Bicycles lean against a tree in Washington’s Central Park during RAGBRAI 2016. Photo by Sally Y. Hart

Bicycle safety is the focus of today’s bike rodeo at Lincoln Elementary School in Washington. The event is open to students from Lincoln, Stewart and St. James. Each child’s bike will be checked by trained mechanics, helmets will be tested to ensure they fit properly, and there will be stations for kids to learn hand traffic signals and bicycle handling skills.

Every child who needs a helmet will receive one, as 600 helmets have been donated for preschool through fifth grade students. Most of these helmets were purchased with RAGBRAI Washington 2016 profits. The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital partnered with RAGBRAI in Washington last summer to offer Washington’s elementary students free helmets.

There will also be bikes given away at today’s rodeo, which is held in partnership with the Iowa Bike Coalition and the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center. The Family Bike Rodeo will be held at Lincoln Elementary from 5-6:30 p.m.