RAGBRAI DAY 1 ROUTE
Onawa to Harlan
MILEAGE
59.4 miles
ELEVATION GAIN
3,535 feet
HIGHLIGHTS
Let’s start with the news: If the promise of the shortest RAGBRAI on record sounded to good too be true, it was. Issues emerged since that January announcement, such as bridge outages that forced reroutes, and another 18.2 miles ended up being added to the 2026 edition of the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.
At 406.9 miles, it’s still a relatively brief ride ― even though you might not feel that way after more than 3,500 feet of elevation gain on Day 1 while pumping your way up Iowa’s scenic but challenging Loess Hills on a day with a high of 95 degrees.
It’s a year when the ride hews to small towns, and the first pass-through town on Sunday, July 19, will be the smallest on the entire route: Turin, population 72. It’s known as the place where in 1955, archaeologists uncovered prehistoric human remains dating back 6,000 years, revealing that people have been trekking across the land between the rivers since long before Egypt was building the pyramids ― or two Des Moines Register journalists who were cycling enthusiasts were dreaming up the cross-state ride.
Soldier, the next stop, isn’t much bigger than Turin, but it promises a giant treat: a Lemonade Lane where local children will set up tables offering a sugary, citrusy boost as those hills begin to loom. Be sure to drink deeply and overpay generously ― drinks are only $1 apiece. And for those seeking a different golden beverage, Turin’s Midway Tavern is a classic, small-town Iowa watering hole.
Now come three towns ― Dunlap, Earling and Westphalia ― that haven’t been on the ride since 1983. Dunlap, the meeting town, is proudly a farming crossroads, boasting it will put the “ag” in RAGBRAI. In keeping with that, a local landmark is the Dunham Barn. Built with bricks made on the site, it dates from 1870 and is visible from the main route into town as it crosses 130th Street. Earling is famous ― or infamous ― as the site of a well-documented 1928 exorcism that helped inspire the 1973 classic horror movie “The Exorcist.” If that (or surviving the heat and hills) make you feel like saying a prayer, visit St. Boniface Church in Westphalia, as towering as the town is tiny.
The day ends in Harlan, where the Milk & Honey restaurant has been gaining wide acclaim since 2015 for offering farm-to-table cuisine in a rural setting. It’s not usually open on Mondays, but for RAGBRAI, it will be offering a breakfast beginning at 7 a.m. to get you off to a good start on Day 2.
ENTERTAINMENT
Jordan Beem, who was the 2024 Iowa Music Awards country artist of the year, leads off at 2 p.m. Aftershock follows at 4:30 and Decoy at 8.
FORECAST
Think it was hot Sunday? Wait until Monday, when the high is forecast to be close to 100 degrees.
LOOKING AHEAD
Day 2 takes riders from Harlan to Guthrie Center, the smallest overnight town on the ride this year ― but with big plans for its RAGBRAI party.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Here’s what’s ahead as RAGBRAI 2026 gets rolling with Day 1
Reporting by Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
