The challenge: Ride your bike every day in April

by Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — The early arrival of warm weather has fueled spring fever across Minnesota.

In Minneapolis, a pair of bike riding friends has gone viral with their celebration of the season.

Zachariah Schaap and Patrick Stephenson launched 30daysofbiking.com as a challenge to two-wheelers everywhere to ride their bicycles at least once a day, every day for the month of April.

Several hundred people around the world have signed up at the website, where participants can also share their cycling stories. Schaap and Stephenson said they hope the effort will build a sense of community.

"You'll feel like you have this big support group with you all that time when you're biking," Schaap said.

The two friends are avid cyclists, each biking up to 20 miles a day. They also share a passion for social networking websites.

Last night, Stephenson tried to combine his two passions by tweeting while bicycling. He ended up flying headfirst over his handlebars, but wasn't seriously injured.

He said he learned a valuable lesson: "Don't tweet while biking."

The challenge kicks off Thursday evening with a ride starting at the Midtown Greenway in Uptown Minneapolis.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, 04/01/2010, 4:53 p.m.