This just in, Spokane is not one of the world's best cities for cycling.

So true, so true, but here's the future!

The annual bike-friendly city ranking by Copenhagenize Design Company and Wired has been released, and one notable entry in the top 20 is Minneapolis. American cities have been left off the list for awhile now, primarily because the nation's cycling infrastructure just doesn't compare to Europe's. 

Just look at the top five:

Copenhagen, Denmark.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Strasbourg, France.

Endhoven, the Netherlands.

So, yeah, the Netherlands is pretty good for cycling. We got it. And if we're speaking continentally, Europe reigns. Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Catalonia, Slovenia, Germany, Ireland, Austria. All of these countries are home to cities in the top 20.

In fact, there are only three entries that hail from outside of Europe: Buenos Aires, Argentina; Montreal, Canada; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Yes, that great, frozen cycling mecca of the north, where there's told of a bicycle highway, and of men and women who don their heartiest outerwear to face the negative temperatures on two wheels - just to ride to work. A beacon for us all, really.

The sole city from the U.S.A. ranked 18th. As Copenhagenize wrote:

The Lowdown
Minneapolis muscles its way into the Copenhagenize Index - the first American city to feature since the number of cities ranked increased in 2013. The city has the lowest baseline score of all the cities in the Top 20 but made up for that with bonus points in a number of categories. The city boasts 189 km of what they call "on-street bikeways" and 147 km of off-street. The latter is less interesting for urban cycling but Minneapolis is quickly becoming the go-to city in America for building infrastructure. An impressive - for America - modal share helped push them into the Index and we like the political will coming out of City Hall. A respectable bike share system is helping to cement the bicycle on the transport foundation of the city. Seeds have been planted and a garden is growing. America - often content with baby steps - is in desperate need of leadership cities and Minneapolis has emerged as a contender.

The Region
While it's great to see Minneapolis make its inaugural appearance on the Copenhagenize Index, looking around the continent we can see that other cities are coming up fast. New York City, San Francisco, Portland and Washington, DC are bubbling to the top with Top 30 spots while Chicago and Philadelphia have moved into the Top 40. Montreal clings to 20th in 2015, to keep Minneapolis company while other Canadian cities struggle to gear up for a bicycle urbanism future.

The Fixes
We know Minneapolis is proud of their winter and we love that an American winter city is the one who makes the Top 20. Better infrastructure maintenance during the winter is key. Prioritise snow clearance on the bike infrastructure above all else. What will help the city, however, is to stop talking about the winter and to focus on getting a massive rise in ridership during the rest of the year. Minneapolis would do well to increase their commitment to protected infrastructure and to focus on making the continent's best on-street network - and the first city to NOT feature sharrows. It's hard for American cities to think out of the box regarding transport, but somebody has to do it. Why not Minneapolis.

Congrats, Minneapolis. 

But how do WE get on the list?

As Wired explains, "You need serious advocacy, bike facilities, social acceptance, and a general perception that cycling is safe. You get extra points for a higher modal percentage—the share of residents who get around by bike as opposed to car or public transit—and for a 50-50 gender split among cyclists. Of course, infrastructure is key."

K, thanks.