2022 Registration Updates

Photo courtesy Evan Frost Photography

I want to invite you to online registration for ALL Heck of the North Productions Events on January, 3, 2022. Please go to www.heckofthenorth.com, select the event(s) you want to ride and follow the links to BikeReg to register. And remember, 20% off for you and a NEW rider to one of our events.

In the meanwhile, I am updating the Heck website and working to make sure the registration process is easy via our partners at BikeReg.

Here are the dates for our big three:

Le Grand du Nord May 28, 2022

The Fox July 29-31

The Heck of the North October 1

We are redesigning how we will run The Fox and The Wolf in 2022. We also are cooking up something special that might involve camping, live music and beautiful gravel routes with friends. Stay tuned for these updates.

Until then, get outside, be with your friends and family, stay healthy and get ready for another great season of North Shore gravel riding.

Ride the Good Line!

Jeremy Kershaw

November Bikepacking

Alec and a frosty roll out

This past year my world has been tipped sideways, upside down. It seems a cycle of crisis, recover, crisis, recover. I will say that I have been reaching for every tool I know of to keep my equilibrium. I know that I am not alone in this pattern. It’s been a tough one for many friends and colleagues.

The opportunity to head out for two nights with Avesa’s brother, Alec, was perfectly timed. A brief window in time off from work, a few days of good health with a close family member and perfect November weather forecast.

Without a doubt, one of the best ways to reset my mind is to cycle, sleep on the ground, start a fire and cook with the Whisperlite. Thankfully, Alec, Farrow and Reed also had that same plan.

We headed out from my favorite starting point on the North Shore. November is such a quiet and rather somber time of the year up North. But that peace is OK with me. It’s a time when the natural world, including me, is getting ready for Winter.

We had the Northwoods almost to ourselves save a few grouse and deer hunters. The campgrounds we chose were completely ours.

If you are feeling in need of a reset, consider bikepacking. It does not have to be far away. It can be a mashup of gear. Just get out and build a fire, make morning coffee and oatmeal, and spin some miles of gravel. It will do you good.

Wolves on the move

I always carry a hatchet or axe on trips like this

Ready for a warm evening

Definitely off the beaten path on this trip

Trail lunch is my favorite. Avesa’s homemade sourdough brot and Yker’s finest

Home in the woods

Ok, so I bring two stoves. I like stoves.

Loaded but rolling

Some peace

Save the Dates 2022

Hello from Heck of the North headquarters!

We are hoping you can join us for the 2022 season of Heck of the North Productions events. So far, we have:

Le Grand du Nord, Saturday May 28, 2022 in Grand Marais, MN.

The Heck of the North, Saturday, October 1, 2022, Two Harbors, MN.

We are busy creating a bikepacking event schedule now. Stay tuned for information about The Fox and The Wolf.

Registration for all events will begin Monday, January 3, 2022.

Now, on to packing for a weekend bikepacking trip on the North Shore this weekend. Photos and ideas to follow.

Thank you!

Jeremy Kershaw

100 Mile Finisher Xiayu Peng! Photo by Evan Frost

Thank You!

Thank you from our kitchen table Heck of the North Productions headquarters! To all of our dedicated and friendly volunteers…we could not do this without you (and to Avesa Rockwell for organizing this so well.) To all of you who traveled near and far to be part of the Heck experience, thank you! It has always been worth the blood, sweat and tears on our side, and again, in 2021, it is even more so.

I saw so many things going the right direction in gravel cycling this year. I saw new faces of all ages, colors and sizes. Awesome! I saw welcoming racers, both veteran and new. Thank you. And I saw the perseverance that marks gravel cyclists and especially Heck/Le Grand athletes. This never ceases to inspire.

Chris Pascone and family racing the 20 mile Heck! Photo Evan Frost Photography

True grit demonstrated by Joseph Kelsey age 72. And to Newt Colburn, age 72, who won his esteemed division in 8:48! Thank you for being part of the Heck of the North! Photo Jeremy Kershaw

We are already planning 2022. Here is a date to add to your calendar. Le Grand du Nord, Grand Marais, May 28, 2022. We are working on some new gravel goodness for 2022 and sorting out the date for The Heck of the North. Stay tuned for these.

Here is a special note to the Duluth Devo Mountain Bike Program. And especially Patrick Greehan and Brian Hayden and their group of dedicated coaches and volunteers. I was blown away by the great spirit and athleticism I witnessed at the event. Chapeau!

And thank you to Emily Richey and Kyle Cook for opening their beautiful farmstead, Agate Acres Farm, for our new Heck Basecamp.

Some of the amazing athletes from Duluth Devo Mountain Bike Program. Photo Jeremy Kershaw

And thank you to our incredible sponsors! They add support, flavor and great product to our events.

View the OtsoCycles Gallery of Heck images created by Evan Frost. Otso Cycles has generously made these photos available to download for free. Please give a shout out to Evan and Otso Cycles if used publicly. Use the Code: “Otso” to access.

Until next time, Ride the Good Line!

Jeremy Kershaw and Avesa Rockwell

P.S (And to Bone Saw Cycling Collective for being arguably the most supportive gravel club I have ever seen!)

Volunteer for The Heck of the North

Hello! 

Thank you for registering to ride the 2021 Heck of the North! 

This event could not happen without volunteers, and this year we will need lots of help to ensure physical distancing and safety for a record number of riders. Most shifts are under 2 hours, outdoors, and will require masks. 

Please use the Bike Reg link to register-- scroll to the bottom to find links to Friday and Saturday opportunities:

https://www.bikereg.com/heckofthenorth-2021

We compensate your time in-kind with the following:  

2 HOUR COMMITMENT: Official event tee shirt and free drink ticket at our sponsoring brewery 

4 HOUR COMMITMENT: plus a voucher for sandwich

6 HOUR COMMITMENT: plus comped entry into future 20 or 50 mile Heck event (transferrable to a family member)

8 HOUR COMMITMENT: or comped entry into future 100 mile Heck event (transferrable to a family member)

Please contact our volunteer coordinator, Avesa, at avesaisis@gmail.com if you have questions. 

Thank you! 

Jeremy and Avesa