We’ve had many posts about the bike lanes in the TC, but this past weekend, I experienced biking waaaaay outside the lines, so to speak. I participated in the Red Ribbon Ride, a 300-mile, 4-day bike ride through southern Minnesota. We didn’t use many bike paths or bike lanes, because they didn’t have them so much out where we were biking. I did find out how to get across the river along 494, as opposed to the Mendota Bridge, and that’s a nice little expanse that hooks up between just east of the Mall of America and Pilot Knob Road over in Eagan. Beyond that, we were on the highways and county roads.

It was quite an event with over 200 bikers and over 140 crew members. We biked along the river down to Lake City, then over to Rochester, Faribault and back to Richfield, where closing ceremonies were held. There are a number of trails down in that area that I’d like to go bike along, like the Douglas Trail down near Rochester, but we stuck the main roads so that our service vehicles could come along beside us.

If anyone gets the chance to bike down along the river, it’s beautiful scenery. The second and third day rides weren’t quite as exciting with mile after mile of rolling, smelly cornfields, but still an experience.

I got back on Sunday, and now, I’m in Denver on a work conference. A post will follow soon about my thoughts of the differences between downtowns Denver and the TC.

Related posts:

1. Lesson #1
2. Biking gets easier
3. Our Milkshake Brings All the Girls-n-Boys to the Bar
4. Biking and banking
5. Don’t be hatin’.