A classic summer event in Iowa has a charted course.

The renowned RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) is headed into their 51st summer of riding across Iowa. It will be July 20th-July 27th. Last year, for their 50th race, riders ended in Davenport, dipping their tires in the Mississippi River.

RAGBRAI Facebook
RAGBRAI Facebook
loading...

The race announced the route this week and it's towards the south of the state and will feature gravel paths for an option all seven days, as well as the most elevation ever in a route, with 18,375 ft.

Day 1 will be Glenwood to Red Oak, Day 2 will be Red Oak to Atlantic, Day 3 will be Atlantic to Winterset, Day 4 will be Winterset to Knoxville, Day 5 will be Knoxville to Ottumwa, Day 6 will be Ottumwa to Mount Pleasant, and Day 7 will be Mount Pleasant to Burlington.

Des Moines Register reports that there are nine towns on the route that will make their first RAGBRAI route appearance:

  • Elliott (Day 2)
  • Cumberland (Day 3)
  • Massena (Day 3)
  • St. Mary's (Day 4)
  • Lovilia (Day 5)
  • Eddyville (Day 5)
  • Agency (Day 6)
  • Eldon (Day 6)
  • Selma (Day 6)

There are also day passes available to join RAGBRAI, where cyclists can join in (or leave) at Indianola, on the way from Winterset to Knoxville. The passes are $50 and available on RAGBRAI's website through April 14th before the price goes up to $60.

It's a 434-mile ride for everyone making the journey from Glenwood to Burlington.

Every day has a theme. The first day (Glenwood to Red Oak) features the initial tire dip and a moment of silence. There's a college jersey day and more.

You can get more details on the race at RAGBRAI's website.

LOOK: Best counties to raise a family in Iowa

Stacker compiled a list of the best counties to raise a family in Iowa.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

LOOK: Which movies were filmed in Iowa?

Stacker compiled a list of movies filmed in Iowa using data from Movie Locations, with additional information about each film collected from IMDb.

Gallery Credit: Stacker