DES MOINES, Iowa — RAGBRAI begins in less than a month, with people from all 50 states and 20 countries expected to compete.
And until the ride begins, people behind the scenes are trying to keep cyclists safe; a task made a little more challenging this year because of the record number of expected bikers.
RAGBRAI Director Matt Phippen told Local 5 that he expects there to be a new record number of cyclists riding along the Ames to Des Moines route – right alongside the Capitol.
“It definitely is a bigger number than any year," he said. "Obviously with RAGBRAI 50. There’s a lot of people who want to come because they have either ridden in the past, and they want to celebrate the 50th, or like I said, they want to just show up and ride their bike that day.”
Phippen didn’t provide a set number of registered riders, because some people don’t show up, but he admitted there will be more cyclists than any previous year.
Bikers officially begin the RAGBRAI ride on July 23 in Sioux City, and then a week later, they finish on the east side of Iowa in Davenport.
But with a new record number of people anticipated to ride, riders will pack the streets, leading to a potential safety concern for them.
“When you have that many people coming to a certain area, there’s going to be crashes," Phippen said. "It’s just how it is. There are just too many people around.”
Sgt. Paul Parizek of the Des Moines Police Department agrees with Phippen.
“Anyone who has been on RAGBRAI has probably seen it happen," Parizek explained. "One person will wreck, and then you’ll have ten people that also wreck, because they don’t have the time to react."
Parizek also mentioned they will have an increased police presence along the Ames to Des Moines route and will have several hundred officers on the streets alone to help assist if anything goes wrong.
To avoid crashing along the ride, Phippen recommends that bikers just "get to know their own bike," to avoid becoming overwhelmed with the record number of riders.