RAGBRAI is an acronym and registered trademark for the Register's, Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, which is a non-competitive bicycle ride organized by The Des Moines Register. The course runs across the state of Iowa from west to east, and draws recreational riders from across the world. First held in 1973, RAGBRAI is the largest bike-touring event in the world. Description Riders begin at a community on Iowa's western border and ride to a community on the eastern border, stopping in towns across the state. The ride is one week long, ending on the last Saturday of July each year, after beginning on the previous Sunday. The earliest possible starting date is July 19 and the latest is July 25. RAGBRAI holds an annual lottery that selects about 8,500 week-long riders. The lottery is held beginning November 15 of the previous year and until April 1, with random computer selection determines the participants. Entrants are notified of the lottery results by email on May 1. Additionally, passes on a first-come, first-served basis are made available for 1,500 day riders; these are limited to three per person. Iowa bicycle clubs and charters, as well as teams and groups (many from out of state), also receive a number of passes for which members apply through those organizations. Despite the official limits, unregistered riders have on many days swelled the actual number of riders to well over the registered number count. The length of the entire week's route over RAGBRAI's first 40 years from 1973 through 2012, not including the Century Loop, averaged , with the average daily distance between host communities being . Eight "host communities" are selected each year, one each for the beginning and end points, the other six serving as overnight stops from Sunday through Friday for the bicyclists. At the beginning of the ride, participants traditionally dip the rear wheels of their bikes in or near the starting community. A dipping spot has always been set up in either the Missouri River or the Big Sioux River. At the end, the riders dip their front wheels in the Mississippi River. The 45th ride, RAGBRAI XLV, took place from July 23–29, 2017, beginning in Orange City, with overnight stops in Spencer, Algona, Clear Lake, Charles City, Cresco, and Waukon, before finishing in Lansing. In 2017, the "Mile of Silence", which remembers the riders who have been lost throughout