Time for the Journey to Begin!

My beloved ER mental health co-workers who took up the challenge in 2021

We welcome you to begin your gravel journey tomorrow morning, January 3, when registration for ALL Heck of the North Production events goes live. Please go to the event of your choice(s) and sign up! We again are having all riders 18 and younger ride free (with a guardian on course with them.) We also are encouraging new riders to gravel or Heck events to receive 20% off their registration. The person welcoming these new riders also gets 20% off. Again, this is an honor system discount and intended for new riders only!

We have all been in the thick of this pandemic together. Personally speaking, it has been a very challenging year and a half. If there is one thing I am continually reminded of, it is my need for an adventure goal (or more) for the year. I am a believer in the power of cycling, and especially gravel cycling, to deliver much more than just a physical challenge. It has been life changing for me and I hope that you find the time to accept this adventure journey, too.

So we welcome you to registration tomorrow. We typically do not crash any servers during signup, but the last year has shown us again that gravel is good and people are hungry to ride. Don’t wait too long to get your name on the line.

And if you are looking for a Northern Minnesota cycling challenge, here is my write up of one of my favorite Winter routes. Good luck!

Ride the Good Line!

Jeremy Kershaw

Register on January 3!

Photo by Clint Austin. Way up north on the Canadian border, Le Grand du Nord

A friendly reminder!

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 (meaning: has never participated in a Heck event before/new to gravel cycling) rider to one of our events.

I also want to give a nod to our long distance family at Minnesota Randonneurs! They have a great line up events this season. If you have not taken part in a “rando” ride, you owe it to yourself to be part of this style of riding. Well run, great riders and beautiful routes. And plenty of challenge.

We will be watching the pandemic closely and following guidelines to help keep everyone as safe as possible. Please do your part and get vaccinated/boosted to help small businesses like ours stay viable and safer. Thank you!

Write me with questions. Happy Holidays & Ride the Good Line!

Jeremy Kershaw

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