RAGBRAI XLVIII postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19

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The Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) XLVIII has been canceled for 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and postponed until July 25-31, 2021.
As of December 2019, RAGBRAI also has a new director — Dieter Drake. According to a previous release via RAGBRAI: Dieter Drake, 48, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, comes to RAGBRAI after organizing more than 100 rides and cycling races over 15 years. He started in 2004 with a small race in Cambridge, New York, that grew into the annual Tour of the Battenkill, now one of the largest pro-am cycling events in the United States. He has since put together cycling events throughout the country.
Currently, Drake and his wife, Amy, run their own company, Anthem Sports Tours, organizing bike tours primarily in southern Chile. He will host a final Anthem ride there before moving to Iowa to begin his new duties Dec. 16 (2019).
Drake has no previous experience with RAGBRAI but said he is ready to start working with community leaders throughout Iowa.
What follows is a letter posted to ragbrai.com April 20:
“As we’ve watched the impact COVID-19 is having on the world, we’ve continued to plan and adjust our timelines, hold key conversations with our trusted partners, and determine the best course of action for all parties involved.
“After deep consideration and collaboration with the eight overnight town executive committees, government agencies, the public health department, and official business partners of RAGBRAI, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone RAGBRAI XLVIII to July 25-31, 2021.
“The safety of our riders has always been the most important focus for our RAGBRAI team and we feel the decision to postpone to July 25 -31, 2021 is the right one. We strongly feel that this is in everyone’s best interest.
“RAGBRAI takes months of planning and preparation. Based on the extreme disruption COVID-19 has had and will have on the planning, we didn’t feel it was responsible to move forward and put the safety of our riders, crew, communities or residents of Iowa at risk.
“While we wish we were biking across Iowa this July, our resolve is to make 2021 even better and we look forward to lifting these communities up when it is safe.
“The RAGBRAI XLVIII route will remain the same for 2021. The towns along the route have already put a substantial amount of work and resource into planning and will have the opportunity to showcase their communities in 2021. The full route with meeting and pass-through towns will be announced at a later date.”

Registration refund options
“All riders who have registered and paid for 2020, will have three options.
* Transfer their 2020 registration to the 2021 ride. Any rider who chooses this option is not subject to the lottery and will receive their wristband and bike band in 2021. In addition, they will receive a $15 merchandise voucher good through Dec. 31, 2020.
* Request a full refund of their 2020 registration.
* Donate their registration to Iowa Bicycle Coalition. The non-profit works 365-days a year to advocate, educate and enhance bicycle laws and safety in the state. Their work goes a long way in making Iowa safe and fun for cyclists.
“All riders will be required to fill out a request form by June 1, 2020, to be eligible for a full refund. Riders who do not fill out a form by June 1, 2020, will automatically be transferred to the 2021 ride.
“To view our detailed FAQ or to fill our your request form, please visit RAGBRAI.com/registration.”

What’s next
“We are planning several ways to stay connected this year in lieu of the ride. More details about a weekend fall ride and more will be released later this spring.
“We understand how disappointing this news feels. Please know that we didn’t take this decision lightly. We have spent the last month and a half talking to our partners, reworking our timelines, and while biking continues to be one of the safest things to do right now, we couldn’t take the risk that would endanger even one person come July.
“We appreciate your unwavering support and we will be in touch this spring with some exciting new opportunities that will connect you with the RAGBRAI community.”

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