My wife and I will be joining along for the chaos this year traveling in style atop our beloved Rivendell HubbuHubbuH tandem.
We will be riding self-supported loaded up with all of our gear and tent camping along the way. The plan is to ride from Minneapolis/St Paul area down to Estherville, IA - join in the folly of RAGBRAI until Cedar Rapids, and then turn north to ride back home.
My first RAGBRAI was back in 1985 when I was only 14 and somehow convinced my parents to let me go alone through a charter. (I think it helped that I am the youngest of 4 boys.) Packed up with my week's supply of goods, not a single cycling related article of clothing, and a
$30 pup tent
in an army duffel bag off I went. Hooked, I have done the ride nearly every year since. The first 3 years with charters, the next 7 with a support vehicle, and the last 20+ years self contained. I missed a year due to preparing for a move, another for weird infection, and a few years during the pandemic years.
I think I actually enjoy the ride down to Iowa and the ride home more than the actual organized portion of RAGBRAI itself.