Great Lakes - Fauxto Nick Comes to Minnesota

I'll be heading out to Minneapolis and Gilbert between 7/24 and 7/30. I'd really like to get some rides in while I'm in Minneapolis, I'll be staying in Edina/St Louis park area from the 24th-27th and I'm curious if there are any Tuesday worlds out there or similar rides. I also won't be able to ship my bike so I was curious if there was a place I could rent a 54/56 cm road bike out there also and just bring my gear and pedals. Thanks!

I'll be heading out to Minneapolis and Gilbert between 7/24 and 7/30. I'd really like to get some rides in while I'm in Minneapolis, I'll be staying in Edina/St Louis park area from the 24th-27th and I'm curious if there are any Tuesday worlds out there or similar rides. I also won't be able to ship my bike so I was curious if there was a place I could rent a 54/56 cm road bike out there also and just bring my gear and pedals. Thanks!

Well, there will be the Tuesday night crit series on the 26th out in Rosemount if you're up for a short and sweet race night.

Summit Crit (http://www.mcf.net///misc/2011/Criterium/Flyer-SPBRCDakotaTechFlyer2.pdf).

As for rental, I'm pretty sure a couple of the LBS's were working on some rental programs, but I'm not sure what panned out. I'll look around for you this week and post if I find something.

Thanks for the help! I'd love to do a crit, but not on a rental bike, unless it's generally pretty safe out there. Out here CAT 4 crits are total crash fests. Let me know if you find any rentals because I'd like to even just get a good 3 hour ridei n.

http://penncycle.com/articles/bike-rental-pg676.htm

Well looks like I got a bike and a race... how are your guys races out there, the ones out here this year are total effin' death traps in the 4's, not sure i want to race a rental bike, i wouldn't do it out here but everywhere is different.

Definitely not crash traps out here, but this series is a pretty low key crit put on by a big local club that used to (still do?) use it as a promotion for their "beginning racing" program. People seem to race pretty conservatively, IMO, but I don't have much to draw from for comparison. We've got a pretty wide range of skill level among the 4's around here, so if you stay towards the front and catch one of the first attacking groups, you'll likely be off the front for most of the race.

This race is also held at a Tech College on the truck driving training course...

Sounds good, I'll be in if I can. I mean crits are dangerous inherrently, but out here in So-Cal it feels worse than I've ever seen it. At Manhattan Beach Grand Prix this year the crash in the sprint was so bad they had to ambulance two guys, and hammer the barriers straight before they could start the next race, 2 or 3 other guys ended up having to go to the hospital too, same with the crit the weekend before, compound fracture.

That does sound pretty brutal. It'd be hard to line up knowing that history.

Being from So-Cal, you'll likely have no problem with staying up front around here. Being mixed with the 3's in the race will keep it fast though.

And I'd definitely welcome you to a group ride with our team (me and a couple 3's and a 2), but we've all had a hard time getting out on weeknights as a group lately and I've actually had to resort to late night rollers lately just to get saddle time. :twitchy:

I hope you enjoy your time here, and if you don't make it to the race, the shop that Pendaleur posted, Penn Cycles, hosts pretty decent group rides (fast and longer) most nights of the week at their different shops. Maybe shoot them an email/call to ask about their individual schedules. I've had great experience with them as a customer and they have a pretty big racing contingent in their sponsored club.

Thanks so much for the info! Yah, it's gotten tough for me to line up this season, I kinda lost my guts. The fields out here are really really strong, but I haven't been riding much so I'm really out of shape, I'd just be happy to line up out of state and try something new. In the end I'm heading out there to meet my girlfriends family, so it's definitely not a riding trip, but her Dad rides and I'm just hoping to get one day on the bike.

Just an FYI, the results from this week's crit (the same series to which I referred you) only had 10 guys show up for the 3/4/5 race, and 17 for the 1/2/3.

Granted, it was a record setting day with the heat up here, but unless you're really desperate to just line up, I'd say save your $20 and check the local bike shops for a group ride instead.

Work slammed me this year my fitness is SO low and I've packed on an extra 10lbs, I'd be lining up to get dropped. Gonna just rent a bike and hit the roads with my ladies Dad. Thanks for all the help!