Forget the Best, Ride the Worst

The League of American Bicyclists has recently released their annual list of the best bicycling states in the US.  The criteria is far-reaching and the LAB does an excellent job of taking a number of factors into account when naming states to the best-of list.  Three major factors are considered right off the top: the number of bicycle friendly communities, the number of bicycle friendly businesses, and the number of bicycle friendly campuses in each state.  

A bicycle friendly community “provides safe accommodations for cycling and encourages people to bike for transportation and recreation.”  A bicycle friendly business “recognizes employers’ efforts to encourage a more bicycle friendly atmosphere for employees and customers.”  And a bicycle friendly campus “recognizes institutions of higher education for promoting and providing a more bicycle-friendly campus for students, staff and visitors.”

Washington is the number one ranked bicycle friendly state in the country.  The Evergreen State has 10 bicycle friendly communities.  Colorado is number two on the LAB list and the state features 31 bicycle friendly businesses.  The number three ranked state is Oregon with three college campuses that love the bicycle and bike riders.  All of this good news and positive rankings are in contrast to the poor showing of North Dakota.  When looking at how the Great Plains State scores in LAB testing, a state of 70,000 square miles, comes up goose eggs.  Yes, North Dakota has nary a bicycle friendly community, business, or campus.   

North Dakota’s state website has a page dedicated to cycling under the heading of “Sports and Recreation” and with a very minimalist approach the state boasts that “major cities have developed systems of paved bike trails offering cyclists with miles of riding opportunities.”   By major cities we think they mean one city—Fargo—it is the only North Dakota city with a population in excess of 100,000 residents.  The webpage then takes note of a 3.1 mile trail “loop which parallels the Missouri River and passes by the Dakota Zoo.”  If that doesn’t excite you enough then try the one other recommended route:  ride “the trail at Pioneer Park in northwest Bismarck, travel south along the Missouri River past the Grant Marsh Bridge, through Sertoma Park, over the Expressway Bridge and into Mandan, across the Heart River and south to Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park (12 miles each way).”  On the edge of your seat yet?

Neither are we.

Maybe we are giving North Dakota a hard time.  The state is the 48^th least populated state in the Union.  Even Little Delaware and tiny Rhode Island have more people.  By the way, Delaware is ranked fifth by the LAB and Rhode Island is 25^th.  The state is large with people few and far between.  It is possible to ride along North Dakota’s byways and highways without the burden of traffic.  Your bike may also be the best way to see the Badlands.  The Badlands literally is bad land—mostly clay with sedimentary rocks in a dry climate.   While nothing grows and no one lives there the area provides some stunning geological formations.  Theodore Roosevelt National Park (pictured) sprawls across most of western North Dakota and it is so large the park is divided into three sections.  The Little Missouri River flows throughout the park and it is also nice to ride along meandering rivers.  We hope North Dakota can make some progress and have a better ranking next year.

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