When road racing cyclist Freddie Rodriguez was 18 or 19 years old, he lived with a friend in Minneapolis for about a month during the summer. He spent time around the city, "staying on the lakes and enjoying the lifestyle."

"It was a month off racing, so I was just riding my bike and having fun with friends," Rodriguez said last week. "I fell in love with the summer atmosphere and how active everybody is."

This week the four-time U.S. National Road Race champion will return for the 17th annual North Star Grand Prix, which has stages in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Stillwater, Cannon Falls and Menomonie, Wis. Rodriguez, 41, is set to retire at season's end.

"Minneapolis is an event that is really well-respected by the community," Rodriguez said. "Racing in downtown Minneapolis and then St. Paul, it's kind of nice to come back and race on the local scene."

Rodriguez, known as "Fast Freddie" to racing fans, grew a passion for the sport by watching his father, a cyclist in Colombia. When he moved to Los Angeles as a child in the early 1980s, Rodriguez called it "the first real moment of realizing what cycling was about and how cool it was." He called watching Alexi Grewal become the first American man to win an Olympic gold medal in road cycling a "big moment" in his life.

Around the age of 10, Rodriguez's father gave him a bike, and from then on cycling was a passion. He started racing when he was 12.

"It gave me a form of freedom to explore the world and get to go new places," Rodriguez said. "Quickly, I became very competitive and started traveling at 15-16, moving all over the world. Since then, it's been my thing, and I've loved it."

Rodriguez has won four U.S. road race championships, in 2000, 2001, 2004, and — after being out of racing for two years — again in 2013. In 2004 he won a stage into the Giro d'Italiar.

Despite reports that he retired in 2009, Rodriguez said that was never the case. He was on two teams that went bankrupt, and was in the middle of developing his own racing apparel brand. He also wanted to spend time with his three children.

He also has the Fast Freddie Foundation, which helps combat diabetes by promoting the joy of riding a bike and healthy living.

As for racing, Rodriguez hopes to race in the Tour of Utah, the U.S. Pro Challenge and the Tour of Alberta. He also hopes for an invitation to the team time trial at the U.S. World Championships.

But first, Rodriguez will compete in the North Star Bicycle Festival.

"I'm going there to do well, but I'm also going there to experience the culture of Minneapolis and St. Paul," Rodriguez said. "I'm seeing how the crowd interacts with the cyclists, how many people there are, how many bike paths. It has to be one of the most active biking communities when it comes to commuting in the country."