Sip & Swap 2026: It's the Wheel Deal!

Taking place at team sponsor

Jasper Winery

2400 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines, IA 50321

Please join Velorosa on Wednesday, April 15th at 6 PM for our 14th annual Sip & Swap!

• 6:00 p.m. Doors open and swapping commences!

• 6:30-7:30 Silent Auction is open for bidding!

• 8:00 p.m. Silent Auction winners are announced!

Hopefully you've noticed our posts on Facebook, AND you've got this event on your calendar.

You don't want to miss the fun, the gear, and the chance to support three fantastic nonprofits!

Sip: Jasper Winery, an urban winery, will be serving lovely wines, assorted ciders, and other beverages. Thirsty Pigs will be there serving delicious food from their grill.

Swap: Cyclists are encouraged to bring cycling gear and apparel they no longer use or want to swap. Think a cycling themed garage sale, and you've got the vibe. It's the ultimate recycling of gear, kits, and all things cycling related. Don't have anything you want to part with? You can purchase tickets at the door - 1 ticket for 1 item. All cycling items that remain at the end of the night will be donated to the Dream Team and to the Street Collective.

Silent Auction: Members of Velorosa and the Des Moines Cycle Club have been working hard to gather fantastic donations for the evening's silent auction. All of the money, 100% of every dollar, raised by the silent auction will go to the Urban Bicycle Food Ministry.

Urban Bike Food Ministry

Urban Bike Food Ministry (UBFM) is celebrating an incredible 11 years of "serving radical hospitality one burrito at a time" for Des Moines' unhoused citizens.

Velorosa is proud to promote their good work and to raise funds through the silent auction to help with their mission to provide food, by bike, to those in need.

What started in 2015 as one person biking around the city handing out 20 burritos and 20 bottles of water has grown to a weekly event where over 40 volunteers work together to cook, assemble, and distribute 800 burritos, 800 sandwiches, bottles of water, and other day-to-day necessities like blankets, clothing, and sleeping pads to unhoused and food insecure community members. The weekly food costs average $1,800 for this volunteer-run nonprofit. And they do this 52 weeks a year.

Radical hospitality means every Thursday night, rain or shine, UBFM's dedicated group of volunteers comes together to orchestrate a bustling assembly line of burrito-making. Burritos and other supplies are then divided out to groups of cyclists (and two cars) to cover color-coded routes across the Des Moines metro. Think "Uber Eats" for those without addresses or the ability to pay. UBFM is community-based, non-denominational, and does not preach, proselytize, or try to convert. They just want to help unhoused neighbors, one burrito at a time.

Check out their Facebook group for more information; they're always open to new volunteers.

Dream Team

The Dream Team uses the power of a bicycle to help youth develop a positive approach to life's challenges. Since 1997, the Dream Team has given youth in the Des Moines area the chance to participate in one of Iowa's greatest cycling events: RAGBRAI.

Velorosa is proud to support the Dream Team and all of the youth becoming cyclists with them. All of the cycling clothing that remains after the swap ends will be donated to the youth riding with Dream Team.

Dream Team provides youth with opportunities to build confidence, set goals, and create a healthy lifestyle through mentor-based interactions centered around bicycling. In March, a team of 50-60 teenagers start their 5-month journey to prepare to ride RAGBRAI while camping every night of the route. The riders work with caring volunteers to set goals, work hard, and DREAM BIG!

The bicycle is used as a tool to inspire and motivate young people, encourage lifelong wellness, and build confidence through accomplishment. Completing a 400+ mile bike ride across the state gives each member of the Dream Team a tangible sense of achievement, as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals.

The Dream Team makes the seemingly impossible, possible, for many young people each year.

Learn more about the Dream Team at their website and check our their donation page if you'd like to make a donation to them.

Street Collective

The Street Collective mission is to make Des Moines an amazing place to walk and bike. They have been a champion of active transportation options that are accessible, safe, and enjoyable for everyone. What started in 2008 with a focus on making biking more accessible in the state of Iowa has blossomed to include a community workspace which offers education, empowerment, and social change through bike share, community planning, coalition building, charitable bike donations, and more.

Velorosa is proud to showcase this amazing organization and to support it by donating all bicycle components that remain after the end of our swap.

The Street Collective includes a community bike shop that provides education opportunities and affordable bike maintenance support along with public maintenance classes to help empower more people to feel confident on bikes. They also organize and maintain a bike share program with over 200 bikes and 30 stations around the Des Moines metro. The Street Collective offers information on providing bike parking as well as offering bike valet at community events. The Street Collective also serves as an advocacy organization that supports trail accessibility across the state and advocates for legislation to make streets safer for non-car transportation.

Visit the Street Collective website for more information about their work and learn about how you can donate or volunteer. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram too!

Sip & Swap was founded by the Velorosa Cycling Team as part of the team's mission to engage and support cycling and the community around them. We come together this year to Sip, Swap, Shop and Support three terrific Iowa cycling nonprofits and their missions.

If you're not able to join Sip & Swap at Jasper Winery on April 15th we hope you will consider making a donation via our team Venmo. 100% of donations will go directly to UBFM to help with the costs of providing food to unhoused community members. You can use the QR code or Velorosa Venmo acount below to make a donation which will go to UBFM.