Candidate Logged Kansas Bike Rides in 2025
GPS data from a fitness app revealed bike rides recorded in Kansas during the time a candidate claimed residency in Iowa.
Updated on Sept. 25, 2026 in Cycling
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Fitness tracking data from March through May 2025 showed four bike rides logged in Kechi, Kansas, by a Strava account linked to Iowa gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn. These records surfaced despite Lahn's claims that he moved from Kansas to Iowa in 2023.
Why it matters
The discrepancy between public fitness data and residency claims raises questions regarding the geographic focus of candidates seeking state office. This incident highlights how personal digital activity can verify or challenge the background information provided by public figures.
A Strava account registered to Zach Lahn documented four bike rides occurring between March and May 2025. These rides were anchored to a property in Kechi, Kansas, with no concurrent ride activity recorded within the state of Iowa.
The players
Zach Lahn
A Republican candidate for the office of Governor of Iowa.
The details
The bike rides were recorded using GPS-enabled tracking technology, which logs exact coordinates and movement patterns of a user. In addition to the app data, flight records linked to an LLC associated with Lahn confirmed private aircraft movement in Kansas during this same three-month period.
Timeline
2023: Lahn claims he relocated from Kansas to Iowa.
2024: Lahn claims to have voted in Iowa.
March 2025 - May 2025: A Strava account recorded four bike rides in Kechi, Kansas.
November 2025: Lahn officially entered the Iowa governor's race.
Health Landscape
This event adds to the scrutiny surrounding residency requirements during the 2025 Iowa gubernatorial election campaign. It highlights a growing trend of using personal metadata to verify claims made by public officials.
Digital fitness tracking requires users to be aware of the privacy settings attached to their public profiles. Reviewing your platform privacy and location sharing is a proactive step for anyone who prefers their physical activity to remain personal.
The takeaway
Digital platforms often store detailed location histories that can remain accessible to the public unless privacy settings are restricted. Regularly auditing your account security and location sharing permissions is a recommended habit for maintaining your data privacy.
Further reading
For more on how fitness data intersects with public life, visit the Cycling section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Raw Story.
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