An Epic Ride Across Iowa: The Obed Team Does RAGBRAI
Picture this: 20,000 cyclists riding together for seven straight days from the Missouri River to the Mississippi, with zero cars allowed. That's RAGBRAI — the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa — and it might be the most fun you can have on two wheels.
Here, there's no race timing and no podium. It's all about the unmatched vibes of riding through small-town Iowa. You get plenty of pie stands run by church ladies. You rock out with cover bands blasting music from flatbed trailers in the middle of cornfields. Entire towns throw block parties when you show up. And you experience a genuinely wild cross-section of humanity (check out that guy in the armor above!), all rolling in the same direction for an entire week. Some people show up on carbon race machines. But plenty show up on tandems, unicycles, or cargo bikes hauling full-on sound systems. Everybody shows up to have a good time.
Since 1973, RAGBRAI has built a reputation as one of the best week-long parties in cycling. This year, we loaded up our van with our latest gravel rigs and went to find out exactly what this event is all about.
Obed Came to Party with the RAGBRAI Crowd
This is our second year supporting RAGBRAI. This year, we sent our pro mechanics, Michael, Chris, and Justin, along with our Project Manager, Audrey. Together, they took turns riding the RAGBRAI route on their Obed gravel bikes, but their main mission was supporting all 20,000 cyclists along the way. They dragged all their gear along and set up the Obed booth at every overnight town.
Karaoke at the Obed booth.
This gave everyone the chance to check out Obed's new GVR and MMR gravel bikes, but the main reason they were there was to provide mechanical support. They spent their mornings and nights wrenching on bikes, ensuring as many of the 20,000 riders who started could make it to the finish.
Michael, the RAGBRAI Nerf champ.
"We had to work hard to play hard!" Michael said. "That moving expo is no joke. It's so much work for all staff, vendors, volunteers, and so on, and it's amazing how much everyone puts into this to make it all happen. It's just such a crazy event. Non-stop. Every day was up early and late to bed for us!"
Justin, Audrey, and Chris fueling up.
During the day, the team rode along with the RAGBRAI crowd. They got to experience the amazing RAGBRAI atmosphere and see all of the amazing sights Iowa has to offer along the way.
Audrey hauling gear across Iowa, every day.
"It was one of the best times I've had at a bike event ever!" Audrey said. "I got to ride every day, then hang out at the tent once I rolled into the overnight town and talk to the continuous stream of RAGBRAI riders stopping through."
The Obed booth was the stop for post-ride World Cup action.
Not only did they wrench on bikes and ride, but the Obed team even provided a plethora of post-ride "recovery" activities. They transformed the Obed booth into a post-ride hub where they provided seating, reading material (check out Spoke and Terrain!), cold beer, sang karaoke late into the night, had the 2026 World Cup regularly playing on a TV, and even had Nerf and water gun battles!
Only at RAGBRAI
We had the time of our lives at RAGBRAI this year. "We found a beautiful troll in a boat, the Field of Dreams, and had a karaoke party," Michael said. "What a great event. See ya next year, riders!"
