Minneapolis wins lone gold from League of American Bicyclists

Minneapolis wins the gold.

We got a promotion.

The League of American Bicyclists has named Minneapolis its only gold medal winner in this year's Bicycle Friendly Community program, moving us up from silver, which we first won in 2008.

That's not bad way to start National Bike Month, especially for a place that spends a sizable chunk of the year in frostbitten darkness.

But then again, we're getting used to the accolades.

Making freezing your ass off look "normal."

It's hard not to hop on two wheels when you live in a place with dozens of miles of bike lanes, bike paths, and an increasingly ubiquitous bike rental program. But Minneapolis sustainability director Gayle Prest told the Garrison Institute recently that the city has another tactic to get more people onto their bikes: Making bike riding seem "normal" by never ever promoting it with pictures of people wearing spandex. (Hat tip: D.C. StreetsBlog.)

Bravo!

In case you need an excused to get out and ride, here's some of the bike events scheduled for the summer.

• Lyn Lake Bike Rally, Sunday, May 15
• Tour de Cure, Saturday, June 4
• Bike Walk Week, June 4 to June 12
• Open Streets Ciclovia Minneapolis, Sunday, June 12
• Nature Valley Festival, June 15 to June 19
• Red Ribbon Ride, July 14 to July 17
• Pedal for Peace, Saturday, July 23
• Night Owl Classic, Saturday, August 20
• St Paul Classic Bike Tour, Sunday, September 11
• Minneapolis Bike Tour, Sunday, September 18

Previously:

• Andreas Rohl, Danish bike guru, tours Minneapolis on two wheels [VIDEO]
• U of M ranked 9th most bike-friendly university in U.S.
• Twin Cities bike rider numbers skyrocket
• Minneapolis among top 10 cities for bike commuting
• Bicycling Magazine: Minneapolis is America's best bike city