Le Grand Du Nord Gravel Buke Race
With an abundance of gravel roads and trails, the North Shore is a prime destination for gravel bike enthusiasts. Clearly, it’s no surprise that in recent years, the popular pastime has grown to include some well-known gravel bike races. The first big bike race of the year, held each May on or around Memorial Day Weekend, is the Le Grand Du Nord Gravel Bike Race by Heck of the North Productions.
As described on their website, the Le Grand Du Nord “represents one of the most amazing gravel courses in the United States.” The course takes you all over the Cook County gravel back roads, surrounded by lakes, trees, and wildlife.
The Courses
The Le Grand Du Nord Gravel Bike Race features three challenging courses; a 100-mile, a 54-mile, and a 26-mile course. So, the Le Grand Du Nord race can appeal to all skill levels. All of the courses start and end on 3rd Ave West and Highway 61 in Grand Marais. For those not familiar with the town, this is the street next to Voyageur Brewing Company. Then, the courses take riders west along Pike Lake Road.
The 100-mile races will find themselves passing scenic inland lakes. Like, Pike Lake, Clara Lake, Tait Lake, Devil Track Lake, and Two Island Lake. The shorter courses bring you past numerous inland lakes along trails with a heavy tree canopy and plenty of sights to see. Yes, even the occasional wild animal! The races use cue card navigation to guide you along the challenging Cook County trail system.
Finally, all of the races wrap up at the Voyageur Brewing Company. There, you can celebrate your finish with some good food, cold beer, and live music.
Join in the Fun!
If you enjoy riding on gravel trails and exploring the beautiful inland Cook County area, sign up for the Le Grand Du Nord. Registrations are accepted each year up until 2 days before the event on the Heck of the North website. Riders 18 and under ride free with an adult! Not wanting to race yourself? Don’t worry, there are plenty of scenic areas where you can settle in and cheer on racers as they pass.
Or, consider volunteering. There are lots of things to do from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening at the race headquarters or along the route. Volunteer hours as low as 2-hour commitments are available. Volunteers will be rewarded with lots fun and even some goodies like tee shirts, drink coupons, gift certificates, and comped entry to future races.