(Radio Iowa) – We’re a month into a bitter cold winter, but dedicated Iowa cyclists are thinking ahead to spring and this weekend’s Iowa Bike Expo, what’s billed as the largest one-day bike show in the Midwest. Luke Hoffman, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, says they’re expecting at least five-thousand people to attend the free event in Des Moines. “Folks can come out and check out the latest gear from some bike-friendly businesses, and also just check out some of the other awesome local nonprofits. We have over 30 local nonprofits who are signed up to participate,” Hoffman says, “and tons of different vendors. We actually just sold out at 120 different vendors.”
The Saturday event runs from 9 A-M to 3 P-M at the Iowa Events Center. After the expo closes, another event begins — the first-ever Iowa Bicycle Coalition Bike Banquet, also at the Events Center from 3 to 6 P-M. Hoffman says they have a long list of educational, inspirational speakers, plus, they’ll be releasing a report on the impact of cycling in Iowa. “We have a statewide renewal of our 2012 study, which was an economic and health impact study on cycling and trails in Iowa,” Hoffman says. “That study back in 2012 showed that it was $364.9-million over 10 years ago and even just adjusting for inflation, that’s half a billion in today’s dollars.”
Hoffman says the report will detail how the popularity — and the impact — of cycling in Iowa has continued to grow. “It’s going to help us tell the story about who we are as a state. It’s a core part of our identity, that we’re a bike-friendly state,” Hoffman says. “This is going to add to that and then also advance it in a way that helps us understand that cycling isn’t just about local impacts and the economics of it, but also those health impacts of physical activity, which I think is really important, including mental health.”…