My GPS wasn't cooperating with me on this ride, so I am not sure how far I biked, but I am going to guesstimate that I biked about 10 miles, maybe more. The mileage doesn't matter, what matters is that I had fun and got some fresh air! Here are some of the sights I saw on this bike ride!
I started off by biking to the chain of lakes. I have logged countless miles around these lake so know them like the back of my hand. I love that you get peaks of the skyline at various points around the lakes! This picture was taken by Lake of the Isles.
After biking around the lake, I headed back towards downtown Minneapolis and biked through the sculpture garden where you'll find this famous cherry-on-the-spoon sculpture!
After that I biked through downtown Minneapolis and over to my neighborhood. There are a lot of beautiful areas in Minneapolis but my neighborhood is my favorite. I just think the St. Anthony Falls are so pretty!
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| My head is blocking it, but my condo is located to the left of the tallest building in this photo. |
I biked across the river to an area called St. Anthony Main which is a really cute area with restaurants. It also features beautiful views of the downtown skyline!
I had biked for about 80 minutes so I figured I earned some gelato! I ate my salted caramel and vanilla gelato on a park bench with a view of the city. The gelato and the view were fabulous.
Running has always been my first love but I have to say that biking has become a close second. I am strongly considering getting a road bike as that would allow me to log more miles. The nice ride bikes are super convenient but since they are cruiser style bikes, they are super heavy so it's pretty taxing to do long rides on them. I have some bike research to do, but I just might be purchasing one this summer (and I am hoping I can talk Phil into buying one too so we can go on some biking dates!).
In the mean time, I'll be getting a lot of mileage out of these nice ride bikes. And when I renewed my membership they sent me some day pass vouchers so I will be able to use those when/if I have visitors!
Do you enjoy biking? Is your city bike friendly? Minneapolis is usually neck-in-neck with Portland for being the most bike friendly city in the U.S. We have lots of bike paths/greenways and many of our roads in the city have bike lanes so I feel pretty safe biking around.
21 comments:
I love all the photos you took on your bike ride!! So beautiful :)
I used to love biking, but I think I ruined the fun of it when I got clipless pedals. Now it's so difficult to really bike to a place, and getting back up my hill totally stinks also so... I kind of hate biking now. I might be able to recover my love if I moved (off a giant hill)... maybe ha ha.
I know biking is SO good for me, but I don't love it. I fell one too many times as a kid and it's scarred me for live (figuratively & literally). I think I could do ok if it's a cruiser bike since they seem less scary to me.
Love the cherry & on a spoon; reminds me of my trip to visit you!
I know you would love your own bike for long rides like that! Hope you find what you want!
The views were beautiful and the gelato looked mouth watering!
A great way to spend a Sunday!
I want to like biking, but I just can't get passed the knee pain and butt pain from the seat haha. Looks like an awesome Sunday!
Since I have gotten my bike, I have LOVED it! We have done a few long rides in preparation for RAGBRAI and biking is just all I want to do right now!
If you're ever in Des Moines, you should come check out a local shop, Bike World. Bill has a good friend that works there for fun and he does such a good job fitting people and making sure they have the right bike for the right purposes! I'm super pleased with my purchase and I was really antsy about it because it just seemed like way too much money to spend on a bike!
Well, you know my story -- put me on a spinning bike and I'm happy as a clam. Put me on something not firmly anchored to the ground -- and with traffic -- and I freak. Ironic, isn't it!
So glad you are having fun -- I'm behind on posts and will try to catch up!
I'm starting to get more into biking too (although Pittsburgh is NOT bike friendly) and I really like it! If you get a bike, I'd recommend getting a hybrid instead of a road bike. D has a road bike and he has a lot of issues with where he can ride--the paths here are about half crushed gravel and his tires can't handle that. I have a hybrid and the tires are a little more robust, but the frame and everything isn't as heavy as a cruiser. I can send you more info if you want!
I love all of the pics! It reminds me of the walk you took me on when I was there (and the gelato! Mmm)! I love cycling, and it's pretty user friendly here. Many people use it as a form of transportation here, as do I. It's nice to see the world a bit faster than running, as you can see more in one go! Also, I think its a great way to get exercise, explore and get outside, all in one go!
The only thing I don't like about cycling is the car drivers! They don't always look where they are going and I have come really close to getting creamed!
That looks like a fun way to see the city. I enjoy doing that around here too. Sometimes Pete and I will just make an excuse of something we should bike to (to grab a beer, take a trip to trader joes, etc). Also, your gelato looks great!
I think you should totally get a road bike! Especially if Phil would be interested in getting one and biking with you -- I definitely find biking, especially long road bike rides, more fun with people!
I actually DON'T like biking that much! I enjoy biking to a destination (like I enjoy riding my bike to work from time to time) or using bikes to get around a new city (loved biking in Chicago and Minneapolis) but I don't really like going for long bike rides just to get a workout in.
If you're doing road bike research, you're speaking my language. Roadies are designed to go fast instead of just be comfortable like the cruisers are, so they take a bit of getting used to once you find one. There should be plenty of bike stores that will let you test one on a group ride to see how you like it. The saddles take a while to get used to, but once you like going fast on a bike, it's hard to turn back to the heavy cruisers.
My city is not bike friendly at all, which makes me really sad because I think if it was, I would DEFINITELY be a more avid biker! Right now, I just can't justify the expense of one because I know I wouldn't use it much. (We have a fair amount of trails/roads around that are safe for bikers but most are 30+ minutes away from me. Womp, womp.)
Can I just say how happy it makes me to see posts like these? I'm so thrilled that you're back in Minneapolis!
I think that program is such a fun idea! We used the ones in Paris and it was definitely worth the couple Euros for the membership
This looks just about perfect!! Love it.
I do enjoy biking, and I live right near a bike path and the largest park/lake in the city. I just do it for leisure though.
I like the occasional bike ride and I need to pull mine out and put air in the tire soon. It's pretty scary riding by my house since I live on a 55 mph road and there isn't really a spot for bikers but IN town it is very biker friendly. And there is a sidewalk connecting my road to town which you would probably want to ride on instead of the road since that is a 4 lane highway.
Looks like you had an amazing weekend!! That is awesome!
Minneapolis is so beautiful...you are so lucky!
I have a love hate relationship with biking. I love it, but it also scares the crap out of me. I've fallen so many times since I got clipless pedals. And a few weeks ago, my biking partner ended up in a trauma center due to a biking accident (I was supposed to be with her that morning)....soooo I haven't gotten back on my bike since :S
But I really think it's a great sport! Love how much distance you can cover!
That gelato looks amazing. I adore gelato....
Baton Rouge is not bike friendly at all. Although I hate bikes, so it doesn't really bother me. But most places don't have sidewalks, and I haven't seen a bike path here. Which basically does mean anytime you see bikes they're in the street with all the cars!
Love that you are able to bike and enjoy the routes! Biking together is definitely a fun activity!!!
I loved using the vélibs when I lived in Paris! Nashville over the past year or two has instituted a similar bike sharing program and is really trying to push biking, but the city is definitely more geared to cars. That said, hipsters love bicycles so give it a couple years and we'll probably be way more bike friendly :)
Love this. Sounds so fun and like a great way to use a neat service. Portland is full of lots of bike users but the idea of biking downtown scares the crud out of me. I just got back on a bike last summer but with our nice days I've definitely been contemplating getting on it again.
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