Registration Dates!

circa 2010 at Heck of the North, 2nd edition

I love October and November. It’s a great time to get back out into the wild and reconnect with the people and places we call home. And it’s also a time to reflect on all of the amazing people and experiences we were lucky enough to be part of during the 2025 Heck of the North Productions event season. Thank you to all that made it a great year.

Here are the registration dates for 2026. Link buttons will go live a couple of weeks before the dates. We will get reminders out via our usual sources. And please spread the word! We hope you can be part of the fun in 2026.

Le Grand du Nord Gravel Classic registration begins Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 9 AM

The Wolf Bikepacking Race registration begins Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 9 AM

The Heck of the North Gravel Classic registration begins Saturday, June 20, 2026 at 9 AM

Stay tuned for more thoughts via this Cadence Journal. Until next time, Ride the Good Line and keep being Graveleer!

The Baddies are welcome back any day!

Graveleer Goods

We have some fresh Graveleer Goods ready for sale at our Heck Store. The wool jerseys are straight from Cima Coppi in Spain. The Graveleer Caps are a Winter must. And the A.C.E. (Adventure Cycling Company…my brand that could) are hot off my sewing machine, made with love. They are my Autumn go-to’s for North Shore cycling.

2026 Event Dates!

We are setting dates for our 2026 season as follows:

• Le Grand du Nord Gravel Classic, May 23, 2026

• The Fox or The Wolf Bikepacking Race, July 16-19, 2026

• The Heck of the North Gravel Classic, September 26, 2026.

We are working on logistics for bringing The Wolf back to action for 2026. Regardless, the July 16-19 weekend will be used. Stay tuned as we finalize this decision by the end of October.

Thank you for another great season of cycling on the North Shore. Stay in touch and Ride the Good Line.

Jeremy

From the Finish Line

The Heck of the North remains our passion. Every year we are inspired, heartened, amused and motivated by the energy and spirit you bring to The Heck. For that, we share a very heartfelt thank you.

We thank our incredible corp of volunteers that help us and you make the most of the event. We are so grateful.

Our sponsors are the best in the gravel cycling world. Please consider them when shopping and traveling.

A special thanks to Lake County Highway and Sheriff departments, Mayo Ambulance, the USFS (Langley River Rd!!!), Silver Creek Township, MN DNR (North Shore State Trail!), John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon and Nate Eide with Lake County Land Commission.

We start planning for the upcoming season the night after the race. Please feel free to contact us with comments and suggestions.

I am fortunate to meet everyone as they cross the finish line. I grab a few quick images. It’s your energy that helps keep Heck of the North Productions alive and well. Thank you!

Some special recognition:

• 56 Mile SS winner Joaquin Valdes

• 56 Mile Fixed Gear winner Tony Schneider (Tony wanted to make sure the Heck did not get too easy)

• 56 Mile Vintage winner Kevin Wood (Sorry John Hatcher. Next year…)

• 105 Mile SS winner Barry Buhr

• 19 Mile SS winner Tony Dank

Fastest 105 female Brooklyn Waldner

Fastest 105 male Peter MacGregor

Fastest 56 mile female Deb DeLuca

Fastest 56 mile male Satchell Mische-Richter

Top three 105 mile male: Peter MacGregor, Nick Nygaard and Shane Steele

Top three 56 mile male: Satchell Mische-Richter, Keith Ailey, Rodney Puumala

Top three 19 mile female: Erinn Riley, Sara Martin and Molly Johnston

Fastest 19 mile male Karl Saarela

Some guys that add a lot to the world of gravel cycling: Roman Friese (SS), Trenton Raygor (SS) and Charles Parsons (SS)

Heck tandem finishers! Maggy Nevrly and Alec Kadlec

Patrick & Annika Hansen in the 19 miler! What a team!

19 mile E-bike team Katelyn and Brad Bennett

Family of family!

Thank you!

Rob Czypinski, our overall Toughest finisher for The Heck 100. Photo Jeremy

A quick thank you before a more proper Heck report. We are so happy for those that joined us for this year’s Heck of the North. We really hope you had a great Heck experience. And a massive thank you to our stellar volunteer crew.

Some photos from the finish line…and thank you for being Graveleer!

New faces at the Heck are our favorite thing!

And old faces like Ross Fraboni. I think the only rider to have started and finished ALL Hecks. And looks like he’s training for more. Matt Ryan is a close second to finishes?