Saturday Rides Starting from Starbucks in Rosemount, MN
The weather this weekend could be better, but we should be able to ride Saturday afternoon. We will leave Rosemount at 1:00 PM, and ride northwest to Bloomington to do the reverse of the new 49-mile Tour of Bloomington route that we did four weeks ago. This route crosses the Minnesota River at I-35W and I-494. We’ll stop at Hyland Lake Park Reserve.
Read MoreIt’s going to be a little colder Saturday morning, so we’ll start our ride a little later, at 09:00. During the ride, we should have mostly cloudy skies with temps from 43 to 51 degrees and north winds at 5 to 8 mph.
A handful of you rode to Saint Paul last Saturday and we’ll repeat that this week, but in the opposite direction. This shorter route will be good for the later start and its elevation changes will give us a good workout. I’m still working to get my strength back after my nasty cold, so a shorter route may be all that I can do this week.
Read MoreSaturday’s ride will leave Rosemount at 08:00 and head north to Saint Paul via Hwy 3 and Delaware Ave. Follow the route you pick and keep everyone together. If you’ve been riding with us the last few weeks, you should recognize the way home by the time you get back to Eagan.
Read MoreThe wind and cool temps we’ve had this week are leaving, and Saturday is going to be a great day for riding. At 08:00, it’s going to be about 42 degrees and sunny, so we can get started early and still have our afternoon free. We will leave Rosemount at 08:00 and follow a 54-mile route to Edina that we did last July, when there was a heat advisory. We’ll head west through Burnsville and Savage and stop at Hyland Park in Bloomington. Then, we’ll continue on to Edina before returning via Bloomington and Eagan. Although we are heading in the same direction as last Sunday’s ride, we’ll mostly be on different roads and we’ll cross the Minnesota river at different places. At the end of the ride, it should be in the upper 50s with a 5 mph tail wind.
Read MoreScattered rain showers are expected Saturday, so we’ll do a Zwift ride Saturday morning and an outdoor ride Sunday afternoon. The ride Sunday will leave Starbucks in Rosemount at 13:00 (1:00 pm), head to Bloomington, and stop at Hyland Park Reserve, before returning to Rosemount. The weather for the ride Sunday should have a mix of sun and clouds, temps from 49 to 54 degrees and WNW winds at 10 mph.
Read MoreWe are lucky enough to have another mild and sunny Saturday again this week, and it’ll be warm enough that we can ride in the morning (43 - 53 degrees) and still have our afternoon free. There will be a light to moderate WSW wind, so we’ll leave Rosemount at 09:00 and head north and then west to Prior Lake. This route is 48 miles (76 km), so just a bit longer than last week. Edelweiss Bakery will be open for in-store shopping and pickup. We’ll stop there if it’s not too busy and crowded, otherwise we’ll find a park or something for a short break.
Read MoreIt’s going to be a beautiful Spring day Saturday, so we’re going to return to the road for our first outdoor group ride of 2021. It will be mostly sunny and the 8 mph SSE wind will make it feel like 40, so dress appropriately. We will leave Starbucks in Rosemount at 13:00 (1 PM), so you have the morning to figure out where your kit went since you last rode outside. 😊
We will follow our alternate Castle Rock route, which will avoid traffic and wet streets in the Cobblestone Lake area. This 44-mile route is similar to our Northfield route, with a cutoff via CR 86 through Castle Rock.
Read MoreGarneau's store for ordering our new 2021 kit is now closed, but we have a limited number of kit available for sale.
Read MoreIt’s going to be unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon, so we’re going to have another road ride, which will leave Rosemount at 1 PM and follow our Orchard Lake route. It will be sunny and 47 degrees with a 9 mph SW wind, although it will feel like 42 to 44 degrees. Jack and Martin will be leading the ride, because I have a hike planned with my wife and daughter.
For those of you who ride Zwift, I will continue hosting group rides Saturday mornings at 08:00 throughout the winter. So far this year, we’ve been getting groups of about a dozen riders and we use Discord to chat about cycling and other things during the ride. These rides are about 2 hours of endurance riding, like our outdoor rides, except you can stop any time you want, because you’re always at home.
Read MoreThis year, 27 people completed our 2020 Rider Satisfaction Survey, which was open throughout September and October. (There are 42 paid members and 120 addresses on our mailing list.) We collected feedback via a short, nine-question survey. The survey, over the last three years, has been largely the same, with minor changes to questions 5 (ride speed), 6 (preferred routes) and 7 (cycling kit).
The first four questions were basic satisfaction inquiries. All participants reported that our group rides meet their needs, 96% of participants said they were satisfied or very satisfied with our club, and 96% said we have very-high-quality or high-quality rides. Safety of our rides was rated as above average or excellent by 92% of participants. None of these responses are surprising, because you’d probably riding elsewhere if we weren’t meeting these basic needs.
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