Unchartered Territory

Tri-County Bike Trail: 26.59 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 2 hour 8 minutes, average speed: 12.4

This was the day to try a new trail. We drove to Eyota to bike the newly-paved Tri-County Bike Trail. The temperature was in the low 60’s and the winds were mild so we settled in for a comfortable afternoon of riding. One mile into our trip and unexpectedly the trail turned to gravel. What to do now? We decided to continue down the path. The bike tires can handle packed gravel such as this but we found we only had to pedal two miles on the rocky surface before we were surprised again to see the return of smooth pavement which continued for the rest of our journey. The trail currently travels past Viola, Elgin and into Plainview. The stretch from Eyota to Elgin will be beautiful when completed. The path from Elgin to Plainview follows Hwy 42 and is not as enjoyable. This trail is only the beginning of a planned expansion to connect Rochester to southeastern Minnesota. Bicycle awareness is growing in leaps and bounds captivating the attention of law makers across the country and helping to make road biking safer and reminding us all to “SHARE THE ROAD!”