Melissa Bikes

Long distance and gravel cycling in and around Dakota County, MN

Hey there! My name is Melissa, and I'm a local cyclist based out of Dakota County, MN. I started riding a few years ago and have quickly fallen in love with gravel and long distance rides. I've explored wide swaths of Dakota County and beyond by bike, and I'm here to share some of my favorite routes.

I fell in love with route creation early on, using a giant multi-county wall map to discern which roads were gravel and which were pavement. At the recommendation of a friend I began using Ride With GPS to create and save routes. Then, I graduated to sharing routes with new folks as a way to get them to explore more on their bikes. Now as a Ride With GPS Ambassador, I can do so on a larger scale!

Please pay attention to the route descriptions, as not all routes will be easily ridden by the novice rider. Also, if you find a mistake, please let me know! My goal is completeness and accuracy of routes, and you can reach out to me on my blog [Melissa Bikes](https://melissabikes.com/) using the Contact form should you find a mistake.

If you're interested, [the blog is where I talk candidly about my rides, events, and personal challenges](http://melissabikes.com) with the goal of motivating others to achieve more too. I also share random updates on my [Facebook page, Melissa Bikes](https://www.facebook.com/melissabikes/). Last, I search and curate [cycling gear recommendations on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/groups/MelissaBikesDeals/).