Minneapolis named best big city for biking

How it works: Cities are rated 0-100 based on factors including protected lanes, safe crossings, speed limits, and connections throughout the city, with a score of 50 and up representing "a great place to bike."

State of play: Minneapolis scored a 68 rating, the best among cities with populations of more than 300,000. St. Paul came in seventh, with a score of 51.

• Nearby Ashland, Wis., ranked fifth for small cities, and La Crosse, Wis., ranked ninth for medium cities.

Zoom out: San Francisco (63); Seattle (62); Philadelphia (57) and Portland(56) round out the top five.

The backdrop: Bicycle infrastructure has improved nationwide as the pandemic-era cycling boom seems to have staying power.

• The nine highest-rated large cities improved their score year-over-year, including three that crossed the threshold of 50.