Skip the Parking Hassle: Bike to the Iowa State Fair
Headed to the Iowa State Fair? Skip the hunt for parking, the $20 yard spot, and the wait for a shuttle, bike there instead!
Free bicycle parking is back this year with a new, easier-to-access location at Gate 13, near East 30th and Maple Street. Previously, cyclists had to maneuver through security at Gate 11 with their bikes. Now you can ride directly to the bike parking area, lock up, and walk through security to enter the Fair.
If you’re riding from downtown or farther west, the trail along MLK provides a good option toward the Fairgrounds. From there, riders can use 18th Street, East Walnut, East 22nd and Maple Street to reach Gate 13. A heads-up: the railroad crossings along 18th can be tricky, so walking your bike across that section may be the better option.
The new parking area is monitored by security cameras, but you’ll still want to bring a bike lock and secure your bike before heading inside.
Then there’s only one decision left to make: what fair food are you riding there for?
Start the School Year on Two Wheels
A new school year means new routines, and it might be the perfect time to make walking, biking or rolling to school one of them.
Iowa Safe Routes to School encourages families to take a few minutes at the beginning of the year to plan a safe route to school and talk with students about navigating streets, crossings and busy school arrival areas. Whether students walk, bike, roll, carpool or take the bus, knowing what to expect along the way helps everyone start the year safer.
B – Brakes: Squeeze the brakes and make sure they’re working properly.
C – Cranks & Chain: Check that everything is secure and moving smoothly.
Quick: Look over your entire bike for anything loose or damaged.
Check: Give your bike one last check before you ride!
Families don’t have to ride alone! A bike bus lets groups of students ride to school together along a planned route with adults. Think of it like a school bus, only on bikes. If your school or neighborhood is interested in starting one this semester, contact Matt at matt@iowabike.org.
Want to see Safe Routes to School in Action? Read about Iowa Safe Routes to School at the recent Dubuque BikeWise event.
Follow the Monarchs: Wheels and Wings Takes Flight this September
What do bicycles and monarch butterflies have in common? This September, they’ll share the same route through Story County.
Join the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, Story County Conservation, and the Outdoor Alliance of Story County on Saturday, September 19, for the Wheels & Wings Bike Ride, a monarch themed ride celebrating the connection between cycling, conservation, trails, and Iowa communities.
Starting in Slater, riders will follow the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail through Huxley, Cambridge, and Maxwell before reaching the turnaround in Collins. The full out and back route is approximately 42 miles, with festivities planned in each of the five communities along the way.
But there’s more to this trail than a great place to ride. The corridor travels through prairie, woodlands, and farmland that provide important habitat along the monarch migration route, connecting communities while creating space for both people and pollinators.
The day begins with a rolling start from 8 to 9 a.m. in Slater and includes breakfast, themed experiences along the route, rider drink specials, live music, and a swag bag.
Best of all, your ride supports the organizations working to protect and strengthen these places. Proceeds benefit the Outdoor Alliance of Story County and the Iowa Bicycle Coalition.
Grab your bike, follow the monarchs, and experience Story County from the trail. Learn more and register here: https://WheelsAndWingsBikeRide.eventbrite.com
Put Cycling on Your Plate
What if one of the easiest ways to support bicycling in Iowa was with your car?
Iowa’s Share the Road license plate does more than spread an important safety message. Each plate also provides direct financial support to the Iowa Bicycle Coalition and our work to make Iowa a safer, more welcoming place to ride.
When you purchase a Share the Road plate, $35 of the $60 initial fee comes directly to the Coalition. Each year after that, $10 of the $15 renewal fee continues supporting our work.
Those dollars help support bicycle safety and education, advocacy, community rides, and efforts to strengthen bicycling and trail communities across Iowa.
Getting one is easy. Personalized Share the Road plates can be ordered online through the Iowa DOT using your Iowa driver’s license or ID and a credit card. You don’t even have to wait for your registration renewal. Once your new plate is ready, simply exchange your current plates.
It’s a simple way to show your support for cycling every time you hit the road, while helping make Iowa a better place to ride. Learn more and get your Share the Road plate here.
One Iowa, Consistent Rules
The rules for riding a bike shouldn’t change simply because you crossed into the next community.
Since announcing Iowa’s unified model ordinance last month, the Iowa Bicycle Coalition has heard from communities across the state interested in using it as they consider how to address ebikes, emotos, scooters, and other emerging mobility devices.
That interest matters. As communities respond to new safety concerns, developing regulations independently can create a patchwork of different rules from one city to the next. The model ordinance gives communities a consistent approach that addresses higher powered devices while protecting access for traditional bicycles and legal Class 1, 2, and 3 ebikes.
The ordinance was developed in partnership with Street Collective and BIKEIOWA and updated to reflect changes in Iowa law and the growing number of new mobility devices appearing on streets and trails. The goal is straightforward: clear rules for riders, practical enforcement for communities facing safety concerns from new and emerging e-devices, and greater consistency across Iowa.
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Street Collective is also tracking ordinance activity across the state, giving communities and riders a way to see where new regulations are being considered or adopted.
If your community is discussing e mobility regulations, we want to hear from you. Contact the Iowa Bicycle Coalition to request the model ordinance and learn more.
- Interested in reviewing the model ordinance or discussing e-mobility regulations in your community? Contact the Iowa Bicycle Coalition
- View the Bike Ordinances Tracker: Street Collective Bike Ordinances Tracker
Get to know the IBC Staff
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Get to know the team that helps keep the Iowa Bicycle Coalition pedaling forward! Read more on the blog post on our website here.
Find your Next Adventure by Bike
Whether you’re looking for a signature ride, a family-friendly event, a skills clinic, or your next cycling challenge, there’s always something happening across Iowa. Here are a few upcoming Iowa Bicycle Coalition feature events to add to your calendar.
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The Bridge is Back! RRVT Community Ride and Ribbon Cutting
On Friday, August 21st, join the RRVTA, Dallas County Conservation, and Adel Partners as we celebrate the reopening of the lighted trail bridge in Adel with a fun bike ride and ribbon cutting ceremony. The ride is free, but registration is encouraged. Learn more here.
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The Great Fall Ride
It’s the end-of-season ride through the heart of Des Moines via its trails and parks on September 12th. The breezy ride loops from RAGBRAI HQ to Cumming and back with a fun, easy route. Registration coming soon. Learn more here.
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Wheels and Wings Bike Ride
Join Story County Conservation, the Outdoor Alliance of Story County, and the Iowa Bicycle Coalition on September 19th, 2026 for Wheels & Wings, a monarch-themed bike ride celebrating the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail. Sign up to ride here.
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Iowa Trails and Bike Summit
The Iowa Trails & Bike Summit on October 2nd is an annual gathering of professionals, researchers, and advocates working across trails and greenways, policy, infrastructure, and multimodal mobility taking place in Ames, IA. Registration and more information will be coming soon. Learn more here.
Looking for even more opportunities to ride? Visit the BIKEIOWA Events Calendar—Iowa’s go-to resource for bicycle rides, races, and cycling events happening year-round.
Riding Toward a Better Iowa
Every trail connection, safety program, advocacy effort, and community ride begins with people who believe Iowa can be a better place to ride a bike.
Whether you ride every day, volunteer your time, support our work, or simply believe in safer, more connected communities, your gift helps turn that vision into reality.
Your support expands access, improves safety, strengthens communities, and ensures more Iowans experience the joy and freedom of riding a bike.
Together, we’re building a better Iowa by bike.
Make a gift today and help keep Iowa rolling toward a better future.
