Council Bluffs couple completes 10th RAGBRAI together

What started with the purchase of two bicycles after they were married has turned into a decade-long tradition for Council Bluffs residents Cole and Robyn Epley, who completed their 10th RAGBRAI together this summer.

The couple moved to Council Bluffs in 2013 and began looking for something they could enjoy together. Robyn, an optometrist in Council Bluffs, said neither of them knew much about cycling at the time, but they had noticed the local trail system and heard people talking about RAGBRAI. Instead of buying more traditional gifts after getting married, they decided to buy bicycles. “We should start biking,” she recalled. “I’ve heard people talk about this RAGBRAI and the trails, and I don’t know anything about this. And that was just like the first jump into that. And now that’s a huge part of our life.”

Those first bicycles did not last long once the Epleys discovered how much riding they wanted to do. During an early training ride on the Raccoon River Valley Trail, they planned to ride about 70 miles but missed a turn and ended up covering more than 100 miles in temperatures that reached roughly 100 degrees. They still refer to the experience as their “accidental century,” and it helped convince them it was time to move to lighter, more efficient bicycles.

Cycling has since become something they share throughout the year, but RAGBRAI has developed into an annual fixture. The 2026 ride took cyclists across Iowa from Onawa to Dubuque July 18 through 25, and the Epleys said they have learned plenty during their 10 years of making the trip. Early mistakes included packing too much gear and bringing items that became heavy in Iowa’s summer humidity. “We’ve learned from a lot of mistakes,” Robyn said. “I think we’ve got it figured out now. We learn something new every year, but it’s gotten better in 10 years.”

The experience has also become less about simply covering the miles. The Epleys stop for roadside activities, visit with residents and regularly encounter cyclists they have met during previous rides. Some are people they see only during RAGBRAI, yet the relationships pick up each summer where they left off the year before. Cole said riders tend to settle into similar routines and eventually begin recognizing the same people along the route. “You just get in that same sort of flow with people,” he explained. “You ride hard and you have a good time, but you balance it all.”

For Robyn, one of the memorable parts of RAGBRAI is hearing visitors from outside Iowa talk about the state. Riders come from across the country and internationally, often experiencing small Iowa communities for the first time. “They say, ‘Wow, that’s so cool. I’m so jealous that you are from Iowa,’” she said. “That’s just a really cool thing to hear other people say.”

This year also provided Cole with an unexpected reunion. While passing through Harlan, he realized his third-grade teacher still lived only about a block from where the couple was staying. He had not seen her since he was young, but decided to knock on the door. She was able to visit, and what began as a quick stop turned into nearly two hours of conversation.

For Cole, that visit became an example of the hospitality that defines much of the ride. Residents regularly allow cyclists to fill water bottles, rest in their yards or use their homes, while churches, civic groups and other organizations provide food and services along the route. “You’re out there and people are just so hospitable and people are so kind,” he noted. “You get that across the state from river to river.”

The couple now rides with a Council Bluffs-based group that arranges its own overnight host homes during RAGBRAI. Those hosts have become another important part of the experience, sometimes providing meals, showers, laundry and places to sleep for a group of riders they may never have met before. Robyn remembered one host who contacted the group beforehand to ask what they liked to drink, what food they preferred and even what laundry detergent they used before preparing for their arrival.

After 10 rides across Iowa, Cole said those encounters are difficult to adequately explain to someone who has never participated. Riders may be hundreds of miles into a weeklong trip and staying in a community they have never visited, yet strangers repeatedly make them feel welcome. “You’re in places maybe you’ve never been before and you’re getting there on a bike, but it feels like home,” he said.

The Epleys already expect to return for an 11th RAGBRAI next year. At this point, the question for them is not whether they will ride again, but where the next route will take them.