CONTRIBUTED GRAPHIC The 2026 RAGBRAI route was revealed on Saturday evening, and Marshalltown will be the Day 4 overnight stop.

Marshalltown residents should be prepared for numerous bicyclists in town in July as the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) comes to the community.

On Saturday evening, Marshalltown was named one of the overnight towns for this year’s RAGBRAI during a ceremony in Des Moines. The announcement did not surprise Mayor Mike Ladehoff.

“This is a huge deal for Marshalltown,” he said. “It’s going to bring a lot of people in, and I am confident Marshalltown will do an excellent job in welcoming them.”

The last time RAGBRAI went through Marshalltown was 2012. While Ladehoff did not know the economic impact of the ride from 14 years ago, he said it will be a “huge bump” in 2026. He has not heard of a formal Marshalltown RAGBRAI committee yet, but is sure one will be formed with the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce and the city being involved.

“We’re going to need all hands on deck to put this together,” Ladehoff said. “There’s planning, developing the theme, vendors because the people will eat a lot. [RAGBRAI] towns will bring in entertainment. It’s quite an undertaking.”

The need for multiple people helping out will be apparent as the popular annual event is just seven months away, but the mayor is confident Marshalltown will succeed.

“We are always up to a good challenge,” he said.

It is a big task, but Ladehoff is happy for Marshalltown to participate.

“I think this is a great opportunity,” he said. “This shows how Marshalltown is showing up in the state of Iowa as a place to be.”

Marshalltown marks a midway point of the RAGBRAI trek. The 53rd annual seven-day bicycle ride will begin July 18 in Onawa. Participants will travel 58.5 miles to Harlan. The next day, everyone will bike their way to Guthrie Center, covering 53.9 miles.

Bikers will then go 59.5 miles to Boone. From there, they will tack on another 62.2 miles and climb 1,563 feet on their way to Marshalltown on July 21. After staying the night, participants will bike to Independence, covering 81.4 miles.

The next town bicyclists will converge on is Dyersville, covering 42.2 miles. The ride will end in Dubuque after another 33.7 miles for a total of 391 miles, making it one of the shortest rides in RAGBRAI history.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or bradstream@timesrepublican.com.