Will Wlizlo, BikeMN.org

“Musician and author Ben Weaver reading a poem at the Twin Cities Book Festival.”

On Saturday, October 11, about 100 book-lovers convened at the Minneapolis Downtown Central Library for a nontraditional literary gathering: a bicycle ride. The day marked the first ever Bikeworm ride, a new group ride presented by the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN).

“Musician and author Ben Weaver reading a poem at the Twin Cities Book Festival.”

The idea was straightforward: unite those who share a passion for reading and a love of bicycles, and all ride to the Twin Cities Book Festival together. Thus, at around 9:30 a.m., the Bikeworms left downtown Minneapolis to roll over the Mississippi River on the Number 9 Bridge, cruise past tailgating Gophers fans at the University of Minnesota (by way of the new Dinkytown Greenway), admire the fall colors along the U of M Transitway, skirt the scenic St. Anthony Park neighborhood and arrive the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for the book festival. Local authors Ben Weaver and Terry Kerber, both of whom came along on the Bikeworm ride, added a little extra literary flavor to the morning by reading and discussing their work at the festival.

All in all, a fantastic spoke-n-word adventure!