A yard sign welcomes RAGBRAI route inspection riders to Reinbeck on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Less than one month from now, the community will serve as the official Day 5 meeting town (lunch stop) as the route moves between overnight stops in Marshalltown and Independence on July 23. PHOTO COURTESY REINBECK RAGBRAI 2026/FACEBOOK

REINBECK – In less than one month’s time, thousands of cyclists and their support crew will make their way through the small Grundy County community of Reinbeck as part of the 2026 RAGBRAI route. And while hosting such an event is a big lift – the biggest Reinbeck has probably ever experienced – organizers told the community during a town hall held at the Memorial Building on Monday, June 15, they’re ready.

“All I can say is, since I talked to (ride director) Matt (Phippen) at RAGBRAI – from the very first day I said ‘yes’ to doing this in town – these guys have been on it,” Reinbeck Mayor Jamie Eiffler said in reference to the five-member local RAGBRAI committee as he spoke to roughly 30 members of the public during the town hall. “(Committee members) Dale (Wambold) and Elisabeth (Bueghly) came back from Des Moines … found their volunteers. I’ve absolutely done nothing with this. These guys, they all need a round of applause because they’ve done awesome with this.”

The June 15 town hall lasted just under an hour and included dissemination of much of the same information presented back on Monday, April 27, during a pair of town halls geared towards vendors and business owners. While the mayor spoke only briefly toward the end of the meeting, a portion of his remarks were aimed at any possible naysayers.

“You’re always going to hear negativity – ‘(RAGBRAI will) overcome the town, only make a mess, only do this, only do that’. Please, spread the word, do not come down to Main Street if you don’t want (RAGBRAI) around. We don’t need negativity that day. We want things to be festive. We want to be upbeat. We want (to be known) as a pleasant town. If you hear the negativity, tell them to stay home or leave town for six or eight hours. … (RAGBRAI) is going to be contained in a two (to) two-and-a-half block area. It’s not going to bother anybody else in town. So spread the word, please.”

RAGBRAI – otherwise known as the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa – is set to travel through Reinbeck on Day 5 of the weeklong ride on Thursday, July 23. The community will serve as the official Day 5 meeting town (lunch stop) while the route moves between the overnight towns of Marshalltown and Independence.

A map projected on the Memorial Building wall illustrates RAGBRAI's route through Reinbeck which is set to take place Thursday, July 23, 2026. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

One of the first topics addressed during the June town hall was the route. Using a map projected onto the Memorial Building’s back wall, Dale Wambold explained how riders would travel through Reinbeck – arriving from the west along Highway 175 and entering downtown by turning south onto West Street for one block before traveling along two blocks of Main Street. At the intersection with Broad Street, riders will pilot their backs north again for one block before meeting back up with Highway 175. During RAGBRAI, the route through downtown will be closed to traffic other than foot traffic and bike riders.

Conversely, RAGBRAI support vehicles – vans, old school buses, RVs, etc – will be routed around town from the south (Highway T-55) to one of four designated parking areas, where shuttle vans will be available to ferry folks back and forth. Parking areas include the soccer field area at Elmore Park; two areas near the Gladbrook-Reinbeck Junior High/High School campus; and the north side of Elmore Park excluding the swimming pool parking lot.

While RAGBRAI is mostly focused on a small section of downtown, committee members did advise homeowners to place “No Parking” signs on their lawns July 23 if they do not want riders parking there. The same advice was given to business owners who do not want riders using their public restrooms during the event.

Also during the town hall, committee member Elisabeth Bueghly provided an update on vendors, telling the audience they had a dozen “full meal-style vendors” registered and a dozen more serving snacks and grab-and-go items. The committee has also secured eight beverage and/or ice cream vendors.

“Our vendor area from West Street through the two blocks of Main and down Broad (Street) to Evy Rose (Boutique) is going to be jam-packed full of all of these vendors,” Bueghly said before later adding, “We made sure that as we built that area, we prioritized all of our local people first. … We want to thank all of the businesses that have been participating, offering something. They’re all very excited as well. Even the local businesses that are choosing not to participate – they’re closing (and) allowing us to use space in front of their buildings, and they’re also volunteering so that they’re staying part of the event.”

During the community town hall held Monday, June 15, at the Reinbeck Memorial Building, Gladbrook-Reinbeck Elementary teacher Jennifer Anderson displays a pair of signs her third-graders made to welcome RAGBRAI riders to town. Students chose local businesses to highlight from both the Reinbeck and Gladbrook communities as part of the project. “We have really good artists this year,” Anderson said. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Bueghly also addressed internet and cell service during RAGBRAI.

“One thing that we do need to note is that with that mass group of people coming into town, cell service and internet generally cannot keep up. So those that work from home may have issues with internet connectivity, hotspots, those kinds of things. So just plan accordingly for that,” she explained.

Waste was also addressed during the meeting, with committee member Adam Bently humorously beginning his presentation by stating, “Just what’s on everybody’s mind – ‘Where we gonna poop?'”

According to Bently, Cooley Pumping will be setting up some 50 portable restrooms across the festival area and parking locations, as well as handwashing stations.

Bently also briefly discussed the Close the Loop grant his committee recently received. The grant is funded by the Iowa DNR and administered by Region XII Council of Governments on behalf of the Iowa Waste Exchange.

“Our team successfully received a grant for $2,000 to purchase (green) pop-up receptacles. They’ll be stationed across mostly the festival area … for aluminum cans and plastic bottles.”

He further explained that his committee received the grant, in part, to serve as a pilot project.

“We’re going to help see what a meeting town does in terms of waste produced. And so we’ll know how much recycled material we’re diverting – because we’ll weigh it – from the landfill. … That can be helpful for future discussions for future RAGBRAI events in the coming years.”

Following RAGBRAI, the committee plans to donate the collapsible receptacles to the City of Reinbeck.

“We get a benefit from these after RAGBRAI, which is awesome,” Bently added.

Entertainment

During her portion of the program, committee member Sharon Wambold addressed entertainment, telling the audience that rather than offering “cutesy things around town” for RAGBRAI visitors, the committee decided to educate riders on all Reinbeck has to offer using QR codes.

While displaying a large photo of Gladbrook-Reinbeck alumnus William “Bill” Davis – an avid cyclist who died in 2016 and for which downtown Bill Davis Park is named – Sharon explained how a QR code in the park could be snapped by riders with their cellphones to learn more.

“Everything will have a QR code. We’re going to try to … make this 21st century. … We’re going to try to give them information they can take with them, like Potato Festival … Sweet Corn Days … a little history of Reinbeck as well.”

Additionally, The Dig Inn will feature a DJ along Broad Street; rising Denver Community School District freshman singer Mallory Weber will perform downtown from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.; and award-winning Gladbrook singer-songwriter Birdy Young will perform from 10 a.m. to close.

Volunteers needed

During the brief Q&A held at the end of the town hall, a question was raised about the need for volunteers – specifically, which committee members/areas are still in need of help on July 23.

“All of them. Everywhere,” Sharon Wambold said. “If you have a passion for (a task), let me know and we’ll put you there.”

Those interested in volunteering during RAGBRAI are encouraged to contact Sharon or any other member of the local committee, which includes Adam Bently, Elisabeth Bueghly, Dale Wambold, and Brittany Yates. Interested volunteers can also contact City Hall at 319-788-6404.

One of the final questions of the evening pertained to weather foiling the committee’s well-laid plans.

“RAGRBAI goes rain or shine,” Bueghly responded. “They ride whether it’s pouring down rain or not. We do have plans for emergency shelters, should we need those. … But we’re all going to do our rain dance that week.”

To learn more, follow the Reinbeck Ragbrai 2026 Facebook page.