RAGBRAI 2024 Day 7 preview: Riders finish with trek from Mount Pleasant to Burlington

The hilliest ride in RAGBRAI history will cover its final miles Saturday as tired riders glide down to the Mississippi River at Burlington for the traditional ride-ending tire dip. Will they drive home glad to be done with the seven-day journey, or will they be wishing for just one day more?

Here's what's ahead.

Saturday's RAGBRAI route

Mount Pleasant to Burlington.

What to know

It's a mere 46.5 miles to Burlington and there's just two stops along the way: Mediapolis and Kingston. But that doesn't mean riders will suffer for lack of variety. They'll have covered a little more than half the distance by the time they reach Mediapolis, and the town is ready for a hungry horde. Its Facebook page lists nearly 25 vendors with breakfast offerings from oats to tacos and ribeye.

It's also planning a scavenger hunt. Take a selfie at seven sites scattered around town and enter to win Mediapolis merchandise.

Truly tiny Kingston, population about 80, is the other stop as riders start the home stretch on the historic Great River Road through the Mississippi River bottomlands to Burlington.

There's a tendency for riders to scatter the second the tire dip is over, but Burlington, the second-largest city on the 2024 route after Day 5 overnight town Ottumwa, is angling to give them a reason to hang around for just a little longer. The chief attraction is Snake Alley, the famous, winding, brick-paved roadway featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not that winds through steep switchbacks at a 21% grade and with 1,100 degrees of curvature. If riders haven't already had enough of hills, they're invited to take the Snake Alley Challenge, riding to the top to win a koozie.

And for those who just haven't had enough partying, the city's RAGBRAI Facebook page promises there will be food and beverage vendors, musical performances and a commemorative album by Burlington's own RAGBROS, including the anthem "Dip Those Wheels (Mississippi Flow)" and even a song about pie.

Weather

Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.

Looking forward to...

Doing it all again next year!

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RAGBRAI 2024 Day 7 preview: Riders finish with trek from Mount Pleasant to Burlington