(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Bicycle Coalition has released the second phase of its study on the impact of biking on the state. Coalition executive director Luke Hoffman: “This phase of the study found that 40 percent of recreational cyclists ride at least twice per month, generating consistent economic impact, job creation, and workforce development and quality of life for the whole state,” he says. Hoffman says the most surprising thing to him was the impact is felt across the state in all 99 counties.  “Even in the most rural counties, for example, Adams County, you know, we even saw economic impact there. And so this is something that we think is really significant, and something that should be helpful as a tool for folks as they apply for grants, and think about how do we move Iowa forward economically.” Hoffman says.

He says the biggest economic impact is felt by restaurants, bars, and places where cyclists stop when they’re out riding. ” Of course when you’re on a bike and you’re biking somewhere, you’re a lot more likely to stop than when you’re in a car,” Hoffman says. “And so because of that, the spending that we see from cyclists, you know, has a huge economic impact year over year.” Iowa has continued to expand its trail systems built on old rail lines and connecting more and more cities. Hoffman says it does kind of follow the line from the “Field of Dreams” that “if you build it they will come.”

“In fact, even if you don’t build it, they’ll still come right, because you got the gravel riders, you’ve got the road bike riders. The thing about the culture in Iowa is we’ve already built it. You know, we already have the world capital trails already over two-thousand, according to Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, multi use trails across the state,” he says. Hoffman says the bike culture continues to expand from the annual ride across the state to leisure riding on trails, to bike parks, and many other events. ” They’ll do races, they’ll go do a gravel race, which is a really burgeoning part of the industry right now. So I think that’s the exciting thing about it is that we expect to see this kind of spending in Iowa just because of the sheer fact of the culture,” Hoffman says.

Hoffman says the impact on Adams County is around 500-thousand dollars, while in Dallas and Black Hawk it is 25 million dollars, and the annual economic impact on Polk County exceeds 150 million dollars.