Tuesday’s morning was windy at the second Bike to Work Week breakfast. Breakfast was set up underneath a large tent and table, the slogan “Ames Bicycle Coalition” in front of the table and flags that read “Iowa State University Research Park” on either side. 

“We hosted this event last year, having forty, maybe fifty people out here. It was sunny last year, not as windy as today,” said Alex Gookin, marketing intern at the Iowa State University Research Park. “We have twenty or so people this year. It’s really nice because quite a few bikers don’t even work out at this part of town and went a long way [to get] here.”

Gookin said it was a good opportunity for people to see this part of Ames, and hopefully find it to be a good place for biking.

Karen Harmon, who works in the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in the College of Veterinary Medicine, said that she enjoys riding and found the event through emails from the city council. She prefers recreational biking over biking for a commute. “I would like updated knowledge about bike lanes. I already had the big map. I will take the small map, that is new to me,” she said.

“This event got me out of the house,”  said Jane Walter, member at the Iowa State University Resources Department. Walter mentioned a story about two cyclists riding in the opposite direction near her car when in Ankeny, saying that it was too dangerous and bicycle education should get attention. When asked about suggestions for improvement, Walter said, “There should be more better accesses to South Duff, otherwise bikers will ride on the sidewalk along with pedestrians.”

“I commute probably four days out of five. I find that I’m happier on days I ride the bike,” said Trevin Ward, who currently serves as the Engineering & Policy chair in Ames Bicycle Coalition.

“We interact with the city and discuss issues like whether a location is good to have a bike lane.” said Ward.

He suggested that people find their most comfortable and safest route to bike. Cyride’s bike racks also offer more choices for people who ride for both recreation and commuting.