PERRY, Iowa, June 15, 2010 – There are two organized, supported bicycle rides this coming weekend in the neighborhood of the Raccoon River Valley Trail — one around the Perry area and the other from Urbandale to Adel.

The 12th annual Hiawatha Classic Bike Ride is Saturday, June 19, with a 40-mile swing out from Perry with stops at Washington Township, possibly Yale, Dawson, Rippey and then back to Perry.  At Dawson, which is on the RRVT’s new “North Loop,” riders will be able to see the fully renovated Dawson Depot, which the Dallas County Conservation department is operating as a trail welcome center.  Riders can gather at Pattee Park in Perry for a breakfast at 7 a.m., with the ride starting at 8 a.m.

The Hiawatha ride is sonsored by the Perry Parks and Recreation Department, with all proceeds going to help develop the “Hiawatha Trail,” which is part of the RRVT’s North Loop.  The Hiawatha Trail will eventually stretch from Herndon on the west through Jamaica, Dawson, Perry, Bouton and Woodward on what was a former railroad right-of-way on which the Milwaukee Road rail company operated its Hiawatha zephyrs.  For more information and online registration, click here.

On Sunday, June 20, the Northwest Rotary Club in the Des Moines area is sponsoring its second annual Charles Gabus Memorial Ride, named after the late Rotarian and auto dealer in the metro.   He was a Northwest club member for over 38 years, was president of Rotary District 6,000 inthe mid 1980s, and all totaled had more than 50 years in Rotary.

The Gabus ride begins and ends at Walker Johnston Park in Urbandale at 12 noon, with a route of five miles especially for families and other routes of 50, 56 and 72 miles, with the longer rides using portions of the RRVT in the Adel and Redfield areas.  The ride benefits childhood literacy programs, suburban trails development and the Des Moines Bicycle Collective.  For more information, click here.