By Madeline Funk, madeline.funk@albertleatribune.com

More than 100 bikers arrived in Albert Lea on Monday as part of The Tour of Minnesota, a more than 330-mile bike ride around the state.

Formerly known as the Klobuchar Ride, the tour began on Friday.

There are 120 bikers on the ride. Bob Lincoln is the ride director and has been planning this week-long trip since last July. With help from cities on the tours and chambers of commerce, he has planned the route, meals, activities and helped design the T-shirts and jerseys.

“The goal of the trip is not to raise money for a specific cause,” Lincoln said. “It’s to come together and have fun, camaraderie and be a community.”

The group started in Chaska Friday and went from there to Faribault to Austin and then

resided in Albert Lea at Frank Hall Park. The group will get a day off today and get to explore Albert Lea.

“This is a pretty conservative ride unlike some other longer, more hectic bike rides,” Lincoln said.

After Albert Lea they will head north to Owatonna. From there they will go to Northfield and then return to Chaska on Friday.

Along with the 120 bikers, there are three drivers, along with a PENN cycle repair shop, which is a restored ambulance. Mike Weiss is the bike repairman and fixes about 30 to 40 bikes a night, according to Lincoln.

The group ranges in age from 7 to 83 years old with the average age being 66. About 18 to 20 members are brand new, but the rest are experienced and have done some sort of bike ride before.

“It’s a blast,” Lincoln said. “It feels so good to say you have accomplished something like this.”

A newcomer on the trip, Brenda Potter has been on other long-distance bike rides and is excited to see parts of the state she has never seen.

“It’s been fantastic so far,” Potter said. “It has been so organized and more relaxed than any other ride I’ve done.You get to enjoy the scenery and get to know the people better.”

Not everyone is from Minnesota; there are some people from California, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, Idaho and Maryland. Lincoln helped get attention for this event by passing out 2,500 business cards at other bike rides. He also advertised on Explore MN and Minnesota bike trails.

The VFW in Chaska is receiving some of the money sold from Tom Brady’s Snack Shack, where you can buy snacks at anytime during camp. The VFW is also getting money from misprinted T-shirts and jerseys that Lincoln will sell throughout this next year.

Find out more about the tour by visiting  www.tourofminnesota.com or sending an email to blincoln@tourofminnesota.com.