Bicyclists started their several-hundred mile journey across Iowa, first dipping a rear tire in a northwest Iowa river on Sunday, July 20, 2014.
According to Iowa State Trooper Dan Loussaert, the RAGBRAI group rode about 67 miles the first day, starting near Rock Valley and traveling all the way to Milford. He said the weather was warming into the mid-80s with 10-25 mph south winds.
On their second day, RAGBRAI cyclists braved muggy conditions and a heat index near 100 as they rode from Okoboji to Emmetsburg. That was about a 40-mile journey.
Cyclists traveled 73 miles, from Emmetsburg to Forest City on the third day of RAGBRAI. They had the option to extend the ride to about 100 miles that day, if they chose to ride the “Karras Loop.” Conditions were muggy again, with heat indices again at – or just over – 100 degrees.