Bike-friendly indeed: Up to 2,000 cyclists will roll through Minneapolis and St. Paul for an inaugural fall tour

Declared two of the most bike-friendly U.S. cities this summer, Minneapolis and St. Paul now have a cycling event that will connect the cities with up to 2,000 recreational riders.

The Twin Cities Bike Tour on Sept. 15 will happen on the heels of People For Bikes’ annual city ratings naming Minneapolis No. 1 (beating out Seattle) and St. Paul No. 4. The new ride is an attempt by its organizers at the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN) to replace the defunct Minneapolis Bike Tour and the St. Paul Classic Bike Tour, which is no longer affiliated with BikeMN. That popular, longtime ride is scheduled for a week before the Twin Cities Bike Tour.

The idea for the Twin Cities tour took hold when Michael Wojcik joined the organization as its executive director a year ago. He replaced longtime BikeMN director Dorian Grilley, who retired. Wojcik has a history of advocacy for safe biking and walking in Rochester, where he lives and has served on its City Council.

According to BikeMN’s research, “we have never had a big programmed ride that took in some of the highlights of both” Minneapolis and St. Paul, Wojcik said.

Kerri Kolstad, founder of the guide service Wahoo! Adventures, is organizing the new event with BikeMN. The flagship is a 46-mile route, covering more than a dozen public trail systems in a counterclockwise loop. The ride begins and finishes at Wabun Park near Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis. Most of the first half is in St. Paul, visiting attractions like Lake Phalen and coursing through Como Park before returning to well-ridden points around Minneapolis. Also planned are a 20-mile route and a slow-roll 6.6-mile ride with a spirit of inclusiveness. All styles of cycles are encouraged, and the ride is free for participants younger than 18. (See the routes at bit.ly/tcbtroutes.)

The new tour serves BikeMN objectives by adding to its lineup of rides in bike-friendly communities; educating and inspiring new audiences; and partnering with like-minded organizations, Kolstad said.

BikeMN has steadily beefed up its annual events, which include the Tour of Saints in the St. Cloud-St. Joseph areas and the multiday Bicycling Around Minnesota, which was on the Iron Range in August. This year BikeMN added the Med City Meander, a 27-mile roll connecting Rochester’s network of multi-use paths. The group was hoping for 500 participants, Wojcik said; it drew 800.

Minneapolis school kids already have begun cycling together at places like Whittier Elementary School, Kolstad said, anticipating their ride Sept. 15. Beyond delivering the sense of freedom that comes on the saddle of a bike, the activity “raises healthy questions for kids, like how can they get there and how can we get somewhere together?”

“A ride [like the bike tour] can really cement the routes to get places,” she added.

Wojcik said the goals behind the tour run deeper than having a good time.

“We are doing a number of things with different routes, low- and no-cost options, invitations to different groups to really try to give people who have not realized the great infrastructure that they have in the communities they live in, to get them out to come out and how fun with us and experience how safe and effective this infrastructure is,” he said.

Depending on the ride, cyclists will encounter several community partners hosting rest stops. Twin Cities in Motion, which organizes the Twin Cities Marathon and related events, will have music and snacks at its St. Paul headquarters in the W. 7th neighborhood near the Mississippi River, while Bread & Pickle will dole out cookies near its spot by the Lake Harriet band shell.

The tour will cap at 2,000 riders. Currently, 1,000 have registered.

“There is great power in numbers, and there is great power in seeing people out like yourself doing what you want to do,” Wojcik said. “What Minneapolis and St. Paul have done that is so special, is that they have set the table. Whether you are riding for fun or for transportation, you really have great infrastructure around there.

“We don’t need to sell people on how great these opportunities are. We just need to have them out and show them a good time and show them what is available.”