Iowa Bicycle Summit to be held Jan. 27-28, 2012

The eighth annual Iowa Bicycle Summit will be held Jan. 27 and 28 at the Iowa Events Center – Veterans Auditorium in Des Moines. The gathering will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day and is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Transportation and Iowa Bicycle Coalition. The 2012 summit promises to be even better than ever by offering  more exhibits, free advocacy workshops and new trail development sessions.

The Friday, Jan. 27, sessions will feature two workshops: a bicycle facility design workshop and a trail development workshop. Participants are welcome to attend sessions in either workshop. Engineers, planners, community officials, land managers, trail supporters, advocates and the public in general are encouraged to attend these sessions to learn more about development of bikeways in Iowa.

• The bicycle facility design workshop will be presented by Roger Geller. Geller is the city bicycle coordinator in Portland, Ore. His presentation will focus on the Urban Bikeway Design Guide by the National Association of City Transportation Officials.
• The trail development workshop will have sessions slated to discuss trail maintenance, design and policy issues.

The Saturday, Jan. 28, sessions will feature a variety of speakers presenting on topics including bicycle tourism, training, Safe Routes to School Program, trails and travel, safety, consumer equipment, and dirt. Also on Saturday, the Iowa Bicycle Summit will welcome a Consumer Bicycle Expo with more than 60 exhibitors expected to show the latest in bicycle gear, training, trails and events. “If you want to plan your summer bicycling vacation, you need to visit all the trails showcased at the event,” states Mark Wyatt, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition.

Early registration prior to Jan. 1 is recommended. Friday registration is $120 ($150 after Jan. 1) and it includes summit materials, lunch and all breaks. There is no cost for attending the Saturday sessions. Lunch on Saturday will be on your own.

For questions regarding registration or the summit agenda, go to www.iowabicyclecoalition.org or www.iowadot.gov/iowabikes, or call Milly Ortiz at 515-233-7733 or Mark Wyatt at 515-309-2867.

Following the summit on Saturday, the Iowa Bicycle Coalition and The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) will hold a reception fundraiser at 8 p.m. in Des Moines at the Iowa Events Center – Veterans Memorial Auditorium. The 2012 RAGBRAI route will be announced at this event. The reception will feature a live and silent auction offering great cycling items, as well as door prizes and more. Tickets for the Saturday night event are $30 each and can be purchased online at www.iowabicyclecoalition.org. All proceeds from the event benefit the Iowa Bicycle Coalition.