The fast 50’s from 2022. Photo Jeremy Kershaw
Welcome to Le Grand du Nord!
I scouted all of the courses last Wednesday. Nervous that I would still find snow on the roads I instead was covered in dust. The roads are looking really good for this time of year. I think it could be a fast one.
Le Grand du Nord courses are all some of my favorites in the US. Really. They are so different from those in the southern part of the state, or Iowa, Kansas or Oklahoma. I hope you find the wild feel as inspiring as I do.
Some will note that the 100 mile event route is new. Indeed, it draws upon some of the best roads in the Sawtooth range. I am excited for you to try this new course. I think it’s going to be faster than usual due to the absence of a few miles of gnarliness. There are a few reasons I made the switch to this course and I look forward to your feedback.
The 26 and 54 mile courses are very similar to last year. They are classics in my book.
Safety. We are planning on stopping traffic at the intersection of 5th St and 5th Ave, the only stop sign coming into town, for both the start of the race and for the end. We will also have the downhill run to the finish on 3rd Ave protected with barricades and volunteers at the intersections. That being said…PLEASE use COMMON SENSE and typical traffic safety guidelines EVERYWHERE on course. No roads are closed and cars can still be anywhere on course (even crossing the road to the finish line.) We are relying on our volunteers, traffic safety crew (thank you Hovland STOP team members!) and YOU to keep it safe for everyone. Thanks for helping with this.
Tires. My general rule with gravel cycling is to run the widest tires your bike can fit. This not only adds pneumatic comfort with the extra air volume but also more float over gravel. This extra float can increase your average speed. A good starting point for air pressure is the low 30’s psi. You can fine tune this but DO NOT go with the higher pressure means faster ride theory. You will regret this in not only loss of comfort but also loss of speed. My favorite average tire width these days is about 40 mm wide.
The weather forecast is improving. I am cautiously optimistic it will be dry. One thing to note is that the average temperature in Grand Marais harbor is often much cooler than that uphill. This means that you may find yourself overheating the higher in elevation you go. Each course starts off with a few miles of climbing so be prepared for this possible temp change. Have a place where you can stow a light jacket or your arm/knee warmers.
Each event distance (26, 54 and 100) will have one aid station at about the midpoint. We will have volunteers, water, energy drink, snacks and toilets at each station. Dropping your own personal water bottles or food in advance is NOT ALLOWED. Nor is any resupply from family or friends on course. You are allowed to assist any other rider, though, during the event. I recommend all riders to have packed their absolute favorite snack as a just in case, emergency calorie source. Otherwise, you can lean on us for moral and caloric resupply at the mid-points. Please be extra thankful to the amazing volunteers we have during the event. Thank you!
Parking. Most of town is fair game. The court house has some extra parking, too. Please DO NOT PARK on 3rd Ave west (part of our course) or at the YMCA or the school (both on 5th St.)
Thank you for being part of this year’s Le Grand du Nord. I am asking that all riders go out of their way to introduce themselves to someone new at the race. Step out of your comfort bubble and help make our gravel community as welcoming as possible. I also ask that you leave the great residents of Grand Marais (who are incredibly hard working but strapped for workers like everywhere else) thinking that Le Grand du Nord is a classy event with great participants. Thanks for helping us out with this!
Be Graveleer!
Jeremy Kershaw