RAGBRAI riders roll through Reinbeck along Highway 175 just after 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 23, on their way to the Day 5 overnight town of Independence. PHOTOS BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

REINBECK – The small community of Reinbeck – population roughly 1,600 – more than went the distance for RAGBRAI riders as the official Day 5 lunch stop on Thursday, July 23, masterfully welcoming thousands upon thousands of people to its downtown corridor during a 10-hour window.

“It went the best that we could have expected. We had no big hiccups, no big issues with vendors. It was smooth sailing and it was wonderful,” Reinbeck City Councilor Elisabeth Bueghly – one-fifth of the superstar Reinbeck RAGBRAI 2026 committee – told the newspaper during a debriefing call Friday afternoon. Reinbeck Lions Club President Adam Bentley, also a member of the planning committee, echoed her positive assessment during the call with the newspaper.

“Everything worked out,” Bentley said. “The weather worked out. The riders were kind, the riders were clean. Our volunteers, our community showed up. All the pieces that make for a very successful event were there. We were very happy with it.”

The 53rd RAGBRAI – short for the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa – rolled into Reinbeck on what had the potential to be riders’ longest day due to the addition of the America 250 Double Loop near the overnight town of Independence. Riders who successfully navigated the extra route would put in a 250-kilometer ride that day in celebration of America’s milestone birthday. For that reason alone, there was always the possibility a significant number of riders might zoom past Reinbeck as they made their way from Marshalltown to Independence. But such trepidation was quickly extinguished by midmorning Thursday as riders began pouring into the closed-off, two-block Main Street festival area from the west by way of Highway 175 and West Street before later exiting town along Broad Street. The atmosphere in those four blocks was electric and more than proved how valuable advanced planning by an enthusiastic committee can be for small towns along a RAGBRAI route.

Along with their fellow committee members Brittany Yates and Dale and Sharon Wambold, Bueghly and Bentley began their day Thursday in the wee hours.

The 2026 Reinbeck RAGBRAI Committee pictured on Thursday, July 23, 2026. Clockwise from back left, Dale Wambold, Adam Bentley, Sharon Wambold, Elisabeth Bueghly, and Brittany Yates. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

“We had folks downtown probably around 3:45 a.m.,” Bentley said. Less than two hours later, they began to see riders on Highway 175 heading for Washburn after leaving Morrison.

“It was early,” Bueghly said. “I was checking vendors in from 5 to 7 (a.m.) and I saw riders zip by at like 5:30 a.m.”

“I bet we saw a good flow of riders start by 8 o’clock,” Bentley added. “The masses came by 9:45 (a.m.). But it was probably at its most intense from 10 (a.m.) to 1 (p.m.).”

When asked how many riders they thought actually stopped downtown, Bueghly replied there was no way to know for certain but that RAGBRAI organizers told her a significant number of people picked up day passes Thursday, making it “one of the biggest days of the week” in terms of official registration numbers. Several news outlets, including the Des Moines Register, reported around 20,000 riders and nearly 1,000 registered support drivers and/or companions completed the route this year.

Despite all five committee members possessing exactly zero experience serving on a RAGBRAI committee – let alone an official meeting town committee – both Bueghly and Bentley said they encountered very few, if any, logistical hurdles Thursday.

Downtown RAGBRAI pictured just before 10 a.m. Thursday.

“I don’t think there was anything,” Bueghly said when asked about challenges.

“We started planning Easter weekend,” Bentley explained. “We have essentially been keeping in touch or meeting (as a committee) weekly. … Each one of us took a certain specialty area. … We operated in our own lanes and just knew we had to get stuff done relatively quickly, but also do it well. … We were a good team.”

When asked how successful Thursday proved for vendors, Bueghly said she received mostly good feedback but also admitted experiences varied.

“I think there were winners and there were losers for the day. But I think that’s going to happen regardless. Not everyone is going to have the most successful day,” she said. “I went around at the end of the day and I chatted with every vendor that was still there and hadn’t picked up yet. I got great reviews. They had a great day. … (Many said) they did better here than in Marshalltown – and Marshalltown was an overnight town.”

“Our nonprofits also did well,” Bentley chimed in.

One local nonprofit that did particularly well was the Gladbrook-Reinbeck PTO.

“The PTO secured the full amount needed for the elementary school playground project,” Bentley said. “They got across the finish line.”

Bueghly, the PTO’s treasurer, confirmed Bentley’s statement.

“I don’t know the whole story. I had my RAGBRAI hat on (during that time). … It was a foundation based out of Texas,” she said of the individual who donated to the PTO’s playground fund.

“We only have about $8,000 left to fully fund our new playground,” the G-R PTO posted to social media ahead of RAGBRAI. “This is one of our last big pushes … The playground should be getting delivered in the next few weeks, with installation following.” On Friday morning, the PTO posted that they had successfully completed the organization’s $275,890 fundraising goal.

Birdy Young performs Thursday morning in downtown Reinbeck.

Adding fuel to the good vibes fire, Reinbeck’s headliner musical act, Gladbrook native Birdy Young, posted a glowing review of the day to social media, writing, “I need to take a moment to thank the town of Reinbeck. You rolled out the red carpet for the riders … From the outside looking in, the day ran smoothly from beginning to end. That takes an incredible amount of hard work behind the scenes, and every volunteer should be so proud.”

“This was my third year performing some kind of music for RAGBRAI, and without a doubt, this was my favorite stop yet. I hope every rider left Reinbeck carrying that warm hometown feeling with them because this little town has a whole lot of heart.”

What’s left behind

In any given year when a town is considering hosting RAGBRAI – as a pass-through, an official lunch stop, or an overnight stop – concern from the community is often centered around cleanup, and rightly so. As the committee’s “Green Team” lead focusing on trash and refuse, Bentley said post-RAGBRAI cleanup went very well.

“Shout out to Cooley (Pumping) because they let us stage in their shop on Main Street. They had their floors cleaned and ready for us. We were able to stage all the trash containers and 25 recycling containers, so our volunteers only had to place them.”

The community’s RAGBRAI recycling pilot project – which provided 25 collapsible containers via a $2,000 Close the Loop grant – also played a big part in helping keep things neat and tidy downtown.

“From an event standpoint, you know trash is going to be an issue,” Bentley said. “It’s important to make sure when folks are trying to make the right choice, we have the ability for them to do that. … I think (the pilot) went very well.”

“The biggest comment I got from riders, they thought it was so cool that we had an option for recycling because they didn’t see that anywhere else,” Bueghly added. “It was one of the things that stood out to them about our community.”

The vendors and nonprofits also greatly contributed to the post-RAGBRAI cleanup, Bentley added.

“We have such great organizations in town … We had a lot of volunteers and because we did so much prep work, by the time 5 o’clock rolled around, there were remnants of the event, but all the cans had been secured, all the trash dumped. … We were looking like nothing happened in town.”

RAGBRAI 3.0?

Prior to this summer, the last time RAGBRAI visited Reinbeck was in 1983. Reinbeck was a pass-through on Day 6 that year as the route moved from the overnight stops of Grundy Center and Manchester, riding through Morrison, Reinbeck and Voorhies after departing the Grundy County seat that morning.

The newspaper asked both Bueghly and Bentley if they would consider hosting RAGBRAI in the future in light of this year’s experience.

“I think Elisabeth would say yes, is that right?” Bentley answered with a laugh.

“I would. I would do it again. It was a lot of fun,” Bueghly said, enthusiasm bubbling in her voice. “The committee was great. Just to be part of the whole experience to the level and complexity that we were – it just put a whole different perspective on it than being a community member that went down to see it all come together. I like that kind of stuff. I have a hard time saying no to many people and many things, so my plate gets really full, but it’s because I enjoy it. And it was so much fun. I would definitely do it again.”

“To get to see five people’s plans come to fruition in a six-hour time frame – that’s pretty incredible,” Bentley added. “There are so many angles to look at and be in awe at what happened. … There’s a lot to be grateful for. I leave feeling grateful.”

Bueghly wholeheartedly agreed, chiming in, “Pride for the community of Reinbeck. And thankful. The community came together, they supported us. When we needed help, they were there. It was just, wow.”

The newspaper’s interview with Bueghly and Bentley wrapped up with Bueghly relating a story about a group of riders from northeast Wisconsin who stuck around long after the lunch hour had passed.

“They were just chatting, having drinks at R&R (Pub & Grille). … They had done Day 5 and they needed to travel back. … They were planning to ride to Independence, they said, but they decided to stay in Reinbeck, they were having such a good time. Surly Steve’s still had riders in it (at that time). The Dig Inn had bikers in it. They all stayed and hung out. Probably less than 50 (riders) but, still, they were here late and enjoying it.”

“In terms of coming back, that’s the other element,” Bentley said. “We wanted to show RAGBRAI that we’re a town that you can come back to. … Not only will we be able to handle it, our people want them to be here.”

Before closing out the call, Bentley summed up his RAGBRAI experience by proudly telling the newspaper, “It will be in our memories for a long time.”

To view the newspaper’s 2026 Reinbeck RAGBRAI photo gallery, click here.