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ORANGE CITY, Iowa (Iowa Media Wire) — Soon, thousands of cyclists will begin a week-long ride across the Hawkeye State for the annual RAGBRAI event, and this year marks the second time that one Siouxland community is hosting.
Orange City is known for its tulips and wooden shoes, but in 4 days, the Dutch community will be filled with cyclists for the 52nd RAGBRAI.
“Last time we hosted as the starting town was 2017, so about eight years ago,” said Mike Hofman, the executive director of the Orange City Chamber of Commerce.
It was announced in January that Orange City would host this year’s ride, and with RAGBRAI only a couple of months after the Tulip Festival, officials say they’ve been busy.
“We’ve really had two committees running side by side. You know, as in all small communities, there are a lot of volunteers that overlap, but we also have different volunteers that do that for the festival, and then other people that have gotten on board for RAGBRAI, because that’s more like their thing. So, they’ve all been kind of working side by side up until the festival happened,” said Hofman.
Officials are expecting more than 25,000 people on Saturday and have prepared a variety of activities for cyclists to do.
“Our beer garden and food vendors opened at 11:00 a.m. here in the heart of downtown. The RAGBRAI Bike Expo will start at noon and that goes until 9:00 p.m. Our main stage, or our band Shell Entertainment, will start at noon, and we’ve got a couple of local bands playing throughout the afternoon,” said Hofman.
This year, the Midwest Honor Flight, which flies veterans to D.C to tour the memorials of those who served their country, is a non-profit partner with RAGBRAI.
With that in mind, Orange City has set up something special.
“The 185th Air Refueling Wing out of Sioux City is going to do a flyover with a KC-135. We’ve got an Air Force general that’s going to be here and swear in some Air Force people,” said Hofman.
One major change Orange City has made to this year’s ride has been the traditional Tire Dip.
“We’re taking a shuttle bus that people can get signed up for, we’ll shuttle riders out to Hayward, and they can dip their tire in the water, and then they can ride back,” said Hofman.
“Right now, we’re currently prepping the canal because the bikers will be dipping their tire in the canal to start their journey, so we’re prepping it by cleaning it, power washing, And then we’re going to be filling it with water from the Big Sioux River,” said Jackson Miller, the Orange City Parks Supervisor.
With the Dutch community hosting this year’s ride, this has encouraged one Le Mars cyclist to try it out.
“This is my first year doing it. I’m doing it with some college roommates. It’s an awesome event, I’m super excited to experience it, and I’m sure it’ll be even more fun than I realize,” said Peyton Brasser, a first-time RAGBRAI rider.
Orange City is still in need of more volunteers, so if you’d like to donate your time, click here.