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Bike the Arb will take place on Sunday, July 17, at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
The second annual Bike the Arb event will take place Sunday, July 17, at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chanhassen. This year’s event will be a 13.3k Road Race.
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“It’s just a fun, slightly short race,” said Wendy Composto, the seasonal signature events manager at the Arboretum. “It’s really more for the average person who wants to just come out and have a good time.”
People interested in participating can register up until the event, though the deadline for getting a race t-shirt has passed. To register, visit arb.umn.edu/bikethearb. It costs $20 for members, $35 for non-members and $5 for children. Race participants do not need to pay gate admission.
Family and friends who want to watch the race should reserve a time to visit the Arboretum at arb.umn.edu/order-tickets. Admission is free for members and children 15 and younger and $15 for non-members.
The race will begin at 7:30 a.m. Bikers will start at the stop sign at the beginning of the Three-Mile Drive. The race will travel to Eastern Drive, turn around in the Farm at the Arb parking lot and return to the starting point. Bikers will do a second lap on the same course and finish at the starting point. The race will end around 9:30 a.m.
“It’s just a fun way to get out and explore the Arboretum and get some exercise,” Composto said.
Last year, the Arboretum held its first bike event, which was a duathlon. Composto recalled it was a fun event with about 75 participants. This year, the Arboretum decided to transition the event into a bike-only race. So far, 20 people are signed up for the race.
Part of the reasoning behind the bike event is to utilize the new Highway 5 Regional Trail, which runs along the Arboretum grounds.
“It just gives us really great access to bikers who can bike either in from Victoria or in from Chanhassen and beyond, safely,” Composto said. “Now it’s perfectly safe…. and it’s just a beautiful path that goes in front of the Arboretum.”
The Arboretum will also tentatively be hosting geocaching by bike the day of the race along the Three-Mile Drive, if more people sign up for the activity. Carver County Parks and Recreation will set up the course for participants. The geocaching activity costs $5 for members and children 15 and younger and $20 for non-members.
Proceeds from the event support the Arboretum’s general operating budget to help upkeep the gardens.
The Three-Mile Drive will be closed to vehicles during the race but will be open during the geocaching by bike. After the race, bikers can cruise on their bike along any roadway in the Arboretum.
