(Radio Iowa) – Next week’s RAGBRAI — the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa — will cross into a neighboring state for the first time in the event’s 52 year history. Monday’s route from Milford to Estherville includes a 15 mile stretch in Jackson County, Minnesota. Ryan Krosch, the county’s administrator, has been in charge of planning to host over 10-thousand bicyclists. “I had heard of RAGBRAI, but I did not realize how large of an event it was…I was a little overwhelmed, but we pulled together a lot of volunteers and staff to greet the bicyclists and looking forward to the opportunity showcase Minnesota and Jackson County.”

Over 20 food and beverage vendors will be set up at a local park. “Brown Park South is just north of the Iowa border and is nestled between two lakes,” Krosch said, “Pearl Lake and Loon Lake.” Krosch says riders will be invited to use Pearl Lake to carry a RAGBRAI tradition into another state. “The bicyclists will be able to take their bikes and dip that into Minnesota waters,” Krosch says. Ceremonial tire dipping has been part of RAGBRAI for years.

Many cyclists start the route on the western edge of Iowa by dipping a tire in the Missouri River and ending seven days later in eastern Iowa with a tire dip in the Mississippi. Krosch will be working with his staff and local law enforcement to make sure the bicyclists have a smooth ride through Jackson County — and he’s not at all tempted to join the two wheeling. “I’m not a bicyclist, but I do actually have an uncle here in Minnesota who is participating,” Krosch says, “so looking forward to seeing all the folks come and hope they have a good time.”

Iowa State Patrol Trooper Kevin Krull says there’s been a good deal of communication to law enforcement agencies up north about how to direct traffic when thousands of bicyclists pedal up north. “The nice part is it’s only going to be one county, so it’s basically dealing with one county’s sheriff’s department and the state patrol in that area,” Krull said. “We’re going to pass the ride off to them and they’re going to assist while they’re in Minnesota and then they’ll pass them back off when they come back in.”

Krull is one of 14 state troopers who coordinate with local law enforcement to direct traffic along the RAGBRAI route. “I remember that one year I was at the bottom of a large hill near a four-lane highway. It was definitely a workout to make sure that the riders were all safe and that nobody got hurt,” he says. “…With us being there, it notifies the riders that, ‘Hey! There’s a change. Be prepared!’…If nothing else, a lot of the state patrol officers that are doing traffic control will have a music selection for you to listen to.”

A spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety says some troopers will have a radio tuned to a local music station, but Krull and a partner who’ve been directing RAGBRAI traffic for years develop their own play list.