(Radio Iowa) -In a little over two months, thousands of bicycle riders will be trekking the roads of northern Iowa during the weeklong adventure called RAGBRAI, the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Communities along the 406- mile route are busy making preparations for the massive influx of visitors. Elise Bergan is director of the Chamber of Commerce in Edgewood, one of the northeast Iowa towns that will see RAGBRAI riders on the final day of the ride, July 26th.

“They’ll probably start arriving around 10 and they are supposed to be cleared out of here by 2 o’clock,” Bergan says, “so we definitely have an opportunity to make a good impression in a short amount of time.” Officials with RAGBRAI say the largest single-day rider count was 50-thousand in 2023. Edgewood, with a population of 900, is what’s considered a “pass-through town” on this year’s route, which could mean ten- to 20-thousand — or more — cyclists will be pedaling past, and Bergan says they couldn’t be more thrilled.

Radio Iowa file photo

“Edgewood is also the meeting town,” she says, “so the support vehicles will be meeting here to possibly pick people up or give support where it’s needed for the riders.” Edgewood’s theme for the day will be “It’s a Buckin’ Good Time” – paying tribute to the long-standing Edgewood Pro-Rodeo Days celebration the community hosts every year.

RAGBRAI opens July 19th in Orange City, with overnight stops in Milford, Estherville, Forest City, Iowa Falls, Cedar Falls and Oelwein. The final stop is in Guttenberg, where riders will dip their bike tires in the Mississippi River.