A co-worker recently got a bike and we’ve talked a bit about bike commuting. She actually lives pretty close to me so some of our conversation has been about what route to take. She showed me a new route this week and I Strava-ed it so I could compare it to other routes I’ve tried.

I’ve now tried 5 different routes that probably represent the most direct routes. There are obviously thousands of options out there! The Greenway is our own little freeway and takes in a large chunk of these routes.

My traditional route has 2 variation depending on a stoplight at Lake and Snelling. It isn’t necessarily the friendliest route for biking as it takes in the busy intersection of Hiawatha and Lake, but it mostly on the Greenway and bike lanes on Minnehaha. Once Minnehaha is redone it should be pretty nice.

My other normal route is pretty much all Greenway. I use this a lot when I have to take the kids to daycare as the Greenway is by far the safest place to ride with the trailer. The Sabo bridge isn’t super fun with the kids in tow, but safety first!! I also started using this route more when I realized it wouldn’t hurt to add some mileage and the hill into my commute leading up to Almanzo!

In pursuit of Almanzo glory, I also started making some longer rides on the commute home when it mattered a little less if I was sweaty/smelly! This is by far the longest of the options that could still be a “commute” before stretching it into something more like training. Adding the West River Road definitely makes it more scenic!

For the fun of it I switched things up and took the 24th Street Bridge to LRT trail to the Greenway the other day. It is almost exactly the same distance as the Greenway – but 24th St isn’t as nice. In the fall they posted (and covered) signs for the new bike lane on 24th. They just started painting the lanes. I still think the Greenway will be the better option.

Finally, the new option my co-worker showed me. It isn’t terrible and is surprisingly pretty much the same distance as my traditional commute. I probably won’t use it as I prefer not waiting for long stoplights to make an at grade crossing of Hiawatha. Some of those waits can be stupid long!!

Cyclopath recommends the route I take with the kids.