The RAGBRAI^® housing committee is officially recruiting local residents to house the more than 10,000 riders and visitors arriving in Jefferson on Monday night, July 21.

RAGBRAI^® – the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Ride Across Iowa – is the biggest, longest, and oldest touring ride in the world. Organizers estimate that 10,000 riders, plus their support staffs, will descend on Jefferson beginning Monday, July 21. Registered riders will look to the residents of Jefferson to provide overnight accommodations before heading to Ames on Wednesday for the third leg of the ride.

Residents of Jefferson and Greene County are encouraged to house registered RAGBRAI^® riders, teams, and/or groups. Interested parties are encouraged to download and print a Host Sign-Up form from Jefferson’s official RAGBRAI^® website – www.jeffersonragbrai.com. Forms are also available at the Chamber office. The sign-up form will ask for information about the availability of showers at your home, beds and camping space available, the number of people you can accommodate, and more.

The completed form can be returned to the Jefferson Area Chamber of Commerce. Registered riders can also find private housing request forms on the website. Those forms, along with a $4 processing fee, will also be returned to the Chamber office. Then, beginning May 1, riders will be matched with area hosts based on a wide range of needs and preferences.

“You may receive calls from people coming to town during RAGBRAI^® asking about housing,” said housing chair Angie Chapman. “We ask you to direct them to the Jefferson RAGBRAI^® housing committee, which can add them to the housing request list. By going through the formal process we can ensure that all guests are registered participants of RAGBRAI^®.”

According to Chapman, if a rider is unregistered, that means they have not signed the RAGBRAI^® Waiver and Release of Liability. Therefore, anyone in the community who houses unregistered riders opens themselves to full liability for whatever may happen when that rider is at their home.

Please notify the RAGBRAI^® housing chair if you have already accepted riders to be guests in your home. Housing chair Angie Chapman can be reached at 515-386-2155 or housing@jeffersonragbrai.com. Housing Committee members also include Karen Perkins, Carol Sieck, and Lisa Turner.

“This is a great opportunity for the community to show riders real Jefferson hospitality,” said Chapman. “It is also a wonderful chance for community members to meet people and make new friends from all around the world!”