BEMIDJI — Bemidji's 10th Loop the Lake Festival broke its participant record on Saturday, achieving a milestone of more than 1,000 cyclists. The annual ride draws cyclists to Bemidji for a 17-mile bike ride around Lake Bemidji that includes rest stops where participants can eat, socialize and listen to live music. Founding member Diane Pittman shared her love of cycling during Saturday's event.
Pittman is among a small group of people who founded the event, and they have seen the community grow each year. “I am an avid cyclist and cycling ticks a lot of boxes for me,” she said. “It helps with health, both physical and mental, it’s great exercise, it saves the planet and it brings community together.
” Founding member Mur Gilman shared that one of the most rewarding aspects of the festival is seeing the attendees having a good time with one another. “One of the things that really delights me is that as people start to finish, they will gather under the arch and have someone take their picture,” she noted. “This morning I saw a family and they were posing together under the arch.
There are a lot of people that come to this event with their friends and family.” Founding member Donna Palivec wants Loop the Lake to help people make a habit out of biking and enjoying the nature that Bemidji has to offer. “I remember one person that had never been around the lake before and after he did it, he ended up doing it three or four times later that summer — that’s .
