Ride 20: Iowa
The Hawkeye State
State: Iowa (#20)
Area: Quad Cities
Route: Duck Creek Trail, Middle Road, riverfront trail along the Mississippi
Final Mileage: 50.31
Final Elevation: 1,978 ft.
Date: May 22, 2026
Hello, friends! It’s been a minute since our last ride. A lot of life has happened during that time, including Michael and Meagan’s wedding (and Alex’s bang-up job with the best man duties)!
We know the pace of the project has slowed down a bit over the last two years as we have both started families. So we decided to use this Memorial Day weekend to catch up with a twofer, one that would bring us back to the Midwest—and, finally, to Alex’s newly adopted home state of Illinois. Our buddy, Bing, who has joined for some of our past rides, made the trip with us as well.
Before conquering Illinois, we decided to kick things off with a visit to Iowa’s Quad Cities, a quick 2.5-hour drive from Springfield. Much to our surprise, Davenport, the largest of the cities, had a stellar trail system. This made it supremely easy to build out a route, and meant that for approximately 99% of the ride we were either on multi-use paths or dedicated bike lanes, much of which took us through the heart of the city.
Though the forecast for our trip had shown the possibility of rain for both rides, we were thankfully spared, though the weather in Iowa was still a bit gloomy for most of the day. The first half of the ride kept us in the suburbs north of Davenport and neighboring Bettendorf. We began with a 15-mile out-and-back segment on the well-maintained Duck Creek Trail, where we passed several parks and natural areas.
Next, we hopped off the trail and took a nice, wide side path up the aptly named Middle Road, which cut through the heart of the Iowa side of the Quad Cities toward its northeast perimeter. Michael was keen on finding a corn field on this ride to add some true Iowa flair to our pictures (#DoingItForTheGram). Alas, as most people who grew up on farms or in farming communities likely know, late May is still too early for such sightings. We discovered this as we pulled up to the top of the route:
From here, we doubled back and began our trek toward the Mississippi River, the main attraction of our ride. This segment, though, came with a little excitement. As the river came into view, we rode a long and fairly steep downhill, at the bottom of which was a sharp, rightward turn around a blind corner. As a responsible cycling crew, we of course slowed down as we made the turn. But awaiting us just feet ahead was a family of groundhogs, which decided this was a good time to cross the trail.
Some of you may know the rule that if you ever see a deer on the road it is safer to hit it than to swerve to avoid it. In the moment, our crew basically made the same call. Unfortunately, the slowdown was so abrupt that Bing did not see Alex’s bike coming to a halt until it was too late! But fear not, dear reader: both Alex and Bing (and their bikes) are okay, which makes it funnier to learn that Bing’s Meta Ray Bans caught the whole thing on video (slight language warning).
After we all caught our breaths, we continued on toward the river, meeting up with the riverfront trail and riding the next 19 miles along the Mississippi, which did not disappoint. In addition to sweeping views, we got a nice glimpse of the area’s history as a hub of riverboat commerce. The waterfronts of both Bettendorf and Davenport were aligned with parks, extensive trails, commercial development, and even marinas.
The trail took us all the way to Credit Island Park, a little patch of land on the river. After refueling, we rode the roughly three-mile loop around the island and then set sail for downtown Davenport. We stopped at a little joint just off the riverfront called Stompbox Brewing to grab the perfect mid-ride meal.
At this point we were about 41 miles into the ride with just 10 left to go.1 We worked our way back to the Duck Creek Trail and took it the rest of the way to the end. After returning to our hotel, we promptly loaded up the car and headed out for Chicago. (More on that adventure in the next post.)
Though we originally chose the Quad Cities out of convenience (given their proximity to both Springfield and Chicago) and weren’t even in town for 24 hours, it was still ultimately a great choice for our 20th ride.
We have learned that waiting to have lunch until we’re close to done is a great call for a host of reasons.
It looks like you've already done Minnesota. Next time youre around let me know, Ill buy you a beer or two.