BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (BRAIN) — QBP President Rich Tauer told industry members who had been planning to attend Frostbike later this month that the distributor has decided to cancel the event.
"(O)ver the past six weeks we have been monitoring the situation in the Minneapolis metro area related to federal immigration enforcement activity. While we have been hopeful that a significant de-escalation would take place, it does not appear that meaningful change is coming soon. While better days for our community are certainly in our future, the current conditions make it potentially unsafe for some attendees. For that reason, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Frostbike 2026," Tauer wrote to registered event attendees on Wednesday.
"This decision did not come easy, and it was not the one we wanted to make, but we recognize if the current enforcement activities make it unsafe for some of our attendees to travel to the Twin Cities, then the event is not safe for all attendees.
Tauer's email said the company will be reaching out to exhibitors on logistics related to the cancellation.
Tauer noted that this year's theme for Frostbike — the first in-person event since before the COVID pandemic — was "Take the Lane."
"There's no better example of the power of our industry taking the lane together than last Saturday's memorial ride honoring Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot in Minneapolis by Department of Homeland Security agents on January 24. Angry Catfish Bicycle Shop, with the help of other businesses and local citizens, hosted the Minneapolis ride and guided other organizers in hosting more than 250 officially scheduled rides across 14 countries and 43 states. In Minneapolis alone, we had over 5,000 riders show up despite the snow and cold weather," Tauer wrote.
