RAGBRAI passes through Des Moines metro for 2nd year in a row, attracting more riders

INDIANOLA — Day 4 of RAGBRAI took riders the closest they'll come to Des Moines on this year's route and gave them a smorgasbord of sights and bites to experience on stops.

It's the second year in a row that metro residents could easily hop on the ride; last year's historic 50th anniversary route stopped in Ames and Des Moines before passing through other central Iowa towns. Wednesday's route felt busier than other days so far this week, some riders said, and Indianola spokesperson Aaron Young said the city expected up to 30,000 riders and visitors — several thousand more than the estimated 18,000 riders registered this year.

Even Gov. Kim Reynolds joined in on the fun. She was spotted on the route between her hometown of Saint Charles and Saint Marys. A DJ announced her presence in pass-through town Milo in the afternoon.

For a second straight day, rolling hill after rolling hill challenged riders. It was the third-hilliest day of the week, taking riders 75 miles from Winterset to Knoxville, just a 45 minute drive southeast of Des Moines.

RAGBRAI took U.S. Highway 92 into the meeting town of Indianola and exited on Iowa Highway 65, both usually busy corridors. Police did allow some vehicle traffic on part of the route in Indianola, taking turns letting RAGBRAI riders and then cars and semitrucks through at intersections.

In Indianola, residents of the Westview of Indianola Care Center waved at riders as they came into town.

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Children lined the street and a DJ played near the Warren County Justice Center on the town square.

Simpson College faculty and staff handed out free water and rehydration drinks to riders.

And Indianola City Hall closed for the day as staff assisted in RAGBRAI operations, according to a post on X.

Indianola also honored Clarence Pickard , who at age 83 rode every mile of The Great Six-Day Bike Trip, the 1973 precursor to RAGBRAI. Pickard was born in Kansas, but lived most of his life in Indianola. On Wednesday the Warren County Historical Society displayed the women's 10-speed bicycle Pickard rode the first edition on for riders to see.

Indianola's theme was "Just Eat It," and in the week ahead of the ride the community's RAGBRAI Facebook page highlighted local restaurants and breweries.

While having more riders on route Wednesday was not an automatic boon for local businesses, at least in Indianola, business owners and managers the Des Moines Register spoke with said RAGBRAI customers are loyal.

Ris Labertew, assistant manager at Pageturners Bookstore at the corner of East Salem Avenue and South Howard Street, said sales on Wednesday were maybe the eighth best of the year so far. Labertew said people who've come through Indianola before on RAGBRAI and returned this time had "been buying more books than any year they've come through before."

They'd seen people leave the store Wednesday with a stack of about six books — pretty big for a bike ride, even with a storage pack to tuck them in.

"I love seeing people (from) all over the country come through," Labertew added.

Rhonda Crouse, co-owner of Crouse Cafe on East Salem Avenue with her husband, John, has seen more than one RAGBRAI come through Indianola since they inherited ownership of the cafe in 1991 from John's family.

Her husband's grandparents started the cafe in 1946. Crouse said business from RAGBRAI is unpredictable — they had plenty leftover Wednesday of their nationally renowned pie slices. The top sellers had been strawberry rhubarb, gooseberry and coconut cream instead of their famous cherry pies.

But Crouse said she wasn't worried, with the National Balloon Classic set to start Friday in Indianola.

And like Pageturners, Crouse said the cafe had gotten a lot of customers on Wednesday who were repeat riders.

More: Central Iowa teen sells bananas to raise money for children's cancer charity on RAGBRAI

Some of the people greeting riders at the start of the day were burning off calories . A few members of the Indianola CrossFit Undone club's 8:30 a.m. class opted to switch up their usual routine by trying to pedal 32 miles in an hour while on stationary bikes situated along South Jefferson Way, as a way to participate as they watched RAGBRAI riders go by. RAGBRAI went 32 miles from Winterset to Indianola to start the day.

Bike riders on both sides of the curb on South Jefferson Way encouraged one another, and the CrossFit gym had drinks for sale for the RAGBRAI riders. A couple of golden retrievers, 7-year-old Kirby and 10-year-old Charlie, also enjoyed the activity.

CrossFit Undone's owner Nealey Webster of Indianola reflected on what it meant for the city that RAGBRAI came through.

"It builds our community. It brings so many people in so our small businesses can raise more money for themselves. It's very awesome for this community to be a part of RAGBRAI," Webster said.

Will Walker, of Anchorage, Alaska, rode his bike backwards, turning his head to see hazards ahead. Walker was on his second RAGBRAI. Between Indianola and Milo, Walker, who works in oil and gas fields above the Arctic Circle, said he felt right at home in Iowa.

“I loved it. I loved every minute," Walker said of his first RAGBRAI last year.

Kelly Longhenry, of Phoenix, Arizona, came at the invitation of friend Perry Henkes, who is from Dubuque. She said whether the towns have been big or small, they’ve all been very welcoming.

It was Longhenry’s first time on RAGBRAI, but she said that cyclists around the country knows about the river-to-river trek across Iowa. She flew all the way to make the ride and said she’s enjoyed the variety of experiences across the state.

“Every town is different,” she said. “But they’ve all had great amenities.”

Des Moines Register reporter Ryan Magalhães contributed to this story.

Phillip Sitter covers the western suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com or on X at @pslifeisabeauty.

Philip Joens is riding his 19th RAGBRAI. He has completed the river-to-river trek seven times. He covers retail, real estate and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register and can be reached at 515-284-8184 at pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RAGBRAI passes through Des Moines metro for 2nd year in a row, attracting more riders