Author Archives: Russ Lowthian

Bike Pic Aug 08, on the MRT with Bike MN watching over

In this bike pic Tuesday, these riders are having fun on the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) with the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN) watching over. Support their bicycle advocacy and educational efforts with the Annual St Paul Bicycle Classic coming September 10th.

So, get into the zone when continuing your time outdoors 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, and check out more stories at Let’s Do MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Now rolling through our 19th year as a bike tourism media, enjoy! As we pedal forward, we aim to encourage more people to bike and have fun while highlighting all the unforgettable places you can 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 we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]. Please Include a brief caption for the image, who shot it, and where. Photo(s) sent to us should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue encouraging 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 our 14th year of producing this handy information booklet full of maps.

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. With one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun, we may be around the corner. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.

Have a great day with a safe and memorable summer!

Bike pic Aug 07, riding into the Monday morning sun

In today’s bike pic, we look at the fun everyone is having now that summer is in full swing. In this photo from last year, we captured these bikers enjoying the ‘Rock N’ Roll the Lakes‘ ride coming August 12th in Albert Lea, MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable summer!

Bike Pic Aug 06, Ice Cream Smiles Sunday adds fun to the weekend

This bike pic Ice Cream Smiles Sunday, pump up the tires and plan your #NextBikeAdventure with a stop at your favorite ice cream shop.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable summer!

Bike Pic Aug 05, thanks for another perfect day for a trail ride

Yea! It’s bike pic Saturday and another perfect day to be on a mountain bike trail. We found this mountain biker out early on a MORC (Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists) trail in Lebanon Hills Regional Park near Lakeville, MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable summer!

Bike Pic Aug 04, yeah it’s Friday and time for that next bike adventure!

Now that it’s Friday, it’s time to ride off for a fun weekend on that next bike adventure. As these cyclists demonstrate, why not pack up the family and friends and head to the Great River Energy Mesabi Trail Bike Ride Tour , for a fun weekend on the Iron Range?

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable summer!

Bike Pic Aug 03, riding into the Thursday sun and having fun

In this bike pic, we caught this biker chick pedaling her bicycle down the road into the Thursday morning sun. This picture was captured last week on RAGBRAI.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable summer!

Mankato River Ramble, the last major Minnesota bike tour of 2023

Join the fun ride with new and old friends on Sunday, October 8th, for the thirteenth annual Mankato River Ramble. Benefiting the great work the Greater Mankato Bike and Walk Advocates (GMBWA) and the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN) are accomplishing. This year’s ride offers a 16, 30, or 42-mile scenic route option with tasty rest stop options along the way. Find delicious pies and other foods, beverages, live music, and more at each stop. Routes can be easily combined for those who want to add additional mileage and colorful scenery.

The whole family will like the scenery along the Minnesota River Valley.

River Ramble Registration

Save now, pre-registration closes on October 5! If you have not pre-registered, you can come between 8 and 10 a.m. to Land of Memories Park (100 Amos Owen Lane, Mankato, MN 56001) to sign up and begin the ride. See more info here.

Tasty treats, like the pie stop, makes the ride extra delicious.

Tasty treats, like the pie stop, can make the ride extra delicious.

Volunteers needed

The Ramble wouldn’t be possible without the help of 140 volunteers, and several spots are still open. Find volunteer sign-up options for the 2023 River Ramble at Bikeriverramble.org/volunteer. Volunteers help with putting up signs, helping with registration, passing out treats at rest stops, and encouraging riders. Volunteers get a free Ramble T-shirt.

The Ramble is a fun place to gather and ride with old and new friends!

The Mankato River Ramble is a fundraiser for the Greater Mankato Bike & Walk Advocates and the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota. Proceeds after expenses from the event benefit these two organizations. The ride is made possible thanks to the generous support of the River’s Edge Hospital and the Orthopaedic & Fracture Clinic, as well as the support of more than 50 other sponsoring organizations.

More delicious food upon your return, and its included in your ride fee.

More photos from earlier Mankato River Rambles can be found online here.

Come early and ride all that Mankato offers

Nestled along the Minnesota River in Southern Minnesota, Mankato is a hidden gem for outdoor enthusiasts. Explore over 50 miles of paved trails by bike, scooter, or by foot, and even more trails to satisfy the need to get off the paved path. If you choose to spend some extra time exploring all that Mankato offers, here is a list of lodging options to consider.

About Greater Mankato Bike and Walk Advocates (GMBWA)

GMBWA encourages individuals and families to walk and bike as part of a healthy lifestyle. Greater Mankato Bike and Walk Advocates work with city, county, and state governments, businesses, and non-governmental organizations to improve the community’s infrastructure and opportunities for walking and biking. The ride began in 2011; thousands of dollars of profits from the Ramble have gone into signs, outdoor kiosks, mountain bike trail construction, and other improvements in the Mankato area.

About the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN)

BikeMN is working to make Minnesota a state where bicycling is safe, easy, fun, and cool for everyone. The mission of BikeMN is to provide leadership and a unified voice for bicycle education, advocacy, and efforts to make Minnesota more bicycle-friendly so that more people will ride bicycles more often—more at www.bikemn.org.

The last Open Streets Minneapolis for 2023

As Minneapolis continues its Open Streets series of bike/walk events for 2023, enjoy the last event scheduled for 2023 events on Lynday Avenue. This last event will again demonstrate how congested city streets can become vibrant, pedestrian-friendly boulevards. Where people can dream, play, and explore.

More about Open Streets Minneapolis

So far, with sunny skies, the first Open Streets was held in June on East Lake Street, then on Glenwood Avenue in July, Cedar-Riverside in August, and West Broadway in September. This last street event for car-free fun will be on Sunday, October 8th, along Lyndale Avenue. Offering residents and visitors of all ages a chance to walk, bike, or skateboard while participating in many spontaneous play activities, clinics, food, and music offered along the Boulevard. See the schedule below for more events this year.

Except for some of the main intersections that crossed Lyndale Ave the MPLS Open Streets was car-free.

Except for some intersections, the Open Streets celebration was car-free on Glenwood Ave last month..

Open Streets Minneapolis is part of a global movement and helps people experience streets as public spaces where communities thrive. Congested city streets become vibrant, pedestrian-friendly boulevards where people can dream, play, and explore. These events aim to change how people think about their city streets fundamentally.

At each Minneapolis event, local businesses, artists, and community groups transform their streets, showcasing Minneapolis’s diversity, creativity, and culture.

See more about the event on their Facebook page.

All ages of cyclists and walkers had fun.

Free for the whole family, here are the dates for the 2023 events in Minneapolis:

East Lake: Saturday, June 10^th
Glenwood Ave: Sunday, July 16^th
Cedar Riverside: Sunday, August 20^th
West Broadway: Saturday, September 16^th
Lyndale Ave: Sunday, October 8^th

Biking, running and walking everyone had fun at the MPLS Open Streets

Biking, running, and walking, everyone had fun at the event

Did you have a bike/walk event in your community to share?

If you live outside Minneapolis and have a street celebration in your neighborhood, please let us know at: [email protected], thanks!

Bike Pic August 1, is that a bird nest in the bike trail?

This bike rider, on the trail stopped to point out a flaw in the pavement in between Root River Trail Towns while riding along the scenic river valley.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable summer!

Bike pic July 31, riding into the Monday morning sun

Today’s bike pic, we look at the fun everyone is still having on the last day of July. Here in this photo, we captured this biker chick leading the way on the cycle track, on 66th Street in Richfield, MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable summer!