Mason City working on preps ahead of RAGBRAI XLIX

(ABC 6 News) – While it may feel like summer is a long way away, many in Iowa are already gearing up for late July when thousands of bicyclists from around the world will descend on the Hawkeye state for the 49th Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa better known as RAGBRAI.

The event starts on July 23rd in Sergeant Bluff and ends on the 30th in Lansing, making several stops along the way including in Mason City and Charles City.

The last time RAGBRAI riders made a stop in Mason City was in 2014. “We have a lot of committees that are working already in figuring those things fortunately we do have a lot of things we can rely on from 2014 as far as the success of that event but we also want to make sure that we are modifying those plans continues improvement on making sure that the riders have the best experience as they come through Mason City," said Aaron Burnett, City Administrator for the City of Mason City.

Hosting an overnight for the event includes planning out not only route logistics but also campground locations, showers, food, entertainment and more, all for nearly 20,000 people.

“Law enforcement our ems fire is already working on those things to make sure that there supported as they come through it just really important to have that coordination between all of those agencies knowing that it crosses so many jurisdictions," added Burnett.