By Jay Walljasper, photos by Zach Vanderkooy, Thu, 04/05/2012
People across the country were surprised last year when Bicycling Magazine named Minneapolis America’s “#1 Bike City,” beating out Portland, Oregon, which had claimed the honor for many years. Shock that a place in the heartland could outperform cities on the coasts was matched by widespread disbelief that cycling was even possible in a state famous for its ferocious winters.
But this skepticism fades with a closer look at the facts. Nearly four percent of Minneapolis residents bike to work according to census data. That’s an increase of 33 percent since 2007, and 500 percent since 1980.
At least one-third of those commuters ride some days during the winter, according to federally funded research conducted by Bike Walk Twin Cities. Even on the coldest days about one-fifth of them are out on their bikes.
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