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.
  • RAGBRAI Day 7: The Finale — Day thirteen of the RAGBRAI log: the last 34 miles into Dubuque — a misty solo roll to the start, batting practice at the Field of Dreams, one final Beekman's rescue by Jeremy's ears, the Mississippi, and then Field of Dreams again that night with the kids at Starved Rock.
  • RAGBRAI Postscript: Starved Rock — Day fourteen of the RAGBRAI log: the anti-RAGBRAI day — sleeping in at Starved Rock, Sid Meier's memoir, Marc's first buffet, St. Louis Canyon, a round of "pass Marc" in the pool, an SXSW EDU submission, and a birthday drink with Sarah.
  • RAGBRAI Postscript 2: Clean Slate — The last day at Starved Rock, and the last post of the series: a planning day with tea and the Full Focus Planner, St. Louis Canyon with kids who've outgrown the trail, grandparents at the lodge, and the yearly ritual of wiping the slate clean before the drive home to Virginia.

From a past year: RAGBRAI 2024 ride videos.