Need a way to enjoy some nice scenery and quiet roads while getting prepped for the season after a long winter? This 74-mile (119Km), moderately hilly cruise up both sides of the St. Croix River. The route starts at the Stillwater High School parking lot, just across from the Super America 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 and the next checkpoint. You will pass numerous small streams, remote farmhouses and pass through several forests. Roads are generally very good, but there are some bumpy parts and one ½ mile section of packed gravel. There are no services on this 35 mile leg so be sure to stock up on food and drink in Osceola.
The next control is the lunch stop at Bass Lake Cheese Factory, on Valley View Rd & 60th St where Minnesota Randonneurs is providing a sandwich buffet with soft drinks and chips. 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.
You do not need to be a Minnesota Randonneur member to do this ride.
Current TCBC members will receive ride credit.
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Rob Welsh | |
| Keith Larson | |
| Paul Loughman | |
| Kevin Fitzpatrick | |
| Trisha Groth | |
| Matthew Gryniewski-Peirson | |
| Andrew Gifford | |
| John Murphy | |
| Sebastian Frye | |
| Scott Kies | |
| Chuck Ryan | |
| Andrew Martin | |
| Jonas Nygard | |
| Bob Stoltz | |
| Scott Gregory | |
| andy tetmeyer | |
| Chuck Nelson | |
| Liesa Miller | |
| John Lin | |
| Daniel Stahlmann | |
| Hall Sanders | |
| Laurel Gamm |