Tag Archives: Great River Energy

Now that it’s Friday, it’s time to ride off for a weekend. Maybe to the Great River Energy Mesabi Trail Bike Ride Tour for a fun weekend on the Iron Range?

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?

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!

A 2013 Great River Energy Mesabi Trail Tour Recap

Ardy Nurmi-Wilberg. Great River Energy Mesabi Trail Tour Director 
It was a perfect day to ride a bike on the Mesabi Trail.  Perfect temperature, lots of sunshine, even the wind cooperated giving everyone a little help from behind.

GRE -Floating Bridge _2Held on the first Saturday in August, last year the Great River Energy Mesabi Trail Tour traveled from Grand Rapids to Virginia with nearly 700 riders from all over the upper mid-west participating. And the proceeds benefited Ampers (Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities) and the Mesabi Trail.

GRE- 100_3081Designed for both the serious rider and families with children, all riding is exclusively on the Mesabi Trail passing through many of the unique towns & cities of Northeast Minnesota. Each year this unique linear route ride starts & ends in two different locations offering four routes, a 12, 33, 53 or 69-mile option.  Along the way you will find food & music at six rest stops and a picnic dinner & concert at the finish – with a complimentary t-shirt and bike water bottle to take home. This fully supported ride also provides transportation for riders and their bikes.

GRE-100_3087Each routes gives riders a taste of history and culture along the trail as the tour stops at places like the Greyhound Bus Museum, in Hibbing and at the Hill Annex Mine State Park, in Calumet, or the Hull Rust Mine, in Hibbing. Just a mile off the tour this is the world’s largest active open pit mine – often referred to as the Grand Canyon of the north. Whatever section you choose to ride the Mesabi Trail offers ride participants an up close look at the northland forest, passing by lakes and rivers and the majestic water filled iron mines.

From our 2013 ride, we would like to extend gratitude to the 128 volunteers who donated almost 1,500 hours of their time. Also a  special thank you to our sponsors: Great River Energy, Mesabi Trail, MediaCom, Villas at Giants Ridge, Itasca Trails Task Force, UCare, Century Link, Amper’s, Frandsen Bank & Trust, Idea Drilling, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Mesabi Masonry, NE Technical Services, Iron Mining Association, Mining Minnesota, Range 11 TV, Mesabi Daily News, Hibbing Daily Tribune, Grand Rapids Herald, Hometown Focus. We couldn’t do it without you!

GRE -Mesabi TrailHere are some of our rider comments from the 2013 Tour:
• “Love this event – it gets better every year.  Your volunteers are the best on the planet!”
• “This is one of funnest and best organized rides I’ve been on.  We’ll be back!”
• “The ride is extremely well organized.  Snack food at rest stops was a great variety. The musicians were fantastic. Overall a great experience!”
• “Solid, I’d do it again!”

GRE- Finish Line (credit Birdie Oddo)In our 10th year, the 2014 Great River Energy Mesabi Trail Tour is Saturday, August 2, on the Mesabi Trail in Northeast Minnesota. This year the ride is going in reverse of the 2013 route, traveling west from Fayal Township (near Eveleth) to Coleraine (near Grand Rapids). For more information on riding the Mesabi Trail or to register for the Bike Tour, click here.