How Bicycle Friendly Are Minnesota, Iowa, and South Dakota?

With the number of summer weekends winding down, time is running out to as Queen put it so well 'get on your bikes and ride'.

But when it comes to ensuring the best biking experiences in America, which states offer a smooth ride and which have too many bumps in the road?

The League of American Bicyclists is out with their annual ranking of the most Bicycle Friendly States, based on public data sources and a survey that is answered by each state's Department of Transportation and/or a statewide bicycle advocacy organization.

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From there, states are graded in five categories:

• Infrastructure and Funding
• Education and Encouragement
• Traffic Laws and Practices
• Policies and Programs
• Evaluation and Planning

In the tri-state area, the top bicycling can be found in Minnesota.

The North Star State is number five in the nation thanks to this impressive report card:

• Infrastructure and Funding: A
• Education and Encouragement: A
• Traffic Laws and Practices: C-
• Policies and Programs: A
• Evaluation and Planning: B

Iowa is smack dab in the middle at number 25. The Hawkeye State's report card:

• Infrastructure and Funding: C
• Education and Encouragement: B+
• Traffic Laws and Practices: D
• Policies and Programs: B
• Evaluation and Planning: C

South Dakota was deemed one of the least bicycle-friendly states in America. The Mount Rushmore State graded out this way:

• Infrastructure and Funding: C+
• Education and Encouragement: D
• Traffic Laws and Practices: C+
• Policies and Programs: F+
• Evaluation and Planning: C-

MOST BICYCLE-FRIENDLY STATES

1. Massachusetts
2. Oregon
3. Washington
4. California
5. Minnesota
6. Colorado
7. Virginia
8. Florida
9. Delaware
10. Utah

LEAST BICYCLE-FRIENDLY STATES

1. Wyoming
2. Nebraska
3. Mississippi
4. Oklahoma
5. South Dakota
6. Missouri
7. Alabama
8. South Carolina
9. Montana
10. Alaska