Winter Cycling

The Minneapolis Loppet, primarily a cross-country ski event, also features an afternoon of bike races on ice. In its third year now, it draws dozens of racers and crowds of spectators, many of whom arrive by bike. We were there with Tiger-Snake, our trike tandem with a trailer to carry folding chairs and a picnic lunch -- along with a shovel to clear a place where we could watch both the bike races and the skijouring.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Independence Day 100-mile Ride

July 4, 2008: The Twin Cities Bicycling Club celebrates Independence Day every year with a "Watermelon Ride" in the northeastern corner of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. We live in the southwestern corner of Minneapolis and had skipped this ride in recent years to avoid driving there with our bikes. This year, we decided to ride to and from the event and make a 100-mile day of it.

The weather was perfect, with occasional clouds, temperatures in the high 70's, and a light breeze. We rode a recumbent trike tandem combining a Hase Kettwiesel on the front with a Greenspeed Anura behind. Setting a gentle pace, we finished the ride in 12 hours, including rest stops, a picnic lunch (with watermelon, of course), and an ice-cream stop on the way home.

We are trying to do more of our cycling near home, with less flying and driving to events. It's a celebration of energy-independence.

Ice Bike Racing

The Minnesota HPVA Ice Bike Races have had some bad luck with conditions over the years. This year our usual lake froze just as the first snow fell, and the ice surface was unrideable. We moved to an impromptu location on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, using some paths that had been cleared for a pond hockey tournament the week before. Temperatures were warm -- in the 20's -- and the ice was pretty good. The bikes and trikes were, as usual, splendid!

Dutch treat

Cycling options in Minneapolis expanded this weekend, when two local entrepreneurs introduced the Dutch Fietscafe to the Twin Cities. This 16- or 17-passenger rolling pub is one "bike" that easily upstages the Cab-Bike! I cycled cycled over to the Mississippi River, enjoying the Cab-Bike's good protection against the rain and puddles, and lined up for a free ride on the Pedal Pub. (The Dutch name, we could hear from the puzzled questions -- "fights-calf? Is that the guy who built it?" -- just wouldn't work in the Midwest.) Despite the cold, rainy weather there were plenty of eager riders. More than thirty of these party bikes are for rent in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, serving tourists, wedding parties, and other groups. They aren't built for speed, but they have lovely cup-holders and an old-world tap which in Minnesota will have to dispense non-alcoholic beverages from the front-mounted keg. We rolled back and forth across the Mississippi on the Stone Arch Bridge, which has been turned over to cyclists and pedestrians. Despite the dismissive comments of a local news program's overly made-up talking head, we greatly enjoyed the ride and can only hope that more human-powered fun catches on!