Hello, Star Tribune readers! Welcome to my new bicycling blog.

I'm Patrick Stephenson, the Co-Founder and Director of 30 Days of Biking. Founded in 2010, right here in the Twin Cities, 30 Days of Biking is a pledge to ride your bike every day in April, whether 100 miles or around the block, and share your adventures online. Basically, it's an excuse to pedal your bike a whole bunch in early spring. Hashtag #30daysofbiking.

30 Days of Biking is all about the happiness that bicycling brings, and we call ourselves a community of joyful cyclists. This year's round signed up almost 7,000 participants from around the world and (shameless plug) our Finale Dance Party is on May 3, at Republic 7 Corners, with music from Highchair Kings and Power Mountain, plus a bike swag raffle that benefits Free Bikes 4 Kidz, a non-profit whose mission befits its name. It gives bikes to kids in need, a beautiful thing!

How else to use the first-day post? I tweet @patiomensch, very addictively. My day job is at MPR, as a copywriter. I was born in Rochester, Minn., and I grew up in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. I went to college at the University of Minnesota, and until last year, I worked in advertising, as a proofreader, at Fallon and then Olson. My girlfriend's name is Nola; she's beautiful.

My mission with this blog is similar to 30 Days of Biking's. I want to share my bicycling adventures. The Twin Cities is a rockin' place to ride your bike. From the Cedar Lake Trail to the Greenway to the bike paths on Park Ave. and Portland, to the side streets of St. Paul and the parkways, we have some truly, truly stunning infrastructure, and a crazy-vibrant bicycling community. I want to tell you about that, too. I'll post about moments from my rides. I'll write about events I've attended and people I've met (bike people are incredible people). So, let's get this started. Thanks for checking in.

One more thing: Star Trek. I love Star Trek, and I'll find a way to incorporate Star Trek talk, even though this is a bicycling blog.