This week has seen us go from contemplation to full planning. After months of watching, predicting, idling, and brainstorming we have entered the “Full Tilt Boogie” phase. My old dogsledding boss, Paul Schurke was always using terribly outdated expressions and I’d like to carry on the tradition.
We are excited to be switching to BikeReg for our online registration platform. We are planning to have registration go live for Le Grand du Nord on or very near to March 1. We have decided to go one event at a time. Our dates are set for The Wolf & The Fox as well as The Heck of the North, but we are resisting the temptation to register for the season all at once. Mainly, this comes from a continued respect for the unpredictability of the C19 pandemic. We will make it easy for those riders who chose to push their 2020 Heck registrations to 2021, too. But YES, we are planning to host those other events as long as the season is safe. Thank you for your patience with this.
Who have you welcomed to cycling this season? A co-worker? Family member, neighbor, friends at school? We will be offering discounts at time of online registration for those welcoming and those deciding to ride a Heck event for the first time. This is about getting people outside. This is about promoting cycling as a great physical and mental experience. This is about bringing those who may have never thought cycling or gravel riding was for them into the sport we love. Thank you for making this one of our priority actions this season.
In preparation for the coming cycling season, we want to begin the process of rolling out some of our amazing partners. Our friends at Minnesota Randonneurs (see their information at the bottom of the page) have some great events planned for the year. (I can attest to the Coulee Challenge as being one heck of a ride as I was part of the scouting team that finished in 2018.)
We are also really excited to have two of our premier partners back for 2021, Otso Cycles and Wolf Tooth Components. They bring not only very cool and innovative products (check out this from Wolf Tooth, and this from Otso) but also do right by Minnesota as local brands that are invested in cycling here on the North Shore and around the Midwest. Stay tuned for more from our dedicated partners.
Here is more about Wolf Tooth-
Website: https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/
Instagram: @wolf_tooth_comp
Info: Wolf Tooth makes bicycling components, tools, and accessories with an emphasis on precision engineering and local manufacturing here in Minnesota. Wolf Tooth’s chainrings, headsets, multi-tools, and other items are designed to make your bike faster, lighter, and more versatile.
And Otso-
Website: https://otsocycles.com/
Instagram: @otsocycles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OtsoCycles/
Info: Otso Cycles designs and makes bikes that are inspired by Minnesota roads and trails. Otso’s bikes are known for their adjustable geometry, massive tire clearance, frames with superior ride quality, and versatility for gravel racing and bikepacking alike.
Please stay tuned as we ramp up for the season via this Cadence site and our Facebook page, too. We will be keeping a close eye on C19 pandemic levels as always.
Ride the Good Line
Jeremy
From Minnesota Randonneurs:
If you are looking to fill in your 2021 riding season with more fun, long distance training rides, check out Minnesota Randonneurs. They offer a full schedule of rides on roads and gravel from 100k-600k (62-375 miles) great for anyone training for Heck and other long distance events or just enjoy getting out to explore our state on a bicycle.
Minnesota Randonneurs has established covid guidelines to ensure rider and community safety while encouraging the camaraderie that makes long distance rides fun.
Once you join Minnesota Randonneurs you can ride as many rando events as you want for the year at no extra cost.
Check out their website at Minnesota Randonneurs to see their schedule as well as dates for several other long distance road and gravel events going on in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest this year.
In 2022, Minnesota Randonneurs will again be hosting the 1200k (750 mile) Coulee Challenge event with riders from all over the US joining us for a fully supported 3-4 day randonnee of the Driftless country in SE Minnesota and SW Wisconsin.
The most famous randonneur event in the world is Paris-Brest-Paris, next held in 2023 in France, with over 7,000 entrants from around the world cycling an event first run in 1891. If you are a long distance cyclist, this needs to be on your list.
