Officials with “Iowa’s Ride” today (Friday), announced that after meeting with cycling teams and cyclists throughout the state, they have decided to change the dates and direction of travel for the bicycling event. The Ride will now begin on Sunday, July 12th and end on Saturday, July 18th. Iowa’s Ride will also start on the eastern edge of Iowa in a Mississippi River town and travel west, ending seven days later in Western Iowa. Iowa’s Ride was originally set to begin in western Iowa on July 19, 2020 and travel across northern Iowa before finishing at a town along the Mississippi River on July 25. Those are the same dates as next year’s RAGBRAI.

Event organizers say in feedback they received from bicycling groups and individuals, “The most overwhelming concern that keeps coming up is the date of the event and how it is dividing long standing cycling teams.” Officials said also, “We apologize to those who have scheduled around this week and will be disappointed by this decision. We will refund 100% of those entry fees if they request since they no longer wish to do the ride.”