Sioux City Times

As part of Sioux City’s commemoration of the annual bike ride’s 50th year, the exhibit RAGBRAI: It All Started Here recently opened at the Sioux City Public Museum. Along with memorabilia such as t-shirts, signage, and riding gear, the exhibit features an extensive slideshow with images from all the years Sioux City was a host city.

The inaugural year of RAGBRAI (The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) in 1973 started in Sioux City, and this year will mark the eighth time Sioux City has served as the starting town. The bike ride began when Des Moines Register feature writer/copy editor John Karras proposed that Register Washington Bureau columnist Don Kaul ride his bicycle across Iowa and write about his experiences. Kaul accepted the challenge on the condition that Karras make the ride with him. That first ride, which took the pair from Sioux City to Davenport, attracted a few hundred riders. The second ride in 1974 drew 2,000 riders, and by the time Sioux City repeated as the starting town in 1978, ridership had grown to 6,000.

Other years Sioux City served as a host city were 1988, 1993, 2001, 2010, and 2015. Today, RAGBRAI is recognized as the oldest, longest and largest multi-day bicycling touring event in the world with an annual ridership that exceeds 10,000 people. RAGBRAI: It All Started Here will be on display through September 24.

The Sioux City Public Museum is located at 607 4th Street in downtown Sioux City. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 712-279-6174 or visit SiouxCityMuseum.org.

Original source can be found here.