RAGBRAI officials have begun inspecting this year’s route. RAGBRAI Chairman Matt Phippen says a group of riders inspected the first leg of the route from Orange City to Milford on Sunday:
Phippen says the pre-inspection teams are also taking some time to explore the pass-through and overnight cities:
On Monday, the route inspection team will progress to the second leg of the route, from Milford to Estherville, including the roughly 15 miles through Minnesota. Whilst in Minnesota, the riders will go through some Jackson County parks on the south side of Loon Lake. It’s the first time ever RAGBRAI has crossed state lines.
Phippen adds that riders will also have an option to ride small segments of the route on gravel roads if they so choose.
Phippen and other RAGBRAI officials met with local committee members and answered questions from the public during a meeting early Sunday evening in Milford.
The RAGBRAI Route Inspection week kicked off in Orange City Saturday night with welcoming festivities for the RAGBRAI Crew. Today’s (June 2, 2025) guests on the Daily Grind were JoAnn Weber and Mike Hofman, from the Orange City RAGBRAI planning committee. Find that episode on our website and hear updates on their planning and volunteer needs, along with JoAnn and JTP reflecting on participation in the Route Inspection Ride yesterday. This episode and past installments can be found under The Daily Grind tab.
(Audio clips for this story are courtesy of our fellow Community First Broadcasting partner, KUOO in Spirit Lake)
