Dutch team scoops 17 bikes from KC shop. Is city ready for World Cup cyclists?

Kansas City has been actively preparing to help people get around for the FIFA World Cup — extending the city’s streetcar, adding bus routes and more. But the city may soon have to shift gears — literally — as some visitors aim to embrace the city on two wheels.

Cycling is a particularly big part of the culture of at least one of the countries setting up base camp and playing matches in Kansas City — and bringing their fans to the area — over the next weeks.

The Netherlands boasts nearly 20,000 miles of cycling paths across the country that is about the size of Maryland.

And Christina Baanders-Decker and her husband, who run a bike shop in Westport, were ecstatic to learn the Dutch national team would be calling Kansas City home for the duration of the tournament.

Baanders-Decker’s parents moved to the U.S. from the Netherlands in 1959 and opened up Midwest Cyclery, 3951 Main St., in the 1970s. Now, she said she has more Dutch jerseys in the bike shop than she knows what to do with.

Imagine her surprise when the national team called her up.

Someone from the team’s management said they wanted to make sure the team had a few bikes to ride while they’re in the city. So they could ride in style, Baanders-Decker prepared two bright orange bikes for the team to pick up that day.

“I have as many bikes as you guys need,” she said she told the team staffer.

They took her seriously. Someone working for the Dutch team came back for 15 more e-bikes the next day, when the team arrived in Kansas City.

Beyond the team, Baanders-Decker suspects some of the rental orders she has received in recent weeks are related to the World Cup, too. She’s also had AirBnb homeowners buy bikes in preparation for the international event.

As World Cup fans begin arriving in the city, Baanders-Decker expects that bike shops like Midwest Cyclery may see more travelers.

“No matter where they’re from, they’re gonna know to use these bike lanes and how to use them, because that’s every day for them,” Baanders-Decker said.

The store recently had visitors from the Netherlands on their way to UNBOUND Gravel, a bike racing event on rural roads in Emporia, Kansas. With Dutch bikes in stock and even more bikes on the way, Baanders-Decker is preparing for a possible influx of bike renters.

Other bike shops across the city told The Star they’re unsure what to expect. While some are certain the World Cup will bring more traffic, others expect the summer to continue as usual.

But cycling is not just for the Dutch.

Earlier this month, three men traveled 10,500 miles from Argentina to Kansas City on bikes. They arrived just in time from the 10-month journey to support the national team, despite not having tickets. Several locals supported their arrival, and some rode with them in the final stretch, KSHB reported.

Even beyond the World Cup, Baanders-Decker told The Star she’s noticed an uptick in sales recently, as locals have begun using bikes to commute around the city and avoid traffic. It’s also the first summer in a few years that the store has not had streetcar construction, which also may be contributing to more sales.

Is Kansas City ready for cyclists?

Ryan McMonigle, public information officer for Kansas City’s public works office, told The Star the city has taken “significant steps” to improve infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians, with investments into multiple trails and lanes.

“Kansas City is expecting an increase in cyclists, but the current bike infrastructure is expected to support those cyclists,” McMonigle wrote in an email.

A recent development includes a path along Stadium Drive, which can take cyclists near the stadium.

“That’ll be a big legacy of the World Cup,” Eric Rogers, executive director at BikeWalkKC, said of the new path.

BikeWalkKC is a nonprofit organization that advocates for more accessibility around Kansas City to walk and bike. They’re deploying bike share bikes and parking where they expect visitor activity, like near the Fan Festival.

“A big cultural difference will just be people who are visiting, who are more accustomed to motorists being more respectful of cyclists,” Rogers said.

BikeWalkKC has reported cycling in the city has increased over time, particularly in 2022 and 2023. Monthly bicycle trips have since decreased, with 2,984 in June of 2025 compared to 5,398 the previous year.

Justin Adams, deputy director for Missouri State Parks, told the Star they aren’t necessarily expecting an influx of cyclists along its trails. They are, however, monitoring for more campers along the Katy Trail. Amassing the width of Missouri, the 240 miles-long trail could be an attraction for visitors

“Katy Trail is unique to the world,” Adams said.

Rogers said it is an opportunity for locals to take advantage of the heightened transit expected for the international event.

“Hopefully afterwards, we’ll have more folks that will be interested in demanding better transit service after the World Cup,” he said.

Baanders-Decker said all of what the World Cup may bring — whether its cyclists or increased traffic — could lead more locals to find a different set of wheels.

“Maybe it’ll encourage people to actually look at it and go, wait a minute. This bike lane thing is not so dumb after all,” she said.

The city recommends using an online map to navigate the routes available in and around the city.