By, Aaron Adelson
Aadelson@kcautv.com
Twitter: @aadelsonkcau
Over the weekend Sioux Center learned it would host RAGBRAI this summer.
That's not the decision many in Sioux City wanted, but we went up north and they are going pedal to the metal for RAGBRAI XL.
"How did RAGBRAI get to Sioux Center? That's a good question," said Ardith Lien, Sioux Center Chamber of Commerce.
The announcement in Des Moines Saturday night came as a shock to some.
Sioux Citians felt they had at least a 50/50 shot at hosting RAGBRAI, but Sioux Center was even more optimistic.
"I wanted to be gutsy and say 90/10, but I'm not sure that would be fair either...Just based on that it had been a number of years since they had been in Sioux Center," said Lien.
Most of the festivities will take place in Open Space Park and at some of Dordt College's facilities.
This summer, Sioux Center's population will nearly triple with an influx of RAGBRAI'ers, and people in Sioux Center have no doubts it going to be a good time
"This is our 4th time in doing RAGBRAI, and we've always had rave reviews after the fact, so we are proud of what we have to offer. It will be a good time. It will be well organized, and it will be executed very professionally," said Lien.
The second RAGBRAI stop will also be in Siouxland, it will be in Cherokee.
"It's a huge event, so people are excited, wondering where everything is going to be, how it's all going to play out, but a lot of excitement just because the event is coming," said Tom Letsche, owner of Letsche's Bike Shop.
The route's 3rd stop is in Lake View, so a lot of wheels will be spinning through Siouxland this Summer.
RAGBRAI has not been to Cherokee, or Sioux Center in a decade.
"2 towns right there that we haven't been in, in ten years so RAGBRAI's changed a whole, and it hasn't a whole lot in 10 years, so we're looking forward to bringing RAGBRAI to town," said T.J. Juskiewicz, RAGBRAI Director.
