30th Annual TCBC Watermelon Ride! - Twin Cities Bicycling Club

UPCOMING AND OVERNIGHT EVENTS
E WOEBEGON TRAIL
June 3 and 4
Wobegon Trail Ride
Join us for a two-day trek of C & B/C
trail rides on the 10-foot-wide
Wobegon paved trails. We will visit
legendary trail towns en route. On
Friday we depart from Albany and go
to Charlie's in Freeport (carmel rolls
or pie), then onward to Holdingford
and optional trek to new Mississippi
River bike bridge.
Dinner option is at Garrison Keillor’s
Fishers Supper Club in Avon. Our
Saturday ride departs from Albany
and treks to St Joseph, out-and-back
with an enroute lunch stop at Bo
Diddly restaurant in St Joseph, with
an optional trek to Freeport and
back. C rides are 30 miles; B/C rides
are up to 55 miles.
Come for 1 or 2 days. You will make
your own lodging accommodation in or
around Albany. Country Inn and Suites
in Albany is an option, 320-845-2145.
Contact Diana and Duane Kasper
952-448-1608, or kasperddt@chaska.
net for motel, camping, and evening
information. Co Leaders: Duane and
Diana Kasper, kasperddt@ chaska.net
or 952-448-1608. Clareyse Nelson,
Dave Murphy and John Hoffmann.
June 17 – 19
Paul Bunyan and
Heartland Trail Weekend
Join us on a three-day trek of C(+)
trail rides and after-ride fun activities.
Trails are railroad grades with 10-foot
blacktopped surfaces and generally
level. Routes pass through northern
hardwood forests and stands of jack,
red, and white pine. On Friday we
bike 44 miles from Baxter to Pequot
Lakes and return. We set up our
accommodations for the weekend in
Walker and meet for dinner at
Benson's 1896 Emporium, a local
eatery. Saturday we bike 41 miles
from Guthrie to Bemidji (new section
opened in 2010).
Fun options include dining at
Brauhaus German Restaurant and an
evening out at the Woodtick Musical
Comedy Review in Akeley. (tickets
$16.50 or $15.50/seniors). Sunday we
wind up with a 42-mile trek from
Walker to Dorset with a feature lunch
stop at Mexican Campaneros
Restaurant at noon. Come for one,
two, or preferably all three days. You
will make your own lodging
accommodations. (Early bookings
recommended.) Contact Diana and
Duane Kasper 952-448-1608 or
kasperddt@chaska.net for motel,
camping, theater, and evening
information. Co-leaders, Dave
Murphy and Clareyse Nelson.
PBDC
The Paul Bunyan Double
Century celebrates its
45th year on Saturday,
June 18.
It’s one of the oldest Double
Centuries in the entire country. A
challenging ride of 202 miles, it takes
us from Anoka to Mille Lacs Lake,
around it and back again. This route
and indeed the ride as a whole have
remained essentially unchanged over
all these years.
This A/B level ride is free of charge
for TCBC members and only $2.00 for
non-members. Meet at Anoka Senior
High School after 4:15 AM, 3939 7th
Ave. It's about 1.5 miles north of Hwy
10 on 7th Ave (Co Rd 7). Turn left at
the 38th Ave stoplight. (This is
actually the school parking lot
entrance.) We’ll begin the ride as a
group at about 5 AM. The PBDC is not
a race. However, as is tradition, you’ll
be timed to the minute (no sprints!)
and this time will be recorded on
your ride certificate. The route is
basically flat with a few small rollers.
For the most part, traffic levels are
moderate. Perhaps 10% of the route
gets heavy use, but this portion has a
wide shoulder.
Food and water (convenience stores)
are located on average at 20-mile or
so intervals and will be well marked
on the ride map. Please come
prepared and trained for the
distance. It’s essential to eat smart
(early and often); drink smart (before
you’re thirsty) and ride smart (ride a
pace you’re accustomed to). As
always, I will be driving the route and
will offer assistance if I can. I’ll carry
cold water, a few basic tools, a floor
pump and maybe even some
bananas! However, it’s quite possible
that our paths may not cross for the
entire ride, so keep that in mind.
There is no sag-wagon! If you’re
unable to finish, you’ll have to
arrange your own transport back to
the start.
The official lunch stop will again be
the Spotlight Svoboda Café in
Garrison at the halfway point. I highly
recommend it. So, put in a few early
miles and muster the courage to ride
the Paul Bunyan Double this year.
You’ll likely discover that it’s not as
tough as you anticipated, assuming
good weather of course. In truth, you
really should know that riding the
PBDC could become a habit that’s
very hard to break! (Bob Hoffman,
651-430-2676.)
August 2 – 3
Munger Meander
(Hinckley-Duluth-Hinckley).
Leaders: Don Picard, John
Hoffmann, Dave Murphy, Pete Hall
August 19, 20, and/or 21:
Ride “da range”
on Mesabi Trail. (Wheel Pass is
required. Cost is $5.00 for 3 day pass.)
Join this B/C weekend ride on the
Mesabi Trail and experience
Minnesota’s Iron Range up close and
personal. We will bike on the paved
surface trail joining Eveleth, Hibbing,
Buhl, Chisholm, and Giants Ridge, with
optional visit to Ironworld with
exhibits telling the story of the Iron
Range’s geology, mining, immigration,
life-skills and traditions. There is a
1920’s Mesabi Railway trolley ride to
see the spectacular views of the Glen-
Godfrey Open-Pit Mine.
On Friday, we will bike 8.5 miles
from Hibbing to Ironworld in
16 JUNE 2011 TCBC NEWS www.bikeTCBC.org TWIN CITIES BICYCLING CLUB