RAGBRAI 2026: The Complete Ride Log

Every day of our RAGBRAI 2026 trip in one place: the drive out from Virginia, the week on the bike across Iowa, and the trip back east. New entries get added here as they’re posted.

  • RAGBRAI T-Minus 5: Packing Day — T-minus 5 days to RAGBRAI: the trailer's packed, the bike's tuned, and the new Kia Carnival gets its first tow across the country.
  • RAGBRAI T-Minus 4: Cleaning Day — Day two of the RAGBRAI log: rooftop carrier on, tent mounted, trailer cleaned and checked out — and a sunburn to show for it.
  • RAGBRAI T-Minus 3: On The Road — Day three of the RAGBRAI log: the home server rack takes over while we're gone, and the drive begins — Virginia to Buckeye Lake, Ohio, with tollbooth cash and giant checkers.
  • RAGBRAI T-Minus 2: Are We There Yet? — Day four of the RAGBRAI log: Buckeye Lake to Starved Rock — the first Casey's of the trip, dinner in the CCC-built lodge, and Monk beamed down from orbit.
  • RAGBRAI T-Minus 1: Iowa — Day five of the RAGBRAI log: a slow morning at Starved Rock, CCC stairways and fort models, chocolate in waffle cones, Rudy hops in, and the traditional night-before camp at Kellogg RV Park.
  • RAGBRAI Day 0: We Made It — Day six of the RAGBRAI log: the last leg to Onawa, a lucky state-park campsite on Blue Lake, loose meat sandwiches downtown, and a 4:30 alarm for the first day of the ride.
  • RAGBRAI Day 1: Four Liters to Harlan — Day seven of the RAGBRAI log: rolling out of Onawa at sunrise, the Mile of Silence, four liters of fluids into Harlan, and a pool that was worth every mile.
  • RAGBRAI Day 2: Beat the Sun to Guthrie Center — Day eight of the RAGBRAI log: a 4:45 alarm on the hottest day of the ride, hauling past the party pack, an empty ghost town at 9:30am, four hours at the pool, and the schoolhouse that finally opened its doors.
  • RAGBRAI Day 3: An $8 Root Beer to Boone — Day nine of the RAGBRAI log: waking up under a blanket for the first time all week, pulled pork in Perry, Beekman's ice cream, an e-bike pace line, and Domino's delivered straight to camp in Boone.
  • RAGBRAI Day 4: One and a Half Legs to Marshalltown — Day ten of the RAGBRAI log: nursing a bad knee to Marshalltown, an In-N-Out-grade burger in Nevada, wine slushies (Andrew…), a lazy river, and surprise news about where we're headed after the ride.
  • RAGBRAI Day 5: Century Day — Day eleven of the RAGBRAI log: 102 miles on a written game plan and a cranky knee — two Casey's stops, a perfect pace line, Beekman's at mile 55, the century patch, and a finish over the Wapsipinicon into Independence.
  • RAGBRAI Day 6: The Girls’ First RAGBRAI — Day twelve of the RAGBRAI log: both girls ride their first RAGBRAI — Elizabeth to the meeting town, Maura to the finish — plus Iowa's smallest cow, a regrettable Red Bull, a soft landing in a ditch, and a derailleur that didn't survive the gravel.

From a past year: RAGBRAI 2024 ride videos.