Not that Iowa is part of the Great Lakes region, but that is where I found it on this forum.

Is there a group in southwest Iowa that rides? Are there century rides in the area?

Just curious. This is my first time in this area of BF, and did a search and nothing showed up for southwest Iowa.

These may not be the most helpful for what you are looking for (at least directly) but they may have links to help you find what you're looking for...

http://www.bikeiowa.com/
http://www.bikeiowa.org/

Pop over Cedar Rapids and you can do something called the "CRAB-FART"
"CRAB-FART - Cedar Rapids Alternative to BRR - Frozen ***** Road Tour hits the streets and trails of Cedar Rapids for the 4th year. Come join the fun."

HTH
Nate

Not enough spare time to drive across the state to ride right now. That is why I am looking for something in southwest Iowa.

Have you had a chance to check out the local roads yet? Last year I did a solo ride across Iowa and the Southwest end of the state was killer. It was probably some of the hilliest riding I have done in the Midwest. The first day was only 112 miles, but it was the hardest day of riding that I can remember.

I ride the highways and county roads by myself. We have some really hilly areas, and some areas that are not too bad.