Bike Lincoln—and a bid for Nebraska Mountain

Lincoln is something of an undercover biking haven. Or maybe just an outright biking haven. The city boasts 131 miles of both pavement and gravel trail. 

Here’s a shot of the trails—if it looks like a lot of meaningless green scribbles, the Great Plains Trails Network has a better map to download.

Maybe this is why Lincoln was voted No. 1 for well-being in the country a couple years ago. Never mind that it was a Gallup-based poll (headquartered in Omaha.) I think Lincoln has a right to the title. 

No, we don’t have mountains like No. 2 ranked Boulder. Who needs mountains when you have bike paths? (Said no one ever. If there’s another Works Progress Administration, I’ll be the first to sign up for the build-Nebraska-Mountain project.) 

Lincoln’s bike paths are multi-purpose (runners, walkers and the occasional yogger—yodeling while jogging) but the city also has a close-knit biking community. One group leaves each Tuesday around 5:30 from the East MoPac trail for the Nacho Ride to Eagle, Nebraska. 

There’s also a local biking brewery tour, giving 21+ year-olds the opportunity to booze, bike and socialize. A spinoff of its French counterpart, the Tour de Brew LNK is a monthly ride from March to September. It starts at 4:30 (sorry all you nine-to-fiver’s out there) and ends at a different brewery each time. Their upcoming ride July 23 ends at Zipline Brewing Co. 

Whether on pavement or gravel, sober or not, Lincoln’s biking scene has something for everyone. At the very least, it’ll tide us over until we build Nebraska Mountain.