'A normal RAGBRAI': Masks won't be required in 2021 return of annual bike ride across Iowa Philip Joens, Des Moines Register RAGBRAI during COVID: ’We think we can pull it off’ Replay Video UP NEXT With about half of Iowa's, and the country's, population vaccinated against COVID-19, the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa next month will look and feel much like those held over the 47 years before the cancellation of the 2020 ride, organizers say. RAGBRAI officials, who announced in December that the ride would return July 25-31, initially planned to require masks and to impose safe social distance requirements in vendor lines and at off-bike events. They also said they might consider staggered starts for riders, if warranted, to cut down on crowding; COVID-19 testing or proof of vaccination; and health screenings.