European Friendship Ride

european friendship ride

Overview

Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., including social time

Locations:
Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota
385 Michigan Street, St. Paul, MN 55102

Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul
227 Colfax Avenue N, Minneapolis, MN 55405

Germanic American Institute
301 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55102

This event will be held “rain or shine” but if you have registered and decide not to ride, you can still visit the host organizations. More detailed information will be sent via e-mail before the ride.

Details

On Saturday, May 9, 2026, the Kolo Sokol bike group will co-host a 32-mile bike ride with the Alliance Française Minneapolis/St. Paul and the Germanic American institute in St. Paul. May 9 is recognized as Europe Day by the European Union as a day to celebrate the shared values and peaceful cooperation that unites the nations of Europe. This event is open to members and friends of all European American organizations in the area. The ride will be an opportunity to meet people and briefly visit the three host organization locations.

We will start at Sokol’s CSPS Hall in St Paul, ride up the river to the Alliance Française Joly Family Center for International Understanding in Minneapolis, then head back down the other side of the river to the Germanic American Institute house on Summit Avenue in St. Paul. Finally, we will end up back at the Sokol hall. The route is almost all on bike trails or marked bike lanes and offers beautiful views of the Mississippi River and Minnehaha Falls.

Depending on the number of participants, riders may not be together as a single group and there will not be route monitors or marshals on the route. However, riders will have maps and route information and a phone number to call or text with route questions.

Departing from Sokol shortly after 10:00am, the following windows of time are planned for each location:

  • Alliance Française                          Noon to 1:00pm
  • Germanic American Institute         2:00pm to 3:30pm
  • Czech and Slovak Sokol                 2:30pm to 4:00pm

Water and snacks will be provided at each stop, along with an opportunity to learn a little about the organization.

To participate in this event, please register and sign the waiver using the link below. To support the host organizations in providing refreshments at the three stops, there is a $15 fee for this event.

To preview the planned route, click here.

Please register by Thursday, May 7.

For more information, contact Steve.Ernest@Sokolmn.org.