Riders will set off this summer on the shortest — but not nearly flattest — route in the 53-year history of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.
This year’s route, announced Saturday evening, will go across central Iowa for about 391 miles with 16,027 feet of climb. Organizers said it will be the 10th-hilliest route in the ride’s history. By comparison, last year’s 406-mile route had 10,4887 feet of climb.
The ride, which attracts thousands of cyclists from across the world as it rolls across the state, is from July 18-25 this year, beginning in Onawa and ending in Dubuque. The longest ride between two overnight stops is about 81 miles, and the shortest is just shy of 34 miles.
The route announced Saturday:
Day 1: Onawa to Harlan, 58.5 miles and 3,465 feet of climb.
Day 2: Harlan to Guthrie Center, 53.9 miles and 3,554 feet of climb.
Day 3: Guthrie Center to Boone, 59.5 miles and 1,503 feet of climb.
Day 4: Boone to Marshalltown, 62.2 miles and 1,563 feet of climb.
Day 5: Marshalltown to Independence, 81.4 miles and 2,713 feet of climb.
Day 6: Independence to Dyersville, 42.2 miles and 1,441 feet of climb.
Day 7: Dyersville to Dubuque, 33.7 miles and 1,788 feet of climb.