Ron, one of our veteran volunteer captains!
We have just created the volunteer signup page for The Fox Bikepacking Race on June 22-23. The Fox is a great way to see what this style of racing is all about. Please check out The Fox Volunteer Page or go directly to the Signup Page. Thank you for volunteering as our events depend on the amazing support of people like you.
Our infamous Fox Wrap! Powering riders for thousands of miles!
I hesitate to write this or even provide photographic proof. But let me explain…
I have gone on and on about The Ragnarok 105 gravel race in Red Wing, Minnesota before. It was my very first gravel “race” way back when. It was where Charlie Farrow first berated me for not having my poop in a group in the parking lot before the “Big Dance.” It was where I learned about the hills of the Driftless Region of Minnesota. Simply, it remains my favorite gravel event anywhere.
This year, months of pretty intense PT work (thanks to Hailey at Northern Movement PT) helped me to achieve a sense of gratitude and reward that I can only hope all riders of tough gravel events feel. That feeling of finding out that your body can actually do far more than you expect it to. That feeling of riding solo for 90 miles and realizing that you are still your best cycling companion. That feeling that just riding across the finish line is all the reward that I would ever want. It’s been a couple of years since I had that feeling and it feels good to have it yet again.
So this short post is a simple nod to the fine people that produce the Ragnarok 105 each year. It is all a gravel race needs to be. Card tables in the parking lot. Timing done by hand. Cue sheets that tell you where to turn. And a course that is second to none in the country. This is pure gravel racing. Thank you!
The takeways for those just attempting their first 100 milers this season? Remember the basics. There are easier miles and there are harder miles. Be present for both. Ride 10 miles at a time. Get those done and move to the next 10. Say ‘hello’ to new people in the parking lot. Look at the hawks soaring overhead. Say ‘thank you’ to the checkout person at the convenient store. Keep eating 200-300 calories each hour. Mind your tire pressure (usually under 35 psi.) And remember that doing hard things is probably good for us all. Most people riding are having that shared experience with you.
Be Graveleer!
Jeremy
Photo Clint Austin
These events wouldn't be possible without our volunteers! There are lots of things to do from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening at race headquarters or on the route. No matter what, you are guaranteed warm smiles and beautiful scenery.
We will give volunteers the following in-kind tokens of gratitude:
2 HOUR COMMITMENT: Official event tee shirt and free drink ticket at our sponsoring brewery
4 HOUR COMMITMENT: plus a gift certificate for lunch in Grand Marais
6 HOUR or MORE COMMITMENT: plus comped entry into future Le Grand or Heck (transferrable to a family member)
If you have any questions please contact Avesa at avesaisis@gmail.com
This is Graveleer. Photo Josh Kowaleski
Hello!
Welcome to the 2024 season of Heck of the North Productions events. Here are some thoughts we want to share.
We just opened the volunteer signup for Le Grand du Nord. We rely on our amazing volunteers to sustain our events. Thank you! Le Grand du Nord Volunteer
We know that gravel cycling has been evolving and that is a good thing. We know you have choices on where you ride, which events you do and how you spend your hard-earned money and time. We do our best to host events that we would want to be part of. Here are a few of our values about our gravel and bikepacking events:
Courses: The courses that we design have to be beautiful and challenging. When I ride them, I need to feel that they are routes that make a rider feel alive, inspired and connected to this special part of the world. Simply, I think we have some of the grandest gravel and bikepacking courses in the country.
Stewardship: We recognize that we are often visitors to the roads and country and towns where we host our events. We live on the North Shore, but we know that we borrow these things. We do our best to be good stewards of the resources. We value the relationships that we have built over the years with our partners and we know that we can always do more. We like that our riders are great gravel citizens at our events.
Accessibility: We learned after a few years of producing Heck events that gravel cycling was never really free. We believe in a fair price that helps sustain our business but keeps the price to ride reasonable. We invite kids to ride for free with an adult. We gladly assist those that want to ride but may not have the financial means.
Rewards: Yes, we love to see the fastest race to the finish and we recognize these amazing efforts (and that includes the Toughest/Slowest of the day, too.) But our races are for those who ride for the pure love of cycling, not to win a cash prize or stand on a podium. We believe the journey of the day is the biggest reward.
Graveleer: Riding gravel is tough. We expect participants to have put in training. But we welcome everyone who is up for the challenge. And we expect that our participants are equally welcoming to those new people at the event. We encourage those that have felt the beauty of this type of cycling to spread the word and bring someone new to the sport and maybe even to one of our events.
We are excited as ever to share our events with you this 2024 season. We encourage you to be Graveleer. We expect you to be fierce in your determination. And we hope that you walk away from the weekend with that spirit glowing inside of you until next time.
Ride the Good Line!
Jeremy
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 (cycling or life) challenge
“Ride the Good Line:” To actively find and take the line in the gravel, trail or life that offers the best path forward.
Note the Heck of the North backing on one of the light boxes. Who would have dreamed?
Amazing the times we live in. What light and energy can do for someone. How a relatively small group of people, their energy and passion and compassion, can help improve lives thousands of miles away.
Our friend Dave Nonnemacher of Duluth has been one of the key drivers of this simple yet unbelievably complex project, Ray of Life. In August, we helped build four light boxes. Running low on the plastic backing needed for the light board, I repurposed an old Heck sign. It worked perfectly. That box, pictured above by pure luck, is now in the hands of someone in Ukraine.
Dave writes, “A long trip: from the warehouse of Hand to Hand Logistics, located in Isanti MN, to the port of Gdynia Poland, delayed at the Poland-Ukraine border due to a trucker's strike during the overland journey to Kotsyubinsky Ukraine; gathered in and then delivered to the Mariupol Chaplain's Battalion in Zaporizhzhia Ukraine by a faithful friend. Many Ray of Life kits have been distributed in the city of Zaporizhzhia and many more will be delivered to cities and villages by the faithful men and women of the Mariupol Chaplain's Battalion, who go where others don't. 118 Ray of Life kits and 100 VF100 water filters, assembled by church members and individuals in Minnesota, Iowa, West Virginia and Michigan were included in shipment #1. Shipment #2 is on its way to Ukraine, currently on a boat in the Atlantic.
I was deeply moved by Dave’s work and the courage and compassion of those making the deliveries a reality. All I can say is thank you for your efforts.
