RAGBRAI 2026, the annual bicycle ride across Iowa is history. The weeklong journey started this year in Onawa, near the border to Nebraska, on July 19 and ended last Saturday in Dubuque, Iowa. Roughly 20,000 registered cyclists completed the tour but I read that including day-pass riders and unregistered participants the numbers fluctuated between 25,000 and 40,000 on any given day. 391.4 miles (630 km) were behind those riders who made it to the Mississippi River in Dubuque and could happily dip the tires of their bicycles into the river. It was very hot and humid, especially the first couple days, and I think everybody was happy to have an overcast on the last day.
I positioned myself with the camera near the small town of Centralia, just a few miles west of Dubuque, Iowa, and tried to capture the joy, pain, and determination I saw in the faces of the riders not far from the finish.
Some riders go really fast…
…others take it a little more easy.
Even a family member made it to the finish line. Congratulations Evan!!