Twin Cities Social Distancing Ride Planning

Minnesota's Stay at Home Order has all of us experiencing a little cabin fever and riding a bike is a great way to cure it.  Social distancing is key right now to help flatten the Covid-19 curve but since implementation of the order some Twin Cities trails have become quite crowded.  For those not comfortable with road cycling, bike trails are a great alternative but with fewer people driving I've found taking to the road is more enjoyable now and definitely helps avoid getting too close to others.  Lately I've been using a mix of road and trails, low traffic routes, times of day and the weather to practice social distancing riding with great success.  Another tactic I have been using for some time is to ride from home.  This has helped me discover the bike infrastructure in my neighborhood and beyond.  In this post I will introduce you to some ways to find areas to explore and plan rides to help you avoid the crowds and still put on plenty of miles.

Bikeverywhere

Image Credit: Bikeverywhere

Doug Shidell has been producing the most up-to-date, accurate and readable cycling maps since 1984.  His Twin Cities Bike Map has been a staple for cyclists navigating the Twin Cities for just as long.  It is available in tear and water resistant print form from Bikeverywhere and Twin Cities bike shops for $13.50.  For those that prefer to carry the map on their phone there is a mobile version that works with the free Avenza Maps app for both IOS and Android.  The mobile version of the Twin Cities Bike Map sells for $5.99 and covers 1,000 square miles of bike trails and bike friendly roads.  It works with the GPS in your phone to show you exactly where you are on the map so you can never get lost.  Pick up a print map today or download the mobile version and start exploring the roads and trails in your neighborhood.

Google Maps

Google Maps for mobile has been a long time favorite of mine for getting from point A to point B while cycling.  Using Bicycling Directions in the app, it will help you get to where you want to go by offering several route options showing mileage, elevation gain/loss and estimated travel time.  I have used this many times over the years to find the fastest or best bicycle friendly route to get home when I'm out on one of my ramblings.  

By visiting Google Maps on the web you can plan out a destination ride and send the route directly to your phone to use in the Google Maps app.  A pair of earbuds or a Bluetooth speaker to get turn-by-turn audio directions in real time can be used so you don't have to keep looking at your phone.  Google Maps is a free app that is available for both IOS and Android.

Gravelmap

I've been a gravel advocate for a very long time and these low traffic roads are perfect for practicing social distancing cycling.  With the help of Gravelmap.com you'll see that you don't have to travel far to find gravel roads and routes close to and within the metro area. 

In addition to the changing scenery you'll find that in most cases you have the road all to yourself making gravel a great choice to avoid people out exercising.  Search the map for gravel roads and routes near you today and go on a bike adventure away from everyone.

Tips

Off peak times are perfect for getting out and riding to avoid crowds.  One of my favorite times is early in the morning when everyone is still in bed.  Pedestrian and cycle traffic is very light or non-existent which makes it very easy to practice social distancing.

My other favorite time is just after dark.  By now most others have already got in their walk, ride or errands done and are back home for the night leaving the trails and roads empty.  I can ride areas that are normally busy during daylight hours without having to come near or pass others.

Being a year round cyclist I've ridden in every type of weather and just because conditions aren't ideal doesn't mean it won't be an enjoyable ride.  Staying warm and dry during the spring months is pretty easy with the proper ride apparel for the conditions.  Get out there and ride during the rain, most everyone else will be inside.  Windy days are fun when the gusts are at your back and they add some resistance training to make you a stronger cyclist when they're not.  It's these times when the weather isn't as favorable that there are few people out recreating on the paths and trails.

Housing neighborhoods are another good place to ride to practice social distancing.  Depending on the proximity to main roads and trunk-ways, they can be low traffic making them a good area to do some road riding for those not comfortable with riding on higher traffic roadways.

When I want to get in a road ride but avoid the hustle and bustle of the city I will venture out to the lower traffic country roads near my home.  I've been riding these roads for years and have my favorite routes and roads.  If you are unfamiliar with country roads in your area, plan out a route using Google Maps in the satellite mode.  By zooming in you will be able to tell if the roads you want to ride have a wide shoulder or no shoulder at all.

If I'm riding during hours of the day that tend to see more trail users I will avoid the high traffic areas and opt for those that don't get used as much.  If you are familiar with the trail systems near your home, chances are you already know which ones to steer clear of during peak times. 

Make yourself visible to drivers, other cyclists and pedestrians.  Drivers may not be used to seeing cyclists as much this time of year and with more people out biking during the Stay At Home Order we are currently under in Minnesota there will be a lot more of them to watch out for.  Use daytime running lights front and rear and position yourself to be seen by motorists and others.

There are plenty of opportunities to ride bikes and avoid higher pedestrian and cyclist trafficked areas to practice social distancing.  By using some of the resources and tips mentioned above you should be able to put on some serious solo mileage that will lift your spirits and put a smile on your face.  Now get out there and ride your bike.

Central Lakes Trail

The Central Lakes Trail is a 55-mile trail 

that runs through the heart of 

west-central Minnesota 

from Osakis to Fergus Falls

MPLS Winter Biking Is New Interactive Site for Twin Cities Bike Commuters

MPLS Winter Biking is an online resource launched a couple of days ago by Foundry, a software design & development agency based in Minneapolis, that allows bike commuters in the Twin Cities to report and view trail/road conditions.  It works for both desktop and mobile devices.  Users of site can rate and add comments to their reports by clicking the map for the road or trail they would like to inform other cyclists about.

MPLS Winter Biking is interactive using Google Maps with Bicycling routes highlighted and user submitted reports are color coded based on the 5 star rating system.  Reports indicate whether or not they contain an optional comment on the conditions.  Cyclists can zoom in to report for a specific road or trail and each report shows the date and time of  the submission.  To keep the map information current, user submitted reports are only 3 days old or less.  Over the last day and a half, a lot of new reports have been submitted detailing how the commuter conditions have changed with the new snow we have received.

Whether you're an avid or occasional bike commuter, put this resource to use by submitting your reports so that other cyclists can be in the know and plan their routes accordingly.  Your fellow cyclists will thank you.

Plan Road Rides Right From Your Android Device With RunBikeRoute

RunBikeRoute for Android is a simple and easy to use route planning tool app that I have been using regularly for the last couple of years.  It's how I plan my road rides and discover new route options.  I like to mix things up a bit by creating routes that include gravel and paved segments of road and because RunBikeRoute uses Google Maps, it lets me choose between the standard map and satellite imagery.  The satellite map layer helps me locate gravel roads and determine which paved roads have wide or no shoulders to ride on.  I will use this app to discover new areas and roads I've never been on to keep from riding the same old routes.

I have a very busy schedule but I still set aside time to ride.  Some days I may only have an hour to an hour and a half available, while other days may let me ride up to 4 hours.  This is where RunBikeRoute comes in handy for me, I can plan a route to fit the window of time I have to ride based on mileage, elevation profile and my average riding speed. 

Drawing a route that snaps to roads or trails can be done by using the Bicycling mode in the settings.  I use the Manual mode for off-road or roads and trails that Google Maps doesn't recognize.  Once my route is created I can save it within the app for reference, view it while out on a ride or refer to it to recreate the route later on my computer using Strava, Runtastic or RideWithGPS for live turn-by-turn navigation using the corresponding app.  See my posts Strava Routes Now Available For iPhone & Android, App Review: Runtastic Road Bike Pro, or Route Planning Made Easy Using RideWithGPS* for more information.
 

 

*Use with Garmin GPS units or the new RideWithGPS app.

For the last few months RunBikeRoute was not available on Google Play and I sent an email to the developer to find out why.  The developer responded by telling me that she had taken it down because "I just have not had time to keep it up to date and as more and more people transition to newer devices it simply wasn't working as well."  She has received other emails like mine and decided to work on a better version of the app that will take advantage of  a lot of newer and faster Android features.  After our conversation she has re-published the current version of the app with the caveat that she was unsure of how it would work on the newer Android operating versions.

I have been using RunBikeRoute on a Samsung Galaxy S4 running Android 4.4.2 (Kit Kat) and it has worked fine with the exception of the Export feature to create a GPX or KML files for use with other mapping software or GPS devices.  I have also had to use Tracker Booster to get a quicker reading on my location while using the app on rides. The developer will certainly address any issues with the current version of the app and continue to work on an updated version.  Comments about how RunBikeRoute is working and requests for new features are welcomed by the developer by sending an email to code.for.good@gmail.com.

I like the convenience of RunBikeRoute for planning a ride anytime without a computer.  I can plan a route in a couple of minutes, save it, hop on the bike and go.  If I'm unsure of a turn or the distance until my next turn I can refer to my route using the app.  Now that RunBikeRoute is available on Google Play again for download, start planning your rides and discover where new roads will take you.

For more information on how to use RunBikeRoute and all of its features, see my post Planning Your Next Ride Just Got Easier With Run. Bike. Route. for Android.  RunBikeRoute is available on the Google Play Store for $0.99. 

Google Maps Adds Elevation Profiles For Bicycling Directions

Google Maps has added a new feature to their bicycling directions that now provides elevation profiles for bike routes.  Cyclists that are looking for an easy route with few hills or those who want to take on a hill climbing challenge can now tell the exact amount of elevation gain and loss for a specified route.  Google has yet to make an official announcement regarding this new feature, but after TechCrunch discovered it, Google has confirmed that it has been added.

To use this feature, click on the directions icon and select a starting point and a destination with any points in between that you would like to add.  Next select the biking directions icon and a panel on the left side of the map will show distance, estimated travel time, route options and the elevation profile for each route.  In the elevation profile panel there is an option to hide or show bike paths.  To switch between routes, click on the desired route on the map or on the elevation profile panel.  You won't see an elevation profile for routes that are essentially flat.

This new elevation profile feature is only available at the moment for desktop Google Maps and not any of their mobile Google Maps apps.  Hopefully Google will add it for mobile use in the future.