Iowa City area officials say they are anticipating an economic boost from RAGBRAI and its hordes of bike riders and spectators expected to roll through in July.

Iowa City will be the overnight stop on day six — July 27 — of the seven-day non-competitive Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.

By RAGBRAI standards, day six will be a short and flat ride — 57.6 miles and 1,413 feet of climb — from Sigourney.

That’s a good thing for the area, said Josh Schamberger, president of the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“Anytime you host, you hope for a short day into your town,” Schamberger said. “That means more time people can spend in your town and check out your businesses.”

Organizers on Saturday night announced anchor towns for the 46th installment of RAGBRAI. Billed as a return to Central Iowa, the bike ride will begin July 22 in Onawa and end July 28 in Davenport. That is the same day as the Quad-City Times Bix 7 road race.

Denison, Jefferson, Ames, Newton, Sigourney and Iowa City will serve as the overnight towns in the middle of the 428-mile route that organizers call the fourth easiest in the ride’s 46-year history.

The first three days follow the Highway 30 corridor, then the route dips south of Interstate 80 for the last four.

Daily mileages range from 43.3 on the low end — on the first day from Onawa to Denison, which also will feature a gravel portion — to 71.7 on the high end, from Denison to Jefferson on day two.

Day five — Newton to Sigourney — will include an optional loop to bring the mileage total to 100 miles, or a century in cycling lingo.

“It’s not too long. It’s not too hard,” RAGBRAI Director T.J. Juskiewicz said. “We want people to get off their bikes. When you are climbing hills all day, it takes a lot out of you. There’s a good economic impact when there’s less time in the saddle.”

“Still, it’s 428 miles, and you never know about the weather,” he added.