South Dakota, Iowa Among Best Biking States in America

While South Dakota braces for another onslaught of two-wheeled machines with next month's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, folks in Iowa are in the midst of another two-wheeled invasion, as 28,000 bicycle riders are currently trekking 500 miles across the Hawkeye State in the 50th RAGBRAI, the oldest, largest, and longest multi-day bicycle touring event in the world.

And when it comes to self-propelled cycles, both Iowa and South Dakota have something in common.

They're both among the top states for bicycling in America.

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Gambling.com recently looked at these categories to rank the best states for cycling in the U.S.:

• Bike Shop Excellence Award Score: The number of bike shops in a state that score 70% or above on their application.
• Bicycle-Friendly Actions: The League of American Bicyclists evaluated each state for the number of friendly actions (infrastructure and funding, education and encouragement, traffic laws and practices, policy programs and evaluation and planning) executed in each state.
• Bike Rental Cost: Average mountain bike rental rates for a single day.
• Cycling Safety: The cycling safety score was taken from the average number of bike deaths data found from the League of American Bicyclists.

South Dakota checks in at number three overall, thanks in large part to a perfect score in cycling safety and a 95.9 score in the bike shop excellence award.

Cyclists in the Mount Rushmore State have a couple of great pedaling options - the 29 miles along the Sioux Falls bike trails and the 109-mile-long Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills.

Iowa checked in tied with neighboring Nebraska at number eight. The state's highest marks were in rental cost (87.8) and bike shop excellence.

BEST STATES FOR CYCLING

1. Wyoming
2. Maine
3. South Dakota
4. Alaska
5. Kentucky
6. Kansas
7. New Mexico
T8. Iowa
T8. Nebraska
T10. Missouri
T10. Wisconsin

According to Zippia, there are 52 million bicycle riders in the U.S. and $8.2 billion was spent by Americans on bicycles and accessories.