Dennis Kersten, 80, of rural Dysart pictured participating in this past July’s RAGBRAI LII during which he logged 80 miles. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

DYSART – It seems there’s no slowing down for farmer Dennis Kersten of rural Dysart.

Kersten, a Geneseo Class of 1964 alum, celebrated turning 80 this past April by cycling exactly 80 miles across RAGRBAI’s fifth and sixth days – logging 50 miles between Iowa Falls and Cedar Falls on July 24 before finishing up his quest on July 25 by riding to Oelwein.

“He has been riding all or part of this event for 17 years,” Kersten’s wife Donna told the newspaper. “He started [participating] in 2008, doing a day or two. In 2013, he did the whole 400-plus miles, dipping his rear tire in the Missouri River and front tire in the Mississippi River.”

Per RAGBRAI’s website, the annual seven-day ride – officially called the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa – is the “world’s oldest, largest, and longest recreational multi-day bicycle ride.” It began in 1973 as a challenge to ride across Iowa between two Des Moines Register writers, John Karras and Don Kaul. While RAGBRAI’s website has no official statistics pertaining to the number of octogenarians like Kersten who have participated through the years, the route regularly welcomes those in their 80s and even 90s including Kenneth Gregersen, 93, of Ankeny who rode for the first time this year, per his own social media posts.

During the one or two days each year Kersten rides the route, Donna said she keeps tabs on him by operating as his SAG (support and gear) wagon, telling the newspaper, “I drop him off and pick him up. During the day, I visit sites in the area. It has been a great way to see our great state.”

Happy 80th Birthday, Dennis! May you log many more miles in the years to come!