Charles City gears up for RAGBRAI

(ABC 6 News) – The popular Iowa event RAGBRAI, also known as the register’s annual great bicycle ride across Iowa, will be here before we know it with the event kicking off on July 23rd. RAGBRAI is the oldest, largest and longest recreational touring event in the world, and many Iowa cities have taken part in the historic event including Charles City.

Charles City has held the event in 2010 and 2017. The 2022 theme for the events stop in the city is "Viva Charles City." Organizers in the city are making sure that they are prepared for the summer event.

"I know that our police department has gone through city council to get the necessary permissions. They need to work with other communities, so other near by communities will share police officers for those days just to make sure we have enough staff in town," said Phoebe Pittman, the Hospitality Committee Chair for Charles City.

Pittman thinks there’s a reason why the event keeps coming back to Charles City.

"We know that there are RAGBRAI riders out there who really make an effort to eat and shop local when they are in town its not like all 20 thousand of them will do that but we do hope that as many of them as possible will check out all the little shops that they have here in Charles City and our local restaurants as well."

Eight Iowa communities like along the RAGBRAI route serve as "host" communities for overnight stays. The route averages 468 miles, with this years route bing 454.1 miles.