Need a way to enjoy some nice scenery and quiet roads to prepare to wind up the season? This 74-mile (119Km), moderately hilly cruise up and down both sides of the St. Croix River. The route starts at the Stillwater High School parking lot, just across from the Speedway at 5804 Neal Ave N, Stillwater, MN 55082.
Starting in Stillwater, the route heads north over some mild rollers and good pavement through Scandia then across the St. Croix River to the first checkpoint in Osceola, Wisconsin at mile 27. From Osceola the route gets more serious with fairly continuous rollers and dips into small valleys on very quiet country roads as it works south to Hudson. You will pass numerous small streams, remote farmhouses and pass through several forests. Roads are generally very good, but there are some bumpy parts so be alert.
The next control is the lunch stop at Bass Lake Cheese Factory, on Valley View Rd & 60th St. A full bar and a wide selection of cheeses is also available. From there a fun, rolly section ending with a nice downhill on Trout Brook Road will get you into Hudson where there are services, if needed, then hop on the sidewalk on the right at 2nd St & Buckeye Rd to cross the I-94 bridge on the way back to Minnesota and the finish a short 13 miles away. There are two blind corners on the bike trail getting onto the bridge so be careful.
This route is NOT Western Minnesota flat prairie, but it is also not the major hills encountered in the real driftless area of Wisconsin. There are a few grind it out, shorter hills, but nothing too serious. To balance this out there is one legendary downhill, Trout Brook Road, just before Hudson. This is a very pretty section and it can be a very fast descent so take it easy and enjoy the scenery.
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Rob Welsh | |
| Mike Holden | |
| Scott Kies | |
| Sebastian Frye | |
| Jonas Nygard | |
| John Murphy | |
| John Lin | |
| Ted Haland |