AP/Lang
10/22/19
A nonprofit controlled by the former director of RAGBRAI is hosting a conference in Coralville this week that features the rival event that he launched this month.
T.J. Juskiewicz was director of RAGBRAI until he and his staff resigned from the Des Moines Register, which has operated and marketed the ride since the 1970s.
Gannett, the Register‘s parent company, claims the Iowa Festivals and Events Association will now host the competing ride. Business filings show Juskiewicz and his wife formed the Iowa Festivals and Events Association last year. Juskiewicz, who is listed as the group’s president, told the Cedar Rapids Gazette he is only using the association as a “temporary landing spot” for the ride until a new group can be formed to run it.
Gannett Chief Marketing Officer Andy Yost issued a statement saying the company has policies in place requiring employees “to avoid any activities that constitute a conflict of interest or any outside interests and associations that may interfere with their employment…or create the appearance of impropriety.”
After resigning from the Register, Juskiewicz immediately launched Iowa’s Ride and scheduled it for the same week and format as RAGBRAI. The move has divided cyclists and is threatening the future of a cherished state tradition.
The Iowa Festivals and Events Association is hosting its first conference this week at the Coralville Marriott for more than 100 festival planners. Iowa’s Ride is among the featured vendors.
Juskiewicz and his Iowa’s Ride staff are among the speakers at the conference, which he calls a great “networking opportunity.” The presenting sponsors of the conference are the city of Coralville and Think Iowa City, also known as the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. The city of Coralville has worked closely with RAGBRAI in the past, as has Think Iowa City and its president, Josh Schamberger.
Last week the Coralville-based Iowa Bicycle Coalition was the first major group to leave RAGBRAI for the new Iowa’s Ride.