The housing committee for Sioux City’s RAGBRAI is seeking local residents to open up their homes and yards for riders’ overnight stays the weekend of July 22-23. It is the 50th anniversary of the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, which started in Sioux City in 1973.
To date, 750 registered RAGBRAI riders have requested local accommodations. Thanks to past connections and a group on Facebook, coordinators have secured housing for about 300 cyclists, but at least 450 riders still need area hosts. RAGBRAI insures all registered participants.
Thousands of RAGBRAI riders will stay with full-service charter organizations that will operate from Chris Larsen Park and Riverside Park. Smaller teams and individual riders, however, rely on local hosts. The region’s hotels are filling up quickly.
Most riders expect only a yard for camping. Access to a bathroom and shower is appreciated, along with a place to fill their water bottles. Local hosts should be prepared to shelter campers in case of storms or high winds.
Feedback on hosting is always positive from homeowners, according to Housing CoChair Molly Bixenman, who works with Francine Stewart to match up riders with residents. “Community members always tell us how fun it is to host people who are visiting Sioux City from other states and even other countries,” says Bixenman.
“We know how warm and welcoming our residents are, and we’re sure they’ll have a great time meeting cyclists and attending RAGBRAI festivities.” “RAGBRAI gives Siouxland a chance to really showcase our most valuable asset—our people,” said Stewart.
This is the eighth time Sioux City will serve as the starting point for RAGBRAI. So far more than 17,000 RAGBRAI riders have registered, and thousands of support team members will stay overnight in Siouxland before beginning the weeklong ride across Iowa on Sunday, July 23.
Cyclists will stay overnight in Storm Lake, Carroll, Ames, Des Moines, Tama-Toledo and Coralville before ending in Davenport on July 29. Complete this form or visit the “Sioux City Hot Shots Housing RAGBRAI 2023” Facebook page to learn more about housing needs.
how far out of sioux city are you looking for housing. I live se of anthon ia about 30mi se of sioux city. Not sure if too far away. Interested in helping out
Hi,
We have a team of seven who are looking for camping options. We will have a van/rv and tents. Will there be designated campgrounds. We rode in 2016 and on the first night there were dorm rooms available from a local college, but we had to preregister. Any advice for this year’s ride would be appreciated.
Please fill in the housing for here: https://ragbraisiouxcity.com/housing-host/ and our housing committee will reach out to you.
Thomas
Is there areas available for travel trailers and trucks?