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Iowa's RAGBRAI Mania, like the Tour in France brings out the best and worst in People

By Steve Lombardi

With RAGBRAI wheeling through Iowa we have pro-bikers and con-bikers making the news. For those of you who don't know about RAGRBRAI it stands for the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. This is the 37th annual great bike ride across Iowa. There is even a web portal for news about and during the race. You read all about the history of RAGBRAI on the website. The road 'race', it's not much of a race as much as it is a party that travels from the Missouri to the Mississippi Rivers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtbNk0CoZ20

'RAGBRAI's Beginnings & The First Year
August 26-31, 1973
The Register's bicycling tradition began with an idea (a kind of a challenge) between Des Moines Register feature writer/copy editor John Karras, an avid bicyclist, and Don Kaul, author of The Des Moines Register's 'Over The Coffee' column. Karras suggested to Kaul that he ride his bicycle across Iowa and write columns about what he saw from that perspective. Kaul, also an accomplished rider, lived in Washington, D.C., and wrote his column from The Register's Washington Bureau.'

The first year, 1973 there were 114 riders that rode the entire journey. This year officially the numbers are limited to 8,500 official entrants. But that isn't the way it works in America. You can limit but build the bike ride and they will come.

The official site says 275,650 people have pedaled 16,907 official miles. But many people unofficially join the ride. The largest daily count is estimated to be 23,000 in one day riding the leg from Boone to Des Moines. It's a lot of excitement to take part for those who enjoy that kind of thing. Not everyone does nor is everyone thrilled about having the Tour de Register come through their community.

Lance Armstrong and John Edwards have ridden RAGBRAI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf1X1JDkRa8

The Citizens for Safety Coalition of Iowa are circulation a petition to keep cyclists off rural roads. I doubt that will work. They have about 200 signatures.

West Des Moines is tackling the problems posed by increased popularity a little differently. The City has a bicycle advisory committee that makes recommendations for changes in how the City deals with this popular pass-time and sport. West Des Moines Bicycle Advisory Committee.

Every year some rider on Iowa's roads is killed or seriously injured. This year a 69-year-old professor died while on the ride. Apparently he collided with something, I believe it was a road grader, suffered a head injury and never regained consciousness.

Cracks in the road bed cause some riders to crash and be seriously injured. On RAGBRAI this year a woman was taken to the hospital in Corning after suffering an injury from just such a mishap. Last year one county settled a suit for wrongful death after a RAGBRAI rider died from a similar accident.

RAGBRAI - Right to make a buck without corresponding liability, March 28, 2008

2008 RAGBRAI ROUTE A GREAT AND TOUGH ONE ACROSS IOWA'S MIDSECTION, May 3, 2008

Crawford County Settles RAGBRAI Cyclist Death Claim

If you ban bikes where will it end and what is their alternative for places to ride close to home? Will motorcycles and ATV's be banned or restricted? Will children riding bikes be banned? Sharing some common ground the motorcycle people better get on the bandwagon and help out the bicycle riders or they could soon find themselves facing restrictions.

Man Dies After ATV Accident, July 29, 2009, Des Moines Register

Motorcyclist killed in crash near Altoona, July 31, 2009, The Des Moines Register

Polk jailer is almost free ... to get back on a bike, July 3, 2009, The Des Moines Register

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on August 02, 2009 (boomark / email).