Right now, Clarion should have been bustling with activity. There should have been vendors on Main Street. There should have been entertainers throughout the town. And most notably, there should have been thousands of cyclists lining our streets. This is the week that would have been Iowa’s Ride, a new cross-state bike ride that was supposed to stop over in Clarion on Wednesday night of this week.
Unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic, Iowa’s Ride was cancelled in late April, as the Monitor previously reported. This came as no surprise to most following the situation, as RAGBRAI had also been cancelled for the year. Clarion officials helping to plan for the event noted that they were disappointed but also relieved that the Iowa’s Ride organizers had made the safest decision.
Potential riders were also saddened by the turn of events. Jon Ahrendsen of Clarion said that he had planned to ride at least part of the route. “I was going to do the Eldora to Clarion stretch,” he said. He was also planning to ride RAGBRAI this summer but was looking forward to a ride in his backyard as well.
Also excited by the proximity of Iowa’s Ride was Scott Henle. Henle, who lives in Iowa Falls, is an avid cyclist. He belongs to a couple of cycling groups, including the Green Belt Bikers based out of Iowa Falls and Team Love Shack who he describes as “a great group of fun individuals from all over the country, but mostly Iowa, that get together to ride RAGBRAI.”
Henle says that many in his groups were planning to participate in Iowa’s Ride this summer. “Since Iowa’s Ride was right in our backyard (Eldora), we were pretty much obligated to represent,” he explained. “The Team Love Shack bus is housed at a farm in Eldora, and we have a great presence in the area.”
Henle went on to state that some of his crew planned to participate in RAGBRAI as well. He described the route that he and other “Shackers” were planning to take, starting Iowa’s Ride in Eldora and transitioning into the RAGBRAI route that heads back east across the state starting in LeMars, going back towards Iowa Falls.
Needless to say, Henle was disappointed by the turn of events and the cancellation of Iowa’s Ride. “I personally was upset. I was looking forward to this route and reconnecting with friends.” Yet at the same time, he understood the reason for cancelling. “The preparation the towns have to go through in order to host that many riders are quite a bit,” Henle said. “With the concern over COVID and probably the downturn in expected riders combined for too many uncertainties to account for.”
Yet, both Henle and Ahrendsen have reason to be optimistic for next summer. Iowa’s Ride organizer TJ Juskiewicz has already said that the ride is on for next year. The event is planned for approximately the same time, July 18-24, 2021. Even better, Juskiewicz announced that the route will be the same as it was planned for this year, meaning it will go through Clarion.
Local officials are excited that Clarion will still get a chance to shine for the ride, even if it is next summer. Chamber Director Ali Disney who was helping plan for the Clarion overnight stop, said, “We’re happy that they decided to come through Clarion still. We will be excited to share our great restaurants, attractions, and most of all, people.” Fuel owners Curt and Kammy Nelson who were making big plans for the event, added “This just gives us another year to plan even better!”
However, there is no telling exactly what the ride will look like next year. The organizers have already noted that the 2021 ride will be a little different than what was planned for this year. Juskiewicz said in his announcement that next year’s ride will be “minimally supported.” This means fewer supportive perks like no sag service, route markers, and fewer staff helping.
On the flip side, he explained that though riders are encouraged to register, there will be no fee for Iowa’s Ride next summer. Instead, Juskiewicz hopes riders “pay it forward” to the participating towns and charities. “Be more than generous to the waitresses and bartenders in the places that you stop. We would also suggest donating to your favorite biking cause,” the statement said.
Both Henle and Ahrendsen are looking forward to the event next summer. Ahrendsen says he would likely plan to ride a local stretch again, while Henle is committed whole-heartedly to the event.
“I like to see other organized rides in the state and just love being on my bike,” Henle emphasized. “You get such a different perspective when riding across the state on your bicycle. Plus, there is so much to see in Iowa. The comradery among bikers and the citizens in each town is fantastic and something very unique.”
