This is what RAGBRAI is all about

This is a wonderfully comprehensive article from the Des Moines Register about this year's ride that I found on my FB feed yesterday. I hope this helps explain my anger over the death & mayhem stories which were posted.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/2016/08/0...

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 4, 2016 at 3:31am

Nice story. Thanks for sharing it.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on August 4, 2016 at 3:42am

And here's a slighly different perspective.

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Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on August 4, 2016 at 7:37am

As a non-drinker, that story in particular turns me off to the whole RAGBRAI concept. I guess I should have ridden it when I was a grad student at Iowa in the 70s. Sounds like RAGBRAI a victim of its own success.

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Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on August 4, 2016 at 7:44am

I don't drink very much and have a great time. There's also people-watching, small festive towns, so many hills, and lots of homemade pie.

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Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on August 4, 2016 at 8:10am

While RAGBRAI has always been popular, I don't recall it being a drink-all-day sort of event back in the day. (I could certainly be wrong.) By "victim of its own success" I lump it with things like SxSW and Burning Man which both used to be eclectic, counter-culture events. Nowadays, not so much.

While I really love bike riding, the whole traveling party aspect which seems to be featured in so much of the reporting is a turn-off for me. I guess I'm just out of touch.