Ride Week · July 14–21

That's a wrap. Five rides in the book, and Monday's breakfast roll closed it out. Thanks for riding, everyone — John heads home Tuesday. Scroll down for how the week actually went.

The Last Ride

MondayJuly 20 · morningRidden

Breakfast ride to Egg and I · route on Komoot

John's send-off ride — met at John's, rolled to Egg and I (2550 University Ave W, St. Paul) for breakfast, ~4.82 mi on the return leg alone. The last ride of the visit, and the storms held off.

How the Week Went

SundayJuly 19Ridden

Stillwater e-bike day — Brown's Creek + Gateway · rented Velotrics from Herman's

Moved up from Monday to beat the storms, and the gamble paid: sunny, upper 80s, clean air. Joe and John rode rented Velotrics from Herman's up the trout stream toward Pine Point and back, with downtown Stillwater after. This also settled the "e-bike curious" question — John's ridden one now.

SaturdayJuly 18Ridden

"Sat Ride with Deluca" · 15.4 mi easy loop

Post-breakfast-club loop through downtown and out west past St. Louis Park, ~1 hr 25 riding, 275 ft of climb. Nancy joined; Dan was missed (family event). First clean-air group ride since Wednesday.

FridayJuly 17Ridden

The ride, take two — from Turtle Bread · route on Komoot

Thursday's skipped route got its shot once the smoke cleared behind the front — ridden in the afternoon heat (95°, heat warning day). The comeback ride of the week.

ThursdayJuly 16Smoked out

Turtle Bread 3 PM ride — never rolled

Record overnight smoke (metro AQI ~162, briefly the world's worst) plus a heat index near 100. The right call — the route rode Friday instead.

WednesdayJuly 15Ridden

Minnehaha Creek → Mississippi Gorge loop · 7.78 mi · route

Rolled at 9:36 and beat the smoke by hours — 39 minutes riding, 11.9 mph average. By evening the gorge had vanished into the haze.

The tallyJuly 15–205 ridden

Five rides, one smoke day, a whole week of riding weather earned the hard way

A 7.78-mile smoke-beating opener, the comeback from Turtle Bread, a 15.4-mile group loop with Nancy, an e-bike day up the St. Croix, and a breakfast send-off. Two days lost to the worst air the metro has seen — and the crew rode everything the sky allowed. Thanks, all — and safe travels, John.