Questions? After reading this if you still have questions feel free to email president@keokukbikeclub.com
The Des Moines Register
The Des Moines Register has opened RAGBRAI registration for the 2022 ride across Iowa. RAGBRAI will be held July 20-27 in 2024. The RAGBRAI Expo is July 20, 2024, from 12 pm to 9 pm, in the start town. This year’s route will be announced in January in Des Moines.
For this registration period, RAGBRAI has made several changes to the way we register. I have already registered, and feel the process was actually a little easier than in past years. The first big change I noticed is that, beginning this year, you will pay the Des Moines Register’s RAGBRAI fees at the time you register. Their initial cost for the ride is . At the time you register online, you also will be able to order and pay for jerseys, shorts and other RAGBRAI merchandise. Keep in mind that this online registration and payment only covers the Des Moines Register’s fees to participate in RAGBRAI. It does not cover the cost the Keokuk Bike Club incurs for helping you get to or from the start and finish of the ride, and hauling your bike and gear throughout the week. To do this we rent a vehicle that is large enough to cover our group size to ensure your bike and baggage is transported to the start town from Keokuk, and your baggage to each overnight campground during the week, and then your bike and baggage back to Keokuk on the last day. We also rent a vehicle to get our riders to the beginning from Keokuk, and back to Keokuk at the end of the ride, with a couple of exceptions. For this year, that cost is $275. You will still send this money to Mary Kaneff, our bike club Treasurer and RAGBRAI Liaison, to her address listed on the form included in this newsletter, to be in her hands by May1st. As in the past, we still require all our riders to be members in good standing of the Keokuk Bike Club. So, to Register to ride with our group, follow the steps on the next page. Hope to see you all on the ride this year.
Read through the directions first, to get an idea on the registration process.
1) KBC Membership – We require everyone to be a Keokuk Bike Club member to ride RAGBRAI
with our club. The top part of the Registration Paperwork, located at the end of this newsletter, is how you become a member. Fill it out and include our membership fee.
2) RAGBRAI.com User Account – You will need to create a new user account with RAGBRAI if you haven’t already done so the last couple of years. This account will give you the ability to register for RAGBRAI, as well as the RAGBRAI Forums and Online Shop. You will be sent an email to activate your account. Please note that each registration requires a unique user account, and each user account must have a unique email address. RAGBRAI doesn’t allow users to share an email address when setting up your profile. Log in to “ragbrai.com/ragbrai-registration/” to do this. Their instructions are pretty easy to follow. After you have your account setup, go to the next step below.
3) Now you are ready to Register for the Ride. You will have the option to ride as an “Individual”, using the RAGBRAI baggage truck, or “Join a Group”. You will need to select “Join a Group”. This will bring up a search tool to find our group. Enter “Keokuk” into the search bar and it should find us easily for you, as it did for me. We are Group #21. Follow the directions to fill out the registration form. It will ask you several questions, such as : Are you riding as a week-long rider, or just riding a few days, or are a non-rider, etc. You also will be able to order merchandise at special pricing on the RAGBRAI Jerseys and Shorts when you order with your registration.
4) Sign the Electronic Waiver – RAGBRAI accepts electronically signed waivers for registrants who are 18 years of age or older at the time their registration is submitted.
5) Register a Minor – You will have the opportunity to register a minor if you need to do so.
6) Day Riders or Non-Riders – IF you are only planning to ride a few days, call Mary before registering so she can quote you the price of hauling your baggage for those days. The only Non-rider that we allow to go with our group is our driver of our baggage truck.
7) Submit Registration – At the completion of registration, you will be asked to submit payment by a credit card for items you have purchased and for your registration. You will need to do this at this time. (This is the big change that I mentioned on Page 1). To be guaranteed a RAGBRAI tag, all week-long riders must be registered and money paid to RAGBRAI by April 1st!
8) Save Registration – Be sure to click Save Application
9) Submit Money and Paperwork to The Keokuk Bike Club— Completely fill out the paperwork located at the end of this newsletter. Please include one form for each registered rider . Example: You, your wife, and minor son register for the ride. We will need 3 registration forms, one for each of you. Our cost is $185 for what we provide. This is over and above what you have already paid to RAGBRAI. Send all paperwork, with payment by check ( made out to The Keokuk Bike Club), to Mary Kaneff, at the address on the paperwork. Please note: Any cancellations must be done by April 1, 2022, the day they close weeklong registration. RAGBRAI charges a fee of $25 to cancel. After that date, no money will be returned by RAGBRAI. RAGBRAI will close week-long registration on that date. The only way to get a weeklong pass after that date is to go through a trade process with someone that has a change of plans and cannot ride. Daily tags are usually available for each day of the ride. If you have problems with the process, or any other questions we haven’t answered for you, call Jim. He’ll try to help you to work through it. We don’t
foresee much trouble this year in the registration process. They have provided updated instructions which we believe are much easier to interpret.
Here’s Jim’s Cell number (319-470-2734). Mary’s Home Phone—(319-524-5686)