What's better than a sunny summer afternoon bike ride?
A bike ride with a stop for ice cream — and shopping and art and camping and anything you might want to do on a two-wheeled adventure.
Enter PedalMN.com, the mobile-friendly website featuring an interactive map that makes sure you can find sustenance — and everything else — while riding around Minnesota.
The website, launched by a group of state agencies and cycling advocates, aims to get people pedaling for health, transportation and tourism by making it easy to find bike-related resources.
It was a finalist for a 2013 Webby Award, the Internet version of the Oscars.
"Bike a little more, bike a little longer," said Joan Hummel, communications manager at Explore Minnesota. "Check out some other trails you wouldn't necessarily have thought to go to on your own."
In addition to a map for plotting trips, PedalMN.com features blogs and advice from local cyclists, a calendar of upcoming bicycle events and links to helpful information, including bike safety basics.
Dorian Grilley, executive director of Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota, used PedalMN.com last year to find lunch spots in Elk River when riding from Big Lake to Minneapolis.
"It was just handy to know where the restaurants are along Main Street," he said. "The whole idea behind it is simply to make your life as a bicyclist easier."
Pedal away. □
