by Frank Lee
operations@thenewsleaders.com
Organizers of the 36th annual Tour of Saints say the bicycling event that starts and finishes on the campus of the College of St. Benedict of St. Joseph is not a race but “a heavenly little ride.”
The course follows 35 miles of scenic byways, with 18-mile and 50-mile options for participants, who had the chance to enjoy rest stops in Cold Spring and St. Joseph, with food and drink spaced along the course.
“I had a brand new bike I had only been on twice and decided I wanted to go ride on it,” Sharon Bell recalled of her first time in the event that attracts a thousand or more annually.
The 53-year-old physical therapist from St. Joseph was sweaty and giddy about completing her fifth Tour of Saints with her son on July 10 before resting at St. Ben’s Haehn Campus Center.
Bicyclists came from 200 cities in Minnesota to partake in the St. Joseph tradition in which a commemorative T-shirt, and watermelon and lemonade awaited those who finished at St. Ben’s.
“It’s a great ride,” Bell said. “I love this ride. This is one ride that I plan on every year.”
The tour’s first stop at 12 miles was Cold Spring Bakery, where bicyclists were offered fresh pastries, fruit, cool water and energy drinks. The second stop at 27 miles was Collegeville Orchards near St. John’s University, where fresh fruit, drinks and cookies could be found.
“The rest stops are always very nice, the food is good and it’s a fun group of people,” Bell said. “The tour is very relaxed, and it’s just very well organized; I love that about it.”
Anne Hunter of St. Paul and her friend Kathy Erbes of Medina took part in the July 10 event for the second time.
“My friend found out about it a few years ago,” Hunter said as she rested at Collegeville Orchards and ate some of the food available to bicyclists before completing the 50-mile route they chose for themselves.
Bicyclists could also stop and smell the native wildflowers as they passed the St. John’s Arboretum — oak savanna, wetland and a prairie that hosts 4,800 plants and flowers.
“We thought it was a beautiful course and a well-run tour,” Hunter said. “It’s mostly rural, the roads seem to be in pretty good shape and the scenery is very pretty with low traffic.”
Sharon Bell of St. Joseph rests for a moment at the Haehn Campus Center on the College of St. Benedict campus and flashes a triumphant grin after completing the 36th annual Tour of Saints on her bicycle on July 10.
Bicyclists rest at Collegeville Orchards, the second stop of the 36th annual Tour of Saints, where participants could replenish themselves with fresh fruit, drinks and cookies.
After resting at Collegeville Orchards on July 10, bicyclists continue with the 36th annual Tour of Saints that starts and finishes at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph.
Dave and Laurel Netznik (from left to right), Mark Svobodny, Maryann Waters, Alice Ressler, Jerry Schumacher, Joe Durkin, Harding Van Schaack and Bob House, a group of bicyclists from Minnetonka, pose for a photo at Collegeville Orchards on July 10 before resuming the 36th annual Tour of Saints.
Anne Hunter of St. Paul and her friend Kathy Erbes of Medina rest on a rock at Collegeville Orchards on July 10 before continuing with the 36th annual Tour of Saints.
Joe Durkin (left) and Harding Van Schaack, both from Minnetonka, wait for the rest of their group of bicyclists to catch up with them on the 36th annual Tour of Saints on July 10.
More than a thousand bicyclists participate in the 36th annual Tour of Saints on July 10. The course follows 35 miles of scenic byways, with 18-mile and 50-mile options for participants.
Bicyclists in the 36th annual Tour of Saints on July 10 could also stop and smell the native wildflowers as they passed the St. John’s Arboretum in Collegeville.
Bicyclists in the 36th annual Tour of Saints on July 10 started the day in St. Joseph between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. and could choose between 18-mile and 50-mile options along 35 miles of scenic byways.
