RAGBRAI’s longest day ever tested even its fittest riders

RAGBRAI 2026 already was challenging, starting with two days of nearly 100-degree heat and thousands of feet of elevation gain as it ascended from the Missouri River valley.

>Even the cooler Day 3 on Tuesday, July 21, was a challenge on the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, with a stiff headwind pushing back on the riders during the second half.

>But an even bigger challenge lay ahead on Day 5, Thursday, July 23, for a self-selected few.

>

>Near the end of Thursday's 87.1 miles ― already the longest of the week ― lay the annual Karras Century Loop, an optional chance to turn the day into a more than 100-mile trek. And for those seeking the ultimate feat, the ride organizers had mapped out a second, add-on loop that would bring the day's total for anyone completing it to 160 miles ― roughly 250 kilometers in honor of America's 250th birthday year.

>By the time those who accepted the challenge arrived in the overnight town of Independence, they had ridden the longest one-day route in RAGBRAI's 53-year history.

>Even the fittest riders had second thoughts about the America 250 Double Loop. By late afternoon, RAGBRAI officials said their rough count was about 600 who had undertaken it out of the tens of thousands of RAGBRAI riders.

>Among them was Annika Sisac, a seasoned cyclist who rides the mountains of her native Colorado.

>Arriving at the check-in tent, Sisac said she didn't decide to tackle the double loop until she was 10 miles away from the pass-through town of Jesup, where it started.

>She said that after the rough first two days, she questioned if she could finish all seven days of RAGBRAI. But her boyfriend, who is riding on his first RAGBRAI, had been "hyping her up" to complete the 160-mile ride, she said.

>Sisac said that when she got on the road Thursday, with a high of just 76 degrees expected and a light wind, she started to feel confident that her weeks of cycling, plus training for a marathon, would carry her through the additional miles. Still, she acknowledged the ride wouldn't be easy.

>"I will say the hills in Colorado are steeper and longer, but rolling hills are really hard," Sisac said of the Iowa terrain. "It's its own type of challenge. I struggle with them personally, even though I come from Colorado. So it is definitely hard. Iowa is not flat."

Pausing for a smoke before the 160-mile loop

>Another America 250 rider, Brian Kelly, said he couldn't turn down the challenge despite having to delay surgery to make the ride.

>"I trained really hard this year, so I wanted to do it," Kelly said.

>As one of the first 20 riders to start the America 250 loop, Kelly took a break to enjoy a cigarette before setting out on the next 80 miles. He joked that all the best cyclists smoke.

>Riding ultra-long distances "feels great and it's a blast. Everyone should be here," Kelly said as he pedaled off on his first loop.

>Taking part in his sixth RAGBRAI, Matt Hammer could only ride Day 5 this year because of work. But after completing the century loop every year he's been on the ride, he said, he had to add the roughly 160-mile day to his list of accomplishments.

>"How many times do you get an opportunity like this?" Hammer said. "I don't think RAGBRAI is going to do a 250 day again for a long time."

>The Day 5 route was close to Hammer's hometown in La Porte City, just 30 miles southwest of Independence. With pleasant weather and 1,300 miles of training, he boasted that the 160-mile route felt like a ride around his neighborhood.

>"It's probably the most special event that we have in the state each year," Hammer said of RAGBRAI. "I really appreciate that people from all over the country and all over the world get to ride through rural Iowa."

>Also on his sixth RAGBRAI, Alan Hulstein said he was holding out on indulging in RAGBRAI staples of pie and beer until after he could say he had completed the longest day in RAGBRAI history.

>“You have to give up some things to do the loop,” said Hulstein. "So I am really looking forward to my celebratory beer.”

>Juan Valencia rode his first RAGBRAI in 2013 and has returned to Iowa from Rochester, Minnesota, each year since. He completed roughly 1,000 miles in training before the America 250 ride and will celebrate after RAGBRAI with a family trip to Wisconsin Dells. Even with a 13-year love for RAGBRAI, Valencia said he would be ready for a pool plunge after the longest-ever day.

>“This is an addiction,” Valencia said.

>Riding with the Air Force Cycling Team, Zack Naqvi not only completed his first RAGBRAI but also the America 250 Loop. He started solo but ran into three other Air Force team members, also embarking on the 160-mile ride, whom he didn't know before Thursday.

>“Honestly, I could not have done it without these three guys,” Naqvi said, adding they took turns motivating one another as they maintained a 20 mph pace.

>It was important for them to be there, not just for themselves. The more than 100-member team not only rides RAGBRAI but helps anyone who needs assistance along the way, whether medical or mechanical, said Jason Matsuoka, an Air Force commander based in California.

>“It’s literally what we’re here for,” said Matsuoka. “It doesn’t matter how long it takes. We are spread out into the entirety of the route while riding. That way we can be there right as things happen.”

>Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on X at @Kkealey17.

>This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RAGBRAI’s longest day ever tested even its fittest riders