To the Iowans who ride it, there’s nothing else in the world like RAGBRAI. For bike shops, it also means business.

“It’s kind of like Mardi Gras on two wheels,” said Wade Franck, who has ridden in the event 16 of the last 17 years.

But RAGBRAI also means business — for bike shops and small towns alike.

As both an avid rider and the assistant manager of Skunk River Cycles, 308 Main St.t, Franck knows RAGBRAI’s impact well.

“Think of the cyclists as 10,000 locusts,” Franck said, who descend upon Iowa towns, and eat everything in their path.

“And we’re willing to pay for it. By the end of the week you’re so ravenous, you’ll eat anything,” Franck said.

Ames experienced this phenomenon in 2008 as one of the ride’s designated stops.

“Whenever you have a host town for RAGBRAI, the town gets really, really busy,” said Ron Ritz, owner of Skunk River Cycles.

This year, Ames isn’t on the route, but that doesn’t mean RAGBRAI doesn’t have an impact on the Ames economy.

“RAGBRAI raises the whole year up,” said Steve Lauber, manager of Bike World, 126 S. Third St. “In January you’re thinking about what kind of bike you want.”

Once the main event approaches, area riders bring their cycles in to ensure that their bike is in tip-top shape to make the intra-state journey.

“We do a lot of tune-ups for RAGBRAI” Franck said.

Demand, in fact, can be high enough that it’s important to get your bike in early to ensure enough time to get it fixed before the ride.

“They’ll come in on Wednesday before RAGBRAI — ‘Can I have my bike back tomorrow?’” Franck said.

But it doesn’t stop at tune-ups. Once RAGBRAI starts, some bike shops even come along for the ride.

Bike World in Ames, along with its sister stores in West Des Moines and Urbandale, is one such shop.

“On the road at any given time we have 35 Bike World employees,” Lauber said.

The company operates a charter bus from Ames to the ride’s start location, and from the end of the ride back to Ames.

Bike World also brings mechanics on the ride, to repair damaged bikers’ gear. The retail shop goes too.

“Everything in the store we will sell some of on RAGBRAI,” Lauber said.

That means both necessities and luxuries.

“It’s a vacation for people,” Lauber said. “They don’t mind buying themselves a little treat.”

Bike World can also handle riders’ lodging and luggage through its “In Tents” program.

“We’ll provide a tent and an air mattress,” Lauber said. “You show up to town, you find tent number 72, and there’s your stuff.”

It’s hard work, Lauber said, lugging bags and tents and merchandise through a week of RAGBRAI. But that’s the business.

“For us,” Lauber said, “it’s the biggest thing we do.”