivers and their vehicles must be registered. Support vehicles have a different route than the bike route that takes them from overnight town to meeting town to the next overnight town. Being a support driver is a fun way to be a part of the fun without driving.

We share support driver routes in early summer before the ride.

SAG: SAG stands for Support and Gear. Our SAG wagons drive the route daily, following the rolling closure times. SAG is there to pick up registered riders who have a mechanical or can’t continue and finish the day. If you have a mechanical, SAG will drop you off at the next Bike Shop for repair, or take you to the overnight town. If you can’t continue due to health or safety reasons, SAG takes you to the overnight town. SAG isn’t a shuttle between towns, but is on route to help keep riders safe. Learn more about SAG on our Safety page.

Charters: Charters provide additional support services for RAGBRAI riders throughout the week, such as transportation to and from RAGBRAI, daily tent and baggage services, exclusive use showers and toilets, meal services, charging stations, social hours, and other amenities. Charters can range from full-service to a la carte.

Teams: Teams are groups of riders and support drivers who organize themselves to enjoy RAGBRAI. You can often pick them out by their fun cycling kits, themes, and more! Being a part of a team can be a great way to experience RAGBRAI with your friends!

RIDE RIGHT: Ride Right is the safety program developed by RAGBRAI. The program name has a double meaning. Bicyclists should ride on the right side of the road AND follow all traffic laws. For a full overview of RIDE RIGHT and how to prepare for RAGBRAI, visit the Safety page.

Ways to RAGBRAI

First of all, register! Being a registered rider makes your experience much smoother and safer! When you register, you get access to the main campground, SAG, baggage services, free lost and found returns, med bike transport, patches, and more!

Week Long  vs Day Pass:  Riders can choose to ride the whole week or purchase day passes. Day passes allow you more flexibility to pick and choose days or make a long RAGBRAI weekend. Online registration for all types of registration closes in May so check the current info for dates and fees and make sure to sign up!

Onsite registration is available for weeklong and day passes at packet pick-up on Day Zero in the start town and at the RAGBRAI Merchandise Trailer in the Overnight Towns and Info Tent in the Main Campground each day.

Charters will only accept registered riders as well.

Charter vs Traditional: A Charter is an add-on service with a range of amenities available for you. Only RAGBRAI-approved Charters can operate along the route, and will only accept registered riders.

AP shared a breakdown of traditional vs charters in the February Town Hall-you can watch that on our YouTube channel. Here’s a quick overview:

Getting to RAGBRAI

There are lots of ways to get to the start of RAGBRAI: Friends, park in long term parking, use a shuttle service from a Charter, or a service like Mr. Car Shipper to transport your car. The website will be updated as shuttle details become available.

Lodging

Lodging while on RAGBRAI can take many forms. All registrations include access to the Main Campground. 

Main Campground: The Main Campground is home to the baggage trucks, SAG drop-off, the Info Tent, and more. Campground amenities include showers and a Bike Shop, and shuttle service to take you around town after you arrive.

Charters: Charters can provide private campground areas, concierge tent service, baggage service, bunkhouses and shower trailers, dedicated charging stations and more. Check out the list of Charters here to find one that fits your needs!

Local lodging: some riders prefer to book hotels, motels, B&B’s or other accommodations. Because the towns we visit vary in size, inventory is often limited, so book as soon as possible.

Host housing: generous residents open up their homes for camping, inside stays, and more! You will be able to request host housing as towns prepare the request forms. Towns cannot always guarantee a match due to limited hosts, so having a backup plan is always recommended.

Interested in requesting housing? You must be registered, and can sign up on each overnight town’s page. Towns traditionally have their housing forms live in March. Go to the towns web pages to find out more about their housing program. In some cases, a nominal fee will be added to your request to account for the town volunteers time finding and placing you for the night.

RV’s: RVs or camper vans are allowed! But any vehicle accompanying RAGBRAI participants during the week must have a vehicle pass purchased during registration. This pass grants access to designated RAGBRAI campgrounds in each host town. Please Note: You do not need a vehicle pass if you plan to park your vehicle at the starting or ending towns during the week of RAGBRAI. 

If you have an RV pass and are bringing a self-contained motor home, be aware that most RAGBRAI campgrounds won’t be able to provide electrical and water hookups. Depending on the community, additional amenities may be offered for a fee.

Towns typically won’t provide locations to fill RV water tanks, so plan to come prepared. However, there will be designated dumping stations noted along the route.

Make sure to plan accordingly for a self-sufficient RV setup! 

Support Logistics

Support Drivers: Each day, one of the pass-through towns is designated as a Meeting Town for you and your riders. We will indicate on the support vehicle map the routes into the meeting towns that you may use to meet your riders and enjoy the hospitality of the local residents. Bright pink arrows are used to direct support vehicles to and from the designated meeting town from the vehicle route.

Parking and Shuttles: Riders can purchase long-term parking at either the start or end town, and then either carpool or get a shuttle from a Charter to the start or back to their car from the finish. Information will be on the RAGBRAI Logistics page as it is finalized.

Safety

SAG: The SAG (Support and Gear) service is available only to registered riders who can’t continue to the overnight town due to medical or mechanical issues. It’s meant for emergencies only—not for daily use. If you aren’t prepared to complete the daily ride distances, consider whether participating in RAGBRAI is right for you.

The SAG Wagon will transport both you and your bike to either a repair station along the route or the main campground in the next overnight town. It’s important to remember that SAG Wagons are not a substitute for emergency services; please call 911 if you have a true emergency.

SAG Wagons patrol during specific route hours only and won’t be available once the route has officially closed for the day.

Medical: Medical teams (staffed with paramedics and doctors) patrol the bicycle route and emergency medical treatment will be available in each campground. Four ambulances and two motorcycle first-responders are on the route each day during route service hours.

Costs & Preparation

How much does it cost per day? Be prepared to cover daily expenses like meals, drinks, and showers. Cash is the most dependable method of payment along the route, so have small bills on hand to cover your purchases. You’ll be able to find ATMs in the bigger communities along the way.

Riders report spending anywhere from $45/day on up. Things to consider are if you are stopping at food vendors or grocery stores, drinking alcohol or not, and other personal preferences.

Showers or pool access in the overnight town typically run $5-$10 depending.

Where can I find food and water along the route? Towns will have free water refill stations available. Food, snacks, and more can be purchased along the route, along with other beverage options like hydration drinks, coffee/tea, and alcoholic beverages.

Power: Access to power will be limited throughout the week based on the sheer demand. You can get creative and find places along the route to charge things like cell phones. Some vendors also travel the route, providing charging services or swappable battery packs for you to use and return for charging. It’s common to find folks charging phones or other devices in church halls or community buildings while you enjoy an amazing locally prepared meal.

Many charters or teams provide power as part of their amenities. If you rely on something powered (e-bike battery, CPAP, etc.,) consider using a charter for guaranteed power access.

Bikes, Equipment, & Training

What kinds of bikes are allowed? All kinds of bikes are ridden on RAGBRAI! Road, gravel, hybrid, big wheels, even unicycles. E-bikes are also permitted but must follow Iowa State Electric E-bike Laws.

A gravel or road bike is a good choice, especially for newer riders as they are generally easier to ride. Using a mountain bike or bike with big knobby tires will usually slow you down as the majority of the route is paved.

If you ride an e-bike, please remember to always ride right and stay aware of your surroundings. E-bikes allow riders to reach higher speeds more quickly, which can create challenges when roads become crowded. They also make Iowa’s hills easier to climb. We welcome e-bikes; however, riders need to understand that some people may hold a negative stigma due to past experiences with e‑bike users.

Gravel: The route has grown to include optional gravel sections each day for riders that want to explore and enjoy the many types of off-road riding that Iowa provides. As a rule, sections are optional. Occasionally, the entire ride may be routed on a small gravel section if needed by Iowa DOT. These situations are few and far between and RAGBRAI staff work closely with IDOT to ensure a smooth route through the state.  

How should I train? RAGBRAI is a relaxed, non-competitive ride, but training is essential to fully enjoy the experience. To prepare, aim to ride at least 1,000 training miles. The route is challenging, with daily distances averaging over 67 miles, ranging from 35 to 85 miles, and includes a 100-mile optional loop. Iowa’s terrain is diverse, with both flat stretches and steep hills.

RAGBRAI should be the culmination of your training, not your primary exercise. Many injuries stem from inadequate preparation, so conditioning is key. If you’re unable to finish the ride, you’ll need to arrange your own transport home.

Check out this year’s training plan from Coach Ertl to help you prepare!

What should I pack? Here’s our general packing list that should cover all the bases.  Check out the RAGBRAI Packing Guide video for more tips and tricks!

If you are using the RAGBRAI Baggage service or a charter, be aware that there is a bag weight limit. For RAGBRAI Baggage, you are limited to 1 soft sided bag (like a duffel) that weighs no more than 50 lbs. Charters will vary.

Make sure to check out the FAQ for other answers to questions as you prepare for RAGBRAI. Additional info will be added as details are finalized for this year’s ride. RAGBRAI is the adventure of a lifetime, with memories to be made around every corner! We’ll see you on RAGBRAI!