SOLON — The Iowa Bicycle Coalition works to promote cycling in Iowa as safe and enjoyable recreation and transportation. The organization, celebrating their 20th anniversary, advocates for bicyclists at the state legislature, the Iowa Department of Transportation, and on a local level by promoting the Safe (bike) Routes to School program. They also sponsor several events throughout the year including the annual RAGBRAI ride across Iowa and smaller rides such as the Big Rove ride, which rolled into Solon this past Saturday.
The 36-mile ride originated at Big Grove in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids with Big Grove Solon as the destination. Katie Neuzil, Store Director for Big Grove Solon, explained Big Grove partners with the Iowa Bicycle Coalition for the ride and has hosted the event since 2019 (minus a year or two). “We’re back and really excited. Obviously, we’ve got Big Grove Cedar Rapids in the mix this year so we’re expecting a lot more riders.” About 700 were registered as of Saturday morning and she was expecting even more with bike clubs joining in on the ride.
In Solon there was food, drink, fellowship, and the Trophy Dads band cranking out 90s rock. From Solon the cyclists rode back to their starting points for after-parties, she said.
“We’re really excited to be bringing all these bikes into Solon and supporting the local economy here. We’re really lucky the City of Solon has been very welcoming to this event and working with us to get the street shut down. We’ve tried to make it as accommodating for every single person coming into or through town. We understand that this is a really busy road, there’s a lot of people going to and coming from Lake Macbride, and we’re just excited to have people come into Solon, draw a crowd, and show them what Big Grove and Solon is all about and the fun we have,” Neuzil added.
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Solon Beef Days Herky stands guard over a group of bikes during the Big Rove bike ride this past Saturday. Cyclists departed from Big Grove in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids and met at Big Grove in Solon.