How remote is southern Iowa? RAGBRAI riders came across a bar called the Middle of Nowhere

CUMBERLAND — An 82-mile stretch in southwestern Iowa brought riders to the middle of nowhere on Day 3 of RAGBRAI.

Southwestern Iowa is known for its remote small towns. Cumberland, Iowa, a town of just around 250 residents, is home to the Middle of Nowhere 1 . Literally, it's a restaurant.

Karen Kotecki, 56, and her friend Barb Duffner, 66, who came from Fort Collins, Colorado, took a selfie with the restaurant's sign as they rolled through Tuesday morning.

"Being in the middle of nowhere, with about 20,000 other bikers, it's pretty cool," Kotecki said. "I'm just happy to be here."

"I did not know it was the middle of nowhere with a lot of miles here, and I guess a lot of miles to get out," Duffner said. "I'm glad we're around a quarter done for the day."

Cumberland has a main strip lined with a volunteer fire station, a post office, a small library, Cumberland City Hall and, of course, the Middle of Nowhere.

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The Middle of Nowhere didn't have its doors open for riders as they passed through around 8:30 a.m. The restaurant is usually open from noon to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and on weekends. Daily hours may vary from what is posted.

Ericka Stender, 23, a Cumberland native, was dishing out food to cyclists as they made the second pit stop for the day. She's never seen her small town like this.

A pancake breakfast with a variety of breakfast fixings were available for cyclists at the Cumberland Volunteer Fire Department. A few tents were set up along the town's Main Street that offered water and coffee. A bike repair tent was helping cyclists get their bikes ready for the hills the rest of the day has to offer .

"I've never seen this many people here," Stender said. "To have 20,000-plus coming through here is astronomical, but I think we're handling it pretty well. ... It really adds to our small-town hospitality."

Benson Loveless, a RAGBRAI first-timer from Nashville, Tennessee, knew what he was getting in to, but wished the Middle of Nowhere had opened its doors for riders.

"I was expecting it to be this rural. ... It's been great, people have been super friendly," Loveless said. "But I wish I would've known about the Middle of Nowhere earlier."

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How remote is southern Iowa? RAGBRAI riders came across a bar called the Middle of Nowhere