Registration for the Fox

Photo by Josh Kowaleski at Pointed North Photography

Register for The Fox Bikepacking Race! 

Registration for the 2025 Fox Bikepacking Race goes live May 1 at 9 AM. We are using a lottery selection this year. Registration closes on May 8 at 9 AM. 75 participants will be randomly selected on May 8. 

We are capping the event at 75 participants. Minimum age this year is 16. 

This is our one and only bikepacking race this season and we hope you can join us. Tell a friend and help share the adventure of this style of bike racing.

If you know someone who has never participated in a bikepacking race before and may feel a financial barrier in starting the sport, Patrick at Cornerstone Cycling Coaching is donating entries to three first-time bikepacking racers. Email Jeremy at jeremybkershaw@gmail.com to enter this chance to win.

Patrick is our go-to for anyone looking for personalized and best-practice cycling coaching. Again, honor system only for first time bikepackers. Thank you Patrick and Cornerstone Cycling Coaching! 

Please see our Heck of the North website for details about the event. And always feel free to contact me with questions. 

Ride the Good Line! 

Jeremy Kershaw 

https://cornerstonecyclingcoach.com/

Graveleer for 2025

Our vintage wool Graveleer Jersey

Our official Graveleer cap

We are excited to introduce two special new pieces to the Graveleer Collection. Every few years, I love helping to create unique Heck items that paint a picture of what we believe in.

The first is our classic 1920’s inspired wool jersey produced by the legendary Cima Coppi clothing company in Oviedo, Spain. Their tailoring and design are second to none. We will have an advance order date in the near future as they finalize their wool fabric production. This is their midweight fabric and will be perfect for northern Minnesota cycling and the shoulder seasons for hotter climates. Wool is the magical fiber that can handle just about any temperate with ease. So this might become your go-to jersey for the whole year. We know the style is unique. And the front pocket will return!

The second is our understated Graveleer Cap. I designed this to represent our belief in the Graveleer ethos and especially during times when being Graveleer is just plain necessary. I wrote this a few years ago:

After some days’ consideration, I settled on a word of my making (I think): “Graveleer.” Like “mountaineer.”

Graveleer: Noun: 1. A cyclist who prefers racing, touring and exploring gravel and dirt roads.

Graveleering: Verb: 1. To race, tour and explore by bicycle on gravel and dirt roads.

to be Graveleer: Adjective: To be welcoming, adventurous and strong during a challenge

I have found myself thinking a lot about being a Graveleer and also Riding the Good Line this past year. We think the world needs more Graveleers not only in the cycling life but off the bike as well. Wear with pride and help make this world a better place to live. These caps will be available first at Le Grand du Nord. We will have them for sale via our website after the event.

We hope your Spring is going well and you are getting those all important Spring miles in. See you soon at Le Grand du Nord!

Jeremy

Save the Date for The Fox Bikepacking Race

One of our favorite riders (MG) in one of our favorite places (Finland, MN) doing a race we love, The Fox Bikepacking Race! photo Josh Kowaleski

We welcome you to save the date for The Fox Bikepacking Race. Registration begins 9 AM on Thursday, May 1, 2025. The Fox takes place on July 26-27, 2025 from Finland, MN.

This is our sole bikepacking race in 2025 (due to family plans) and we are capping it at 75 participants. It is truly in the heart of Northern Minnesota on some of my favorite roads in the country. It is not uncommon to see moose, wolf sign and the occasional black bear during your journey.

The Fox is just the right distance for those interested in testing themselves in this style of racing. The days are challenging but once in Grand Marais, there is ample time to recover, eat, rest and eat again. Our camp location, though hardly wilderness, is right on the beautiful bay of Grand Marais and easy walking distance to all the provisions you would want to rest and recover on the North Shore.

Please contact me with questions. We look forward to another edition of The Fox !

A gift to canadians

We know that our good friends to the North have had a rough few years attending Le Grand du Nord Gravel Classic. First it was border closures due to Covid 19. Now it’s a US president hellbent on treating our friends and allies like enemies. Well, not on my time.

So we have given a 25% discount (via refund) to our registered Canadian participants. It’s a reverse gravel tariff. Which I am sure makes no economic sense. Let’s just call it a gift.

A small token of our appreciation for your efforts to help make our Heck events great. You’re a seriously talented bunch of athletes and you always bring that great Graveleer spirit. Thank you for being part of Le Grand du Nord. See you soon!

A Gift to First Time Gravel Riders

Hailey at the Le Grand finish. Photo Josh Kowaleski

We do sponsorship at Heck of the North Productions differently than most. Our primary goal is to share really cool local businesses and products with an amazing collection of gravel cyclists. Sometimes that is by way of giving away a set of HED wheels or Wolf Tooth Components tools. Other times, it is by way of service such as Taiga Design + Build’s help with set up of Le Grand’s base camp. We have great partnerships and we really value that added layer to our events.

Late this Winter, Dr. Hailey Corradi | DPT, CSCS, PMBIA 1, and I talked about sponsorship for the coming season. She wanted to do something unique. So we decided to focus on spreading the joy of gravel cycling to first time participants.

Hailey’s business, Northern Movement PT, is covering the cost of entry for 10 of our first time gravel event riders at Le Grand du Nord. How cool is that!

Dr Corradi is a cyclist and she specializes in helping other cyclists get stronger and cope with pain. I personally can vouch for her work. I trusted her expertise to help manage my low back pain and, by way of her coaching, I feel stronger than I have for years. Contact her via her IG or website for more info.

We thank Our Sponsor partners for their generosity, creativity and dedication to gravel cycling. Please consider them when you are looking for outstanding local service and products. And a special thank you to Hailey for her support of new gravel cyclists.