Iowa Bicycle Coalition looks to the future as it celebrates 20 years

This story first appeared in the 2024 Cycling Guide, a new annual special section distributed in The Gazette aimed at telling the stories of the businesses, people and local efforts that have made The Corridor a cycling destination.

The Iowa Bicycle Coalition turns 20 this year and has a new executive director at the helm to continue its legacy of promoting safe and enjoyable cycling throughout the state of Iowa.

Since 2004, the Iowa Bicycle Coalition has played a vital role in “influencing policy decisions, advocating for infrastructure improvements, and fostering a culture of cycling across Iowa,” all with the goal of creating a more bike-friendly community.

When the executive director position came open, many in the organization encouraged Luke Hoffman to apply. With his passion for cycling and his background in nonprofit management, it seemed the perfect position for him.

“As the previous director retired after serving for 19 years, we are pleased to have hired Luke. He brings a different dimension to the organization and inspires us, making us think bigger. It’s one of the most exciting things [for us] right now,” said Cory Scott, president of the coalition’s board of directors.

Hoffman has two objectives in furthering the organization’s mission, which is “to promote safe and enjoyable bicycling in Iowa through education, events, better policy and growing a community of supporters.” His first is exploring how to get more leadership and membership involvement in the coalition, drawing from those who might not be immediately apparent. The second is to pass state legislation that promotes cycling safety for all.

“I also want to tap into the grass roots support we have, those 5,000 donors statewide who really care about our vision. We want to activate and tap into that energy, harness it any way we can,” Hoffman said. As a nonprofit, funding is always a challenge.

With ten events on their “robust” calendar, including RAGBRAI (a coalition partner), the Iowa Bicycle Summit, the Iowa Bike Expo and the Iowa Bicycling Day at the Capitol, Hoffman and Scott are not sure there will be a special event to mark their anniversary. They have tentatively scheduled a fundraiser but have not nailed down the details.

In their ongoing mission to promote cycling safety for everyone, the coalition has two new laws they are hoping to get passed in the Iowa legislature this year:

As an urban planner, Scott thinks about biking both professionally and recreationally.

“Everyone has their own story about why they came to biking. Some because they were injured in an accident and want to promote safety. Some because they lost a spouse in a hit and run. For me, with my first paycheck in 2000, I bought a bike. I always wanted a nice bike but could never afford one,” he said.

Eventually, he was in a position where he could not only ride recreationally, but also rode to work. When the firm he worked for started doing urban planning, it became a question of “How do we get people to have a safe choice about how to travel?” Mason City was one of the first cities in Iowa to commit millions of dollars towards bike friendly routes.

Cyclists participate in the 2022 Big Rove Ride in Iowa City, Iowa, to benefit the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. Submitted photo.

Cyclists participate in the 2023 BACooN Ride. The BACooN Ride is an annual event that winds through several central Iowa towns along the Raccoon River Valley Trail. During the ride, cyclists stop at each town to east bacon-themed food and drinks. Submitted photo.

An overhead shot of the 2024 Iowa Bike Expo, an annual cycling and outdoor event hosted by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. This year’s expo, held in Jan. 27, was a record-breaking year, featuring 130-plus vendors and attracting 5,000-plus cyclists. Submitted photo.

“We also did a ‘Bike Shop Tour,’ where we visited all 80-plus bike shops in Iowa, for Support Your Local Bike Shop Week. Wayne’s Ski and Bicycle Shop, also in Mason City, has a partnership with the elementary school. They lease 50-60 bikes to the school’s PE classes, with no cost to school or kids. Wayne’s also does the maintenance. And there’s a bike path that connects directly to the school building,” Hoffman said.

The coalition also works with the Iowa Department of Transportation’s supported program Safe Routes to School. City governments, schools, kids and parents want routes that are safe for walking, biking, roller blading, and/or other motored devices such as wheelchairs, to get to and from school. This may include making changes the to the city’s infrastructure, such as taking out the curbs, or adding stop signs or traffic lights to intersections.

Safe for kids also means safe for the elderly, which is why AARP came up with a “walk audit” kit that is used to determine and guide setting up these kinds of routes. The ultimate goal is to have every school district in Iowa as part of this program.

For more information, visit the Iowa Bicycling Coalition’s website at iowabicyclecoalition.org.