List of RAGBRAI overnight stops
Eight "host communities" are selected each year by the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa organizers, except that there were only seven in 1973, the first year. Two of the communities are the beginning and end points, while the other six serve as overnight stops for the bicyclists. From 1973 to 2016, the distance between consecutive host communities averaged about 67 miles (ǂ). The average length of the overall RAGBRAI course has been 467 miles (ǂ). 1985 was the longest at 540 miles (ǂ) and 1977 the shortest at 400 miles (ǂ). ǂ  Note: Excluding the "century loop". At the beginning of the ride, riders traditionally dip the rear wheel of their bikes in either the Missouri River or the Big Sioux River (depending on the starting point of the ride). At the end of the ride, the riders dip the front wheels in the Mississippi River. There was at least one incident of a rider losing his bike after riding into the Mississippi River. Some facts about RAGBRAI: By year. Click on column headings to sort. By city. Click on column headings to sort.