Thank you!

The fastest 50 mile females: Shannon Carroll (2nd) Alex Cook (1st), Sydney Patterson (3rd) Photo Jeremy

Going into this 18th edition of The Heck of the North, I had a lot of questions about how the new changes we made would feel. As many of you know, The Heck experience as a whole means everything to me. The routes have to be good, of course. But so, too, does the atmosphere of the whole weekend. That means from the time of packet pickup on Friday to the time leaving Two Harbors on the way back home.

The move back into Two Harbors was a big leap in faith and design. Thankfully, our partnership with the City of Two Harbors (law enforcement, public works and administration) as well as the close collaboration with our friends at Castle Danger Brewery made the transition much smoother. A special thank you to Caitlin and Caleb at Castle Danger Brewery, Dan and Kirsten at Spokengear/Cedaero/Cedar Coffee, and Lovin’ Lake County. We are very grateful for these teams’ cooperation with allowing 600+ cyclists be part of the fabric of Two Harbors for a day. And we have some of the best sponsors in cycling, too!

The best part of the weekend for me was standing at the finish line and watching hundreds of people enjoying their time with friends, family, new acquaintances and old rivals. In this age of way way too much screen time, seeing people interacting face to face, challenging themselves physically and mentally and simply just sitting on the curb watching the world go by is beautiful.

Of course there are parts of our gritty little gravel pit home on the East Alger Grade I miss. But overall, our experience with this inaugural Heck Fest by Agate Bay in Two Harbors was a success on many levels. We will take the next few weeks to plan the upcoming season of Heck of the North Production events. We welcome feedback about your experience this season with our events.

A special thank you to our incredible volunteers, local law enforcement and EMS services and our partners in public land USFS, MN DNR (which is crucial to events like ours.)

We thank you for being part of The Heck experience. From the fastest to the toughest, you are what make these events so amazing.

Jeremy and the Heck team

Nick Nygaard is the fastest 100 miler once again. Photo Jeremy

Danielle Ravnikar is the fastest female 100 miler. Photo Jeremy

Stephane Audet is the fastest male 50 miler. Photo Jeremy

Alex Cook is the fastest female 50 miler. Photo Jeremy

Peter MacGregor (2nd) and Brant Kochsiek (3rd) join Nick for the 2nd and 3rd place 100 milers. Photo Jeremy

Landon Maxwell is the fastest 20 miler (with his brother Caleb right behind him!) Photo Jeremy

Jessica Engelland is the fastest female 20 miler. Photo Jeremy

Some of the special Ski Hut and Devo crew just enjoying the day. Photo Jeremy

Heck Route Scout

Lola on the North Shore State Trail. Lots of bear and wolf sign this year

Well. The big dance is almost here. It’s one of my favorite days of the year. Lola and I scouted key sections of the course and placed signs where needed. Lola enjoyed finding all the wolf and bear scat on the North Shore State Trail. I enjoyed the colors just starting to pop on the maples and aspens.

100 Milers: I could argue this is one of the more “feature rich” courses I have concocted. You will have the pleasure of riding the Knife River Trail section early on. The river is relatively low and the skillful/foolhardy may be able to either ride through it or rock hop while keeping their fancy white socks dry. Then it’s on to the Briton Pit sector. This is your first taste of rockiness with both a tricky downhill sandy berm and the famous taconite BB bridge underpass. Special praise to anyone foolish enough to try to plow their way through that mess. After the Briton Pit, some relative calm while heading past our beloved Heck Gravel Pit on the East Alger Grade. Then into the Bear Pit/Bailey Rd sector. This year is a grind up this section. Many off-tempo little rises and plenty of rocky sections for a few miles. Your first aid station at the start of the lovely Langley River Rd will be a nice break in the action. After the Langley (arguably one of my favorite stretches of gravel in Minnesota) it is a fast roll to King Lake Rd. This four mile stretch will greet you with rocks and large puddles. I’d say your white socks will meet their match on this stretch. But at the end, your second aid station awaits. Be nice to those amazing volunteers! Back onto the Rossini Rd (it’s been a while) and some historic stretches of Heck routes from way back. And finally, the North Shore State Trail. It’s had work done on it this year and there are a few corduroy muddy spots. But overall, it’s way better than most years. Your official timing will end on Big Rock Rd, just north of Airport Rd. See you at the finish!

50 Milers: I really like this 50 this year. It’s got a bit of everything. You, too, will cross the Knife River early (see above.) After this sector, you will head north up the famed Drummond Grade. It always reminds me of Alaska. At the top, hang a left onto Pathfinder Drive and head into the King Lake Rd sector (see above.) The rest of the route is the same as the 100’s. I hope you like this year’s edition.

20 Milers: And last but not least, this great into into Heck style riding. Enjoy the mix of early pavement, then good gravel then two track into the Knife River Trail. The river is pretty friendly this year. You’ll pop out and soon be at your aid station. Cruise down the famed Drummond Grade back toward the finish line on Big Rock Rd.

Here are a few shots from the day:

North Shore State Trail but easily ridden around

It’s happening. A hair later this year but still beautiful.

The Knife River crossing

King Lake Rd at times.

The Gray Duck Grit

The Gray Duck Grit is Kris and Mark Jessee’s contribution to their amazing new cycling series, Gravel ‘Sota.

First, add the Gray Duck Grit to your cycling calendar for 2027. I just returned from this year’s fifth edition of the event and I will be back next year.

Kris and Mark’s event is part of the larger series they have created this year, Gravel ‘Sota. We are proud to have our Heck events included, too.

The GDG features several distances to choose from, all of them showcasing the beautiful limestone roads of this region. Their hospitality, organization and attention to detail make this a special event. And the finish line (including a lap around the horse track à la velodrome at Roubaix) is one of the best of the best. I camped the night before at the fairground location, just a short walk to the start line. That was great, too.

I raced the 69 miler and it was just the right distance…and earned a blue ribbon ta-boot! Single speed is a ridiculous concept but continues to be my favorite style of gravel racing and trail riding. To each their own.

Thanks to Kris and Mark and their dedicated team of volunteers. Well done!

Heck Fest 2026

Artwork by Esme Kershaw

Please join us for the inaugural Heck Fest! In partnership with Castle Danger Brewery we welcome the amazing Charlie Parr performing live at 4 PM.

Heck Fest is located at our ceremonial start/finish location for all Heck events across from Castle Danger Brewery, 17 7th Street, Two Harbors.

We will have food trucks, Castle Danger Brewery drinks on tap and seating for the show.

Heck Fest is a free event and open to the general public. We welcome Heck riders, families and spectators to join us.

See you soon!