OTTUMWA — Any time you add 20,000 people to an Iowa city overnight, there is a chance things will go wrong.

But area law enforcement says that if you’re going to do that, then the people who ride RAGBRAI are a good choice for whom to add.

Ottumwa will see the full effect of RAGBRAI when it hosts the overnight stop this Thursday. It will be a challenge for the city’s logistics. Such a large group cannot help but impact driving conditions along the route and around entertainment sites. Ottumwa Police Chief Jim Clark says his officers are aware of those impacts.

Crime isn’t a major concern, though.

“The thing about this is we’ve experienced RAGBRAI two times before. We really don’t expect too many problems,” he said.

The biggest concern Clark has at this point is traffic. The riders will come right through Ottumwa beginning on Thursday and leave along some of Ottumwa’s major roads on Friday. Putting a large number of bikes on the road with cars, trucks and minivans always poses some risk.

And intersections will probably take longer than usual to navigate. Clark singled out Richmond Avenue and Ferry Street as a probable trouble spot.

All Ottumwa police will work a minimum of 12 hours during RAGBRAI, beginning at 6 a.m. Thursday. The speed with which the group moves warrants an early start.

“There’s the potential for cyclists to start coming in fairly early,” Clark said.

This is the fifth RAGBRAI visit for Wapello County Sheriff Don Kirkendall; the third overnight stay to go with two rides through Wapello County. He says his deputies will also be working 12-hour shifts. The department plans to focus efforts on specific areas and move with the main body of the riders. That means a morning focus on Blakesburg before shifting to Ottumwa.

Kirkendall said people need to remember that RAGBRAI is not the only thing happening. Daily life continues along with the occasional emergencies. If things are calm around the county things should go well. But the deputies will be very busy if things heat up.

“We’re just hoping for a nice, quiet evening,” said Kirkendall.

Area law enforcement is also bracing. While Ottumwa has the overnight stop, several counties face the riders coming through. Jefferson County Sheriff Jerry Droz said keeping everyone safe will take a high level of coordination between local police departments, county sheriff’s departments and the Iowa State Patrol.

It might seem that the transit counties might see less impact than overnight host locations, but Droz said that’s not true. The towns cyclists pass have intersections and traffic concerns of their own and every site wants law enforcement to help out.

That can be difficult. RAGBRAI takes place in the summer, just when law enforcement can have seasonal shortages.