Pork Chops and Cornfields: These Photos Capture What Makes RAGBRAI Special
The Editors
·4 min read
The scent of pork chops, grilled corn, and homemade strawberry pie. And then something rank. Is that coming from you or a cow you just pedaled past? You slow to a stop at the pig farm to reapply chamois butter, and “Back in Black” fades to “Free Bird” as various stereos on wheels whiz by. Back in the saddle, a roadside family of six throws a popsicle your way. You swerve to snag it and narrowly dodge a quad tandem in Speedos. It’s your fifth popsicle of the day and it’s only 9:30 a.m.—another average morning on RAGBRAI, a.k.a. the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, the largest and oldest recreational bike ride in the world.
Its appeal seems to defy logic: tens of thousands of people of all ages, many camping each night, descend on Iowa to ride hundreds of miles from the Missouri to the Mississippi during the peak heat of summer. The ride was the brainchild of two Des Moines Register journalists, John Karras and Don Kaul, as a challenge that swelled from 300 Iowans in 1973 to thousands from all over the world. Averaging 468 miles ridden over seven days, the route changes yearly while many of its riders stay the same—once you experience the magic and mayhem of RAGBRAI, it’s hard to steer clear.
An estimated 30,000 to 60,000 people took to the byways, bridges, and gravel roads of Iowa each day for “One L of a Ride,” the 50th-anniversary ride that launched on July 23, 2023, from Sioux City—just as it did 50 years earlier. Severe thunderstorms, surprise hills, and high temperatures were only small setbacks as the annual party on wheels proved once again that pain is temporary, and RAGBRAI is forever.
Basketball analyst Dan Titus breaks down what the teams and stars who were booted from the NBA Playoffs must do to remain in good fantasy standing next season.
Donovan Mitchell scored 39 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a Game 7 victory over the Orlando Magic. The Cavaliers will face the Boston Celtics in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
TechCrunch Mobility is moving to Thursdays! Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! EV startup Fisker laid off more employees to "preserve cash" as bankruptcy inches ever closer; ride-hailing company Ola cut about 180 jobs and ousted its chief executive, Hemant Bakshi, merely four months after appointing him to the post; and lidar company Luminar slashed its 700-person workforce by 20% as part of a restructuring to adopt an "asset light" business model.
Some major deals on board: A super-handy collapsible garden cart for over $200 off, a cordless Shark pro stick vacuum for over 50% off, and a 65-inch Philips 4K smart TV for under $400.
Aluminum polish is great for restoring and protecting metal surfaces. It can be used on wheels, exhaust tips, and other metal surfaces that need cleaning.