Last updated August 10, 2025

The 2026 has not been confirmed yet… The RAGBRAI (Ride Across Iowa) 2026 is the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, an eight-day ride across the state. Coming on its 51st year, RAGBRAI is a classic cycling experience and bucket list event for all types of cycling enthusiasts.  Picked as one of our Best Road Cycling Events in the Midwest, RAGBRAI is a ride, not a race, and it is the longest recreational bicycle tour in the world. The route is about 406 miles but is not entirely flat; prepare for rolling hills along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers that total 10,487 feet to climb over seven days.

Route details for 2026 will be announced in April’s Town Hall.  Here is a list of cities and miles that were covered each day of the 2025 event:

Day Zero: Expo at Orange City

Day One: Orange City to Milford – 70.1 Miles – 1,522 ft elevation

Day Two: Milford to Estherville – 44.6 miles – 1,395 ft elevation

Day Three: Estherville to Forest City – 71.4 miles – 1,308 ft elevation

Day Four: Forest City to Iowa Falls – 68.3 Miles – 1,449 ft elevation

Day Five: Iowa Falls to Cedar Falls – 49.5 miles – 1,262 ft elevation

Day Six: Cedar Falls to Oelwein – 38.2 miles – 1,210 ft elevation

Day Seven: Oelwein to Guttenberg – 61.2 miles – 2,341 ft elevation

There is extensive rider support daily, including four ambulance and paramedic teams, free SAG service, and bicycle repair shops along the routes that offer discounts for repairs, accessories, and RAGBRAI apparel.

Ventures Endurance Events produces RAGBRAI (Ride Across Iowa), and they are also known for another classic multi-day cycling experience, Ride the Rockies, which we consider one of the best cycling events in the Colorado and the Rockies, as well as Tour of the Battenkill, a  Top Gravel Races in New England.