Bike shop owners, swamped with customers buying new bikes and seeking repairs to new ones since the beginning of the pandemic, say more options for adventurous riders are always a good thing.
“It’s great to see Anoka County identifying those ad-hoc trails,” said Pam Saylor, Vice President of Trailhead Cycling in Champlin and Plymouth. “It’s really going to enhance your community’s health.”
She said customers continually come in to ask about bicycle paths in the region, and she’s glad to have more options to point them toward. She also tries to separate people from the belief that they have to have a certain kind of bike for a certain kind of trail.
“At the end of the day, you can pretty much ride any bike anywhere,” she said. “Just get out and walk (the trail) and see if it’s something you want to try riding your bike on.”
Last week, Anoka County Commissioners agreed to partner with Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists, a volunteer organization, the maintain the new trails.
“MORC does a fantastic job of creating sustainable trails that do not promote but actually prevent erosion,” said Saylor.
The new single-track trails are located between Rice Lake Elementary School and Chomonix Golf Course in Lino Lakes and the county had plans to also build some off the paved trails just south of Centerville Lake.
