Category Archives: News

Bike Pic Dec 1, rain, sleet or snow with a smile

Rain, sleet or snow, this guy is ready for anything while driving his trust commuter bike, wearing the right gear and a smile!

See more at “Dashing through the snow winter bike commuting basics,” from People for Bikes.

Thanks for viewing the Bike Pic of the Day here at HaveFunBiking (HFB). 

Now, rolling into our 10th 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 and present more fun photos worth a grin, scroll through the information and stories we have posted to help you find your next adventure. Then, while out there if you see us along a paved or mountain bike trail, next to the route you regularly commute on, or at an event you plan to attend with your bike, be prepared to smile. You never know where our camera’s will be and what we will post next!

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 620 pixels wide for us to use them. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and an acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As HaveFunBiking continues to encourage more people to ride, please reference our blog and the annual print and quarterly digital Bike/Hike Guide 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!

#FindYourNextAdventure

Bike Pic Nov 27, ice cream smiles Friday

The “Ice Cream Smiles Friday” photo was taken in San Diego’s Bay Area, while many attended the National Bike Tourism (BTN) Conference earlier this month.

Thanks for viewing the Bike Pic of the Day here at HaveFunBiking (HFB). 

Now, rolling into our 10th 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 and present more fun photos worth a grin, scroll through the information and stories we have posted to help you find your next adventure. Then, while out there if you see us along a paved or mountain bike trail, next to the route you regularly commute on, or at an event you plan to attend with your bike, be prepared to smile. You never know where our camera’s will be and what we will post next!

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 620 pixels wide for us to use them. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and an acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As HaveFunBiking continues to encourage more people to ride, please reference our blog and the annual print and quarterly digital Bike/Hike Guide 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!

#FindYourNextAdventure

Bike Pic Nov 26, have fun and memorable Thanksgiving!

From all of us at HaveFunBiking, have an enjoyable Thanksgiving Holiday with family and friends while reflecting on all the fun bike memories, as you give thanks!

Thanks for viewing the Bike Pic of the Day here at HaveFunBiking (HFB). 

Now, rolling into our 10th 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 and present more fun photos worth a grin, scroll through the information and stories we have posted to help you find your next adventure. Then, while out there if you see us along a paved or mountain bike trail, next to the route you regularly commute on, or at an event you plan to attend with your bike, be prepared to smile. You never know where our camera’s will be and what we will post next!

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 620 pixels wide for us to use them. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and an acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As HaveFunBiking continues to encourage more people to ride, please reference our blog and the annual print and quarterly digital Bike/Hike Guide 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!

#FindYourNextAdventure

Bike Pic Nov 24, cyclocross rallying fun

These two cyclocross riders, here in the photo above, are warming up for an evening of fun in Aquila Park in, St. Louis Park, MN. The city is is located immediately west of downtown Minneapolis, near the chain of lakes, offering many sports venues, bike trails, arts and several natural wonders in the area -see more at visit St. Louis Park.

Thanks for viewing the Bike Pic of the Day here at HaveFunBiking (HFB). 

Now, rolling into our 10th 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 and present more fun photos worth a grin, scroll through the information and stories we have posted to help you find your next adventure. Then, while out there if you see us along a paved or mountain bike trail, next to the route you regularly commute on, or at an event you plan to attend with your bike, be prepared to smile. You never know where our camera’s will be and what we will post next!

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 620 pixels wide for us to use them. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and an acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As HaveFunBiking continues to encourage more people to ride, please reference our blog and the annual print and quarterly digital Bike/Hike Guide 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!

#FindYourNextAdventure

Bike Pic Nov 23, MN Ironman Bicycle Ride

Here in the photo  above riders are cruising down the Gateway Trail, at the 2015 Minnesota Ironman Bike Ride held this last spring. An annual ride this event is an upper Midwest spring bike tradition with several mileage options for riders leaving the Washington County Fairgrounds, near Stillwater, Minn.

Mark your calendar and Join old and new friends for the 50th Anniversary of the Minnesota Ironman Bike Ride, Sunday, April 24th, 2016. Registration opens in soon!

 Thanks for viewing the Bike Pic of the Day here at HaveFunBiking (HFB). 

Now, rolling into our 10th 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 and present more fun photos worth a grin, scroll through the information and stories we have posted to help you find your next adventure. Then, while out there if you see us along a paved or mountain bike trail, next to the route you regularly commute on, or at an event you plan to attend with your bike, be prepared to smile. You never know where our camera’s will be and what we will post next!

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 620 pixels wide for us to use them. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and an acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As HaveFunBiking continues to encourage more people to ride, please reference our blog and the annual print and quarterly digital Bike/Hike Guide 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!

#FindYourNextAdventure

Fun cycling event begins Thanksgiving weekend

By Daniel Mollenkamp, staff writer, LeMars Daily Sentinel

Cyclists from across the Midwest will come to Le Mars, Iowa to pedal a grueling course during the Frosty Cross event, November 28, 29 & 30, 2015. This weekend event is a division of “Cyclocross,” a type of bicycle racing sanctioned by USA Cycling”, said Kevin Richards, owner of Bike Central, which is hosting this fifth annual event.

Cyclists from across the Midwest will come to Le Mars for the 5th Frosty Cross event, hosted by Bike Central Cyclists from age 7 to 70 have participated in past Frosty Cross events. This year's course will be in the Le Mars Municipal Park, SD (Photo contributed)

Cyclists from across the Midwest will come to Le Mars for the 5th Annual Frosty Cross event, hosted by Bike Central Cyclists, with riders from age 7 to 70 participating in the Frosty Cross events. This year’s course will be in the Le Mars Municipal Park, SD (Photo contributed).

“The sport of cyclocross was started in Belgium in the 1900’s as a way for professional cyclists to maintain physical conditioning in the offseason. With events usually running through the fall to early winter, about September to January”, he said.

“Most cyclocross racers get used to riding in inclement weather,” he added.

“The races are similar to steeplechase”, Richards said. “Steeplechase is a form of racing in which obstacles are a very important part of the course. The cycling is off-road. There are obstacles that make the cyclists either get off their bike and carry it around or jump their bikes over the barrier”.

“It’s a closed circuit course, where you do a certain number of laps depending on the time frame of the laps,” he added.

For example, one of the races is an hour long. So, competitors would get as many laps into an hour as they could.

“It’s a very entertaining, actually very grueling for the riders, but it’s a real fan friendly type of cycling,” Richards said. “ You can walk the course”.

This is the fifth year Frost Cross will be sponsored in this area. The shelter house at the pits in Le Mars Municipal Park will serve as the main area for the weekend long event. Plus, a lot of the teams will bring a tent or a canopy and Richards believes this is a good way to extend the cycling season. “You can cycle all year long. This is one way to put it out there,” Richards said.

Richards recommends people attend the event even if they do not know anyone participating, and will not participate themselves. “It’s fun,” he said.

“It’s fan-friendly,” Richards reemphasized. “You can talk to the riders as they go by. You can give them encouragement. A part of cyclocross too is sometimes they expect to be heckled by the fans.”

However, the fun is the participation, Richards said. “I’m not good at it, but it’s fun to ride.”

Last year about 125 people participated. This year, Richards said, Frosty Cross is expecting many more.

“I think we’re going to see a lot more competitors out from central Iowa and eastern Iowa, and I know we have some commitments already from Minneapolis and Wisconsin,” he explained.

“This is the only cyclocross event on the weekend after Thanksgiving, within a nine-state area,” he continued.

On Friday, there will be a fun ride open to non-competitors. There will be some trial runs and some type of a race, which will be relatively non-competitive, Richards said.

Last year, names were drawn from a hat and teams cycled a relay. The simple junior cycle development team is going to serve chili that night, he said.

On Saturday, the series of races start at 10 a.m. The races will be split into categories based upon competitor’s abilities. There will be about seven races.

Participants ages range in age from nine or so years old to above 70.

On Sunday, the series of races start at 9 a.m. and there will be another seven races.

Since the event is sanctioned by USA Cycling, it is split into divisions based on age.

For example, there is a masters division, for those at least forty-years-old. Richards said, “last year several 70-year-old men participated. Also there is a junior division scheduled for the younger riders. Also a collegiate division is set where racers Minnesota, North and South Dakota will compete.

Former Frosty Cross events have even drawn world champions and cyclists from Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Missouri.

This year’s event has drawn over 30 sponsors, and is partially funded by Le Mars Convention Bureau’s Hotel/Motel Sales Tax Funds, according to information provided by Bike Central.

Each year, money collected from the Hotel/Motel Tax Fund is allocated to promote tourism in Le Mars. You can find more information on Frosty Cross here.

(Photo contributed) Frosty Cross routes have many obstacles for cyclists, including challenges like the one pictured above.

(Photo contributed) This weekend cyclists from across the midwest will come to Le Mars for the fifth Frosty Cross event, hosted by Bike Central. Cyclists from age seven to seventy have participated in past Frosty Cross events. This year’s course will be in the Le Mars Municipal Park

Bike Pic Nov 20, ice cream smiles Friday

This weekly Ice Cream Smiles Friday picture shows a father and son enjoying one of the simpler things in life – bike riding and stopping to enjoy some ice cream.  This HaveFunBiking #findyournextadventure photo was taken in Faribault, MN after this duo explored the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail in southern Minnesota.

Thanks for viewing the Bike Pic of the Day here at HaveFunBiking (HFB). 

Now, rolling into our 10th 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 and present more fun photos worth a grin, scroll through the information and stories we have posted to help you find your next adventure. Then, while out there if you see us along a paved or mountain bike trail, next to the route you regularly commute on, or at an event you plan to attend with your bike, be prepared to smile. You never know where our camera’s will be and what we will post next!

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 620 pixels wide for us to use them. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and an acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As HaveFunBiking continues to encourage more people to ride, please reference our blog and the annual print and quarterly digital Bike/Hike Guide 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!

#FindYourNextAdventure

Bike Pic Nov 19, Sugar Loaf overlooks bike trail

Here, Mary Farrell welcomes you to bike friendly Winona as she rides the trail around the lake, with Sugar Loaf in the background.  A Minnesota destination, along the Mississippi River Trail (MRT), the city here is a great place to visit and stay while exploring the many scenic routes and attractions in the southeast corner of the State.

On the left side of the photo above is Sugar Loaf, a storied symbol of Winona and known by all as its most distinguishing landmark. Reaching nearly 85 feet into the sky this pinnacle rock formation, on top of the bluff, is a welcoming sight when returning from any bike ride in the area.

Thanks for viewing the Bike Pic of the Day here at HaveFunBiking (HFB). 

Now, rolling into our 10th 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 and present more fun photos worth a grin, scroll through the information and stories we have posted to help you find your next adventure. Then, while out there if you see us along a paved or mountain bike trail, next to the route you regularly commute on, or at an event you plan to attend with your bike, be prepared to smile. You never know where our camera’s will be and what we will post next!

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 620 pixels wide for us to use them. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and an acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As HaveFunBiking continues to encourage more people to ride, please reference our blog and the annual print and quarterly digital Bike/Hike Guide 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!

#FindYourNextAdventure

Bike Pic Nov 18, traffic congestion is universal

A little bit of traffic congestion near a local Minnesota mountain bike trail head, as everyone is having fun.

Thanks for viewing the Bike Pic of the Day here at HaveFunBiking (HFB). 

Now, rolling into our 10th 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 and present more fun photos worth a grin, scroll through the information and stories we have posted to help you find your next adventure. Then, while out there if you see us along a paved or mountain bike trail, next to the route you regularly commute on, or at an event you plan to attend with your bike, be prepared to smile. You never know where our camera’s will be and what we will post next!

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 620 pixels wide for us to use them. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and an acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As HaveFunBiking continues to encourage more people to ride, please reference our blog and the annual print and quarterly digital Bike/Hike Guide 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!

#FindYourNextAdventure