There are plenty of events to keep bicyclists engaged in Allen County, Kansas, including both seasonal weekly rides and regular annual events.
Regular Local Rides
Tuesday Evening Dairy Queen Ride
6pm, Humboldt trailhead for about 14 miles on the Southwind Rail Trail.
Wednesday Lehigh Trail Ride
6:00pm, East Trailhead, Lehigh Portland Trails. Easy-paced, beginner-friendly mountain bike ride.
Thursday Night Community Ride
6:30pm, Southwind Cycle and Outdoor Bike Shop in downtown Iola. Family-friendly no-drop tour of area streets and trails.
Annual Local Events
Portland Alley Pedalfest
This is a two-day bikes and music festival that takes place each year on the weekend following Labor Day in Iola, Kansas. Participants can check in on Friday evening and camp overnight to prepare for a full day of riding on Saturday, followed by music, food, and drink on Saturday evening. Sunday offers more rides.
National Events
Allen County is part of the annual Race Across America (RAAM), which begins in Oceanside, CA in late June, with racers passing through Allen County on US-54 Highway, west to east, on their journey to Annapolis, MD — 3,000 miles coast-to-coast across the USA.
There are official RAAM time stations in Yates Center and Fort Scott, and opportunities to cheer racers along US-54 in Iola, Gas, La Harpe, and Moran.
Racers pass through at all times of the day and night, and they (and their crews) appreciate local interest and support!
Regional Events
The following rides take place elsewhere in southeast Kansas:
April
- Tour de Vino — Tour the wineries of Miami County with MiCoVelo, the Miami County Cycling Club.
- Osage Prairie Tour — A charity event to raise funds for local youth organizations in Parsons.
May
- Bull Creek Bike Bash — An annual family pleasure bike ride in Spring Hill. 20-60 mile route options.
- Dirty Kanza 200 — An extremely challenging ultra-distance bicycling marathon event, starting and ending in Emporia, Kansas and covering 200 miles of blacktop, gravel, and dirt roads through the scenic Flint Hills.
- Gravel Ride for Maisie’s Pride — A fund raiser for the community pool in Eskridge, KS (Maisie’s Pool), with about many scenic and challenging miles of Flint Hills gravel to enjoy.
June
- Tour of Lawrence — A three-day cycling race taking place over the Fourth of July holiday, featuring three events with professional, amateur, and youth divisions racing on the streets of Lawrence.
July
- Cider Mill Century — Tour the beautiful countryside of Miami and Linn Counties, starting and ending at the Louisburg Cider Mill.
- Marmaton Massacre — A cross-country mountain bike race taking place on the Gunn Park Trails in Fort Scott, Kansas.
August
- Gorilla Century — Bicycle 100, 60, or 32 miles through southeast Kansas on a mostly flat course with a few small hills, through numerous small towns in Crawford and Cherokee counties.
- Rock n Roll to Roots — Ride through the Miami County countryside, then enjoy good food and great live music on the historic Paola Square with MiCoVelo, the Miami County Cycling Club.
September
- Tour de Lizard Fat Tire Classic — An annual off-road mountain bike race taking place at Camp Horizon in Arkansas City, Kansas.
October
- Flint Hills Family Fall Ride — Ride the Flint Hills Nature Trail with MiCoVelo, the Miami County Cycling Club.
November
- Freedom Ride — A gravel road mountain bike ride which begins and ends in the founding city of All Veterans Day, Emporia, Kansas.
- Lost Trail CX — Cyclocross racing with MiCoVelo, the Miami County Cycling Club.
Other Kansas Bicycling Events
For a complete listing of upcoming rides in Kansas and neighboring states, visit Kansas Cyclist and the Kansas Bicycle Event Calendar.