Explore the health benefits of cycling

This story first appeared in the 2026 Cycling Guide, an annual special section distributed in The Gazette aimed at telling the stories of the businesses, people and local efforts that have made The Corridor a cycling destination.

An avid cyclist, Dr. David DeMik has ridden a couple RAGBRAIs, most recently in 2023.

“It’s good exercise,” said DeMik, an orthopedic doctor at Physicians' Clinic of Iowa in Cedar Rapids. “I definitely see people of all ages.”

Among the thousands pedaling across the state that year was Kenneth Gregersen of Ankeny, riding his first RAGBRAI at 93. Another rider, Clarence Boesenberg of Cedar Rapids, made his first trans-Iowa ride in 2016 at 90.

“Cycling is great exercise for a lot of reasons,” DeMik said.

Chief among those reasons is cycling’s low-impact nature, perfect for those with muscle imbalances or joint pain in the knee, leg or foot. High-impact exercises involve running and jumping, activities that bring greater impact on joints and on feet. Over the years, they can take a toll on the tissue that cushions those areas.

Those resulting conditions are especially common in those over 50, but cycling also eases the impact on joints for those recovering from injury or surgery.

“Previous trauma can cause issues,” DeMik said. “It’s safe to say the rates for injury in running is probably higher than cycling.”

Those factors make cycling a good low-impact alternative for long-time runners starting to feel pain in their joints.

“As you get older, your joints wear out and get more sensitive,” said DeMik, who specializes in knee and hip replacements. “For people with arthritis who have a hard time running and want to stay fit, cycling’s a good option. I tend to recommend it to most patients.”

DeMik’s advice has science behind it: a 2024 study funded by the National Institutes of Health found cyclists were 21 percent less likely to show symptoms of osteoarthritis. That study tracked about 2,600 men and women with an average age of 64.

In addition to building strength in lower-body muscle, cycling naturally improves balance in ways that few other exercises can. It also provides aerobic and coronary benefits: A Danish study that followed over 52,000 men and women, ages 50 and up, for 20 years found an 11 to 18 percent lower risk of coronary disease among those who cycled regularly, a benefit seen even in those who were “leisurely” riders.

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“It gets the heart rate up, and it gets you breathing heavy and sweating,” DeMik said. “Our cardiovascular system is declining as we age. Anything that gets us breathing is good.”

Other perhaps less measurable benefits include improvements in weight loss, mood (cyclists often experience mild euphoria due to the release of endorphins) and energy. Any physical exercise also stimulates blood flow to the brain, and biking can connect riders to their community.

“You don’t have to get on the bike and ride 50 miles by yourself,” DeMik said. “It can be fun to get out with your neighbors and friends and your kids.”

DeMik recommends new riders, or those taking it up after yearslong layoffs, ease into it.

“You want to come out of the gate slowly,” he said. “Some people may overdo it.”

Bike shops today offer an array of machines designed for specialty uses at a range of prices.

“You don’t need to have a $6,000 carbon fiber bike,” DeMik said. For a starting point, he recommends a touring bike or hybrid for paved surfaces.

“Mountain biking can be a little tougher,” DeMik said. “You want to do stuff on pavement first. A bike trail might be a bit better.”

An e-bike with electric motor assist “levels the playing field a bit,” DeMik said. “You don’t feel someone’s going to get left behind.”

New riders should keep safety in mind: although not required by law, “helmets are mandatory,” DeMik said. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable biking without one.”

Cyclists are often more comfortable riding on the area’s extensive (and expanding) trail system, given the hazards posed by distracted drivers.

“I have a light on my bike and I wear bright colors, but sometimes you worry,” DeMik said, noting the new state law that bans the use of handheld cell phones when driving.

“In theory, that should help protect cyclists,” he said. “But I don’t know how many follow it.”