Daily Iowan photojournalist John Charlson rode the full 406-mile and seven day trek with a camera capturing his journey along the way. Checkout dailyiowan.com for more photos and John’s story about his journey.
The Register’s 52nd Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI LII) started on Saturday, July 19, in Orange City, Iowa with live music, food, and a plethora of bicycle related vendors lining the downtown streets. Among the entertainment that evening was a flyover performed by a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker over the main expo downtown.
The following morning, riders left Orange City for Milford, passing through Granville, Primghar, and meeting in Hartley for the 71.8 mile ride’s midpoint town. The sun kicked up in the afternoon, leaving many riders exhausted when setting up camp in Milford, whose town of about 3,300 grew by 20,000 with all of RAGBRAI’s registered riders enjoying local food and entertainment after the first day’s ride.
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