This summer, during a national summit of bicycle advocates, a Minneapolis Advocate challenged Portland, OR claiming that Minneapolis was gunning to take the number one ranking from Portland. Portland’s response? “Bring it.” Here’s what Minneapolis is doing to “Bring it.”

Reconstruction projects:
3.3 miles of trail between the Camden Bridge and Ulysses St. NE along St. Anthony Parkway. The new trail is now up to the standard 10 ft width.
Replace bike trails from Fulton St to the city limits along East River Parkway. The current trails were buit in 1950 and reconstructed in 1975. The bike trail will be widened to 10 feet. It’s one of the last to be reconstructed since its original installation.
Build the “Missing Link” between the Luce Line State Bike Trail and Theodore Wirth Parkway in Minneapolis. When completed, in mid 2009, the trail will link the Cedar Lake Trail, Basset Creek Trail and Luce Line Trail, allowing cyclists to ride from Downtown Minneapolis to Cosmos, Minnesota, a distance of 72 miles, at least in theory. The Luce Line Trail’s surface turns to gravel west of I-494 and deteriorates to jeep tracks west of Watertown, MN.
One of the biggest success stories for Minneapolis bike trails is the Midtown Greenway. Pavement sensors along the trail indicate that trail use is up 30% between 2008 and 2007. In June, 2008 nearly 247,000 cyclists passed the Hennepin Ave counting station, with a one day record of over 5,000 cyclists. Not bad for a railroad trench that was once filled with broken glass and a hang out for alcoholics and drug users.

The Powderhorn Park Cyclocross Race, an immensely popular race in south Minneapolis, may be canceled because the Powderhorn Park Director has refused to grant a permit this year.

The Hub Bike Co-op has put on this unique Cyclocross race for three years. The race draws a large crowd of beginning and high level cyclocross racers, but the real draw is the funky, urban setting, an eclectic crowd of spectators that includes bike messengers, tattoes and nose rings and unique “primes” like last year’s dollar bills duct taped to hand rails on a steep uphill stair climb. The event is big enough to draw pizza vendors and inspire local residents to break out grills and kegs. If the event got any bigger, it would risk drawing office seeking politicos, a sure buzz killer.

The Parks and Recreation Board denied the permit because of damage to park grounds during last year’s race. Joel Cahalan of the Hub attributes the damage to record rainfall before last year’s event. He has offered to mitigate the problem by creating a rain date this year. Supporters of the event spoke at a Park and Recreation Board Open Time meeting in Mid-August and Calahan has worked the politcal system to get a new ruling. The permit request is in limbo as of this writing.

The Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival has teamed up with the Cable Hayward Area Arts Council to host Bicycle as Art The Art of the Bicycle. The show is looking for original 2D and 3D artwork that uses the bicycle as its inspiration. The exhibit will be open to the public during Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival weekend, September 12-14. Artists have until September 1 to enter their work and September 10 to deliver it to Telemark Resort in Cable, WI. More information

Volunteers are needed to help with the Urban Assault Ride. Scheduled for September 21, this is the first time the ride comes to Minneapolis. The Urban Assault Ride™ is a funky bike scavenger hunt that involves street-smart riding, obstacle courses, and a huge after party.
The event is well known for its checkpoints where zany obstacle courses must be completed before moving on. We’re talking modified Big Wheels, Bike Jousting, The Keg Walk, Inflatable Slides…and much more. The first team to hit all of the checkpoints and cross the finish line wins! Then the party begins with New Belgium beer and lots more two-wheeled shenanigans!

This promises to be a fun event for volunteers and partidcipants alike. For more information