Welcome. We're your premier source for fun places to explore by bicycle or on foot. Offering guides, maps and articles on road and trail riding for the novice to seasoned cyclist - helping you find your #NextBikeAdventure
This bike pic Thursday, with cool fall temps in the ’50s, adding a jacket and pants can make your next bike adventure enjoyable.
Get into the zone and plan your next bike outing with family and friends at one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations. View all the fun ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa and Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide.
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.
So smooth out your day-to-day ride with Wheelie Wednesday, and:
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.
This bike pic Friday, what a picture-perfect day after a little morning rain. With the sun warming the air temps, we caught this biker dude and friends in Minnesota’s St Croix River Valley.
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 ‘Friday’ 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.
After a successful MN MTB League Race #1 in Austin, MN, the last week of August. Races #2 and #3 of the Minnesota High School Cycling League were challenged by Mother Nature with wet weather, cancellations and a shorter race track. As racers and spectators arrived at Lake Rebecca, near Rockford, MN for Race Weekend #2 on September 7th the rain arrived soon after. But, even with damp and soggy race conditions, the racing excitement stayed strong for the day. With strong rains pounding the area through the evening, Sunday races had to be canceled. The following weekend rainy weather returned to haunt Race #3. But the community had a couple of tricks to keep the race running and stay-off another cancellation.
Race #2 photos by Todd Bauer and David Markman
MN MTB races, weekend #2
On Sat. Sept. 7, in-between light rain showers, 42 teams prepped their middle school racers for racing at Lake Rebecca. For some of these teams, this was their first race, due to a 2019 bye week system designed to manage field sizes.
Race #2 photos by Todd Bauer and David Markman
In between raindrops, the 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade racers were able to test their skills on the fast and flowing tracks at Lake Rebecca. But, the weather was not as kind for the high school racers.
Racing Sunday was canceled due to heavy rain
Due to continual heavy rain in the early morning on Sunday, Sept. 8, concerns of rider safety and trail damage were evaluated. A joint decision between Three Rivers Park District and Minnesota High School Cycling League was made to cancel the high school races.
“Everyone did an amazing job helping to tear down the venue, racecourse, and team tents after the cancellation,” said Josh Kleve, Executive Director for the MN High School Cycling League. “Granted no one wanted to cancel the races, but everyone knew, in the interest of safety, it was the right decision to cancel the high school races.” Click here for more Race #2 results.
Racers avoided another cancellation on Sunday of Race #3 by using a short crit course. photos Todd Bauer and David Markman
Race #3 highlights
A couple of weeks ago, starting on Saturday, September 14th, half of the 63 MN League teams (due to the bye-weeks) headed to Western WI for a full weekend of mountain bike racing at Summit Lake Farms in Stone Lake, WI. In addition to the races on Saturday and Sunday, some of the racers also took part in the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, held in the Cable/Hayward area on Sat., Sept. 14.
At the Chequamegon Short and Fat event
The podium was filled with Minnesota League racers. Braeden Anderson, Crosby-Ironton, took overall first place and Zoe Camp, Southwest Mpls., was the first female across the line! Team jerseys from Prior Lake, Highland Park, Hopkins, Washburn, New Prague, Edina, and Blake/Breck were just a few of the teams which had racers competing at the event. Even the race announcers commented on the number of high school racers at the event and thanked the efforts of National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) to help get young kids involved in the sport.
Middle school racers got underway at Summit Lake Farm
Race #,3, photos Todd Bauer and David Markman
As the racing excitement wrapped up at Fat Tire race in Cable, middle school racers got underway at Summit Lake Farm. However, only the 6th – 8th-grade girls and 6th-grade boys were able to get their races in before the weather turned. After consulting with the team coaches, and evaluating the larger storm moving in, it was decided that out of the safety of the student-athletes, volunteers, coaches and spectators and to not damage the trail, the remaining races would be postponed until Sunday.
Sun. Sept. 15 – Heavy rain and wet trails led to a race format change
After a torrential rainstorm that evening, a review of the racecourse the following morning left race officials and coaches with a choice, cancel the high school races or shorten the course and run a crit race with marathon timing. It was decided to try the new race format and let the racers compete. So, instead of a cross-country race, racers were challenged to see how many laps, on a shortened course, they could complete in 30 minutes.
The high school races were on! With not a drop of rain in the sky and the sun shining, all of the high school racing categories were run in the new race format. Coaches, racers and spectators were supportive of the efforts to ensure the kids were able to race. Click here for more Race #3 results.
Tipping the race helmets to salute the community
“Big thank you again to our community for their support and help to avoid canceling the race completely,” said Josh Kleve, Executive Director for the MN High School Cycling League. “We are grateful to all the coaches and volunteers that stepped up today and helped us to continue the race day with a modified program. It was great to see people camping all weekend and enjoying the new venue despite the damp weather.”
A crit course was a success. Photo Credit: tmbimages.com
The Minnesota High School Cycling League is a state-wide independent activity provider for student-athletes in 6th to 12th grade. Their mission is to build strong minds, bodies, character, and communities through cycling, regardless of ability level. Each MN League season includes summer programs, a seven-race series, wilderness first aid certification courses and a Spring Leaders’ Summit for training and certification of coaches. The MN League exists by virtue of a range of fundraising activities, as well as generous donors, and MN League sponsors. For more information on the MN League, visit minnesotamtb.org.
As fall approaches and many of the migratory birds are starting to gather for their departure south on the flyway we wanted to share a few bike/birding hotspots we found in the north Twin Cities Metro Area. While ground-truthing a few bike maps in the Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide we noticed some migratory wildlife haunts perfect for viewing the fall migration that you may want to check out along the paved bike trails.
As migratory birds start to gather for their departure south on the flyway this fall.
An area once inhabited by Dakota and Ojibwe tribes, today the nine communities in the Gateway offer excellent viewing opportunities in the parks along its lakes and the Mississippi River. These parks provide nature enthusiasts with several places to enjoy bird watching. Why here? From these areas alone you are able to spot an impressive list of waterfowl, along with hawks and songbirds that are still around. Starting with many spots along the Mississippi River Trail (MRT), the Rice Creek Trail and the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary (BWS) check all the Important Birding Areas (IBA) out:
Bike/birding hotspots along the Mississippi River
The Mississippi River, north of Minneapolis, is an important IBA waterfowl area that is adjacent to floodplains areas easily accessible to the MRT bike trails passing through Anoka, Coon Rapids and Fridley. This IBA area also connects to the Rice Creek corridor and its adjacent floodplain on public lands. With the bike trail following the stream, it flows out of the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes, near Lino Lakes, towards the Mississippi where you will find many birding opportunities. According to the National Audubon Society website this IBA lies within an area that has a very high population density and an area that is one of the fastest-growing areas in the Twin Cities area.
A viewing spot on the Mississippi River Trail near the Coon Rapids Dam.
The Mississippi Flyway is not only a tremendously important flyway for waterfowl, but it also attracts raptors and other migratory birds. Warblers can be seen in abundance along the river because of its rich source of insects during both the spring and fall migrations.
Bike/birding hotspots along the Rice Creek Trail
A group of birders set up viewing along the Rice Creek Trail.
The Rice Creek IBA is another Important Birding Area and consists of two parts: The Ramsey County Open Space, also known as Arden Hills Army Training Site (AHATS) and Rice Creek North. This stretch, you will find sizeable populations of birds and other animals in a supported variety of marsh, grassland, and wooded habitats. See the National Audubon Society website on this northeast section of the Rice Creek flowage.
The Blaine Wetland Sanctuary
Back in the center of the Twin Cities Gateway, the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary (BWS) offers over 500 acres of wetland and upland habitat for viewing. A boardwalk through the sanctuary, extended from a parking area connects the existing paved trail to East Lake Park. Walk or ride your bike, with viewing equipment, along with the boardwalk and trail.
For more information on these birding hotspots and others, contact Ramsey County Parks and Recreation Department at (651) 748-2500 or see www.co.ramsey.mn.us/parks for more information.
Nearby places to stay and connect to the trails while birding, see these Twin Cities Gateway lodging properties. For maps showing bike trail access from your selected hotel, check here.
It has been a few years since Free Bikes 4 Kidz (FB4K) set up shop in Bloomington, MN at the Mall of America (MOA). Now they are back, a few miles west of the MOA, ready to start wrenching, cleaning, and polishing slightly used bikes to put smiles on more kids’ faces. For the 2019 season, the old Toys R Us building at 7839 Southtown Center is a fitting location and easy for volunteers to get to.
Volunteer and you can help put priceless smiles on more children’s faces.
Free Bikes 4 Kidz collection day is the first Saturday in October
Bring your friends, co-workers, etc., and volunteer at the Warehouse on Collection Day, October 5th. As the trucks start coming in from all the Allina collection points, they need your help filling up the warehouse and rolling the bike in. Sign up here today. If you have any questions, contact there Volunteer Coordinator, Laurie Toll, [email protected].
Free Bike 4 Kidz collection points for October 5th
On Saturday, Oct. 5, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., you can drop off bikes you no-long need at these participating Allina Health locations (also listed below).
Create some fond memories for yourself and for the children who receive them.
Sign up today as a volunteer and learn more about these added benefits.
By volunteering and cleaning or wrenching some bikes will create a smile on your face and the kid’s who get them.
About Free Bikes 4 Kidz (FB4K’s)
Free Bikes 4 Kidz is a non-profit organization geared toward helping all kids ride into a happier, healthier childhood by providing free bikes to those most in need. When the public donates gently used bikes, FB4K’s organizes thousands of volunteers to clean and refurbish bikes to give away to kids in need. They started in 2008, fixing and giving away 300 bikes, and in 2014 they reached the goal of 5,000 bikes. In the last seven years, over 25,000 bikes have rolled through the FB4B’s giveaways and their sights in the future are set on other locations throughout the U.S. and the world. See more at: http://fb4k.com/about/
This bike pic Saturday, the second to last day of summer 2019, come out to the Wild Ride Mountain Bike Festival, today in Lebanon Park.
Get into the zone and plan your next bike outing with family and friends at one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations. View all the fun ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa and Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide.
Thanks for viewing our ‘Saturday’ 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.
So smooth out your day-to-day ride with Wheelie Wednesday, and:
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.
In this bike pic, looking through the archives we found this biker dude showing his stuff on Wheelie Wednesday, getting ready for the Wild Ride Mountain Bike Festival, Sept 21.
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 ‘Wheelie Wednesday’ 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.
Today’s Bike Pic, another picture-perfect day of summer 2019, we caught these biker dudes enjoying a ride on the Mississippi River Trail, between Inver Grove Heights and Hastings, MN.
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 ‘Tuesday’ 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.
This Bike Pic, Ice Cream Smiles Sunday, enjoy the last days of summers riding and enjoying a sweet treat with friends along the way! Check out the next Open Streets Minneapolis, this next Sunday.
What better way to continue your fun than finding your #NextBikeAdventure. See all the great ideas and bike destinations in the 2019 Bike/Hike Planning Guide.Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations.
Thanks for Viewing Our ‘Bike Pic’
Now rolling into our 12th year as a bike media, our goal is to encourage more people to have fun. In this expanded e-guide issue, we have added more free bike maps to review for planning your next adventure.
As we continue to showcase more destinations you can explore, we are all about capturing fun photos to capture those memories. Hopefully, some worth a grin. As you scroll through the information and stories we have posted, enjoy!
Share your adventures at HaveFunBiking.com
Do you have a fun bicycle related bike pic of yourself or someone you may know that we should post at HaveFunBiking (HFB)? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]. Please include a brief caption (for each), who is in the photo (if you know?) and where you shot the picture. Your photo submitted should be at a medium resolution or more, for consideration. Please share your biking adventure pic’s with us on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or on Instagram at #NextBikeAdventure.
As we continue to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your next bike adventure. Here you will find all the information you will need when visiting one of our Community Map Partners, accessible on your mobile-friendly devices.
This bike pic Saturday, what a picture-perfect day. With the sun warming the air temps, we caught this biker dudes in riding the Minneapolis Bike Tour today.
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
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.
