RAGBRAI’s route will be shortest in the ride’s 53-year history

In Eastern Iowa, the ride will stop in Independence, Dyersville, Dubuque

Sarah Tillman (center) holds up her bike with David Dick and Nora Banks at the Guttenberg marina during the final day of RAGBRAI in Guttenberg on July 26, 2025. Tillman said this is her sixth time participating in RAGBRAI. She added that she was happy to have made it to the end and that it wasn’t raining anymore. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

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Riders will set off this summer on the shortest — but not nearly flattest — route in the 53-year history of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.

This year’s route, announced Saturday evening, will go across central Iowa for about 391 miles with 16,027 feet of climb. Organizers said it will be the 10th-hilliest route in the ride’s history. By comparison, last year’s 406-mile route had 10,4887 feet of climb.

The ride, which attracts thousands of cyclists from across the world as it rolls across the state, is from July 18-25 this year, beginning in Onawa and ending in Dubuque. The longest ride between two overnight stops is about 81 miles, and the shortest is just shy of 34 miles.

The route announced Saturday:

Day 1: Onawa to Harlan, 58.5 miles and 3,465 feet of climb.

Day 2: Harlan to Guthrie Center, 53.9 miles and 3,554 feet of climb.

Day 3: Guthrie Center to Boone, 59.5 miles and 1,503 feet of climb.

Day 4: Boone to Marshalltown, 62.2 miles and 1,563 feet of climb.

Day 5: Marshalltown to Independence, 81.4 miles and 2,713 feet of climb.

Day 6: Independence to Dyersville, 42.2 miles and 1,441 feet of climb.

Day 7: Dyersville to Dubuque, 33.7 miles and 1,788 feet of climb.

Jack Bohme, of Wisconsin, Abigail Craff, of New Mexico, Rob Craff, of New Mexico, and Steve Wiley, of Tucson, raise their bikes for a photo by the Mississippi River during the final day of RAGBRAI in Guttenberg on July 26, 2025. When riders finished the route, they lined up to get their photos taken in front of the Mississippi River. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

This year’s pass-through and meetup towns along the route will be announced in the coming months.

Registration for RAGBRAI already is underway. The current rate for a weeklong rider is $250 and for non-riders to support cyclists is $45 — but both those rates increase after Feb. 28. Support vehicles also require a pass at an additional charge, and there are ticketing options for riders who want to ride just part of the route.

Details are at ragbrai.com.

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