Bicycling for fun, fitness, and lifestyle

Bike Edina Task Force, November 11, 2010

Tour de Edina 2011

MissionPresent a community

bicycling event that invites Edina residents and families to ride in segments of their choice as part of a 10-mile bicycle route as a demonstration of how bicycling can integrate as a part of everyday life.

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Core Values

• Fun• Fitness• Healthy lifestyle• Education• Community ties

Methods

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Present Tour de Edina in stages, similar to Tour de France.

Encourage individuals and organizations to adopt a stage.

Within a stage, present entertainment, education, demonstrations, etc.

to “brand” the section.

Adopters could be commissions, neighborhoods, merchants,

organizations, etc.

Edina Police Department Bike Patrol to participate.

Approaches for a successful experience:

2011 Pilot Launch

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In 2011, its first year, the Tour de Edina could launch the entire 10 mile

route or, alternatively, two or three stages, about 1.5 to 2 miles in

length.

These stages would use the methods shown above to demonstrate how

this event will evolve.

With this demonstration, it is hoped that folks would make plans to

adopt a stage in the next annual Tour de Edina.

Options to start small and build

History (Part I)

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Edina Bike Parade (2009) was the first event of

its kind hosted by Edina Morningside Rotary

Club. This event was first and foremost a fund

raiser and was also an attempt to set a Guinness

World Record for a bike parade. This event was

held on the Sunday following Mother’s Day, in

the morning. This event drew 1,000+ bicyclists.

Grand Marshal was Greg Lemond.

Previous events include Edina Bike Parade (2009) and Edina Bike Festival (2010). In both cases, this event was held on the second weekend of May.

History (Part II)

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Edina Bike Festival (2010) was the second event) was the also

hosted by Edina Morningside Rotary Club. Funds raised by this

event benefited hunger outreach and were divided evenly

between Feed My Starving Children, Second Harvest and VEAP.

This event was held on the Saturday following Mother’s Day.

Grand Marshal was legendary Edina High School Boys Swimming

and Diving Coach Art Downey. This was a smaller event,

preferring to build a local community event that could grow in

size every year. With all the momentum built by the 2009 event,

this second bike event drew fewer than 200 bicyclists.

Challenges / Lessons Learned

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• Scope too narrow.

• Holding this event as a fund raiser for Edina Morningside Rotary

Club does not appeal to the community. While the fund raising for

hunger in 2010 was appealing to many folks, they preferred to

send money to support the event rather than participate.

• Fishing Opener.

• Opening if Fishing Season was the same weekend as May 15, 2010.

• Cost to close roads (2009) was too high.

Challenges with the 2009 and 2010 events:

Going Forward

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Partners / Organizers:• Bike Edina Task Force• Edina Morningside Rotary Club• Edina Rotary Club

Partners in City:• City of Edina (Police, Fire, Parks, Public Works, Art Center)• Bloomington Public Health• Edina Athletic Associations• Energy & Environment Commission• Edina Public Schools• Business and Commercial Partners• Edina Chamber of Commerce• Allina (Kim Radel)• Blue Cross Blue Shield (Katherine Bass)• Medica (need contact)• Fairview Southdale ( Brad Beard)• Southdale YMCA

Partnership: Bike Edina Task Force: Lead the charge along with committee of interested organizers from Rotary, City, and the broader community.

Beneficiaries• Hunger Outreach ( FMSC, 2nd

Harvest, VEAP)• Others.

Discussion, Next Steps…

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