By Estelle Johnson
Special correspondent to the Cedar Falls News Hub
The longest bike ride in the Midwest has kicked off its second shortest route in its 52-year history this year.
And on July 24, RAGBRAI will take an overnight breather in Cedar Falls, taking full advantage of what the town has to offer.
This will be the fifth time RAGBRAI, which stands for Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, makes an overnight stop in Cedar Falls.
RAGBRAI has come through the community in 1989, 1998, 2007 and 2015.
But this year is different from the previous – instead of hosting activities on University of Northern Iowa’s campus, the Cedar Falls Tourism and Community Main Street worked together to hold RAGBRAI activities in the heart of the city, on Main Street.
Since the announcement of the route in Jan., Jennifer Pickar, Tourism & Cultural Programs Manager at Cedar Falls Visitors Center, has been hard at work with her team to promote the event. Pickar said in an interview, “It’s taken a lot of people to plan this… from the city public works, to public safety, to community main street,” she said.
What remains to be finessed are logistics like where to put the barricades to close the streets and traffic flow, and how to ensure the safety of the downtown camp, among others.
The goal of all of the hard work, Pickar says, is encouraging visitors to travel to Cedar Falls, whether it’s for a conference, sports, or just leisurely travel weekend getaways.
The Cedar Falls RAGBRAI theme is “Ride the Wave,” which echoes the RAGBRAI theme, “Take Flight,” and adds an important message — the Cedar River is now open for surfing and this new development, which was showcased in a June 6 grand opening of the water features in Gateway River Park, is bound to become a main draw for tourists.
Meanwhile UNI, which is celebrating 150 years, starting this fall and into 2026, had released its special swag for the ride.
An email to Pete Moris, he said that UNI is expecting to host 75 RAGBRAI guests. “We are hopeful that all of the riders and visitors enjoy the many events and the great hospitality planned in our community,” Moris wrote.
The RAGBRAI activities on Main Street create an opportunity for new visitors to see why locals love their community – and will allow Cedar Falls residents and RAGBRAI cyclists to mingle.
On Facebook, there is a group page dedicated to finding housing placements for riders while they’re in town for the night. If any locals wish to house an adventurer for the night, check out the Cedar Falls Housing Match group.
A list of planned events and additional safety information can be found here.
Pickar said, “We’re ready to throw a big party and celebrate,”