Ankeny, Ames listed among the nation's best bike cities

How it works: Cities are rated 0-100 based on factors like protected bike lanes, safe crossings, speed limits and connections throughout the city, with a score of 50 and up representing "a great place to bike."

State of play: Ankeny ranked 13th and Ames landed at 38th among the 499 medium cities with populations between 50,000-300,000 that were rated.

• Both cities are on this year's RAGBRAI route, where tens of thousands of cyclists are expected to travel through.

Zoom in: Ames is working on a comprehensive cycling and pedestrian plan that will add more sidewalks, crossings and bikeways. City officials will start work on the plan in the fall.

• Ankeny is also working on becoming a bicycling tourism destination and expects even more visitors after the iconic High Trestle Trail connects with the Racoon River Valley Trail, scheduled for next year.