CLEAR LAKE — The City Council in Clear Lake this week approved sending a letter of support for Mason City’s application to be an overnight stop for the 2020 edition of the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.

Mayor Nelson Crabb says any time a north-central Iowa community hosts RAGBRAI, the surrounding towns also benefit.  “Be it Mason City, be it Forest City, be it Northwood, it doesn’t matter. All of those communities whenever they have it, including Clear Lake, sure, the evening is usually places where people stay may go to Forest City if it’s in Clear Lake, may go to Northwood, Manly, wherever close by, Mason City, and so that’s why it makes sense to support each other.”

Crabb says Clear Lake’s experiences hosting an overnight stop in 2010 and 2017 and also being a pass-through community when Mason City hosted an overnight stop in 2014 will be beneficial if RAGBRAI comes through the area again in the future.  “We have had over the last two being the host and one being the pass-through, we’ve had some excellent leadership and volunteers here, and really kind of know at this point how to do a lot of that, knowing full well it’s very, very complex, right from the vendors, to the entertainment, to the campers and the rules and regs that go with it. But it’s a fun time and exposure of your community to literally thousands of people as they come through.”

The RAGBRAI route and overnight stops will be announced on January 25th.

Crabb made his comments on the “Ask the Mayor” program earlier today on AM-1300 KGLO. Listen back to the program via the audio player below