JACKSON, Minn. — Two cyclists have died while participating in this year’s RAGBRAI event, according to law enforcement and event organizers.
On Tuesday morning, a rider collapsed on the route in Estherville, Iowa. Emergency crews responded around 7 a.m. and transported the individual to a nearby hospital, where they later died. The person’s body was sent to the state medical examiner’s office to determine the cause of death.
Another fatal incident occurred Monday near Jackson, Minnesota. Authorities say 54-year-old Kelly Paul of Texas collapsed on a county road near Highway 86 shortly after 8 a.m. Fellow RAGBRAI riders who were medical professionals stopped immediately to assist. Paul was taken to Spirit Lake Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
This year marks the first time in the 52-year history of RAGBRAI, or the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, that the route entered Minnesota.
