Great. Now What?

Bicycling Magazine just ranked Minneapolis as the #1 bike friendly city in the US, beating out perennial favorite Portland, Oregon. This, despite cold winters, particularly this last one during which road conditions were sub-optimal for all modes of transportation. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for here and this is a great place to ride.

Like most people, I look at "Best of . . ." lists with both interest and a healthy dose of skepticism, especially of the criteria used in selecting the winners. People who aren't involved in the cycling scene here would, after reading the reasons Minneapolis won, conclude that our success was based on the existence of but a few shops, and dominated by one or two individuals driving it all. This is really lazy journalism since these same sources are used over and over again whenever articles are written about cycling here in the Twin Cities.

The reality is that the cycling community here is comprised of a diverse variety of shops, craftsmen, clubs and individuals who are the heart and soul of what makes this area worthy of this recognition. An inquisitive journalist would do well to look beyond sources that are often more hype than substance, and peel away the layers. They will uncover an amazing story of ingenuity, creativity and plain old midwestern pragmatism.

Cheers