Now that Davenport has been selected for the final stop on this year's RAGBRAI, planning has started on how to handle thousands of bike riders. And a familiar name is leading one of the committees.
Retired Davenport police captain Dave Struckman has volunteered to be the "public safety coordinator." And that includes planning the route, emergency response, medical care, parking, camping, transportation, and shuttle service. He says the first major decision for his committee is the dip site - where the riders officially end their trip across Iowa by dipping their tires in the Mississippi River.Once we choose that, then can plan route in the city.
Struckman says his committee also has to plan for the weekend before, when many riders will leave their cars in the Quad Cities, then take a shuttle bus across the state to the starting point at Sioux City, on the Missouri River. It's a lot of work for a lot of people.
Possible dip sites include Centennial Park and Credit Island.This year's RAGBRAI will end in Davenport on July 25th, the same day as the Bix 7 road race - the annual 7-k race that attracts up to 20,000 runners.
Copyright 2015 WVIK, Quad Cities NPR
