Why a Twin Cities Bike Tour?

By Ted Duepner

As someone who uses their bicycle nearly 365 days a year for commuting, travel and fun I have a pretty good grasp of the event landscape in our state. When I’m looking for official MN bike rides it’s easy to find everything from leisurely, rest-stop-fueled single day rides, multi-day all inclusive tours, races of all kinds, benefit rides to raise money for a special cause, high school mountain bike league and even multi-day gravel/adventure ultras. While some are new events, others have a long legacy (The MN Ironman began in 1967!). Plus, with the ever expanding reach of fat-biking, many official bicycling events can be found in Minnesota all year long.

With a calendar bursting with so many bicycling event offerings I was surprised to find one glaring omission; none seemed to include routes within the city of Minneapolis. Sure, there are many unofficial events that celebrate the rich bicycling culture of the city like the July 4th Freedom From Pants Ride, the Stupor Bowl, and a few races like the Loppet Fat Bike series, the Fulton Gran Fondo (that starts in Minneapolis) and a sprinkling of others. But if you’re looking for a one-day ride that utilizes the vast trail network of Minneapolis I believe you’ll come up pretty empty.

This, as many are likely aware, wasn’t always true. For 13 years, the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board held the popular Minneapolis Bike Tour but that ended in 2019 with the launch of Cycle the Summer, a series of smaller events sprinkled throughout the fair-weather months. These events offer a variety of great bicycling experiences but don’t really capture the social elements and fun atmosphere of the Minneapolis Bike Tour.

The Bicycle Alliance of MN, its chapter organizations and partners, (in an effort to continually expand and improve rides that highlight our bike friendly communities) offer rides with a variety of routes to create a fun atmosphere for all ages. We’ve cohosted rides throughout the state in towns such as Rochester, St. Joseph, Fergus Falls, Thief River Falls, Albert Lea and Mankato (not to mention our popular multi day tour; BAM). So we thought it would be the perfect time to introduce a ride that leveraged the wonderful bicycle networks of BOTH Minneapolis AND Saint Paul: THE TWIN CITIES BIKE TOUR

By registering for the Twin Cities Bike Tour, you directly contribute to BikeMN’s statewide efforts in promoting active transportation. Our dedicated chapters, fueled by hardworking volunteers, are making incredible strides in improving walkability and bikeability in communities across Minnesota. Your registration and sponsorship dollars not only support these initiatives but also fuel additional programs and projects aimed at enhancing our state’s bicycling infrastructure. The ride benefits the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit – federal tax ID number is 41-1719332). Thank you for your support!

Get Riding Today

Check out some of the areas the tour will cover in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.