Anticipation of record RAGBRAI numbers has local Ames officials placing a call for help.
The city is asking residents to open their homes to thousands of cyclists arriving Tuesday, July 25 for the 50th anniversary of the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.
Discover Ames President and CEO Kevin Bourke unveiled a RAGBRAI-specific web portal for the Ames City Council Tuesday night, a necessary tool which should make it easier to request overnight housing.
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The web portal can be found at the Discover Ames website.
Residents stepping up to host campers in their yard or riders in their homes will help take some of the pressure off camping sites designated around town. RAGBRAI hopes to host nearly 100,000 riders from Ames to Des Moines in an effort to break a single-day world record on July 26. Wednesday's route - which will also roll through Slater - is the week's shortest path of 50 miles. The anticipated record influx of people could cause some issues locally, which is why Discover Ames and its partners are pushing for more volunteers.