GRISWOLD — Jess Burton is among the few who traveled more than 8,000 miles to ride the 51st edition of RAGBRAI this week.
Burton, 55, came all the way from Brisbane, Australia, to connect with her exchange program sister she met while in Bellevue, Iowa, in 1986. She ended up hopping on a bike with her friend and nearly 20 others on Team Kamikaze.
"My friend has been telling me about RAGBRAI for quite a few years, probably about four years," Burton said. "She's been saying, 'You've gotta come over and do RAGBRAI!' And, then, I just decided last week that I was going to do it. I just booked the tickets last Wednesday."
She traveled 15 hours back in time to get to Iowa, traveling from Los Angeles to Dallas and then finally to Des Moines. She said the trip was more than worth it to join about 18,000 registered riders on this year's route.
"It is well worth it ... It's amazing. It's very impressive. Everything runs so smoothly and I feel very safe here," she said.
Burton wasn't sure what to expect on the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa because she had never heard of anything like it on such a large scale.
"We have cycling events, but nothing with this kind of community and togetherness," she said. "Just the amount of people, the amount of friends I've made ... It's like nothing I've ever been to. I think it's one of a world kind, really."
Her highlight so far is seeing how much different Iowa is from her home in Australia.
"I've enjoyed the scenery, all the cornfields and how green it is," she said. "The little communities, each little town is so nice."
She says she's gearing up to come back next year, and maybe even every year.
"I think it was well worth me coming here for my holiday," she said. "I've really enjoyed it. It's just something unique that you can't do anywhere else. It's been a lot of fun."
Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.
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