For Anthony Taylor, building community starts by building capacity. 

A life long athlete, Taylor’s build is solid; his conversational tone focused, precise, strategic - apt qualifiers for a former football player-turned-cyclist, and fitting for someone who invites social change, one neighborhood at a time.

Before Taylor built a social bike club or began planning community rides, Taylor found a book in his basement about Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor (1878-1932):  not a long-lost relative of his, but a professional cyclist hailed as America’s “first great black celebrity athlete.”  Anthony learned that Major’s life was full of triumph and trauma.  A decorated competitor and world cycling champion, Major Taylor experienced prejudice and systemic racism, and fought to make his story known. 

Sometimes, building community begins as simply as asking, “Hey, wanna go for a bike ride?”

For 30 years, that’s what Judd Larson and Monica Smith have done.

Started as a way to provide a bit of exercise and a “mental break” before tackling the frenzy of Thanksgiving Day with too much food (and maybe too much family), Judd and Monica offer solace by way of two wheels: a group bike ride for friends, and friends of friends, living in Uptown. 

“To find a city without art, would be to find a dead city.”  Candida Gonzalez is determined that Minneapolis is alive with public art and strong communities to make it.

As administrator and project manager at GoodSpace Murals, Candida dispels the myth that art is privilege, or somehow out of reach for the average person.  “Public art is exciting because it is accessible to all,” she offers.  “I don’t need a ticket to see a public mural.  I don’t even need to leave my neighborhood.   I can stay right here and experience art, and even be part of making it.”

John Munger got an early taste for adventure on a bike ride from Minneapolis to Duluth. 

John’s dad initiated the ride, a kind of spur-of-the-moment thing.  The two left about 3 o’clock one afternoon, with John’s dad sporting an external-frame backpack with provisions. That afternoon, they made it as far north as White Bear Lake, about 15 miles from home.  Over the next two days, the duo covered the remaining 135 miles riding regular bikes pulled from their garage, just to see if they could do it.  

Age 10 at the time, John wasn’t sure he could.  “There was a lot of crying on that final leg.  My dad kept saying ‘after the next hill we start going down into Duluth.’  Hill after hill kept coming, more up than down, and I was bawling.  Not much of the last bit was fun, but I made it.”