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INSTITUTION. >> TODAY, MYSELF AS RAGBRAI DIRECTOR WILL RESIGN THAT POST THAT I’VE HELD FOR SIXTEEN YEAR AS WELL AS MY ENTIRE STAFF. ALEX T.J. JUSKIEWICZ AND HIS 3 : STAFF MEMBERS HAVE DECIDED TO LEAVE THEIR JOBS AT RAGBRAI AND START A NEW STATEWIDE CYCLING EVENT. >> WE PUT OUR HEART AND SOUL INTO THIS EVENT, BUT WHEN OU PRINCIPLES ARE COMPROMISED WE JUST CAN’T GO ON. ALEX JUSKIEWICZ SAID HE CAME TO : THE DECISION AFTER RAGBRAI STARTED RECEIVING CRITICISM IN THE WAKE OF AN ARTICLE THE DES MOINES REGISTER WROTE ABOUT CARSON KING. THE PAPER WAS CRITCIZED FOR BRINGING UP TWEETS KING MADE AS A TEEN. JUSKIEWICZ FELT THE NEWSPAPER SHOULD HAVE LET HIM CLARIFY TO THE PUBLIC RAGBRAI IS SEPARATE FROM THE DES MOINES REGISTER’ NEWS DIVISION. >> THE DES MOINES REGISTER DOESN’T SPEAK RAGBRAI AND RAGBRAI DOESN’T SPEAK FOR THE DES MOINES REGISTER. MAKING SURE PEOPLE KNEW THAT WE’RE COMPLETELY TWO SEPARATE ENTITIES. ALEX RAGBRAI DONATED $50,000 TO : KING’S FUNDRAISER, BUT JUSKIEWICZ SAID HIS INABILITY TO MAKE THE PUBLIC STATEMENT HE WANTED LED TO MORE CRITICISM AGAINST RAGBRAI AND QUESTIONS SURROUNDING THE MOTIVE OF THE DONATION. >> HEY, THAT’S GREAT THAT YOU MADE A DONATION. BUT DIDN’T THE DES MOINES REGISTER MAKE YOU DO THAT TO SAVE FACE? HOW MANY MUCH OF MY FEES ARE GOING THERE BECAUSE I DON’T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE DES MOINES REGISTE ALEX DID THEY MAKE YOU DO THAT : TO SAVE FACE? >> NO, I CAME UP WITH THE IDEA, SAID IT WOULD BE GREAT TO DO THIS. ALEX JUSKIEWICZ CLAIMS HIS : STATEMENT ABOUT THE DONATION WAS WATERED DOWN BY SENIOR LEADERSHIP AT THE DES MOINES REGISTER’S CORPORATE OWNERPGANNE YORK. >> THIS RIDE IS BIGGER THAN ME. IT’S BIGGER THAN THE DES MOINES REGISTER. ALEX SURROUNDED BY HIS : MEMORIABILLIA FROM SIXTEEN YEARS RUNNING THE EVENT, JUSKIEWICZ SAID HE FEARED FOR THE EVENT’S FUTURE AND THE ENCROACHMENT OF MORE CORPORATE CONTROL. THAT’S WHY HE DECIDED IT’S TIME TO SEPARATE AND START SOMETHING NEW. >> THIS IS THE PEOPLE’S RIDE THIS IS IOWA’S RIDE. AND IT WOULD BE A SHAME. IT WOULD BE AN ABSOLUTE SHAME

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The director and staff of the Register’s Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa, or RAGBRAI, resigned from their jobs Tuesday to start a new cycling event.T.J. Juskiewicz, director of RAGBRAI for the last 16 years, spoke exclusively with KCCI about the resignations and development of a new statewide cycling event called Iowa’s Ride.Juskiewicz said recent developments with the Des Moines Regiter and RAGBRAI left him feeling that it was time to break away and start fresh."We put our heart and soul into this event, but when our principles are compromised, we just can't go on," Juskiewicz and.He said he came to the decision to resign after RAGBRAI started receiving criticism in the wake of an article the Des Moines Register wrote about Carson King. The paper was criticized for publishing information regarding racist tweets King made as a teen. Juskiewicz said he felt the newspaper should have let him clarify to the public that RAGBRAI is separate from the Des Moines Register's news division."The Des Moines Register doesn't speak for RAGBRAI and RAGBRAI doesn't speak for the Des Moines Register,; making sure people knew that we're completely two separate entities," Juskiewicz said.RAGBRAI donated $50,000 to King's fundraiser, but Juskiewicz said his inability to make the public statement he wanted led to more criticism against RAGBRAI and questions surrounding the motive of the donation."'Hey, that's great that you made a donation, but didn't the Des Moines Register make you do that to save face?'" Juskiewicz said of the reactions he heard. "'How many much of my fees are going there because I don't want anything to do with the Des Moines Register.?'" When asked if RAGBRAI "donated to King's fundraiser to save face for the newspaper, " Juskiewicz said no."No, I came up with the idea, said it would be great to do this," he said.Juskiewicz claims his statement about the donation was watered down by senior leadership at The Des Moines Register's corporate owner, Gannett, and a public relations firm out of New York. "This ride is bigger than me," he said. "It's bigger than the Des Moines Register."Surrounded by his memorabilia from 16 years running RAGBRAI, Juskiewicz said he feared for the event's future and the encroachment of more corporate control. Juskiewicz said his concerns led him to separate and start something new."This is the people's ride," he said. "This is Iowa's ride, and it would be a shame, an absolute shame, to not have this ride continue for another 47 years."The Iowa's Ride website is already live. The event will run July 19-25, the same date currently set for RAGBRAI. According to Juskiewicz, 100% of proceeds from the ride will be donated to charities in Iowa. He said he was inspired by King's decision to raise millions for charity and that half of the race’s proceeds will go the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.The Des Moines Register's editor did not have a comment. Andy Yost, chief marketing officer at Gannett, issued the following statement to KCCI: "We’ll continue RAGBRAI’s longstanding tradition in 2020 with another great bicycle ride and strong partnerships with Iowa communities to raise money for good causes. Our commitment remains to donate $50,000 to the University of Iowa’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital. We’re proud of the good RAGBRAI has done for the state since 1973."