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On a stretch of the scenic Trout Run Trail in Decorah, Iowa, something unexpected now greets cyclists and pedestrians as they pass beneath the College Drive bridge: a silhouette of an ElliptiGO bike rider painted among a parade of bicycles rolling across a 70-foot concrete canvas.

It all started the way many great ElliptiGO stories do: with someone wanting to know more about that unusual bike.

A Ride That Turned Into Art

ElliptiGO rider Duncan McLean was out for a ride along the Upper Iowa River when a man called out to him. The man was artist Pete Tekippe.

“I was working on a mural and noticed a guy riding a unique bike,” Pete recalls. “I flagged him down and asked if I could photograph him on his bike and paint a silhouette of him on my mural.”

Duncan, a retired physical therapist, happily stopped to talk, sharing the health benefits of riding an ElliptiGO bike. Pete snapped a few photos, and Duncan rode on.

Soon enough, Duncan became a permanent part of Decorah’s public art. “Lo and behold, there it is!” says Duncan: Pete had painted a life-sized ElliptiGO rider on the “Whimsical Wall of Wheels” along the Trout Run Trail.

From Dairy Farm to Decorah Murals

Long before he began painting murals, Pete was a photographer. After graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in photography and art, he and his wife, Elaine, owned a photography studio in Story City, in central Iowa, for over forty years.

After retiring, Pete and Elaine moved back to northeast Iowa to be close to friends and family. They were drawn to Decorah’s vibrant downtown, friendly people, and the scenic Trout Run Trail, an 11-mile paved loop that circles the town.

“Decorah is consistently ranked as one of Iowa’s top towns to live in or visit. It’s a fun place to be an artist,” Pete says. He’d always been fascinated with all art forms, and now, after what he refers to as a “40-year time out,” he finally had time to explore painting.

Pete’s return to art quickly turned into a community project. He approached the city council with an idea: Pete could transform the concrete columns beneath the College Drive bridge — an eyesore along the trail — into large murals. The city agreed to cover the materials and Pete donated his time and talent.

Pete’s first three murals celebrated local wildlife: bald eagles in a nest, a rainbow trout leaping from the water, and a blue heron standing tall along the river.

The Birth of the “Whimsical Wall of Wheels”

“I wanted the next mural to be something bright and whimsical,” Pete says. Inspiration struck during a visit to a costumed bike parade in Fort Collins, Colorado, where thousands of riders pedaled past.

Pete envisioned that same playful energy stretched across a long, narrow mural beneath the bridge. So, he says, “I decided to paint unusual and unique forms of cycles.”

The result is a 10-foot-high, 70-foot-long panorama featuring sixteen different cycles, ranging from a couple on a tandem bike to a dandy riding a penny-farthing to a full-scale ElliptiGO rider flying across the wall. “It’s certain to become a cyclist’s conversation topic!” Duncan says.

Putting Wheels on the Wall

To create the Whimsical Wall of Wheels, Pete photographed each rider and bike, printed an enlargement, and then overlaid it with clear plastic that has a one-inch grid on it. He began with clean, power-washed walls, and then drew a corresponding grid on the wall in one-foot squares. Pete explains, “Each large square is numbered to correspond with the small grid so that I can keep things in perspective.”

Pete painted with a high-quality primer and latex paint. Last, he used a protective sealant to keep the bikes looking vibrant for years to come.

A Mural That Belongs to the Community

While Pete worked, the cycling mural became a gathering point. “While painting, I spent a lot of time visiting with people who were enjoying the trail,” he says. “There were many locals as well as people from all over the country. They loved the stories behind each cycle selected to be on the wall.”

Hidden throughout the mural are playful surprises: a bike-riding joker tossing a deck of cards into the air, a tandem rider catching one mid-ride, a dark witch (with a certain little dog in her basket) pedaling in the opposite direction of the brightly colored bikes, and even a few ants riding tiny bicycles.

“I was literally lying on the cement painting the bottom of the mural and noticed ants,” recalls Pete. “I decided to incorporate a few of them riding bikes.” It just goes to show that inspiration can be found everywhere for this artist!

The mural project has already opened new doors, earning Pete’s paintings a place in an upscale restaurant and in a downtown art collective showcasing local artists.

What’s Next for the Wall

The Whimsical Wall of Wheels is full of bikes, but Pete isn’t finished making art. “I’ll be painting more murals on the trail in the spring,” he says. “For now, I’m taking suggestions from locals as to the subject matter.” (If you’re a local with a mural subject suggestion or if you’d like to learn more about his art, Pete can be reached at [email protected].) 

The next time you roll through Decorah, be sure to ride the Trout Run Trail. And no matter where you ride, keep an eye out. After all, you never know when your ElliptiGO bike might spark a conversation, a connection … or even a piece of art.