The New RAGBRAI Logo
October 26, 2014
When we first saw the 2015 RAGBRAI Logo we LOVED it! And, because (some of us are old enough to recognize some historical things) it looked faintly like a Soviet Agricultural Poster from the Stalin Era. See...
That made it all the better...great lines and the "red star" made it even more attractive. (Commies....)
Then our friends from the "cycling community" started to voice concerns, "It looks like the tractor is running over a bicycle!" was the most
common. And, indeed, if you look at the logo with that eye...it does.
"News Flash!" (Yep, the words of the RAGBRAI Director...) Clearly the Des Moines Register graphic design folks must have read the piece written by our friend Kyle Munson just days before the logo reveal (maybe not) which centered on the killing of a cyclist in Calhoun County early this year. The judge set down the maximum penalty under Iowa Law, $1,500. If you didn't read that you can listen in to a segment of the Business News Hour where it was discussed.
Did we happen to mention that Iowa has fallen in the rankings of "bicycle friendly states" from 6th most friendly to...25th?
But, this isn't about the pitiful way in which Iowa treats its cyclists. Or how many folks in Rural Iowa think bicycles have no place on the roads of our state. Nope, it's about the logo...which, by the way, we still like.
Now, if only, we could get more folks in Iowa to love cycling for more than the dollars it brings some of our hamlets, THAT would be super!