Biking in the Twin Cities

The dis-oriented author is a cyclist. At least I was once a cyclist. This year I have been trying to get back on my bike. I had forgotten how much I enjoy riding. So this week on a business trip to Minneapolis, I decided to take my road bike.

This would be a good opportunity for a shakedown cruise. I had just purchased an Ultegra triple crank & bottom bracket, a Deore XT long cage rear derailleur and a Dura-Ace triple front derailleur. I also removed the SPD pedals and got out the Look road pedals. Since I did all the work myself, it seemed like a good opportunity to test everything out.

I was excited about this trip, I knew that Minneapolis had great bike trails. I used a variety of websites and found skateminnesota and the Hennepin county site to be especially useful. The client I was working for is located near Cedar Lake and Lake Calhoun so it seemed like a tour of the lakes would be a good idea. The only problem is that from the maps I found it hard to determine the distance.

I asked one of my colleagues who is a cyclist and he suggested that I should try riding the Midtown Greenway, a paved trail that leads from Highway 100 to the Mississippi river. I decided to then follow the Mississipi south to Minnehaha Falls and return via the Chain of Lakes. My colleague suggested that the ride would be about 11 miles total.

I started out on the Cedar Lake trail and headed south to catch the Midtown Greenway trail between Cedar Lake and Lake Calhoun. The trails were wide and well-maintained and in busier sections there was often a separate lane for pedestrians. The trail junctions are not well marked. I had an Internet map in my pocket and at several places I was not sure which way to go. Several times, I asked other cyclists or pedestrians for directions and everyone was patient and helpful. There are several places where the trail crosses roads. Even when there was a stop sign on the trail and none on the road, drivers were universally courteous.

When I reached the Mississippi, the trail followed the Great River Road and when there were breaks in the trees, I could see the river. Near Lock and Dam #1 my route took me between Lake Hiawatha and Lake Nokomis following Minnehaha Creek. About this time, I was beginning to wonder whether my distance estimates were wrong. If this was an 11 mile ride, I was really, really slow.

I followed the Chain of Lakes trail up past Lake Harriet and followed the one way trail around the West side of Lake Calhoun. With evening approaching, I road up to the band shell and concession area as the concert band arrived to play their evening concert. After sitting at the band shell for a while, I road back to the office, tired but happy.

For the record, I checked the mileage and it is closer to 24 miles than 11. I will be in Minneapolis for one more night — the weather looks good so I think I'll do the same ride tomorrow.