Could it be a world record?
The 50th anniversary ride is expected to be RAGBRAI's biggest, but one particular day with a planned route of Ames to Des Moines could be the largest bicycle parade ever. The current record is 48,615
set in Italy on July 11, 2000. RAGBRAI ride director Matt Phippen estimates 100,000 could ride the 50-mile route from Ames to Des Moines.
"I went on record saying, 'you know, there's gonna be a lot of people coming,'" Phippen said. "I feel like if we have any weather like we had last year, with tailwinds and 70 degrees, everybody will come to ride. We saw so many families that just punched in last year and did short distances. I think the roads will be flooded that day. We're looking at, you know, bigger roads with the DOT, but it's going to be an epic day."
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Des Moines Council Person at-Large Carl Voss says the city estimates a $12 million impact.