Minneapolis drops to number four bike commuting city

Minneapolis now trails Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco.

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One year we're creeping up on Portland for the most bike commuters in the country, and now we're barely even on the scoreboard.

From 2009 to 2010, Minneapolis dropped two spots to the fourth most-biked city in the United States, according to the American Community Survey released by the U.S. Census Bureau. That puts us behind Seattle and San Francisco.

According to the survey, 3.5 percent of Minneapolis residents over the age of 16 commuted to work primarily by cycling. That's down about .4 percent from 2009 and .8 percent from 2008.

Simon Blenski, planner for the city's bicycle program, chalks up the drop to a few bad winters.

"We'd like to think it's the weather," says Blenski. "That's something the other cities probably don't have to compete with as much."

Blenski also points out that San Francisco and Seattle have taken a lead by such a small percentage, it might be statistically insignificant.

"There was a drop," says Blenski. "We are number four, I guess you could say, but not by a lot."

At any rate, there's always next year for Minneapolis to make another run at the title of bicycling capital of the country.