Counting Down the Days!

  • Just over two weeks to go until the first Northeast Ride!

    We’re getting pretty excited to see everyone on the road on June 2nd and have some fun updates about the ride to share with you all.

    First, thanks to everyone who has already registered! Pre-registering helps everything go smoother on the day of the event and it means that you spend less time waiting in line. If you haven’t registered yet, click here. Everyone who is registered will receive an email next week with ride-day information and another reminder email the day before the event!

    Northeast Ride map by Kevin Cannon

    We just posted the updated Northeast Ride route map –and the creative map designed by award-winning local artist, Kevin Cannon! Can you count the number of turkeys?? Poster sized versions of Kevin’s map will be for sale at the wrap party at Altered Esthetics from 2-5pm on June 2nd.

    Finally, if you want to be involved with Northeast Ride but can’t do the ride itself, we are looking for volunteers! Click here to sign up. We have morning and an afternoon volunteer shifts available.

    Thank you all so much for your support of this event & we can’t wait to see you on June 2nd!

Sponsor highlight: Johnstock

Sponsor Highlight: Venture North Bike Walk Center

  • For the Northeast Ride, we’re being joined by Venture North Bike Walk Center who will be helping Recovery Bike provide day-of ride support for riders and tune-ups at one of the route stops!

    Venture North Bike Walk Coffee on Glenwood Ave.

    Venture North Bike Walk Center opened in North Minneapolis right before Thanksgiving in 2011 and offers a full range of services and programs relating to bicycling and community development.

    “The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Alicia Adams, Health and Program Outreach Coordinator. “People stop in just to say hi and thank us for being here.”

    Venture North carries unique cycling accessories for all ages.

    In addition to providing quality used bicycles at affordable prices and fashionable bicycling accessories, Venture North provides hands-on training to neighborhood youth through their Build a Bike program.

    The 16-week Build-a-bike apprenticeship program provides a framework for community youth to learn basic bike repair and maintenance, sales, and customer service skills. Over the course of the program, apprentice mechanics attend two four-hour classes twice a week and then personally shadow the master mechanic to work on individual skills. Current apprentices are fixing up used bikes for the floor of the shop. As the program develops, apprentice mechanics will mentor younger students through the program and earn a free bike.

    Venture North Bike Walk Center provides basic bicycle maintenance classes to the broader community and even a couples bike class to encourage people to ride together. Fridays are “Free Flat Fix Fridays at Five,” where community members can come learn the best ways to change a flat tire.

    Stay up to date with their programs and events by connecting with them on Facebook or Twitter!

Sponsor Highlight: YWCA

  • YWCA

    With a mission to encourage peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all people, we’re proud as punch to have the YWCA of Minneapolis as a 2012 Northeast Ride sponsor.

    The YWCA of Minneapolis is a nonprofit organization founded in 1891 as a member of the national YWCA, the oldest and largest multicultural organization in the world. More than 25,000 people in our community are served every year by the YWCA of Minneapolis, through hundreds of programs, classes and support groups.

    The YWCA of Minneapolis strives every day to achieve:
    •    Race and gender equity
    •    Economic independence for women
    •    Respect for diverse cultures
    •    A place where children and youth thrive
    •    A community that is vibrant and healthy

    With locations in downtown, midtown, and uptown, be sure to check them out today!

Sponsor Highlight: Works Progress

  • Works Progress logo

    The Northeast Ride is all about getting to know you community –and that includes your neighbors! Luckily we have a fantastic group, Works Progress, helping us all break the ice and have some fun.

    Works Progress is an artist-led public art & design studio based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They create artistic platforms for people to engage, connect, converse and create with/in their neighborhoods and communities, across creative and culture boundaries. Not surprisingly, they work collaboratively with other artists and organizations and produce public art projects and programs. And we’re excited to have them as part of the Northeast Ride! Find out what else they are up to by following Works Progress on Twitter.

    For Northeast Ride, we’ll be borrowing the Neighbor Makers. Neighbor Maker conversation tables, constructed out of plywood and chalkboard paint, help people practice the art of Neighbor Making in a supportive and fun social setting. Watch out for them at Waite Park on June 2nd!

    Neighbor Makers in action!

Sponsor highlight: Recovery Bike Shop

  • Recovery Bike, Northeast Minneapolis

    One of our very bike-related sponsors this year is Recovery Bike Shop. Recovery is located just north of the intersection of Lowry and Central, at 2555 NE Central Ave. They do both service and sales of used bikes — and if you’re looking to get rid of an old bike, they buy directly from customers, too!

    Located at 2555 Central Ave NE, Recovery is open every day: weekdays from 11a-7p, Saturday from 10a-6p, and Sunday from noon to 6p.

    For the Northeast Ride, Recovery Bike will be helping to provide mobile bike mechanics and support for folks as they tour Northeast. Have a flat tire? No problem –Recovery Bike will be there in a flash to fix it!

Sponsor highlight: Northeast Community Chiropractic

  • Northeast Community Chiropractic is another one of our community sponsors for the ride. They’re located in the Frank Stone building, just north of Broadway at 1222 NE 2nd St. NECC is true to their name: they emphasize wellness education, and they even have a sliding pay scale for patients with limited income.

    Chris Hanson Christie Weibel Maanum

    NECC is made up of doctors Chris Hanson and Christie Weibel-Maanum. Chris has lived in Northeast since 2005, and is a cyclist himself. He’s been interested in chiropractic since receiving care himself for an athletic injury. He’s also a fluent Spanish speaker. Christie is a Minnesotan through and through, from the Minneapolis suburbs. She also has her Doctor of Chiropractic from Northwestern Health Sciences, in addition to a degree in Mortuary Science from the U of M. Christie is especially interested in working with pregnant women and children. She’s even got a YouTube channel.

    NECC is open weekdays, by appointment. And they’re all over online, so be sure to check out their blog and Twitter feed. And thanks to Northeast Community Chiropractic for helping support the Northeast Ride!

Sponsor highlight: North Star Sierra Club

  • Another one of our sponsors this year is the North Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club is the nation’s oldest and largest  environmental organization –they’ve been active since 1892 and have more than a million members! The North Star chapter here in Minnesota has been around for over 40 years.

    The Sierra Club has had a long history of environmental protection and conservation. They advocated for the establishment of National Parks, as well as major environmental legislation of the 20th century. The North Star chapter is focused on both Minnesota and federal environmental issues, from wildlife to energy. Most notably, they played a major role in securing permanent protection for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and led efforts to pass mercury pollution reduction laws.

    Currently the North Star Sierra Club has five groups: 1. OWLS (Older, Wiser, Livelier Sierrans), 2. Inner City Outings (wilderness trips for people who otherwise would not have the opportunity to enjoy them), 3. St. Croix Valley Interstate Group (Stillwater, Eastern Minnesota & Western Wisconsin), 4. Northern Dakota County Sierra Community (Northern Dakota County, Southeast Twin Cities), and 5. Shoreview Sierra Community (Shoreview, MN).

    The Northstar Sierra Club also has an active Land Use and Transportation Committee that actively promotes bicycling, among other transportation modes, in the Twin Cities. One initiative was to take transit to natural areas!

    On bus, with bike, on way to Springbrook!

    Josh Houdek on the way to Springbrook Nature Center via lightrail and bike!

    Not surprisingly, one of the organization’s major themes is to get outdoors, which is a suggestion we can certainly agree with — preferably on a bike! ;-)

    Check out Sierra Club North Star’s Facebook and Twitter feeds to see what they’re working on now.

Sponsor highlight: Community Bees on Bikes

  • A unique sponsor this year is Community Bees on Bikes, which is a program of Beez Kneez Delivery. Beez Kneez is a company that delivers local honey — on bike! Community Bees on Bikes is a program to promote urban beekeeping and educate Minneapolitans on the importance of bees.

    They have a great site talking about the benefits of bees, which include the fact that 1/3 of what we eat depends on bee pollination. According to the site, urban beekeeping has been legal in Minnesota since 2009 — which is what Community Bees is all about.

    Community Bees on Bikes

    For its first year, Community Bees set up hives at six locations. The nearest to Northeast is the McKinley Community CSA, located at 3300 N Lyndale Ave — this summer, that should be just across the new Lowry Bridge. They offer classes at the community locations. They’re filling up fast, so check them out!

    Community Bees on Bikes is on Facebook, along with Beez Kneez.

Sponsor highlight: Stanley’s Bar Room

  • Stanley's Bar Room

    Stanley’s Northeast Bar Room is a bar and restaurant located at the intersection of University Ave and Lowry Ave. They have a wide selection of beers and wines, with 32 craft beers on tap. They’re in the heart of Northeast, and have a small, neighborhood-oriented feel.

    In addition to drinks, they serve lunch and dinner every day, and breakfast on weekends. Stanley’s is open every day till 2 am, opening at 8 on weekends and 11 on weekdays.

    One of the more interesting things about Stanley’s is its new Stanley’s on Wheels, a food truck that will begin selling all around the city this year. They also have a ton of regular events at the bar all year round. Check out their beer blog and Facebook page (or follow them on Twitter!). Thanks much to Stanley’s for being one of our sponsors this year!

 

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