WHEELIN' IN THE YEARS • THE SAINT PAUL CLASSIC BIKE TOUR
An illustrated history of how Minnesota’s biggest bicycle tour and most far flung music festival helped to shape and continues to showcase the Saint Paul Grand Round.
INTRODUCTION
Greetings. I’m Richard Fred Arey. I started the Saint Paul Classic Bike Tour with a little help from my friends in 1995. My interest in parks and recreation goes back further. I graduated from the Landscape Architecture program at the University of Minnesota in 1980 and became aware of pioneer landscape architect Horace Cleveland during my studies. His work in Saint Paul came into greater focus as I served on the Saint Paul Parks Task Force and then, in 1991, on the first Saint Paul Parks Commission (since 1929). In the Commission’s Annual Report I produced a map of the city’s bikeways and labeled the “Saint Paul Loop ~ a Grand Round,” the first use of the term. In 1995 the Classic was launched featuring the Saint Paul Grand Round.
HISTORY of the SAINT PAUL GRAND ROUND
“Lake Como offers similar advantages for artistic use, as a striking and beautiful feature in a public park, and such use would meet the public demand at an earlier day than Lake Phalen. I unconditionally recommend you secure the control of both lakes and connect them with the city and each other…to form fitting ornaments of this great city.”
~Horace Cleveland in his 1872 address, Outline Plan of a Park System for the City of Saint Paul
In 1872, Saint Paul was mostly uninhabited farmland and prairie with nary a residence in sight. Horace Cleveland came to Saint Paul and Minneapolis to share his vision of how these nascent cities should set aside parks and parkways now, before development consumed them forever. What really caught the ear of the local power brokers and chambers of commerce was this: These parks would pay for themselves thanks to the burgeoning value of nearby real estate.
Cleveland had worked as a landscape architect on the east coast and Chicago and saw the tremendous potential of the Twin Cities open land, lovely lakes and forested Mississippi River bluffs. At a time of great rivalry between the two small towns, he saw them growing together into a great metropolis ~ the “United Cities” he proclaimed. One of his grand visions was a broad boulevard, 200-feet-wide that would sweep down Summit Avenue, bridge the mighty Mississippi and head west across the open prairie to Bde Maka Ska, then known as Lake Calhoun.
Along with designing Summit Avenue’s signature parkway west of Lexington, Cleveland’s work in planning, promoting and designing parks and parkways led both Saint Paul and Minneapolis to develop park systems that circle the city: the Minneapolis Grand Rounds and the Saint Paul Grand Round (no s at the end). The Trust for Public Land rates both cities in the top three nationwide.
Immediately after Cleveland’s 1872 address, Saint Paul’s Common [City] Council passed this resolution: “In order that this city may avoid the errors of other large cities, and begin in time to provide for parks, wide avenues, public squares, and other improvements…to utilize our natural advantages and promote the health and comfort of our citizens…Mr. H. W. S. Cleveland, landscape architect of Chicago, is hereby invited to make a plan for such improvements.”
Cleveland continued his pioneering work in both cities for the next two decades. His work was carried on by Theodore Wirth in Minneapolis and Joseph Wheelock in Saint Paul. It’s impossible to overestimate the value of Cleveland’s vision over the last 150 years. Try imagining Minneapolis with the lakes in private hands or Como Park as the setting for the sprawling estates of the wealthy.
“Minneapolis became a city the day Horace Cleveland arrived.” is the opening sentence in David Smith’s definitive book, City of Parks: The Story of Minneapolis Parks. That statement is equally true for Saint Paul.
HISTORY of the SAINT PAUL CLASSIC BIKE TOUR
Here is the story of how the Saint Paul Classic became Minnesota’s biggest bike ride ~ for a while it was even larger than the Twin Cities Marathon. It’s also the story of how the Classic created the Grand Round ~ the name sprang forth with the ride. And how the ride inspired politicians ~ from Congressman Bruce Vento to Mayor Chris Coleman (he told me it was his favorite Saint Paul event) to reimagine and rebuild the northern half of the Grand Round with off-road bike trails, separated sidewalks and lush landscaping. When the Classic began, the Grand Round was practically devoid of bicycling and walking facilities. There were no bike lanes, no off-road trails (except along Mississippi River Boulevard) and no sidewalks along many stretches of the route. The route was ripe for improvement.
Every good story deserves a soundtrack. Over 80 musical acts have played the Classic, from Johnny Smith and the Red Lake Singers, to Nachito Herrera, to the beloved blues duo ~ Spider John Koerner and Tony Glover. They’re all name checked here, year by year. There’s been specially commissioned art as well. The Classic has always been about more than bicycling ~ it’s a music festival on wheels.
It seems quaint today, but for the first 25 years of the Classic we published a paper ride guide. It included history, photographs, pictorial maps, ads and a registration form. You’d fill out the form, write a check and send it in. Crazy! Most of what follows was gleaned from these ride guides. The last ride guide was in 2019. It consisted of eight, 11″ X 17″ pages. We printed 82,500 copies and mailed 49,000 to cyclists here and abroad.
WHEELIN’ THROUGH THE YEARS
I was bicycling the traffic-free streets of Montreal in the Tour de L’isle with thousands of smiling cyclists ~ it’s the world’s largest bike ride with 45,000 participants ~ when the thought arrived: We could do this in Saint Paul! The parks and parkways are prettier, we’ll have fresh coffee at the start, local baked goods and live music at every rest stop. We’ll invite a few friends and off we go!
Ideas come easy, but closing off several miles of city streets to traffic, not so much. The Classic has been a group effort since day one. The Saint Paul Bicycle Advisory Board voted to help out. Randy Schubring and United Hospital stepped up with cash and marketing expertise. I recruited my friend Anne Hunt and the Neighborhood Energy Consortium to be the fiscal agent and co-present the ride.
I also talked with three ride directors; Scott Nelson with the KARE 11 Bike Tour, Michael Doyle who still runs the Tour of Saints and Jon Ridge who ran the Ironman. This is the original Ironman, predating the Hawaiian version by 11 years. It was also the largest bicycle tour in the state and Jon was extraordinarily helpful, lending us the use of his extensive mailing list.
The Classic has always featured two routes: the Saint Paul Grand Round and the Summit Avenue Loop. For 25 years the Classic began at the University of St. Thomas with a short run down Summit before turning left onto Mississippi River Boulevard (MRB). I named the Grand Round in homage to the Minneapolis Grand Rounds as both sprang from Cleveland’s penchant for connecting parkways.
The first year we were able to close off almost half the Grand Round to traffic thanks to my buddy George Leiter, the limited access layout of Shepard and Warner roads, and the incredible effort of Greg Reese with the City. Greg, with his wife Pat, spent the night setting up cones and barricades along the route. George recruited 50 or 60 St. Paul Academy students to rise at dawn and patrol the barricades along MRB. We hired six police officers to control the main access points along Shepard and Warner, and all the cyclists took the footbridge just west of Highway 61 into Indian Mounds Park. The rest of the route was on roads open to traffic. There were three rest stops as seen on the pictorial map (which doesn’t show Johnson Parkway).
The Summit Avenue Loop splits from the Grand Round at Eagle Parkway, jogs over to Chestnut and ducks behind United Hospital before tackling Ramsey Hill. We knew the super steep gradient of Ramsey Street would be a challenge. We had three answers. First we’d have a rest stop at Lookout Park atop Ramsey Hill. (This was the first park created by the 19th century park board and shall one day be known as Horace Cleveland Panorama Park ~ inshallah.) We’d have vocal volunteers cheering the riders on. And, they’d give each rider a button. The first two years they crowed, “I conquered Ramsey Hill.” But after two years we toned it down to, “I topped Ramsey Hill.”
September 10, 1995
All’s well that begins well. We had a picture perfect day for bicycling. There were 2,710 registered riders and nearly everyone showed up ~ and had a good time. Sure there were glitches. We ran out of food at Lake Como and Johnson Parkway was a little hairy competing with traffic. But most everyone went home happy. As one rider wrote, Note: The ride cost $15 for adults, $10 for kids and included a T-shirt.
Music line-up ~ University of St.Thomas (UST) ~ Charlie Maguire (CM), the “Singing Ranger” with the National Park Service, MC’d and played, The Twin Cities Recorder Guild with Clea Galhano (TCR) kicked the festivities off., Mississippi River Overlook (MRO) had Mark Stillman (MS), Indian Mounds Park (IMP) feature Johnny Smith and the Red Lake Singers (JS). There may have been music at Ramsey Hill but I’m pretty sure no one played Como Park as we just had a tent off of Gateway Drive. NOTE: Venues are abbreviated and underlined after their first mention (eg. UST is University of Saint Thomas). Musicians playing more than one year are just abbreviated (CM is Charlie Maguire).
September 8, 1996
The second Classic was a reprise of the first but drew over 4,000 riders. This was the first year we started our efforts to establish a permanent Grand Round bikeway. There was a box to donate money on the registration form and records show “over 200 Bike Classic riders have contributed money to this effort.” United Hospital offered free health screenings again this year.
Music ~ UST CM, TCR, Andrew Hoag on bagpipes, Field Day (FD), MRO MS, IMP JS?, Lookout Park atop Ramsey Hill (RH) Dick Rees and Friends (DR), Como Park (CP) Farm Team (FT)
September 7, 1997
This year’s ride featured one of Minnesota’s newest rail-trails ~ the Phalen Creek Regional Trail through Swede Hollow. It also got us off Johnson Parkway. We continued to promote, “The Grand Round ~ today’s featured route, tomorrow’s premier bikeway” and collect donations on the registration form. To spice up the route we started adding Burma Shave signs along the way. One read, “Slow Down Pa… Sakes Alive…Ma Missed Signs… Four…And Five.”
Music ~ UST CM, TCR, Dick Hensold playing Northumbrian pipes, Cafe Accordion (CA), The Warp Seven Ramblers, MRO Bob Barnes, IMP FD, RH DR, CP FT
David Mataya did the beautiful cover art that graced the cover of our expanded 11″ X 17″ eight-page ride guide. The guide included historical highlights along the route and a MNDoT survey on alternative transportation.
September 13, 1998
Work began on a three year project to build an off-road trail along Shepard and Warner Road; a big step towards making the Grand Round a premier bikeway. Most exciting to Classic riders was the debut of Como Lakeside Pavilion (CLP) as a featured rest stop. This year we also began working with Jack Becker and Forecast Public Art to commission art works, bike sculpture and art bikes.
Music ~ UST CM, Illyrian Minstrels (IM), Deadly Nightshade Family Singers, and Accident Clearinghouse (AC) led by Quillan Roe who now leads The Roe Family Singers with his wife Kim., MRO MS, IMP The Blackbirds, RH Laura MacKenzie (LM), CLP Exact Change
September 12, 1999
Melanie Steinborn on her Hoffman Pneumatic safety bike, and Jon Sharratt riding an original 1885 Victor high-wheeler lead the way at the start of the Classic. My friend, volunteer photographer Jerry Hass took the cover photo, and virtually every photo we’ve used for the ride over the last 30 years.He’s also bicycled every Ironman but the first, since it began in 1967.
The Grand Round planning process kicked into high gear. With the Saint Paul Neighborhood Energy Office (NEC) leading the way, over $70,000 was raised by Classic riders plus a who’s who of Saint Paul foundations including McKnight, Beim, Carolyn, Historic Saint Paul and the St. Paul Companies. A Citizen’s advisory committee is convened with the goal of creating a “fully developed Saint Paul Grand Round to include:
> Safe, year-round facilities for bicycling and walking
> Directional and interpretive signage
> Public art and special lighting
> Native plantings and community gardens”
We commissioned public art pieces like a giant bike sculpture by Victor Yepez and solicited Burma Shave slogans from Classic riders. One winning entry: “The Bike Was Old…Like The Park Jurassic…Will It Survive…The Saint Paul Classic.”
While everyone’s partying like it’s 1999, NEC is recycling and composting the after party. This year at the Classic, 66% of the materials collected were composted and 30% recycled, leaving only 4% trash.
Music ~ UST CM, AC, IM, The Clint Hoover, Bobby E. and Jim Chenoweth Jazz Band, MRO MS, IMP Urban Renewal Bluegrass Band led by Jazz88 Saturday Morning Host Phil Nussbaum, RH LM, CLP Dean Magraw with modern dancer Megan Flood (DMM)
September 10, 2000
In the first five years of the Classic over 14,000 people are introduced to the Saint Paul Grand Round. Community support continues to grow. The Saint Paul City Council and many district councils pass resolutions of support. A citizen and technical advisory committee “have met for the past nine months to guide the planning process with phase one of a master plan to be unveiled this summer.”
Ride highlights include the colonnade of colorful plywood trees and dancing skeletons courtesy of the crew at Barebones Productions.This is the first year we use the University of Minnesota Transitway for a traffic-free connection linking Como and Raymond avenues. A splendid panorama of downtown Minneapolis is gained from the overpass. Online registration begins through Active.com. Registration fees are $27 for adults and $12 for children five to 16.
Music ~ UST CM, IM, AC, and local jazz legend Irv Williams with his quartet (IW), MRO MS, IMP Brian Barnes and Clint Hoover (BBC), RH LM, CLP DMM
September 9, 2001
The world was a more innocent place two days before 9/11. This year’s ride attracts over 6,400 registered riders, leaping past the Ironman as Minnesota’s biggest bicycle tour and one of the five largest in America. Ken Avidor’s clever cover art is the first of four designs he will complete. Avidor’s amazing pictorial map of the Saint Paul Grand Round graces the 11″ X 17″ interior spread of the ride guide.
The draft master plan is complete, funded in part by over 1,000 Classic riders. It calls for:
> “Information Kiosks” ~ now built in four locations.
> “Signage to visually identify the Saint Paul Grand Round” ~ handsome circular blue signs are now found along the entire route. Look closely on the street as you’re bicycling along Wheelock and you’ll spot manhole covers cast with the same design.
> Amenities will include “bike racks, benches, decorative lighting, tire pu
mps and drinking fountains.” ~ they can be found here and there.
Salute to Bruce ~ In the ride guide I write, “One of Saint Paul’s environmental heroes, Congressman Bruce Vento, passed away on October 10, 2000. Bruce returned every year to ride the Classic. He would give a short pep talk at St. Thomas before heading out. He was a strong cyclist and finished ahead of the main pack.” After his passing, the Phalen Regional Trail is rededicated the Bruce Vento Regional Trail.
Music ~ UST CM, IM, IW, and contra dance favorites, Pig’s Eye Landing, MRO MS, IMP Trinidad native Cyril Paul and the Calypso Monarchs (CP), RH LM, CLP DMM
September 15, 2002
NEC has been a key to the Classic’s success since they stepped up to co-produce the first ride in 1995. With their expertise and an award-winning recycling program, the Classic has been a waste-free event since the start, perhaps the largest event in the state that can make this claim. This year they launch HOURCAR, the Twin Cities’ first car-sharing program.
Two bicycle clubs join us as sponsors, the Twin Cities Bicycle Club and the Hiawatha Bicycle Club. The off-road trail along Shepard and Warner roads is completed and dedicated as the Samuel Morgan Regional Trail. This is a major step in making the Grand Round a “premier bikeway.”
Music ~ UST CM, IW, Nube (NU), Machinery Hill (MH), MRO MS, IMP CP, RH Kenn Wanaku and Sunplugg’d with Tarloh Quiwonkpa (KW), CLP Middle Spunk Creek Boys
September 7, 2003
Saint Paul Classic ridership surges above 7,000 with 7,418 registered riders. For the next couple years there will be more registered riders for the Classic than finishers in the Twin Cities Marathon. Twin Cities Sports magazine reported the 22nd annual race had a record 7,084 finishers.
Music ~ UST This is Charlie Maguire’s last year with the Classic as he retires from the National Park Service., NU, KW, IW, MRO MS, IMP MH, RH The Eddies launch their 20-year residency, CLP Ticket to Brasil with Pavel Jany and Selmara Abreu (TB)
September 12, 2004
The 10th annual Classic draws 7,611 registered riders. This is the largest bike ride ever in Minnesota and will likely never be surpassed. While there are no solid numbers on how many Classic riders participate, I do know that unlike the marathon, lots of people ~ perhaps 10% or more of those who register ~ hop on the route without paying. Chank does the very cool cover.
The 10th anniversary is a great place to salute some special sponsors. Aveda now presents the Classic to the tune of $25,000. They will continue headlining for the next five years. Boehm’s Cycling, still in its original 1950 storefront location, has been a major supporter since the start. Beginning in 2002, and for the next 20 years, our fabulous volunteer party is hosted by Summit Brewery.
Music ~ UST Kevin Barnes (KB) host of String Theory on Jazz88 takes over as the Master of Ceremonies at St. Thomas, Dick Rees (and later Doug Lohman) is our sound technician, The Renato Lombardi Trio, KW,
The Buffalo Girls, MRO MS, IMP MH, RH TE. CLP TB
September 11, 2005
Another year, another ride. This year we print 88,000 ride guides and mail them to 68,000 folks including members of the Twin Cities Natural Food co-ops. Registration is now $30 and $12. Peace Coffee wakes everyone up in the morning.
Music ~ UST KB, Peter Ostoushko, The Owls, KW, MRO MS, IMP Bill Geezy and the Promise Keepers (BG), RH TE, CLP TB
September 10, 2006
Mary Morse decides to break the bank and hire Nachito Herrera (NH) to headline festivities at St. Thomas where a Renewable Energy Fair is held for the first time. Registration is still strong with 6,826 riders and as has always been the case, half are women. Chank did the design again.
Music ~ UST We welcome the world to the St. Thomas stage this year. Besides Cuban pianist Nachito, Cambodian born Bun Loeung & Light of Heaven play the middle set while the 12-member St. Mary’s Balalaika Orchestra serenade cyclists at the start., MRO MS, IMP BG, RH Five Mile Chase CLP KW
September 9, 2007
My friend Stuart Loughridge paints this year’s cover. Lookout Park is undergoing a major facelift so we sneak up the backstreets of Pleasant and Irvine to Nathan Hale Park and Summit Avenue.The Classic now has its own website ~ BikeClassic.org.
Music ~ UST KB, Greg Herriges and Troy Berg (GH), BG, TB, MRO Dan Turpening (DT), IMP Kelly Rossum Quartet, RH TE, CLP Dick and Jane’s Big Brass Band (DJ)
September 7, 2008
The Saint Paul Classic Bike Tour wins the Sustainable Saint Paul Transportation Options Award. Mayor Chris Coleman and Councilmember Russ Stark present the award. Southbound Raymond, Myrtle and Pelham are closed to traffic. The Classic is now car-free except for Summit Avenue where we ban parking on the north side of Summit to allow a buffered bike lane back to St. Thomas.
Music ~ UST KB, Kenn Wanaku Trio (KWT), Alma Brasileira with Joan Griffith, Clea Galhano and Tim O’Keefe, The Front Porch Swinging Liquor Pigs (FP), MRO DT, IMP Doug Little and Seven Steps to Havana (SS), RH TE, CLP (DJ)
September 13, 2009
The 15th annual Saint Paul Classic Bike Tour turns the page to a new chapter. The NEC, now under the leadership of Chris Duffrin, decides the Classic no longer meets their mission. I have two excellent options: The Friends of the Parks and Trails of Saint Paul and Ramsey County, under the leadership of Peggy Lynch, has been around since 1985. I’d been involved with them almost from the beginning. Or, there was the newly minted Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN).
I’d also known Dorian Grilley for years and knew the Classic could rocket launch the fledgling group. The Classic had a massive following and marketing power. Over 70,000 ride guides were distributed throughout the Twin Cities and around the state, including direct mail to 27,500 bicyclists. We’d been registering riders online for ten years and had an email list likely surpassing 10,000. If you were starting a bicycle advocacy group, the Classic couldn’t have been a better fit.
BikeMN’s first year is blessed with good weather and strong attendance ~ including over 1,000 registering on the day of the ride. Profit the first year is around $75,000. This enables Dorian to hire a second full time person. In addition, the budget for the Classic was over $200,000, making BikeMN look like a much larger organization and making it easier to win large grants. Most important to BikeMN’s mission is the instant access to tens of thousands of potential members. To this day, perhaps 90% or more of BikeMN members have ridden the Classic or the Mankato River Ramble (see 2011).
The 2009 ride guide features a full page introduction to the Bicycle Alliance. Members save $5 on the Classic, another enticement to join. The ride guide also features a photo of an unidentified, but unmistakable Classic rider, Alan Page, the Hall of Fame Vikings’ defensive tackle and Minnesota Supreme Court Justice rode the Classic for many years. He is seen here leaving the Como Lakeside Pavilion. Aveda is no longer a sponsor but Everett steps in with FruitShare to provide thousands of dollars of high quality organic fruit ~ including a half-ton of watermelon for ride’s end ~ each year for the next decade.Music ~ UST KB, Peter Ostoushko, Laura MacKenzie and Willow Brae, KWT, MRO DT, IMP SS with Havana native Vivian Pintado, RH TE, CLP The Roe Family Singers with Kim and Quillan Roe (RF) begin their residency as one of our legacy bands.
TO BE CONTINUED ~ The next 15 years bring forays across the big river to Lilydale Park and down the river for a 41-mile ride. They also feature the Classic King of the Hill Bike Race up Ramsey Hill.
And, of course there’s the pandemic. By 2023 the Saint Paul Grand Round, the city’s “premier bikeway” is completed and the Classic is reimagined. It now starts at Como Lakeside Pavilion and features fantastic new rest stops ~ the best in the business.
In 2024, with BikeMN under new leadership, I opted for Friends of the Parks and Trails of Saint Paul and Ramsey County to be the new presenting nonprofit. Founded in 1985 by Peggy Lynch, the Friends are a swell match. The Classic, after all, features all six of Saint Paul Regional Parks.