Formerly known as the Klobuchar Ride (or “Jaunt with Jim”), this seven-day bike tour was started in 1974 by Jim Klobuchar, the well-known columnist for the Star Tribune newspaper in Minneapolis. After 39 years of organizing the ride, Klobuchar asked longtime rider Bob Lincoln to serve as the leader of the ride in 2014, and it was renamed the Tour of Minnesota (aka TOM.) In 2021, assistant director Doobie Kurus transitioned into the lead director role, supervising a team of nearly 20 volunteer staff.
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The Tour of Minnesota has three main goals, set forth by Jim Klobuchar himself:

1. Visit out of the way small towns and vistas
2. Enjoy the heritage and culture of those towns
3. Bring economic development to the local businesses

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