This week’s ride is scheduled to begin at 9:00 from Starbucks in Rosemount. Our route will take us in a northward direction, before we head west to the stunning Hyland Lake Park Reserve located in Bloomington. As we pedal along this 49-mile loop, we can expect to be surrounded by nature's vibrant Autumn colors.

We should anticipate a change in weather during this ride. Temperatures are expected to be 45 to 50 degrees, and there will be intermittent cloud cover and bursts of sunshine. Wind from the west-northwest is expected to be gentle, ranging from 6 to 7 miles per hour. Be sure to dress appropriately and check your gear before setting off on this ride!

The second-annual Gravel World Championships are this weekend in Italy. The Elite women race Saturday and the Elite men race Sunday, and there will be nine women and ten men representing the USA. The white road/gravel to paved road ratio is 50/50 for both races, so there will be more pavement than most U.S. gravel courses, but reports are that this year’s courses are better than last year’s.

Free Bikes 4 Kidz MN is collecting used bicycles Saturday, from 9am to 1pm, at participating Hy-Vee stores. Their goal is to collect 5,000 bikes at 12 Hy-Vees in 4 hours!

Finally, Mark Lecy shared with me that the Minnesota Cycling Center (MNCC) has announced that the City of Richfield's Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) unanimously approved a resolution of support for their plan to build the MN Cycling Center in their city.