Contact:

Casper Hill, City of Minneapolis, 612-673-2342

Ashley Aram, Office of Mayor Chris Coleman, 651-266-8571

2016 International Winter Cycling Congress

to be held in Minneapolis-Saint Paul

First U.S. location for annual conference

Feb. 12, 2015 (MINNEAPOLIS/SAINT PAUL) In early 2016, Minneapolis-Saint Paul will host the fourth International Winter Cycling Congress. It is the first U.S. location to be selected for this conference. The Winter Cycling Federation made the announcement at this years Winter Cycling Congress in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. Besides Leeuwarden, the conference has been held in Oulu, Finland and Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Our region is the perfect spot to host the 2016 International Winter Cycling Congress, said Mayor Betsy Hodges. Minneapolis has long been recognized as one of the best bicycling cities in the country, and we have consistently been praised for our winter bicycling culture. We have the second-highest rate of people biking to work among large U.S. cities, including winter commuting. Much of this is possible because of our citys efforts to maintain off-street trails year-round to allow people to continue riding. I look forward to showcasing our great winter cycling city to the whole world.

Here in Saint Paul, we dont shy away from winter we embrace it, said Mayor Chris Coleman. From Red Bull Crashed Ice to the Winter Carnival to the many cyclers whose fat tires keep them going through any amount of snow, Saint Paul is the perfect setting for the 2016 International Winter Cycling Congress.

The Twin Cities region has built a reputation for unique, cold-weather-embracing winter events. Examples are Red Bull Crashed Ice, which drew more than 140,000 spectators this year, and the Winter Carnival, which has been a staple event for decades in Saint Paul; the City of Lakes Loppet cross-country ski festival, U.S. Pond Hockey Championships and Holidazzle events in Minneapolis, and hosting Hockey Day MN when an airfield became an outdoor hockey rink.

About the Winter Cycling Congress

The Winter Cycling Congress is a three-day professional development opportunity for planners, engineers and anyone who touches a bicycle in their job and lives in a cold climate, including public health and tourism officials, bike advocates, bloggers and journalists. The objective of the congress is to share information about enabling winter cycling with people from all over the world.

The Winter Cycling Congress is a project of the Winter Cycling Federation. The federation was launched in 2013 after the first Winter Cycling Congress in Oulu, Finland, when it was clear more knowledge about winter cycling is needed. The mission of the Winter Cycling Federation is to promote winter cycling around the world.

The Minneapolis-Saint Paul host committee

The host committee, led by Annie Van Cleve, includes the City of Minneapolis, Sports Minneapolis, Visit Saint Paul, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the University of Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Transportation and multiple local bicycle advocacy and bicycle industry organizations.

More about bicycling in Minneapolis-Saint Paul

• Major arterial trails are cleared of snow and ice in less than 24 hours, including Midtown Greenway (4,000-5,000 cyclists per day), Grand Rounds, Kenilworth Trail and the Dinkytown Greenway. Other off-street trail facilities are also plowed and maintained throughout the winter, such as the Sam Morgan and Bruce Vento regional trails.
• As of 2014, Minneapolis has 118 miles of on-street bikeways and 92 miles of off-street bikeways.
• The soon-to-be-adopted Saint Paul Bicycle Plan envisions adding 195 miles of bikeways to the system consisting mainly of off-street paths and on-street separated lane facilities.
• Hennepin Countys 2040 bicycle plan calls for retaining 50 percent or cyclists all year-round, better winter maintenance and exploring ideas like a priority clearance network.
• The Minneapolis Bicycle Master Plan is being amended to include a 30-mile network of protected bikeways by 2020.
• Minneapolis has adopted a goal of 15 percent of trips to be made by bicycle by 2025, and this is measured each year.
• Of the 153 miles of existing bikeways in Saint Paul, roughly half are off-street path facilities, making bicycling throughout the winter a practical option.
• Saint Paul organizations like Smart Trips, Women on Bikes, and Cycles for Change cycling offer winter-specific bicycle programming to promote encourage winter cycling.
• As protected bicycle facilities physically separated from vehicular traffic, Saint Pauls proposed downtown loop will be instrumental in facilitating and encouraging winter bicycling in Saint Paul.

The area also hosts an array of cycling events every year, including:

• ArtCrank poster show.
• Babes in Bikeland women-only alleycat.
• Bicycle Film Festival.
• Bike Art hosted by Altered Aesthetics Studio.
• Cold Sprints indoor bike racing and beer.
• Frostbike weekend industry-hosted bike bash.
• Minneapolis Bike Tour fall ride with about 3,000 riders.
• Nature Valley Bicycle Festival - a five-day event, including the biggest pro women's race in the country and men's pro race.
• New Belgium Tour de Fat.
• New Belgium Urban Assault Ride.
• Night Owl Classic.
• Pen Ice Cycle Loppet.
• Saint Paul Classic - the largest bike ride in the state attracting 6,500 riders annually.
• Stupor Bowl - the largest and coldest alleycat race in the world with more than 700 entrants from all over the world.
• 30 Days of Biking - a program launched in the Twin Cities that challenges cyclists to ride every day in April with more than 5,000 participants across the globe.