Nikolaus Hasenfus, seen here playing the mandolin recently, played the mandolin outside Brad's Market when he visited here briefly in June of 2018.

REVISITING BIKER DUDE

Cross-county cyclist made stop in Minneota in 2018

He looked more like a surfer dude than a cross-country biker when he literally blew into town nearly three years ago with his long hair and a mandolin strapped to his bicycle.
Nikolaus Hasenfus, who now goes by Niko (NEE-koh), was on a 120-day, 4,000-mile northern bike trek from Portand, Maine to Portland, Oregon. Bucking strong headwinds that were zapping his energy as he traveled west, Hasenfus went away from his maps and changed course to travel in a more manageable southerly direction. When he turned west again along Highway 68, his legs were so tired that he walked his bicycle into Minneota.
The then 23-year-old then made his way to Brad's Market in order to get something to eat and drink.
"I remember going to the grocery store and the cashier lady said 'You look really tired'," Hasenfus said with a laugh when contacted at his current home in Eugene, Oregon.
A little area was set aside in the front of the store for Hasenfus to rest. He dined on a tossed salad, Cheez-its and chocolate milk. He was also given a Boxelder Bug Days t-shirt as a souvenir.
"I remember they took me over to the newspaper office to get a picture," said Hasenfus. "And they gave me some candy there."
When some people outside Brad's Market saw Hasenfus had a guitar, they asked him to play a song. So he stood outside Brad's Market and sang "Country Roads" by John Denver like a street musician, which is called "busking". A few people gave him some money for his efforts.
"I was on a high from that trip," he said. "Everything was so exciting that I was hoping my inspiration was leaving a positive affect on others."
Another thing about Hasenfus that people in Minneota remember was how thin he was.
"I've never been a big eater," he said. "I actually gained a few pounds on the trip because I was eating 3,000 calories a day to keep up my energy, and I gained some muscle, too. I'm about 6-foot-3 and I still weigh around 140 pounds."
A lot has happened in Hasenfus' life in the nearly three years since he passed through here in mid-June of 2018.
For one, upon arriving in Oregon, he moved to California for a time to further enhance his music career. He is now back in Oregon playing with two different bands, "Sponge" and "Broth". He already has put out one CD, "Pursuits of Happiness", and is in the process of putting two more together with his band.
Due to space limitations, he no longer has the steel-framed bicycle that he and a friend built specifically for the cross-country trip.
"I shipped it back to my mom's place in Maine," he said. "I will fly out there in July."
The bicycle was built sturdy in order to hold the 135 pounds of gear he had brought with him such as a tent, portable cook stove, full portable kitchen set, toiletries, freeze-dried food and much more. Some nights he slept outdoors in his tent and other nights he stayed in homes as a guest.
Another big change in his life is that he no longer sports the long mane of hair that the Minneota people remember.
"I just decided to cut it off short," he said. "But it's starting to grow back again."
Hasenfus, 26, who works part-time as an "Uber Eats" driver delivering food to people, is in the process of writing a book about the people he met and the scenery he took in during his bike journey.
"I've written about 300 pages so far," he said. "But I'll probably cut it back a little. I have a few titles in mind and I gave some great photos that I will use."
Hasenfus even plans to return to Minneota one day.
"I have friends in Minneapolis, so I will try to stop in Minneota and say hi," he said.
And the chocolate milk is on us.

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