Author Archives: Russ Lowthian

Ride the driftless monster at the La Crosse Bike Festival

For nine years, the La Crosse Area Labor Day Bike Festival has hosted all kinds of fun rides, for all kinds of riders. This year, along with the: family-friendly neighborhood tours, ice-cream rides, mountain biking, live music, and scenic road rides, there is the “Monster”. A 100-mile ride (with a 62 and 125-mile option) that will take you on an unforgettable journey through the scenic valley of the Mississippi River.

Travel on low-traffic rural roads, or at least on roads with bike facilities.

The Monster Ride is 100 miles, with 10 climbs, and 7,400 feet of elevation gain. Six of the climbs on this route count as real “Driftless Monsters,” or hills with over 300 ft of elevation gain and at least one has a grade of 14% or greater. Through the weekend, starting at the registration tent in Riverside Park, you can complete this route anytime between sunrise and sunset (6:28 a.m. to 7:35 p.m.) each day of the festival. Plus, it’s free, but you will need to register!

* NOTE CHANGE: Mass start is at 8 a.m. if you want to leave with the pack.

This is a self-supported, self-guided event; not a race. Challenge yourself or feel free to grab some friends and see if you have what it takes. The routes are not marked on the road. Rather they will be on Ride With GPS as an “event” with all available features. PDFs of the route and a cue sheet are also available.

Family fun for everyone at the LaCrosse Area Bicycle Festival.

Sign-up for the La Crosse Area Labor Day Bike Festival

The Festival registration, most in-town rides, the Open Streets fair, and live music are all complimentary. However, premium festival registration will give you many additional benefits including text-based weather updates; t-shirts and a special bag of goodies. The Gravel Enduro Series and Gran Fondo are also optional fee-based events with timing and added benefits.

In-town Bike Festival rides

Family fun for everyone on the La Crosse Area Bicycle Festival ice cream tour.

Family fun for everyone on the La Crosse Area Bicycle Festival ice cream tour.

Most in town guided rides are free, except money for cool treats, and are suitable for families, kids, and are easy. They leave from Riverside Park at the designated time, make frequent stops,

Pump track fun at the LaCrosse Area Bicycle Festival is easy and will help you improve your mountain bike skills.

Pump track fun at the LaCrosse Area Bicycle Festival is easy and will help you improve your mountain bike skills.

and have a leader and volunteers to shepherd the ride through the city.

Bike Festival self-guided bike routes

The Bike Festival team have designed these countryside routes to be ridden self-supported. Ride your bike alone or in small groups, without the need for a tour guide or ride leader. All mapped routes are designed loops, leaving from public parks or parking lots. Wherever possible, you’ll travel on low-traffic rural roads, or at least on roads with bike facilities. To help you stay self-sufficient, maps show optional stops every 25-30 miles at convenience stores or public parks.

Time to make plans now!

Register today for the La Crosse Area Labor Day Bike Festival.

For lodging options see: Destination La Crosse

Mayor’s entrepreneurial tourism bike ride in Cedar Falls, IA

This weekend, enjoy a bike ride with Cedar Falls Mayor Jim Brown. Along the route learn about this thriving entrepreneurial community along the way. The bike ride will tour three businesses…Runners Flat, Talk to Me Technologies, Hansen’s Dairy, and Gasoline. Along the way hear each of their stories about starting the business and why each of them selected the Cedar Falls location.

This free 8-10 mile-long ride is scheduled for Saturday, August, 24, at 9:00 am. The ride starts at the Northwest corner of City Hall (2nd& Clay) in Cedar Fall, in the parking lot across from Overman Park. The ride will end at Hansen’s with the Kubo food truck and vendors.

The ride is brought to you by the City of Cedar Falls, Red Cedar, and the Bike-Ped Advisory Board of Cedar Falls.

See more here

Bike Pic Aug 17, another picture-perfect day for a ride, pedal safe!

This bike pic Saturday, with the perfect riding weather, enjoy driving your bike as if it were a car and obey the rules of the road and/or trail.

Get into your bike ride planning mode to continue your summer fun and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the fun ideas and HaveFunBiking Destinations in both the Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide and the Iowa Bike Guide.

Thanks for viewing our Saturday Bike Pic here at HaveFunBiking (HFB). 

Now, rolling into our 14th year as a bicycle media, our goal is to continue to encourage more people to bike, while showcasing unforgettable places to ride. As we search for more fun photos worth a grin, share your stories so more can find their next adventure. Then, while out there if you see us along a paved or mountain bike trail, be prepared to smile. You never know where our cameras will be and what we will post next!

Submit your photos

Do you have a fun photo of yourself or someone you know that you would like to see us publish? If so, please send it our way and we may use it. Send your picture(s) to [email protected] with a brief caption (of each), including who is in the photo (if you know?) and where it was taken. Photo(s) should be at least 900 pixels wide for us to use them. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and an acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

See our blog

As HaveFunBiking continues to encourage more people to ride, please see our media’s to find your next adventure. We are proud of the updated – At-a-Glance information and maps we are known for in the HFB Destination section on our website and in the guide. Now, as the Bike/Hike Guide goes into its seventh year of production, we are adding a whole new dimension of bicycle tourism information available for mobile devices where you may see some additional bike pics – maybe of yourself so.

Bookmark HaveFunBiking.com and find your next adventure – we may capture you in one of the next photos we post.

Have a great day!

Bike Pic Aug 8, another picture perfect day to ride in the Twin Cities

Here in this bike pic, on a picture-perfect day, we captured these bikers having fun pedaling the neighborhoods in north St. Paul.

What better way to continue your summer fun and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa or Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations.

Thanks for viewing our ‘Thursday’ bike pic

We are now rolling into our 10th year as a bike tourism media. As we pedal forward our goal is to continue to encourage more people to bike and have fun while we highlight all the unforgettable places for you to ride. As we continue to showcase more places to have fun, we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. Enjoy the information and stories we have posted as you scroll through.

Do you have a fun bicycle related photo of yourself or someone you may know that we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]. Include a brief caption (for each) of who is in the photo (if you know) and where the picture was taken. Photo(s) should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide or larger to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your #NextBikeAdventure – Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile friendly, as we enter into our 8th year of producing this hand information booklet full of maps.

Remember, bookmark HaveFunBiking.com on your cell phone and find your next adventure at your fingertips! Please share our pics with your friends and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the corner with one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.

Have a great day!

Mounds View is a great mix of busy and calm where you can ride your bike along creek side trails to visit festivals like the town’s 60th Annual Festival in the Park. This two-day jam-packed festival is a great way to start the end of summer vacation. 

Bike races are a big draw to the Festival in the Park, in Mounds View

Emily Stocker, HaveFunBiking.com

Mounds View is a great mix of busy and calm where you can ride your bike along creekside trails to visit festivals like the town’s Annual Festival in the Park. This two-day jam-packed festival is a great way to start the end of summer vacation. Watch the fastest bike racers in the Midwest roar around Mounds View. Or give it a try yourself in the events beginner race.

It all starts on Friday, August 16th, in Twin Cities Gateway community of Mounds View, MN. where one can find such an adventure. The festival begins on Friday evening with a dance and leads into Saturday, August 17th with bike races, games, a parade and more music to add to your summer memories. Whether you and your family come by bike, or by car, be prepared for an exciting day.

A Fun-Filled Day at the Festival in the Park

Here safety mascot’s ride in the communities fire truck bucket Festival in the Park parade.

Start your morning off on a run, literally. The Festival in the Park’s 5K race kicks off at the community center starting at 8:30 in the morning. After dashing through town, head over to the North Ball Field and see some snazzy cars. The car show is celebrating its tenth year at the festival and will be going on until 3:30 p.m. – with awards to see if your favorite car wins at 2 in the afternoon. At 10 a.m. get ready to catch some candy at the parade. Afterward, take the kids over to the Front Parking Lot to have some fun with the Fire Department activities. At 1 p.m. there will be a K9 demo in the West Ball Field.

Foot Stomping Music at the Festival

It’s your time to show off your inner star. You have about a week or so to pick your favorite hit song and warm up your vocal cords. Karaoke is on stage from 2:30 to 5 p.m. and usually has some surprises and great singers to please your ears. This year’s band the Elements, which starts playing at 5:30 p.m. to entertain the masses. Apart from having a fantastic name, Big Toe and the Jam will have you stomping your feet and singing along. From “Party Rock” to “Jesse’s Girl”, you don’t want to miss this eclectic set-list everyone will love. The night ends with a bang – fireworks over City Hall Park.

Bike Rodeo and Sprint

Watch as the USA Cycling racers stir the air as they sprint by at Festival in the Park.

Watch as the USA Cycling racers sprint by the spectators, stirring the air as they dart by at the Festival in the Park.

The Mounds View Festival in the Park Sprint Races starts at Noon with the last race starting at 6:05 in the evening. The course is a rectangle with a total distance of 1.1 miles. If you are feeling extra adventurous on this particular day, as this is a USA Cycling Race, there are one-day licenses available at registration. Otherwise, it is just as fun watching the cyclists as they dart by, pedaling as fast they can. Competing or not, the race will be an adrenaline-filled phenomenon.

So make plans today to head over to Mounds View on August 16 and 17th.

Plus the perfect trail to ride when in the area

Many who visit here also enjoy pedaling their bikes on the trail along with the natural settings of Rice Creek.

Riders on the18th Annual Gitchi-Gami Trail Association North Shore Bike Ride, August 18, will enjoy shoreline views of Lake Superior as they pass through a state park or riding over a serenading waterfall as it cascades into the lake.

Get close on the Gitchi-Gami Trail Association North Shore Bike Ride

Get up close and personal on the 19th Annual Gitchi-Gami Trail Association North Shore Bike Ride. On Saturday, August 17th, enjoy shoreline views of Lake Superior as you pedal the Gitchi-Gami Trail (GGST). Occasionally along the way passing through a state park or riding over a serenading waterfall as it cascades into the lake. This year with the usual: Snacks, T-shirts and sag support on four ride lengths, that includes a family-friendly 8-mile option.

Gitchi-Gami ride lengths

The full map of the Gitchi-Gami Trail

Starting at Gooseberry Falls State Park, the start time is 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday morning with recreational ride lengths offered at 8-miles, 28-miles, 34-miles, and 55-miles. The 55-mile ride is the only course that will use connecting roads. on the ride. All other options stay on the trail.  Click HERE for a mail-in registration form!

The 8-mile family ride option

A scenic view of the trail along Lake Superior

A scenic view of the trail along Lake Superior

Follows the GGST for 4 miles from Gooseberry to a rest stop at Twin Points wayside, where there will be treats and special events for families. The ride returns on the GGST to Gooseberry.

The 28-mile ride option

Entirely on the GGST, from Gooseberry through historic Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, continuing to the rest stop at the Beaver Bay Wayside, and returning on the trail. Because it is an “out-and-back” ride, bikers can turn around at any time to return to the starting point.

The 34-mile ride option

Rider on Gitchi-Gami Trail as it winds through Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

Rider on Gitchi-Gami Trail as it winds through Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

 

55-mile ride option

Another new route this year! Follows the GGST to Beaver Bay Wayside, continues on the trail over the Beaver River Bridge and left onto the NEWEST segment of trail alongside West Road. Continues to Silver Bay where you will make a loop north beginning by turning left on Penn Avenue. Turning right on to Lax Lake Road you’ll bike to Hwy 1 and the Eckbeck rest stop, continue to Hwy 61, where you’ll head uphill at Outer Drive/Penn Avenue and pick up the Gitchi-Gami trail again near Rukavina Arena back to Beaver Bay, and then back to Gooseberry on the trail.

Registration can be completed online (through secure PayPal payment) at the link above or by mail, using the form on this page. Cost of the ride is $45. They offer a $10 discount to members if you would like to join.

Questions? Contact  [email protected]

Lodging opportunities and more scenic experiences to explore

Consider staying in Silver Bay, the Heart of the Northshore, on the top end of the GGST ride route, for plenty of things to do pre- and post your bike ride.

In its 32nd year the pedal Van Buren ride will be hosting their annual bike ride visiting several Civil War historical villages along the way.

Pedal Van Buren tours through 10 Civil War historic villages in SE. Iowa

Again in its 33rd year, the villages of Van Buren County, in Iowa will be hosting their annual Bike Van Buren ride August 17-18, and there is still room. Join over 200 bicyclists as they tour the countryside visiting several Civil War historical villages along the way. Ride participants can select the 42 or 66-mile route on Saturday and a 42-mile’r on Sunday. Along with SAG support and refreshments, a fun poker-run will be a part of the ride both days.

Bike Van Buren is a ride the whole family with enjoy.

Bike Van Buren is a ride the whole family with enjoy.

If you want to experience pedal Van Buren

The host villages will welcome the bikers with free refreshments and outstanding hospitality! All of the routes will lead you through some of the most beautiful countrysides in Iowa! Fill out the registration form/waiver for Bike Van Buren online at www.villagesofvanburen.com to save time. Walk-up registration will be held at the Keosauqua City Park, Saturday 7 to 8:30 a.m. and Sunday only rider registration is 7:30 to 8 a.m.

Meet old and new friend while touring the villages of Van Buren County

Meet old and new friend while touring the villages of Van Buren County

Bike Van Buren route options

Two routes will be offered on Saturday (66 miles & 42 miles) and 1 route on Sunday (42 miles). Riders can create their own route as well. All routes will begin and end at the Keosauqua City Park and all are clearly marked with large colored arrows. Bickel’s Cycling & Fitness, of Burlington, will provide technical support and several SAG (Service and Gear) wagons will be in-route with the riders at all times. Phone numbers for staff support crews are provided on the maps riders will receive upon registration (Riders are encouraged to carry a cell phone). All support crews will be equipped with free cold bottled water, courtesy of Dutchman’s Store, in Cantril and limited first aid.

Route options cover some quite county roads that meander from on village to another.

Route options cover some quiet county roads that meander from one village to another.

Lunch and sights to see on the ride

Riders will have the option to purchase a lunch band at registration ($8 adults, $5 youth).  Registered riders will take advantage of 100% complimentary refreshments at each of the nine hospitality stops. Hospitality stops average 8-10 miles apart and will include some fascinating historic sites such as the Bonaparte Pottery, Stockport Depot and Pearson House Museum Complex.

A little gaming fun is included on the ride

A Fun Poker Run will be part of the event on both days. Riders will try to build their best hand of poker by drawing cards at designated hospitality stops. The best hand on each day will win $100 cash. Bickel’s Cycling & Fitness in Burlington will provide prizes for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place winners.

Tour the Underground Railroad after the 1st day’s ride

Saturday’s ride will conclude at the Pearson House Museum Complex. Here ride participants can tour the Underground Railroad safe house. The tour shows places where escaping slaves hid under the floorboards, during the Civil War, on their journey to freedom. The Pearson House will also be open on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. On Saturday evening, in the Keosauqua City Park from 4 to 7 p.m. Goehring Brothers BBQ will be serving mouth-watering pulled pork & brisket plate dinners. From 5 to 6 p.m. the Tarnished Brass Band will perform and everyone is invited to bring a lawn chair and enjoy the evening!

Hope to see you on the Bike Van Buren Ride!

Hope to see you on the Bike Van Buren Ride!

For more information contact: Villages of Van Buren 800-868-7822 / 319-293-7111 www.villagesofvanburen.com

Free Bikes for Kids helps kid's smile with the 2016 season Bike Collection Day, on Saturday, October 8th, at the Mall of America.

Help put a smile on a kids face with that old bike collecting dusts

Do you have a bike or two taking up space and collecting dust? If so, consider donating them to Free Bikes for Kids (FB4K) to help them put smiles on kids’ faces. No bikes, no problem…if your basement, garage, or storage space has already been cleaned out, they still need help. FB4K’s also needs volunteers to help clean or do light repair work to get them ready for kids to ride.

Put smiles on a kid’s face by donating your old bicycle

Free Bikes for Kids help kids smile with the 2016 season Bike Collection Day, on Saturday, October 8th, Donate your bikes to help more kids.

Free Bikes for Kids helps kids smile by ensuring they have a bike.

The kick-off to the 2019 season is Bike Collection Day on Saturday, October 5th, and to make it successful, they need your bikes!

FB4K Helps Kids Smile by Volunteering

Don’t have a bike to donate? Join them at their warehouse for 3-hour shifts from October 7th to November 29th. You can sign up for multiple shifts.

Come on your own or bring your crew. The more, the merrier! Register here to secure your spot.

Free Bikes for Kids helps kids smile so please help by volunteering to clean or wrench on some bikes if you can't help with bike donation.

Free Bikes for Kids helps kids smile please help by volunteering to clean or wrench on some bikes like these guys.

About FB4K

Free Bikes 4 Kidz is a non-profit organization geared toward helping all kids ride into a happier, healthier childhood by providing bikes to those most in need. The public donates gently used bikes. Then, they organize thousands of volunteers to clean and refurbish them before they give them away to kids in need. So really, FB4K helps kids smile.

In 2008 they gave away 300 bikes. Last year it was 5,000 bikes. And this year – who knows? Over 30,000 bikes have rolled through their giveaways in the last eight years. What does FB4K have to say about that? They claim they are not done yet. Their future sights are set on other locations throughout the U.S. and the world.

Every year 25 million bikes are sold in the U.S. One-third of those bikes are 20” wheel-size or smaller. Since kids grow like weeds, over 8 million bikes are virtually outgrown each year, giving them an endless supply while making our environment more sustainable.

Through the generous help of key partners like Allina Health, QBP, Penn Cycle, Park Tool, Nice Ride MN, and the Mall of America, FB4K has gone far. But they still need your support in building the foundation and helping every kid ride into a more memorable childhood.

Do your part in making kids smile. See more at http://fb4k.org/

A great day to be on a mountain bike trail in one of Minnesota's piney forests having fun!

Bike Pic August 1, fun on a mountain bike trail in a piney forest

A great day to be on a mountain bike, riding on one of Minnesota’s piney forest trails, having fun! Plan your next outing with family and friends at one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations.

Get into your bike ride planning mode to continue your summer fun and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the fun ideas and HaveFunBiking Destinations in both the Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide and the Iowa Bike Guide.

Thanks for Viewing Our ‘Mountain Bike Trail’ Bike Pic  

Now, rolling into our 14th year as a bicycle media, our goal is to continue to encourage more people to bike, while showcasing unforgettable places to ride. As we search for more fun photos worth a grin, share your stories so more can find their next adventure. Then, while out there if you see us along a paved or mountain bike trail, be prepared to smile. You never know where our cameras will be and what we will post next!

Submit your photos

Do you have a fun photo of yourself or someone you know that you would like to see us publish? If so, please send it our way and we may use it. Send your picture(s) to [email protected] with a brief caption (of each), including who is in the photo (if you know?) and where it was taken. Photo(s) should be at least 900 pixels wide for us to use them. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and an acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

See our blog

As HaveFunBiking continues to encourage more people to ride, please see our media’s to find your next adventure. We are proud of the updated – At-a-Glance information and maps we are known for in the HFB Destination section on our website and in the guide. Now, as the Bike/Hike Guide goes into its seventh year of production, we are adding a whole new dimension of bicycle tourism information available for mobile devices where you may see some additional bike pics – maybe of yourself so.

Bookmark HaveFunBiking.com and find your next adventure – we may capture you in one of the next photos we post.

Have a great day!

A film & music festival to test out your multi-day bike touring skills

The 17th Annual Square Lake Film & Music Festival is the perfect way to experience multi-day bike touring. Just north of Stillwater, MN. This unique, bike-friendly, outdoor festival is August 10-11,2019. Over the weekend, with your camping gear shuttled free, enjoy local music on the outdoor stage. Plus short film & animation sets inside their theater-barn. You will experience multi-day bike touring fun, with a new beat for your ride home.

Music on stage with complementing movie screen adds to the fun.

Experience multi-day bike touring fun

Great music will include performances by Saltee, The Owls and The Cactus Blossoms. This is a family-friendly festival! So, in between sets enjoy some of Minnesota’s best local locally-made independent short films on one of the two screens.

Bikers entering the festival.

How far is the ride?

The festival is located on a private hobby farm, just north of Stillwater and only a few miles past the Gateway Bike Trail. Facilitated rides depart from Minneapolis and St Paul. Overnight “camping” on the festival lawn is free. Along with complimentary sag wagon support to carry your gear out to the event and back. Morning yoga and sound meditation are also provided for free to campers on Sunday morning.
Facilitated rides leave from the Twin Cities the morning of the event, with meeting
spots, in Minneapolis at the Hub Bicycle Shop and Summit Brewery in St Paul.  The 30-mile ride out to the festival utilizes the scenic Gateway Trail to its endpoint at Pine Point Park in Stillwater.  From Pine Point, the festival grounds are three miles further. Peace Coffee will again provide sag wagons to haul bikers’ camping gear. Overnight “camping” on the large lawn is also provided for free.

The festivals first “star score”

In partnership with the Minnesota Astronomical Society, banjo/guitar player Mike Rosetto will be playing a music set specifically designed to be heard while star gazing at the festival.  Telescopes will be set up to project images of the stars over the festival onto a large movie screen in the event of clouds!

Stars over the festival onto a large movie screen

How much does the event cost?

Bikers who attend the festival receive half-price tickets when purchased in advance. Regular price tickets are $30 from now through July 10th and $35 after that for attendees arriving by car.  Bikers receive a steep discount – only $15 when tickets are purchased in advance.  Tickets sales are capped at 400, and of that, almost half are sold to bikers. So try multi-day bike touring and enjoy a music festival that will put a beat into your pedal stroke.