After 2 Deaths During Multiple Days Of 100-110F Heat Indices, RAGBRAI's Future Increasingly Uncertain

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For over 50 years, RAGBRAI has routed amateur and seasoned cyclists alike from east to west across Iowa. But as the Midwest faces rising humidity and more volatile summer weather, those “hard days” are feeling more intense and more frequent. Created in 1973 by two reporters at The Des Moines Register newspaper, RAGBRAI has become a global event, attracting tens of thousands of cyclists from around the world. The route varies each year, covering 400 to 500 miles over seven days, but always concludes on the banks of the Mississippi River, where riders dip their bike wheels to celebrate. Participants emphasize that RAGBRAI is not a race, but a festival on wheels. Riders pitch tents in parks and front yards across designated “overnight towns,” while refueling with pork chops, pie, beer and live music.

At 406 miles, this year’s route was the second-shortest ever. It was also one of the toughest. Riders faced multiple days of heat indexes between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit, while battling headwinds up to 20 miles per hour. Two riders died after collapsing on the route this year, despite receiving immediate medical attention from fellow riders and paramedics.

Originally held the first week of August, RAGBRAI has taken place during the last full week of July since 1980. In that time, maximum summer temperatures in the state have not risen noticeably. Yet the discomfort, or “feels-like” temperature “has definitely been going up,” said Gene Takle, climatologist and director of the Iowa State University Climate Program.

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And Iowa’s average heat wave will only get hotter, said Takle. Currently, five out of every 10 years, a five-day heat wave in central Iowa averages 90-95 degrees. By 2050, the average heat wave will be upwards of 97 degrees, he said. Climate change has also manifested in Iowa as more severe summer storms, said Takle. Heavy winds, hail size and rainfall have all increased, he said. Many of the communities along the RAGBRAI LII route were hit by damaging storms just one week after riders passed through their towns. Ninety-mile-per-hour winds downed trees and damaged buildings, leaving thousands without power.

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https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13082025/iowa-ragbrai-bike-ride-heat/