RAGBRAI may pass through Henry County

Even though Henry County won't host an overnight stop for the 47th running of the annual Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), the route may bring the cycling event through part of Henry County.

Two of the overnight stops unveiled Saturday night during a special party in Des Moines are Fairfield and Burlington. The most direct route between the two host cities is through Henry County. Many of the towns the RAGBRAI riders pass through provide a short pit stop and offer food and hospitality before the bikers continue their ride to the next host town. The exact route of the bicycle event will be announced in March on the RAGBRAI Facebook page.

Main Street Mt. Pleasant director Lisa Oetken said her office has not been contacted in reference to Mt. Pleasant being a pass-through town and stressed the exact route hasn't been released yet.

'If I were to guess - and at this point it is just a guess - I think the support vehicles would pass through Mt. Pleasant on their way to Burlington,” she said. 'The bikers - I'm not sure. I would guess they would go south of Mt. Pleasant. The state will determine that later.”

This year the bicyclists will begin in Council Bluffs and make overnight stops in: Atlantic; Winterset; Indianola; Centerville; Fairfield; Burlington and Keokuk.

RAGBRAI was founded in 1973 by two Des Moines Register columnists, Donald Kaul and John Karras. The event starts Sunday, July 21, and ends Saturday, July 27.