Summer is moving right along, and it has been another year where people relish getting outdoors for activities that can’t always be done in all months.
One of those is bicycling, and this episode combines two elements of that sport, with checking in on a new bike club in Sioux City for younger people, plus also a longtime bicycle ride is marking a 52nd year as it begins in Siouxland.
The Register’s Great Annual Bike Ride, or RAGBRAI, will spend three days in Northwest Iowa from Sunday, July 20 to Tuesday, July 22, beginning in Orange City, and with other overnight stops in Milford and Estherville.
For this episode of What’s The Frequency, we are not only previewing RAGBRAI 52, but also that bike club that began in summer 2024.
The Siouxland Composite Mountain Bike Team is in its first few weeks of a second year, and participants train at Cone Park in Sioux City. After Cone Park additions that were added in 2024, trails wind through the Loess Hills for miles of twisting options, climbs and jumps.
The team, or SXC MTB, is for both girl and boy students in grades 5 through 12, with the goal of promoting an active and healthy lifestyle through mountain biking. The leaders want to help the young people build confidence and fitness.
Their season includes some races ahead in the fall, as the Siouxland Composite Mountain Bike Team is associated with the Nebraska Interscholastic Cycling League. A big race event will be held at cone Park on September 20-21.
The guests for this episode include Siouxland Composite Mountain Bike Team coaches Jean Chesterman and Rochelle Pfeiffer, plus team members Asher Pfeiffer, of Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, and Elizabeth Lux, of Moville, Iowa.
The other guest is Milford Mayor Steve Anderson, who sets the scene for RAGBRAI preparations.
"We are ready," Anderson said three days before 14,000 or more riders and thousands more supporters come through Milford in Dickinson County.
"I've never seen a challenge this community can't meet," he said of the local people who will welcome bicyclists with food tents, places to camp, and more.
*Click on the audio link above to hear the entire show.
What's The Frequency, Episode 71.
