RAGBRAI attracts riders from north of the border

FAIRFIELD – The 51st rendition of RAGBRAI attracted riders from across the country and even from other countries, like the Biebrich family from Winnipeg, Canada, who stood out from the crowd thanks to their jerseys that displayed the Canadian flag.

Mark and Amy Biebrich rode in RAGBRAI for the first time last year, and enjoyed it so much they came back in 2024. This time, they brought their 18-year-old son Evan. Mark said the family has been avid cyclists for years, and they decided to sign up for RAGBRAI on a whim after learning about it from a YouTube show their daughter watches.

Their 2023 RAGBRAI ride was the first time Mark and Amy had visited Iowa, so everything about the state was new to them.

“I don’t think I could have named a town,” Mark said about his lack of knowledge of all things Iowa.

Mark said last year’s RAGBRAI was extremely hot, and Amy added that the number of riders was overwhelming for them since they were rookies. But by the time they went through their first pass-through town on Day 1, they had started to get the hang of it.

“As the week progressed, it became this really amazing experience where you met all sorts of people from all over the world,” Amy said.

Mark and Amy said they ride their bikes often around Winnipeg, but that part of Canada is so flat that it doesn’t prepare them well for steep hills.

“You see the Iowa jerseys that say, ‘We’re flat like a waffle,’ well, we’re flat like a pancake,” Amy said.

Mark said the only elevation changes they can practice on within 60 miles of their home are bridges. Amy said that, even though Iowa might not have a reputation for being a hilly state, it’s very hilly compared to where they’re from.

“Especially this year, it’s extraordinarily hilly,” she said.

Like many other riders, Amy said the Tuesday stretch from Atlantic to Winterset was the most difficult day of the week.

“I wasn’t fueling properly,” she said. “I was so excited to have the different foods at all the stops along the way that by the time I was back on the road, I realized I had eaten too much or I had eaten the wrong thing.”

Mark said he found this year’s hilly route to be fun and challenging.

As a sign of how small the world is, while The Union was chatting with the Biebrich family, a person walking by saw their Canadian jerseys and mentioned that he was from Winnipeg, too. Jeff Hawkins was his name, and he said this was his first time doing RAGBRAI and that he was “not ready for any of these hills.”

Evan Biebrich said his first year of doing RAGBRAI was a fantastic experience, and that he liked sharing it with tens of thousands of other people.

“The hills are difficult, but it is fun to get going really quickly on the downhills,” he said. “And the overnight towns are basically big parties, so it’s incredibly fun and awesome.”

Evan said they try to leave their overnight town by 5-6 a.m. so they have enough time to stop at each town on the route and stretch their legs.

“We try to stay near the front of the crowd, though today we haven’t really done that, so the lines are shorter,” he said. “It also helps us not get caught in the really hot weather.”

Evan said he trained for this grueling week of cycling by going on 100-kilometer bike rides (62 miles) on a regular basis, and doing a 200-kilometer marathon the week before RAGBRAI.

“My legs are a little rough because it’s been a lot, but you’ve got to make sure you have enough energy to get through the day,” he said.

Evan said the highlight of RAGBRAI was eating food from the vendor P.B. Peddlers, which set up in several small towns along the route including in Libertyville.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com