OTTUMWA REAPS BENEFITS OF RAGBRAI
About 1 1 / 2 months after the City of Ottumwa was flooded with bicyclists from all walks of life and multiple countries of the world , the true measure of success showed itself .
When the receipts came in , Ottumwa reaped what it sowed .
Ottumwa , which was an overnight stop on July 25 during RAGBRAI , took in an estimated 18,000 bicyclists , far more than what was expected . All that created about $ 870,000 in economic impact in a day , based on assumptions from Iowa Department of Revenue estimates .
It was definitely a sense of accomplishment , according to Greater Ottumwa Partners In Progress Executive Director Marc Roe .
" I think I had a lot of pride for the city , because one of the things I heard was how nice the community is , both from a people perspective and a growth perspective ," he said . " I ' ve said it 100 times ; we have the best volunteer network I ' ve ever seen , and one thing we were able to do was introduce Wapello County to the rest of the state and the country ."
Roe did say there were 16,000 cyclists who originally registered for the ride , so there were about 13 % more who didn ' t .
Ottumwa was also voted the best overnight stop , according to a survey RAGBRAI officials sent to riders . The other overnight stops were Red Oak , Atlantic , Winterset , Knoxville and Mount Pleasant .
Even though the event brought in plenty of revenue for the city , Roe insisted the success began with those who stepped forward to make it happen . In all , there were over 200 volunteers and 19
CHAD DRURY / THE COURIER
A bicyclist on the Register ’ s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa pedals up Market Street in Ottumwa July 25 , the fifth stop on the journey across the state .
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