Wartburg College is proud to partner with the City of Waverly in helping host nearly 20,000 riders and support personnel for the 42^nd annual RAGBRAI. It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the college to people from all over the country. Thank you in advance to a number of Wartburg staff who are serving in a leadership capacity for the event, volunteering their time throughout Waverly, and working on campus to ensure the riders who camp on our campus are welcomed, showered, entertained, and fed. Nearly 3,000 riders will camp on the Wartburg campus. Detailed information about the event can be found online.

—President Darrel Colson

Getting to and from campus — Most riders will arrive Thursday between noon and 6 p.m. Support vehicles and personnel could arrive as early as 8 a.m. Riders are being routed on 12^th Street NW, Fifth Avenue NW, Sixth Street NW, and Second Avenue SW to the main campground areas. Bremer Avenue will remain open but travel could be challenging, especially late afternoon into the evening. Friday morning, riders will use the same streets as well as First Street NW to exit town. Support vehicles will enter and exit town on Iowa Highway 3. Detailed maps are available online.

Wartburg Hospitality Tent — Faculty and staff are encouraged to stop by the Wartburg Hospitality Tent Thursday, July 24, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., at Greenwood. You can connect with our Wartburg Knight Riders and welcome other cyclists to town.

Welcome riders to Waverly — Faculty and staff are invited to stop by the RAGBRAI barn on 12^th Street NW to welcome riders into Waverly. Everyone is welcome, even if you can only stay for a few minutes. There will be welcome signs and cowbells to add to the festivities.

Campus parking — F Lot, south of Bachman Fine Arts Center, and O Lot, west of The W gated member lot, will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, July 23-24, for Waverly's RAGBRAI medical center (F Lot) and information center (O Lot) operations. Access to The W's gated member lot will be restricted Thursday, July 24, due to the closure of 12th Street. Members may access The W via 11th Street, and park in L Lot, south of The W.
 

Internet access — Wartburg guest Internet access will be available to RAGBRAI riders and support personnel Thursday afternoon and evening. During the day Thursday, ITS will reserve enough bandwidth for working faculty and staff. By 4 p.m., we will shift the majority of our bandwidth to our guest network to provide more access to our RAGBRAI guests. Given the numbers of guests, it is likely that, even with the shift, access will still be slow at times.

Additionally, please be aware that cell phone access (both voice and data) will likely be impacted from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning. There will be times during that period that you may not be able to make a voice call or access data via your cell phone. Texting is probably going to be your best means of cell phone communication.

The W — The Wartburg campus will serve as a quiet campground for riders and crews, and the athletics side of The W will be open for showers. Riders and their crews also will be able to purchase a pool pass. Showing RAGBRAI participants the warm Waverly and Wartburg spirit will impact the availability of some services for our members. We apologize in advance for any inconveniences this may cause you. 

Entertainment — The college has lined up an afternoon of entertainment Thursday, July 24, on the Campus Mall with a rain location in Neumann Auditorium. The Tour de France will be on in McCaskey Lyceum in Saemann Student Center. Additional entertainment options are available online.

• Noon: Rising Stars of the Cedar Valley
• 1 p.m.:  Brazilian 2wins
• 2:30 p.m.: Chris Parsons
• 3:30 p.m.: Milk and Honey