Biking in Wisconsin is only getting better. Looking at the new state rankings by the League of American Bicyclists, Wisconsin is now the third most bikeable state, so give your bike a pat on the seat.

The criteria for the ranking consisted of five general topics: Legislation and Enforcement, Policies and Programs, Infrastructure and Funding, Education and Encouragement, and lastly, Evaluation and Planning. While performance in the categories varied from state to state, the greatest challenge remains in Infrastructure and Funding.

If this ranking were, in fact, a bicycle race, the competition would’ve been tense. Washington maintained their lead from the year before with 66.8 points, and their success in infrastructure and funding acted like a jet pack keeping them far from the rest of the competition. Washington was a shoe-in, but the real sweat started pouring when it came to the fight for second.

Minnesota and Wisconsin (natural competitors), kept the race tight – with a mere five points between them. Judging from last year’s performance, Wisconsin was the underdog, placing eighth to Minnesota’s fourth. Through hill and valley, the two kept in stride together and it was only when they faced policies and programming that Wisconsin, overcome with fatigue, fell a little behind.