The Weekend of January 25-26 Hosts Big Events for Bicycling.

Mon January 14 2013
Posted Jan 14, 2013
4,849

Many bicyclists ride year round, but others dream of warmer weather and make plans for a full summer of riding. January 25 and 26 hosts events that will put those dreams into motion. The Iowa Bicycle Summit on January 25; the Iowa Bike Expo on January 26; and the RAGBRAI Route Announcement Party on January 26 make this a big weekend for bicycling.

The Iowa Bicycle Summit on January 26 at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center is a premier education conference dedicated to building more bicycle facilities. This year features Tom Huber and Arthur Ross from Toole Design. They will be presenting on the new American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) recently released Guide for The Development of Bicycle Facilities. The conference is geared towards engineers, planners, city officials, and trail groups. Pre-registration by January 18 is required and the workshop costs $160. In addition to the workshop, several sessions will present on how to build and fund trails and other bicycle facilities.

The Iowa Bike Expo on January 26 in HyVee Hall A is back and bigger than before. The Expo features over 90 vendors showing off the latest in trails, gear, and bicycles. New sponsors this year include ICHI Bike, an East Village Bicycle retailer offering unique rides; Balance for Bicyclists, an insurance carrier for bicyclists; and Mojitivation, a jewelry maker that promotes motivation for physical activity. Several bicycle retailers will be on hand including Bike World, Bikes To You, Scheels, and Barr Bike and Fitness. This event is FREE. Doors open at 8:30 AM and close at 6 PM.

The RAGBRAI Route Announcement Party is January 26 at the Iowa Event Center. Iowa Bicycle Coalition members enjoy a pre-party at 7 PM. Doors open to all ticket holders at 8 PM. This event features the announcement of one of the biggest secrets in Iowa - the 2013 RAGBRAI overnight towns. Included in the fun is one of the largest bicycle silent auctions with over 125 items that raises money to support the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. RAGBRAI favorites, the Johnny Holm Band will play from 8 PM to 11 PM. Tickets purchased by January 15 are $30 and raise to $35 after January 15 and $40 at the door.

Information about the events can be found at the Iowa Bicycle Coalition’s website - www.iowabicyclecoalition.org or by calling (515) 309-2867.