Curious about S.F. bike racing? So was Zoe

The second half of the Sioux Falls Bike Racing Series begins on July 12th with mountain bikes at Tuthill Park and then cyclocross in the fall. 

You can see all the details on their website or on Facebook.

That got us thinking about how the racing in Sioux Falls has really expanded and how it fits into the wider cycling community. We asked one of our newest Spoke-n-Sport employees, Zoe, what she thought because she's a recent transplant to Sioux Falls. 

Here's what she said....

I moved to Sioux Falls in October of 2021 and immediately sought out the cycling community. I came from Portland, Ore., where cycling was just a part of my everyday life. I didn't have a car and so my bike was how I got around. 

I grocery shopped with my bike and went to friends' houses with my bike, and the weather was fair enough all year that I never had to think twice about just hoping on my bike to head out the door. I eventually started taking my bike on tours, and group rides, and even a couple crit races.

When I came to Sioux Falls, I wanted that to find a way to seamlessly integrate my bike into my life again. With the network of bike trails and greenways here, it was pretty easy to do so. I'd throw on my ski goggles and winter gloves and could ride all through the winter. 

I've ridden my bike to work almost every day since I started and have thus inspired a conversation about cycling in my office. A friend and co-worker recently bought her first bike - from Spoke-n-Sport - and now commutes by bike as well! Other co-workers would excitedly tell me how they were planning on going on a bike ride over the weekend.

I started meeting other members of the Sioux Falls cycling community and felt immediately welcomed in. What was next though? What was something special and unique about Sioux Falls cycling that I could explore? 

That's when I learned about the race series throughout the year and the May gravel races seemed like the perfect thing to dip my feet into. I'd only done a couple crit races in Portland. After coming to Sioux Falls I'd explored a bit of the gravel roads around the city but nothing in depth and I was still getting a feel for gravel riding. 

But these races seemed perfect for just helping me dive into gravel riding. I recruited a friend and the two of us came to the first race together. We immediately were welcomed by folks who realized we were new to the race and were giving us pointers and made sure we knew the route. The weather was perfect that night as we did the race and we rode with smiles the whole time and finished, exhausted, proud, and excited to do more.

These races all within the city are such a unique and special facet of Sioux Falls. They power the cycling community and inspire folks like me, who may not have tons of race experience, to try out something new - in my case both gravel and racing! 

I'm excited for the rest of the races throughout the year and to continue meeting others in Sioux Falls who love cycling and all the places it can take them just as much as I do.