The Social Rider: Minneapolis/St. Paul
If you’re a rider who likes to hang out with your fellow bikers, then head to the Midwest. Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota promote biking by hosting bike-themed events nearly every weekend in the summer, including organized rides and cycling races. For example, Nice Ride Minnesota, a bike-share program in the Twin Cities, hosts Nice Nites, a weekly meet-up where bikers can listen to live music and cash in on drink from local bars and restaurants. The effort to raise biker-awareness is paying off: the number of bikers in the Twin Cities increased 33 percent from 2007 to 2010.
Bikeable Miles: 81 miles of on-street bikeways and 85 miles of off-street bikeways
Recommended Route: Ride across Stone Arch Bridge, a former railway bridge that spans the Mississippi River at St. Anthony Falls in downtown Minneapolis. (Don’t be fooled: St. Anthony Falls used to be the Mississippi’s largest natural waterfall, but was replaced with a concrete overflow after its collapse over 150 years ago.) But, you can still ride across this pedestrian/bike only bridge and see bird’s eye views of the Mighty Mississippi.
