RAGBRAI LII July 19 - 26, 2025

Route Inspection Ride: Day 7 – Mount Pleasant to Burlington

  • 7 June, 2009
  • Jared

The weather did not hold up.  After three beautiful days of sunshine and tailwinds, the weather got ugly.  The temps were in the 60s with rain and 20-plus mile per hour headwinds.  

a-june-6-aWe were joined again by a few second day riders.  Charlie, Bob and Chuck from Muscatine rode again as did Tim from New London.  We were also joined by Mount Pleasant RAGBRAI Committee member Mark Hamilton, his wife Barb and a few other members of the Henry County Wheelmen.  Roger and Gary from the Burlington RAGBRAI committee came over to ride as well, despite the gloomy forecast.  The weather got the best of the riders as the combination of high winds and driving rain storm pulled the riders off the road.

The day’s ride ranks as the 10th easiest day in RAGBRAI history when factoring in just 43 miles and just over 1,000 feet of climb.  That is according to GeoBike’s Rich Ketcham, our elevation and statistics guru.  So out of the 258 other riding days of the 37 years of RAGBRAI, this one is easier than 248 of those past days of RAGBRAI rides.

Here are some facts and points of interest from each town.

New London, Iowa (Meeting Town)

a-june-6-bOur first stop of the day will be New London, Iowa.  This town of 1,937 is located in Henry County and will be the only incorporated city of the day.

Abraham Dover settled in what is now New London in 1833.  Five years later, President Polk appointed the first postmaster for the hamlet.  The “post office” consisted of a cigar box in which letters were kept until the addressee paid the 25 cents postage due.  This might take as long as two weeks.  The town became known as Dover.

In 1840, Mr. Dover sold eight acres of his town to Jonathan King who surveyed the land and named the town New London.  The survey was done with a rope and laid out the original nine block square town with the town park as the middle block.  The town park is still used by many and will be a highlight of the RAGBRAI visit to the town of New London.  

Across Main Street to the east from the park is the Dover Historical Museum.  The old creamery was restored and New London’s past is displayed for all to enjoy.

New London has been known as the “Gateway to Geode State Park”, and many “rock hounds” travel to the area to hunt for the crystal filled rocks.  Today the town is known as the “City of Redbuds”.  Hundreds of redbud trees have been planted and come spring the city of displayed in lavender splendor.

a-june-6-to-burlington-012We had a great visit to New London as Jan Bell, Tim’s wife, had homemade breakfast treats waiting for us.  Hot sticky buns, breads, fruit and coffee were perfect on a rainy morning after a 15 mile ride into town.  Tim rode with the Air Force Cycling Team for years and fell in love with Iowa while on RAGBRAI.  After retiring from the Air Force, he decided he wanted to live in southeast Iowa and relocated to New London.  They were originally from northwestern New York.  You can see that they quickly learned about being hospitable Iowans from the RAGBRAI experience. 

New London has hosted RAGBRAI once before, the last time was during RAGBRAI XXXI on the ride from Mount Pleasant to Fort Madison.

a-june-6-to-burlington-019Lowell, Iowa

Lowell is an unincorporated area in Henry County that you will enter by a screaming downhill.  Be sure to slow down on this one as the hamlet is at the bottom and a sharp turn will take us out of town, so forgot about any uphill push.

We known that the Iowa District of the National Barrel Horse Association will have a food and drink stand in town and perhaps the church will be involved as well.  The Air National Guard will have their water buffalo on hand in Lowell.

Lowell has hosted RAGBRAI once before, the last time was during RAGBRAI XXXI on the ride from Mount Pleasant to Fort Madison.

Geode State Park a-june-6-c

So what is a geode?  Geodes are essentially rock cavities or vugs with internal crystal formations or concentric banding. The exterior of the most common geodes is generally limestone or a related rock, while the interior contains quartz crystals and/or chalcedony deposits. Other geodes are completely filled with crystal, being solid all the way through. These types of geodes are called nodules.  I’m sure the University of Iowa Archaeology Department’s information on this year’s route will have plenty of good information about Geode State Park.

The geode stone for which this park is named brings “rock hounds” to the area in search of this elusive prize. A display of geodes, with mysterious crystal formations in their hollow cavities, can be seen at the park office. Please remember that it is illegal to remove geodes and other natural materials from state parks, except for mushrooms, nuts, fruits and berries.

a-june-6-dThe prime attraction of the 1,640-acre park is Lake Geode, a 187-acre lake built in 1950. Over the years, the lake has become well known for excellent fishing for largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, channel catfish, bullhead, and red-eared sunfish.  The ride across the dam is spectacular.

The week before RAGBRAI, the park will host the Lake Geode Challenge.  We will be using many of the same roads as the 40K bike portion of the tri.  The triathlon (1.5K Swim – 40K Bike – 10K Run) is a USA Triathlon sanctioned event.

No food will be served in the park, but plenty will be available at the Harmony Bible Church just outside of the park on the route to Burlington.

RAGBRAI has never ridden through Geode State Park.

Harmony Bible Church (just after Geode State Park)

a-june-6-eOur last stop will be at the Harmony Bible Church.  The church is looking forward to greeting the riders on the final day and serving some good food, drink and entertainment before the riders head towards the dip-site in Burlington.  As you can see by the picture, the church is no small rural church.  The original church was established in 1957.

Burlington, Iowa

RAGBRAI XXXVII will finish in this beautiful historic community on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. This will mark the fifth time RAGBRAI has ended in Burlington. Since it is a short ride, take the opportunity to relax and explore the community and its rich history, discover the beautiful parks and find shops and restaurants.  The Sac and Fox Indians called this area SHO QUO QUON, Land of Peace.

a-june-6-to-burlington-030Snake Alley was once recognized by Ripley’s Believe It or Not as the “Crookedest Alley in the World” with seven curves over its 275 feet. The physical limitations and steep elevation of Heritage Hill inspired the construction of Snake Alley in 1894. It was intended to link the downtown business district and the neighborhood shopping area located on North Sixth Street, of which Snake Alley is a one-block section. Three German immigrants conceived and carried out the idea of a winding hillside street, similar to vineyard paths in France and Germany: Charles Starker, an architect and landscape engineer; William Steyh, the city engineer; and George Kriechbaum, a paving contractor.a-june-6-to-burlington-029

The street is the site of an annual bike race, the Snake Alley Criterium. The race is uphill and has been taking place for 27 years each Memorial Day weekend.  Riders will have an option to ride up Snake Alley (if they dare!) as the route passes the exit to Snake Alley before heading to the Mississippi River.

The dip-site will be at the Port of Burlington in the shadows of the Great River Bridge, an asymmetrical, one-tower cable-stayed bridge over the Mississippi River and provide the perfect photo opportunity to commemorate your accomplishment of 442 miles across the state of Iowa.

a-june-6-to-burlington-037Just because you finished the ride with the traditional Mississippi River tire dipping, “Dip it Down in B-Town”, it doesn’t mean the fun is over!  Burlington will be entertaining RAGBRAI riders throughout the afternoon. 

There will be plenty of food, drink and entertainment on the riverfront at the Port of Burlington.  This is the area that hosts Burlington Steamboat Days each June featuring top national acts.

 Here is a list of things happenings on Saturday, July 25:

Main Stage Entertainment
The New Imposters from Peoria, IL

The New Imposters will be playing on the main state from 11 – 3. There will be music from a live remote from 9 – 11. The New Imposters are a “Fun, melody ridden rock, for those who love their rock to be both fun and melody ridden!!”

Luau Weekend at The Drake
The Drake will be opening early to greet riders as they dip their tires across the street. Join in the fun with live entertainment by the Jefferson County Green Bank from 8 – Midnight

Burlington Bees vs. Fort Wayne
Gates open at 6:30 pm – It is Long John Silver’s/A&W Friends and Family Night
“The Bees are Single-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals”

Burlington will be entertaining RAGBRAI riders on two occasions.  In addition to the big dip-site day, riders leaving vehicles in Burlington will be shown some great hospitality on Friday, July 17 before heading across the state to start the ride in Council Bluffs. 

Here is a list of things to do on Friday, July 17:

Spokes & Spandex Send-Off Soiree
PZAZZ! Convention & Event Center
Sean Costanza Band
Show Starts at 8:00 – 10:00 PM
Free shuttle service from PZAZZ! to Notre Dame Available
Admission is $8 at the door – Riders are $5 at the door

Festive BBQ and Blues Weekend at The Drake Restaurant
Across from the Official Burlington RAGBRAI Dip-Site in Downtown Burlington
Friday, July 17 starting at 5:00 p.m.
This establishment will be included on the guided shuttle route from Notre Dame the evening of July 17th from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Burlington Bees vs. Beloit
Gates open at 6:30 pm – It is Jimmy Buffett Night so you can enjoy Jimmy Buffett music and activities all night long!
“The Bees are Single-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals”

Downtown Sidewalk Sales
Downtown Burlington Welcomes Riders with Downtown Sidewalk Sales going on Friday, July 17, from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm on Jefferson Street. Visit a variety of downtown stores, restaurants, and enjoy the great view of our Riverfront.

Burlington has hosted RAGBRAI four previous occasions, the last time during RAGBRAI XXVIII in 2000.

3 Comments

  1. Nigel

    Thanks for these (mostly reassuring) posts; it was great to learn more about the rides, the geography and the towns. Just reading the posts got the Ragbrai drumroll going faster for me….

  2. Nigel

    Many thanks for this series of (mostly reassuring) posts. It’s great to learn more about where we will be riding – and helps get the Ragbrai drumroll going nicely. I really appreciate your efforts….

  3. Bradley

    Thank you for the post! I am excited to complete this leg as I grew up in Burlington and know all the areas discussed. I live on the East Coast now and this will be my first RAGBRAI. Brad

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