Tag: cyclefest

Announcing the annual Collins Family Cyclefest 2012! This will be the third Cyclefest, much anticipated after a disappointing ball-dropping omission in 2011 from the ancient tradition began in 2009.

Collins Family Cyclefest 2012 is a friendly bike ride around the neighborhood where we stop and enjoy some refreshments along the way. The ride will be slow-paced, and families are encouraged. If you’re reading this, you’re invited. No need for us to have met before or have anything in common, other than that we’re all riding bikes.

We’ll meet at Cottontail on the Trail, a bronze bunny located at the intersection of Minnehaha Parkway and Portland Avenue.

The ride will begin at 10:30 AM sharp (sorry about naptime) on Saturday, June 30th, 2012. That’s two weeks from now, suckas.

Here’s the 9 mile route.

We’ll start at the bunny and head down Minnehaha Parkway to Minnehaha Falls, where we’ll enjoy some iScream at Sea Salt. From there, we’ll make our way to Fat Lorenzo’s, where we’ll enjoy some tasty gelato. Finally, we’ll continue to Pepito’s, where we’ll end the day with a great burrito.

Of course, you’re welcome to come along and eat or not eat any of the stops, and you’re welcome to peel off from the group at any time if you don’t want to make one of the stops.

Sound good? Cool! See you there!

CycleFest 2011: Tour de Taco was a smash hit!  Thanks to everyone who came.  I think everyone had a good time.  We had a great turnout of about 20 people, including notable bloggers Ed, John, Julie, and Katie. I met a few new people and I hope everyone walked away with a few new friends.  Nobody died or had heat stroke or anything, and only one persons bike broke (but nothing a quick stop at a hardware store along the route to get some superglue & duct tape couldn’t fix).

Here are a few photos from the event (most of the photos are by my friend Stephanie):

We hope to see everyone again next year for a new route and new adventures!!

I hope y’all have saved the date for Cyclefest 2010: Tour de Taco on July 17th!!!  The route and stops along the way have been determined.  Keep reading for the full details:


We will meet at 3400 15th Ave S (a.k.a. Powderhorn Park) on Saturday, July 17th, 2010, at 11:00 AM.  We’ll cycle as a group to the following locations:

• Liberty Frozen Custard
• Sebastian Joe’s
• Pineda Tacos

What is it?  Cyclefest 2010: Tour de Taco is a bunch of normal peeps who happen to enjoy 3 things: Bikes, Ice Cream, Tacos.  We will meet at Powderhorn Park, then zig-zag on bikes across South Minneapolis stopping at a couple of our favorite locally owned ice-cream and taco joints.  At each stop, we eat ice cream & tacos, chat it up, and take a break.  Then we ride to the next treat.

Who is invited? Anyone! Everyone!  Invite your friends! In a bold move, I’m encouraging my social circles to collide for one day only.  So whether I know you from school, church, the interwebs, or somewhere else, it doesn’t matter.  Hopefully we’ll all meet some new people and make some new friends.


What cycling skill level is required?  The official route is 14.2 miles long, the majority of which utilizes off-street trails.  Families & kids are invited and encouraged.  If you don’t think you’re up for the whole 14 miles, let me know, and we’ll make arrangements for you to complete only the portion of the route you’re most interested in.  Maybe you just meet us at the first stop, ride with us to the second stop, and head home from there (or maybe you meet us at Lake Calhoun, ride with us for tacos, then head home after that… or whatever…)   The full route and each of the stops can be found here.


Bring a friend and a bike!  See you at 11:00 AM.

Announcing the 2nd Annual Collins Family Cyclefest!

Cyclefest 2010: Tour de Taco will be held on Saturday, July 17th, 2010 (11:00 AM).

What is it?  Cyclefest 2010: Tour de Taco is a bunch of normal peeps who happen to enjoy 3 things: Bikes, Ice Cream, Tacos.  We meet at a central location in South Minneapolis (Powderhorn Park), then zig-zag on bikes across South Minneapolis stopping at a couple of our favorite locally owned ice-cream and taco joints.  At each stop, we eat ice cream & tacos, chat it up, and take a break.  Then we ride to the next treat.

Who is invited? Anyone! Everyone!  Invite your friends! In a bold move, I’m encouraging my social circles to collide for one day only.  So whether I know you from school, church, the interwebs, or somewhere else, it doesn’t matter.  Hopefully we’ll all meet some new people and make some new friends.

What cycling skill level is required?  Low – the route hasn’t been finalized, yet (see below), but it will probably be about 10 miles or less and involve numerous and lengthy rest stops.  The route will utilize the regional trail network and low-traffic-volume side streets as much as possible.  Families & kids are invited and encouraged.  Even if we’ve never actually met IRL before, you should come anyway!

I’d rather eat sherbet and burritos, is that ok? No.  If you can’t get with the program, stay home. Yes, you can eat or not eat whatever you want at each stop. Also, you can join up with or peel off from the group whenever your belly is full or you find something better to do.

Did you think of the name Tour de Taco all by yourself?  No.  I stole the name from someone else.  I should also give credit to some local ladies named Abby & Erica who host an annual Tour de Ice Cream.  The only original thing I’m doing here is mashing up the two events into one.  But who says we have to be original to eat ice cream and tacos?

How can I help?  There are three ways you can help make Cyclefest 2010: Tour de Taco a success!

1. Show up at Powderhorn Park on July 17th at 11:00 AM with a bike and an appetite!
2. Bring your friends (who should also bring bikes and appetites)!
3. Leave a comment below with suggestions of your favorite locally owned South Minneapolis ice creameries and taquerías.


[EDIT Final Details are here].

A few weeks ago, we hosted the First Annual Collins Family Cyclefest. I learned a lot during the inaugural event – most notably that I take horrible photos – so don’t expect many photos. We had a small, but enthusiastic group, including a 9-year-old young lady. Here’s the crowd before heading out on our 54-mile adventure:
Everything went smoothly, other than a couple flat tires. Luckily, the smartest Cyclefest participant remembered to bring along a patch kit, and was also smart enough to rip a hole in his tire right next to K-Mart so he could easily purchase a new tire.

Well, that’s all the photos I’ve got.