2019 Thanksgiving Weekend MN Cycling Events

There are plenty of cycling events going on around Minnesota over the long Thanksgiving weekend to burn off those extra calories from your feast.  Join in on a social ride, fatbike ride or demo, do some cyclocross racing or an alley cat race.

Do you want to get in a mountain bike ride before the big feast?  Join Michael's Cycles at their shop in Chaska Thanksgiving morning at 8:00 am for Turkey Day AM Ride through Mammoth.

Paul & Jason are leading a ride thru Mammoth to pre-burn those Turkey calories. 

The Joyful Riders Club along with Surly Brewing, Freewheel Bike and 30 Days of Biking will be holding the Fifth-Annual Leftovers Ride with the Joyful Riders Club on the day after Thanksgiving.  The ride leaves Surly Brewing in Minneapolis at 3:30 pm.

Our fifth-annual Black Friday #LeftoversRide is back! Celebrate the day after Thanksgiving by riding your bike, sharing your favorite leftovers, and meeting new friends.

We'll meet at Surly Brewing Company at 3 p.m., ride at 3:30 p.m., bike somewhere special at whistling pace, build a fire, and perform the ceremonial Burning of the Table. This is the perfect way to mash off all those mashed potatoes.

The Leftovers Ride is one of our most favorite and special events of the year. A total can't-miss, if we're being quite honest.

Touright Bicycle Shop will be hosting Little Falls Light Parade V by joining in on the Little Falls Parade of Lights.  Ride meets at the shop at 5:30 pm on Friday night and will navigate to the start of the parade.

We have been requested to return and be involved again with the Little Falls Parade of Lights that typically brings Santa into Central MN. (The Bunny might be there again this year too!)

We'll meet at Touright, 124 2nd St NE, Little Falls at 5:30 to cycle over to the start of the route and ride with lights along the route!
Touright will sell lights to display to you at cost if you let me know you want them by November 22nd at 2 pm

Following the Parade the first one is on the Bunny as we gather Starry Eyed!

See you then!

Hit the Minnesota River Bottoms with One On One Bicycle Studio for Opt Outside. Ride with OOOBS.  Ride from one end to the other before making your way back through town to the shop for refreshments and a bonfire.  This no-drop ride departs OOOBS in Minneapolis on Friday at 11:00 am.

Friends! Cyclists! Adventurers!

We're going to #OptOutside again this year and will be closed for business on Black Friday, and in place of workin', we're doing what we love most. Riding our bikes!

Come join us for a ramble ride leaving from the shop at 11am (hopefully that's enough time for you to sleep off that turkey hangover) as we head to the MN River Bottoms to ride end to end, where we'll head back northeast and snake our way back through town to the shop afterward, where everyone is welcome to join us for a bonfire and some beers. ALL ARE WELCOME and we encourage you all to come ride with us! This will be a no-drop ride, and we'll be stopping often to re-group, so don't worry if you fall off the back a little bit, we'll wait for you and beverage stops will be 'aplenty.

A few notes:
- Bring lights! We anticipate wrapping up before dark, but if we don't or if you plan on hanging out, you'll want 'em.
- Don't be a jerk, we'll ask you to get out.
- Ride something with wide-ish tires. It'll be sandy / snowy / muddy / etc. down there, so keep that in mind when choosing your rig for the day.
- As always, come with ur party hats on, and get ready to have some fun!

Photo Credit: That beautiful photo up there is from our good friend, Kurt Stafki

#getsome

Are you interested in trying out a new Salsa, Cannondale or Otso fatbike before you buy?  Head to Lake Elmo Park Reserve on Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm for the Now Bikes Lake Elmo Fat Bike Demo.  This is a free demo, however there is a $7 daily fee for entering the park.

Come join us at Lake Elmo Park Reserve for a day of fat biking! We'll be out from 10am to 2pm the last Saturday of every month. This is a FREE demo put on by us at Now Bikes. Come and see what all the hype is about. We will have demo bikes from Salsa, Cannondale, and Otso. 

More info: https://www.nowbikes-fitness.com/articles/saturday-fat-bike-demo-pg220.htm

If a fatbike group ride is more your thing, Now Bikes Saturday Fat Ride will be taking place Saturday from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at a mountain bike trail to be determined.  Visit the Facebook event page for trail location announcement a few days before the ride.

In case you don’t have enough fat biking in your life with our Sunday and Thursday rides, we’re adding a Saturday afternoon ride! Join Sam from the Saint Paul store on a weekly casual paced ride. The starting location for the ride will rotate around to different trails throughout the season. We will post where the ride will be a few days in advance, so check the event page for details. Previous mountain/fat biking experience not required, but encouraged. Demo fat bikes are available upon request with a 48 hour advance notice.

Please contact Sam Berglund at the Saint Paul location with any additional questions. 651-644-2354.

If you were one of the first 50 to get your postcard registration in before the November 8th deadline, you'll be riding the Iron Range in Hibbing on Saturday for the Pie Burner 2019.  Ride fee is a donation to the North Eastern St. Louis Country Toys For Tots Foundation.  If you missed the registration this year, keep an eye out for it in 2020 if you want to "FatBike in the heart of North Eastern Minnesota’s Iron Range..... True FatBike country."

Team Hollywood Cycles, Girl Fiend Cycling Team and Larson Cycle Racing will be hosting 'Cross Fer Tots on Sunday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at Cambridge City Park in Cambridge.  Entry for racing in Beginner (30 minute), Intermediate (45 minutes) and Advanced (60 minutes) classes requires a toy donation to Twin Cities Toys for Tots.  Party to follow after the races.

‘Cross fer Tots is a cyclocross race that collects toys & donations for the Twin Cities Toys for Tots organization by asking participants to donate toys rather than charge big entry fees. Be a part of something extraordinary and help make the holidays sparkle for families in our own community! 

Sunday night is the monthly Minneapolis alley cat, No Name 163: A Bar With No Name.  Meet at Father Hennepin Bluff Park at 6:30 pm with the recommended gear and roll out at 7:00 pm.

To commemorate “Closing Time”, the new history of MSP’s dive bars by Bill Lindeke & Andy Sturdevant, let’s chase down a few bars and discover obscure details about them. No imbibing req’d. 

10-15 miles total depending on temps & snow. Meet 6:30, depart 7. Bring lights, pen, map, & lock. Ending location tbd.

Thanksgiving Weekend MN Cycling Events

There are plenty of cycling events going on around Minnesota over the long Thanksgiving weekend to burn off those extra calories from your feast.  Join in on a social ride, mountain bike/fatbike ride or do some cyclocross racing.

Slow Roll MPLS will be celebrating Major Taylor's birthday with the Major Taylor Turkey Day 30K on Thanksgiving Day from the Dunn Brothers Coffee on Lake Street in Minneapolis.  Ride starts at 9am.  "Join us for a ride celebrating Major Taylor's birthday, life and the unity and spirit of our amazing community of bike clubs, businesses and bike shops that make this one of America's best places to own a bike. We will follow a course using River Road, the Grand Rounds, Cedar Lake, The Midtown Greenway. This is an unsupported ride other than coffee and water at the start. Please be prepared to support yourself and any youngsters that you bring on the ride. We will maintain a social, recreational pace. Our goal is to grow this into an annual event supporting communication, diversity, and youth."

Search and State and Angry Catfish will be hosting an 85 mile Black Friday Ride starting at 9am on November 24th from Angry Catfish in Minneapolis.  "We'll be meeting for coffee and donuts around 8:30 at Angry Catfish to roll out at 9:00AM sharp. If you have any shopping to do ACF will be launching their holiday sale so come early! This is a no-drop (unless you're really slow) group ride with some prizes for KOM's and town line sprints. We're going west to Delano and finishing at Surly Brewing in time for happy hour - with a mid-ride stop at Dave's Town Bar at mile 45."

The Joyful Riders Club and Freewheel Bike will be hosting their Third-Annual Leftovers Ride on November 24th from Surly Brewing in Minneapolis.  "We'll meet at Surly Brewing Company at 4 p.m., ride at 4:30 p.m., bike somewhere special at whistling pace, build a fire, and perform the ceremonial Burning of the Table. This is the perfect way to mash off all those mashed potatoes. Please bring snacks and drinks to share! And we'll probably head to Hipshaker Minneapolis after the ride. Dance it up!"

Touright Bicycle Shop will be joining in on the Little Falls Parade of Lights with bicycles for their Little Falls Lights on your Bike Parade at 5:30pm on November 24th.  "Meet at Touright, 124 2nd St NE, Little Falls at 5:30 to cycle over to the start of the route and ride with lights along the route! Following the Parade the first one is on the Bunny as we gather at Johnny C's Sports Bar !"

North Star Mountain Bike Guides will be hosting their #optoutside Social Ride on November 24th at 11am at the Carver Lake Park Off-Road Cycling Trail in Woodbury.  In the event of a trail closure the ride will take place at Lake Elmo Regional Park instead.  "Burn off the pumpkin pie with North Star Mountain Bike Guides. We will meet at Carver Lake Park for social, no drop ride. Roll out at 11:00am from the main trailhead."

The Pie Burner Thanksgiving Weekend Fatbike Ride started 5 years ago by my friend on the Iron Range, Joe Sacco. This yearly tradition will take place on Saturday, November 25th at 9am with the start and finish at Palmers Tavern in Hibbing.  "There is no registration for this ride, however there is a ride fee..... in the form of a donation to the Northeastern St. Louis County Toy for Tots Foundation. What's the donation?? New, unused, unwrapped toys, books/stocking stuffers and/or cash or checks are also excepted as donations!! Show up at Palmers Tavern, get your donations done, and we ride!! The ride will take you on a varied terrain, which is smack dab in the heart of Minnesota's Iron Range; terrain varies from four wheeler/double track, goat paths, long abandoned iron ore mining pits, with the Mesabi Trail connecting it all."

Larsen Cycle Racing and Hollywood Cycles will be hosting the last cyclocross race of the season in Minnesota, Cross Fer Tots on November 26th starting at 9am at Riverside Park in Cambridge.  "Race for free!! Bring a new Toy to donate for Toys for Tots is all you have to do. Come Join us, race yer bike, have some fun on this season finale for this great cause!! "

Thanksgiving Weekend Bike Events in Minnesota

Burn off some calories from your feast over this Thanksgiving weekend at one of these upcoming events.  There are several rides and a cyclocross race going on around Minnesota you can join in on.

The Turkey Day Fatbike Ride takes place on Thanksgiving morning at the Minnesota River Bottoms in Bloomington.  This group ride will give you a chance to get out of the house for a fatbike ride through the floodplain forest of the Minnesota River in the morning and have you home in time for your feast.  The ride will start at 8am and last about 2 1/2 to 3 hours encompassing multiple areas along the Minnesota River.  You will have to "Bring everything you need to get yourself out of a jam as you are responsible for you."  Ride details will be updated on the Facebook Event page.

The Black Friday Ride is based on Koochella Racing's Black Friday Ride.  "Meet up at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Vis Center Parking Lot ( 3815 American Blvd E, Bloomington, MN 55425) at 10:45 for an 11am roll out. Plan on a no-drop fun cruise. Run what ya brung - fat, cross, mountain, tevs. Be prpared for beer and snack stops - bring stuff! Dress for success. We'll ride 'til we don't want to and go where interest dictates. A post-ride migration to The Midtown Global Market for Taco Cat and East Lake beer should probably happen. If anyone has a venue for an evening bonfire and wants to step up, that person would be the star of the day."

Turkey Vengeance is a group ride that will be held on Black Friday so you can ride your bike instead of participating in the madness at the malls. This ride hosted by Ride Like a Girl Cycling's Teri Holst and Mel Cherry is open to everyone that would like to attend.  Taking place at the Minnesota River Bottoms from the Lyndale Ave. parking lot near the 35W bridge on the Bloomington side of the river, the meet up will be at 12pm with a roll out at 12:15.  Mountain bikes or fatbikes and helmets are required.  There will also be a Penn Cycle Otso Demo at the same time if you would like to test ride one of the new Otso Voytek fatbikes.

The second annual Joyful Riders Club: The Leftovers Ride will be held on Black Friday with the start point at Surly Brewing Company in Minneapolis.  The meet up will be at 4pm with the ride starting at 4:30 and lasting until around 8pm, so bring your bike lights for this one.

The "Pie Burner" Thanksgiving Weekend FatBike Ride is now in its fourth year and will start and finish at Palmer's Tavern in Hibbing.   "the Pie Burner Thanksgiving Weekend FatBike Ride has a ride fee..... a simple donation of new unused toys, books or stocking suffers.... or a cash or check donation. These donations stay local, and help underprivileged children have a bit more of an enjoyable holiday season." 

The ride will have two route options to choose from, 15 or 30 miles.  Fatbikes or plus bikes are recommended for the terrain and possible snow conditions along the route.  Full details can be found at the Facebook Event Page and my post, The Pie Burner Thanksgiving Weekend FatBike Ride Returns for Fourth Year.

Cross Fer Tots-will be held on Sunday, November 27th at the Cambridge City Park in Cambridge from 10am to 1pm.  "A great way to wrap up the Minnesota cyclocross season by helping with the Toys for Tots fundraiser with Cross Fer Tots."  Additional information and updates can be found on the Cross Fer Tots Facebook page.

Minnesota Thanksgiving Weekend Bike Rides

If you want to burn off some of that Thanksgiving feast this weekend, there are several rides going on around Minnesota you can join in on.

The Turkey Trekk 2015 takes place on Thanksgiving Day at the Kiwanis Park Mountain Bike Trailhead in Mankato.  The ride is put on by the Mankato Area Mountain Bikers and will be a casual pace night ride starting at 4pm.  Bring your lights.

The Major Taylor Birthday Ride - Thanksgivings Meal Warm-up is on Thanksgiving Day starting at the Dunn Brothers Coffee shop on E. Lake Street in Minneapolis.  This group ride is to celebrate the 137th birthday of Marshall "Major Taylor".  Riders will gather there at 8:30am and roll out at 9:00am sharp.  The ride will last about 90 minutes and cover about 15-20 miles with a stop at the Dunn Brothers at 201 3rd Ave So.

The  Black Friday Ride p/b Koochella is on Friday, November 27th and will cover portions of the Minnesota River Bottoms Mountain Bike Trail.  Not much information as of yet on the Facebook Event page other than "Cross, mtb, or fat bikes! Bring snacks and your beverage of choice! Everyone is welcome!  **Meet at the light rail stop at American Blvd."

The Leftovers Ride also takes place on Friday, November 27th from the Freewheel Bike West Bank location at 3:30pm.  First stop is the Stone Arch Bridge around 3:45pm.  "We asked Mario Macaruso to lead this ride, so expect excitement."  Mountain bikes are suggested for this no-drop ride and bring lights as it will continue to roll after sunset.  "We will roll for 2 hours and end back at the Stone Arch Bridge around 6pm." 

The 3rd Annual "Pie Burner" Thanksgiving Weekend Fatbike Ride takes place on Saturday, November 28th with the start at the south parking lot of the Hibbing Community College in Hibbing.  Ride starts at 9:00am with a grace period if coming from out of town and you contact the ride organizer.  As far as what to expect on this ride, "The ride..... is around long abandoned mining area's in and around the Hibbing and Chisholm areas, in the heart of Minnesota's Iron Range... with lots of ups, and downs sure to follow.  The ride utilizes old mining roads, four wheeler trails, the Mesabi Trail and other various goat paths. Along with some frozen water to play around on.  "It's riding like you'll find in no other part of Minnesota".... "Unique in its own way"...."True FatBike country".....are just a few quotes I've heard."-Joe Sacco, Ride organizer.

This year's fee for the ride will be "in the form of a donation to The North St. Louis County Toys For Tots Foundation.....Donations can be.... a new unused/unwrapped toy, books or stocking stuffers.
Donations are for children 1-18 years of age.  Please limit the amount of whatever you donate to $10.00." 

More details and updates can be found on the Facebook Event Page.

BIKEFUN! Presents: Work off that Turkey on Sunday, November 29th starting at Smith Triangle in Minneapolis at 2:00pm.  "After a couple days of trying not to talk about politics around family while stuffing your face, you could probably use a friendly ride around town. Let's meet up and ride our bikes 9-10 miles.  Nothing fancy, no clever stops. Just riding bikes. We'll roll fast enough to stay warm but slow enough that anyone can join. Maybe we'll get some food or drinks afterwards.
9-10 miles."