RAGBRAI makes advance trip to Keokuk County

RAGBRAI is not arriving in Sigourney until July 29, but the county got its sneak peek on Friday when a pre-ride group came through to tour Keokuk County.

The group consisting of around 35 to 40 cyclist are touring the exact route RAGBRAI participants will travel late next month, checking road conditions and identifying interesting places for cyclist to check out during the race. Making their way up from Hedrick and then Hayesville, the group first explored Dumont Museum before heading into Sigourney.

“We were contacted by Rick Langrebe from the RAGBRAI committee to ask if we could host the riders before they came into town,” Helen Dumont, who owns Dumont Museum with her husband Lyle, said. “It was quite an experience for us and the riders were pretty surprised when they came in and saw everything we had to offer.”

The cyclists stopped for a warm lunch and welcoming reception at the Sigourney Fire Department. After being fed, they made their way down Highway 92 to their next rest stop in Washington, visiting Wooden Wheel Vineyard as well before leaving Keokuk County towards Washington.

“We get to meet with the towns and hear about the special things they have in mind,” T.J. Juskiewicz, Director of RAGBRAI said. “When we go off the beaten path, we stumble upon new discoveries for our riders, like the Dumont Museum.”

Many of the men and women who participated in the pre-ride will take part in the actual race next month, and for Dumont she hopes they will remember to stop by the museum again.

“The towns are great. We hadn’t been to Sigourney in years, and we’re excited to come back next month,” Juskiewicz said.

Check this link to view our for-purchase photo gallery of the Pre-Ride and their stops or check out the photo slide show below:

https://midamericapublishing.smugmug.com/Sigourney-NewsReview/RAGBRAI-Pre-Ride/

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