Business
RAGBRAI Reveals 'Spirit of '73' Logo for 54th Ride, Route Due January 23
By News Desk ·
Key takeaways
- RAGBRAI's 54th edition runs July 24-31, 2027, under the theme 'Spirit of '73.'
- Ride Director Matt Phippen unveiled the logo at a party at RAGBRAI's Des Moines headquarters on November 6.
- The 2027 route will be revealed at an announcement party January 23, 2027, at the Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines.
- Bronze statues of cofounders John Karras and Donald Kaul will move from Water Works Park to RAGBRAI's Scott Avenue headquarters.
RAGBRAI has unveiled the logo for its 54th edition, themed "Spirit of '73," ahead of the ride scheduled for July 24-31, 2027. Yahoo reported that Ride Director Matt Phippen revealed the design at a party at RAGBRAI's Des Moines headquarters on Friday, November 6.
RAGBRAI, the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, is a seven-day recreational bicycle ride across Iowa that began in 1973 and draws 10,000 or more riders annually, according to company records.
Inside the 'Spirit of '73' Design
Creative Director Cory Mutch designed the logo, which uses a peace sign as the "V" in the Roman numeral LIV, formed by the fingers of a rider in John Lennon-style round sunglasses. Salmon pink, teal and yellow appear in the logo and in the forthcoming official ride jersey.
Mutch said the idea came to him while he was riding his bicycle and thinking about the numerals for the 54th ride. "I was like, 'Oh, live. You gotta live,'" he said. He said the peace sign came from reviewing photos of past rides: "Ninety percent of them are throwing peace signs."
Phippen said the logo and the route are created separately. "The logo has no ties to the route because (Mutch) doesn't know the route," he said. He said the two have come together before: in 2024, a logo featuring a farmhouse resembling the one in Grant Wood's "American Gothic" led Phippen to adjust his route by 5 miles to pass through Eldon.
"That's the magic of the ride — and the route — is starting with something, and it evolves into this bigger thing when it's all said and done," Phippen said.
Phippen also announced that the life-sized bronze statues of cofounders John Karras and Donald Kaul, installed at Water Works Park in Des Moines in 2020, will move to RAGBRAI's headquarters on Scott Avenue. He said exposure to the elements and skateboarders who use the sculpture's bronze wave as a grind rail necessitate the move, and that the transfer date is uncertain.
RAGBRAI's Recent Ride and Registration
RAGBRAI launched its 53rd annual ride, scheduled for July 18-25, 2026, covering a record-short 391.4 miles with 16,027 feet of climb across eight overnight towns, according to akta.pro company records. The same records show 474,103 riders have participated since inception through the 2024 ride, covering 23,247 miles.
The records also list an integrated logistics partnership network including Unlimited Biking, SendMyGear, BIKEFLIGHTS and Mr. Car Shipper, and the EnMotive registration platform as primary digital infrastructure, with a November 15 annual registration opening.
When the 2027 Route Arrives
The 2027 route will be revealed at an announcement party on January 23, 2027, held for the first time at the Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines. Tickets for the party go on sale November 15, the same day early-bird registration opens, with details at RAGBRAI.com.