Lovin’ the lake loops

Alexandria mom bicycles about 60 miles a week

By Celeste Edenloff

Tanya Jensen has been an athlete her whole life – from volleyball, basketball and softball in grade school to softball in college to becoming an aerobics instructor and personal trainer to doing HIIT workouts at the Alexandria Area YMCA.

The mother of two from Alexandria teaches basic life skills at Discovery Middle School. She taught in Long Prairie for 12 years before starting her career as the Family and Consumer Science teacher at DMS, where she is in her 11th year.

Within the past three years, she found a new passion – bicycling.

When COVID-19 hit, shutting everything down, Jensen said she realized she needed a new plan to stay active.

“I thought about my options at that time, bought a bike and have been pedaling ever since,” she said, adding that she also now has her own home gym.

She bikes between 10-20 miles a day for four to five days per week, averaging about 50 to 60 miles per week. During the school year, she schedules it into her after school “me time” and in the summers, she is usually hitting the road by 7 a.m.

“I balance my biking routine with my Thursday pickleball group, rollerblading and stand up paddle boarding in the summer,” she said. “I did try out fat (tire) biking in the winter of 2022. I enjoy it, but I still prefer cross-country skiing four days a week in the winter.”

Loves To Explore

So what drew her to biking? Jensen said she loves being outside and exploring new places. After quickly ruling out the option of running, biking seemed like the next best fit.

“I gained some encouragement from my cousin, who is a race cyclist in the St. Cloud area,” she said. “And then after I started (bicycling), I was offered some guidance from some of the local Runestone Off-Road cyclists.”

Deciding she needed to get off the one-way trail through town and start venturing off the beaten path, Jensen started planning tar road lake loops around the area. She said she was skeptical of mountain biking and never thought she would enjoy it. However, she took a solo trip to Cuyuna – a small town a little over two hours northeast of Alexandria that is known for its paved trails and gravel road cycling adventures – and found out that mountain biking was her new favorite thing in 2021.

Then, in 2022, her cousin encouraged her to sign up for the “Heck of the North” gravel bike race in Two Harbors.

“After training on the Runestone cyclist gravel trails locally, I was able to earn second place in that 20-mile gravel race this past October,” she said.

Pushing Her Limits

Her 2023 biking season began with a lake loop around Lake L’Homme Dieu on April 10 and then on Lake Darling on April 11. She loops about 60 lakes each year.

“I like the peacefulness and freedom that comes from riding lake loops and I like the adrenaline rush and challenge that mountain biking offers,” said Jensen.

Her son, Parker, recently began mountain biking with her and even joined the local mountaineers club last season. He does loops around her out on the trails, she said.

“I still consider myself a beginner at mountain biking and take all the green and blue paths, the easy ones, but also continue to push and test my limits,” she said. “And I prefer the climbs, where my son loves bombing the hills.”

Jensen said she doesn’t sit still for very long and loves to push herself. She also loves the freedom of adding mileage to a ride or changing her route at the last minute. Her longest ride last summer did just that. As she pushed herself to see where her limits were, she ended up riding around Lake Ida, Miltona and L’Homme Dieu for 34.37 miles.

“I tend to ride mostly alone and like the freedom to go wherever I want, for as long as I want and as fast as I want,” she said. “I find it is a nice balance to my life after a busy work day. It is my way to release stressors and prioritize my wellbeing. I can jump on my bike, breathe in some fresh air, decompress and take care of myself.”

Favorites

Locally, Jensen said her favorite place to bike is at Kensington Rune Stone Park. She said the crews take really good care of the trails. She and her son also love the trail addition to Lake Brophy County Park. Her recommendation for those wanting to do lake loops is to do Lake L’Homme Dieu and Lake Darling as well as Lake Brophy and Lake Cowdry.

When it comes to biking outside of the Douglas County area, Jensen said her favorite place is Cuyuna because she said people in the area cater to the biking community.

“I felt very taken care of when I started out alone in that area,” said Jensen. “Cykle and Red Raven bike shops are both awesome. They helped me with my flat tires and rentals. And there are so many trails for all levels of biking and a ton of positive energy for biking and exploring the area.”

She also loves the Duluth area for mountain biking, specifically Lester Park.

As for outside of Minnesota, which she is just beginning to explore, Jensen said she likes Bentonville, Arkansas and Des Moines, Iowa.

Tips For Beginners

For those who are thinking about getting into biking, Jensen suggests talking to someone in the field. She said experts in the field will be able to help find the right bike for whatever style of biking you are looking to do.

She has what she called a basic-level Trek that wasn’t too expensive.

“It’s taken me a long way in the past three years,” she said.

Jensen also highly advises purchasing a good helmet with a red light flasher, a rearview mirror, sturdy shoes and colorful clothing.

If making a transition into mountain biking, Jensen suggested taking lessons as there was a lot she didn’t know on her first solo trip.

“Biking is a lifelong sport, and from my experience meeting the fantastic people out on the trail, it is a sport for all ages and all abilities,” she said. “It is a welcoming community of people and a great way to explore, be outdoors and challenge yourself. It is also a great way to release stress and disconnect for a moment from our very digital and stressful world. I remember a saying that one needs to disconnect, in order to reconnect. Biking is something that I do for self-care, and I encourage everyone to find something that they can do that fills their cup and allows them to be their best self.”