Coralville seeks more volunteers to host RAGBRAI riders

When 10,000 cyclists pull into Coralville later this month on day seven day of RAGBRAI, event organizers would like to have host homes for everyone who would rather not pitch a tent at the general camp sites.

But not enough people have volunteered to host riders, leaving about 50 of the nearly 200 individuals or teams of cyclists that have applied to stay at area homes waiting to be paired with hosts, said Nick Kaeding, Coralville RAGBRAI housing committee chairman.

Kaeding is looking for more host home volunteers to come forward within the next week to two weeks so he can let cyclists know if they'll have housing when they come to town July 29, Kaeding said.

“If we can't find homes for everyone, then we have to let them know that we have been unable to locate housing for them, and they are on their own,” he said. “We don't want to do that, but unfortunately you can only do what you can do.”

The city has pending requests for host homes from both individual riders and groups of cyclists, which can be no larger than 15 people. Some applicants only want to pitch a tent in a yard and have access to a bathroom, while other applicants have more specific requests, Kaeding said.

One applicant, for example, requested housing for “just me and the schnauzer Suzy.”

“Suzy has done two RAGBRAIs and stayed in 14 homes with no problem,” the applicant, Kathy Schubert, of Chicago, wrote. “She is non-shed, housebroken and arrives very tired.”

Schubert said she and her dog will sleep on the floor, if necessary.

“Older women love to house us,” she wrote. “Some have even wanted to keep Suzy.”

Host families specify the needs they can accommodate – like pets – and Kaeding said he matches applicants with appropriate homes. Prospective hosts also can come in to the Coralville City Hall to browse through remaining applications and pick one.

“You are not required to provide food or beverages,” he said. “The thing most riders are looking for is a shower and a bathroom.”

Although the about 150 families that have signed up to host riders this summer is more than in 2006, the last time Coralville was a stop along the route, the city also has received more requests for host homes than it did five years ago.

“We still have a good stack left, and we are hoping people will come forward and help us out,” Kaeding said.

Cody Ash, 32, of Denver, said he's doing this year's ride with a team of 15 people, and they've been assigned to stay at the home of Josh Schamberger, president of the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Schamberger family has beds, couches and floor space to accommodate the team, and Ash said that's more than adequate for him. Staying in the homes of Iowans along the route – or in an auto showroom, as they have planned for one night – is what makes the ride so much fun, he said.

“That is what is so cool about it for me,” he said. “It's the essence of Iowa. You meet friendly people who want to help you out.”

Schamberger, who has stayed at host homes in RAGBRAIs past, said he and his wife will have snacks and drinks available for their guests but some hosts go even further to make riders comfortable.

“We have shown up and had a refrigerator absolutely full of pop, water and beer,” he said. “There have been some instances where homeowners have said, ‘Here are the keys to our home and our car. Have a great time. The house is yours.”

Hosting families can be just as fun as being hosted, and it can result in lifelong friendships, Schamberger said.

“That's what makes RAGBRAI so special,” he said. “It's the hospitality that is foreign to so many people in other states and other countries.”