The Filth 50 takes place in the Driftless region of Minnesota in October. Race organizers recently dropped a video that is a love letter to cycling the gravel roads in the Driftless region. From the Filthy 50 Youtube Channel: The gravel roads of North America's Driftless Region are incredibly special to us. So special, that 9 years ago we put on a gravel ride to introduce all types of people to some of our favorite roads. We started riding together to help dad get healthy. He was in a bad place after his battle with cancer and the bicycle was the key to fixing that. A lot has happened since then. Year after year we have spent more saddle time on those Driftless roads and more and more of you have chosen to join us. Many have shared stories with us as to why they showed up and what riding there with us has done for them. This past winter, Nicholas Kapanke of Checkpoint Zero Films, put my thoughts to some film that he captured at last year's Filthy and made 'Ride More Drift Less'. Thank you, Nick. Enjoy and then get out there and ride. We hope to see you all this fall in Lanesboro.

In 2021, Aaron Roecker and his wife Kim went on their first bikepacking trip and also spent their first nights away from their one year old son. They pedaled north to Minocqua and found their fair share of adventure and mishaps along the way. Story: Aaron Roecker @aaroecker “Up North.” If you're from Wisconsin, you know the saying. It’s a phrase most often heard right before the weekend, or during the heat of summer when the cool water of northern lakes calls. Its meaning, or more specifically the destination, changes from person to person. For me and my family, “up north” has always meant Minocqua. My wife and I are into bikes. We love ‘em, and I’m sure you do, too. Like many, we began our journey with bikes pedaling first on dirt, racing WORS. While many would head up north to get out on the lakes, we would head north to ride singletrack. Yes, we’d still get out on the water too, but usually only after getting some miles in on our bikes. As time moved on, our desire to simply ride more got us into just about every type of cycling you can think of. And with this notion to simply “ride more” our collection of bikes grew. As I write this article, I’ve put more miles on my e-cargo bike than any other this past year. I’m OK with that, because I still get to ride. Life gets busy, but I can still ride my bike to work or head to swimming lessons with my son. The idea of replacing vehicle travel with a bike is really where our bikepacking story begins. On a road trip north, I said to my wife, Kim, “Why don't we just ride our bikes up here?” And so begins our story. Pandemic Adventure Planning In the midst of the pandemic, we began planning our journey north while also juggling remote work, caring for our one-year-old son and 11-year-old dog, who is a puppy at heart. The general outline of our trip came down to two simple desires: ride to Minocqua over the span of three days and two nights, and use as much trail as possible. Thanks to Garmin, Google Maps, and talking to friends, we chose our route. This route included a mix of road and trail riding along the Friendship, Wiowash, Mountain Bay, Hiawatha and Bearskin trail systems. We planned to camp over at Wilson Lake County Park our first night, and then at SARA Park Campground our second night; arriving in Minocqua on our third day. Our bikes would be loaded with all of our overnight gear and food to snack on while riding. For our main meals, we planned to stop at restaurants along the way. Bikepacking was new to us, and this would be our first time away from our one-year-old son. We felt confident in our plans and were excited to get moving on a new adventure. False Starts on Day 1 On the morning of our trip we were, for all intents and purposes, ready, but per usual, and mostly on my part, we were running late. The plan was to drop our son and dog off at Kim’s parents. We would then leave from their house on our bikes, and they meet us in Minocqua at my parents’ home in a few days. Everything was set, but last-minute details were bogging us down. When we arrived at Kim’s parents’ we unloaded and prepped our bikes, gave our hugs and kisses goodbye, snapped a photo, and rolled down Green Acres Lane. Less than a block into the journey, my rear tire lost all air. Upon inspection the sidewall of my tire was slashed and unrideable. Thankfully, our local bike shop was open. I quickly hopped in the car and headed there to get a replacement. With a new tire and sealant in hand, I quickly got the new tire on the rim and aired up. In the rush, I forgot about the placement of my thru axle. After a bit of detective work, I came to discover that I had left the thru axle on the bumper of the car while disassembling my bike. The thru axle came for the ride part way to the bike shop, but had fallen off around the corner and down the street. When we came to find it, the threads were damaged, making it unusable. This time I headed home as I knew I had a spare thru axle that I could use. When I arrived back at grandma and grandpa’s I quickly prepared my bike. We had lost so much time already, but thankfully the tire fiasco was the last of our mechanical troubles. We again said our goodbyes and were finally on our way north. The tire fiasco has added substantial time onto our already delayed start. We didn’t have time to rethink our route, and we just decided that we would have to push a little harder. Doing so proved to be more difficult with a loaded-down bike. Thankfully, the weather was sunny and warm, and the wind was mild. Every time I mentioned the uncomfortable pull of the extra weight on my bike, Kim would just smile. The feeling was uneasy at first, but it became the new normal after a few short miles. Picking Up Speed & Getting Local Tips Now that we were moving, the miles melted away like ice cream in the sun; we were melting, too, in the hot summer sun. We rode very little trail, only using the Friendship and Wiowash trails for the first portion of the day. The rest of the day was on county roads. Kim, a transportation planner, took extra care searching for the safer and more scenic roads. These scenic roads wound us through Hortonville, New London, and Marion, where we finally stopped for dinner at the Pigeon River Brewery. As we sat on the patio of Pigeon River Brewery, we took in the warm summer night while video chatting with our son, hearing about his day and exciting adventures that he took Grandma and Grandpa on. The food was great and the beer was even better. Despite not dawdling too much, daylight was no longer on our side, and the potential of a looming storm made us realize we may not make our Day 1 destination. Even worse, the quiet county roads we had planned to ride on would have added an unnecessary distance in the dwindling sunlight. After reviewing Google Maps and chatting with the friendly bartender, we succumbed to the realization that we would have to ride on a relatively busy highway. However, the bartender also recommended a closer campground that was only about 10 miles away. The main office was closed when we tried calling, and we were not able to reserve online; we just had to go with the hope that a campsite would be available. Upon leaving Pigeon River Brewery the bartender gave us his number and told us to call him if we ran into trouble. We were prepared with lights and reflective gear, but no one likes to ride on a busy highway at dusk. As we made our way to the campground, the traffic was calm but steady, and we made it to our destination with little trouble. While no one was at the front desk, we were able to get in touch with a kind employee who was on-call; she pointed us to some of the more scenic sites. With a campsite along the river, we started to settle in for the evening. I looked down at my Garmin and thought back on the 70 miles of excitement our first day entailed and wondered how tomorrow would transpire. We cleaned ourselves up and quickly climbed into bed for the night; falling quickly asleep to the sound of the fast moving river. Waking Up On The Trail, Kid-Free For the First Time We woke early the next morning with no alarm; this was our first morning in almost 18 months that we didn’t wake up to our son. Given that we had some distance to make up, we quickly got to work on breaking down our campsite. This was not a quick process. Stuffing our gear back into our packs was a tedious task; we had very little room to spare, and everything had to be packed in the right order. After a quick Google search we discovered a greasy spoon restaurant a close distance away. As we made our way into Tigerton the mist of the morning dew was rising in the grass and fields that surrounded us. We parked our bikes outside and made our way inside. The coffee was dark, the food was great and our friendly server chatted with us in a subtle southern accent; a recent transplant. As we ate breakfast we planned our day while keeping an eye on the weather. Strong storms were looking to move their way across the state in the early afternoon. With full stomachs, we made our way toward the northern section of the Wiowash trail. The air was thick, but the sun continued to shine down on us. As we worked our way northwest, the sunny sky turned menacing and drops of rain started to fall on our helmets. When we came to the junction of the Wiowash and Mountain Bay trails our phones started to warn us of a severe weather system making its way toward us, and the sky opened into a torrential downpour. Luckily, we quickly found temporary cover under trailside shelter. We grabbed our phones and began looking at the weather and for a safe harbor destination that we could ride the storm out in. Google told us that a trailside tavern was less than a mile north from us, so we headed there as quickly as we could. Waiting Out the Rain The rain pelted us as we made our way inside the Mountain Bay Bar and Grill. We stuck out like a sore thumb as the few patrons’ and bartender’s eyes met our rain-soaked bodies. After a brief conversation, the bartender invited us to bring our bikes inside, and we draped ourselves with our camp towels. We were welcomed with questions about what we were doing and where we were going. We ate lunch, and talked with our new friends until the weather passed. We chatted about our plans and destination for the night while we watched images of severe weather and flooding on the tv screens. The storm was waning, but nearby flooding presented us with new potential dangers. Once the radar showed the storm had passed, one of the patrons called a friend in the Wausau area to make sure our passage north would indeed be safe and clear. Upon leaving the tavern the bartender offered us her number and told us to call if we ran into trouble. The sun was hard at work drying out the trails as we left the bar. As we continued northwest on our journey, the Mountain Bay Trail offered us picturesque landscapes of the Wisconsin countryside. From forests to bridges over bogs, this section of the state and trail offers great riding and views. Rolling into the Wausau area, the trail turned to pavement and we moved closer to our new destination for the night, the Marathon County Park Campground. Arriving at the campground, we were greeted with a tree covered, self-serviced affair. We picked a site and chatted with the neighbors before cleaning up prior to dinner. We decided to grab a late dinner and beer at the Great Dane Pub and Brewing Co. It was only a short ride from the campground and has always had great food and, of course, beer. As we made our way back to the site and settled in for the night, we drifted quickly off to sleep listening to the distant hum of Highway 51. Tomorrow, we’d reach our final destination, Minocqua. Last Day of Riding The next morning, we broke camp early and headed off to grab a quick breakfast and coffee at Starbucks. While sipping on coffee and tea, we stared at Google Maps, hoping that if we looked long enough the perfect route to the Bearskin trailhead would appear; it did not. We knew the stretch from Wausau to Merrill would have a section of busy roads to cover. We would soon learn how busy. The county highways held steady 55 mph traffic and seemed to have one rolling hill after another. After 45 minutes of buzzing traffic and teeth-rattling, rutted-out gravel shoulders we decided to break from the Garmin recommended route and head east on Naugart Drive, letting fate lead. We meandered through a serene territory north of Wausau mixed with paved and gravel roads. Coming across farm and forest lands, and happening upon a picturesque single-room schoolhouse, which to our eyes, had seen better days. As we slowly moved north, Kim and I continued to comment to each other how lucky we were to find such a wonderful area to ride through. We continued on to Merrill as a gentle rain began to fall. When we rolled into Merrill, we resupplied our bottles and snacks at a local gas station. Moving through the city streets, the rain began to come down harder, and we took temporary refuge underneath a large oak tree covering a sidestreet. It didn’t last long and we were soon on our way north again. Our next destination was Tomahawk. We’d hoped to grab lunch there prior to hopping on the Bearskin Trail; finishing our trip on one of the state’s most scenic rails to trails. As we made our way toward Tomahawk, our surroundings became the image of northern Wisconsin that everyone talks about: forests, lakes and rivers. The roads were quiet and moved through beautiful forested rolling hills hugging several small lakes, and a river along the way. While the outside world was a delight to soak in, Kim and I were getting grumpy. Hunger was setting in and we were still drying off from the day’s earlier rain. Lunch was needed and as we approached Tomahawk we stopped at a quiet park to use the restroom and find a place in town to eat. With a destination set, we headed in the right direction of the moment, food. Tomahawk greeted us with busy traffic along a brief stint on South Tomahawk Avenue. As we came into the downtown district, we quickly found a place to store our bikes while we dined. As we refueled and sipped coffee and tea, passersby outside the window paused and tilted their heads to the side as they looked over our bikes full of bags and gear. Kim and I smiled and continued finishing our lunch. The last leg of our trip was in sight. As we settled our tab, I sent a quick text to my mom giving her an ETA on our arrival. We rambled through Tomahawk and circled back on ourselves several times, struggling to find the trailhead to the Hiawatha Trail, which would eventually give way to the Bearskin Trail. As fate would have it, we came upon a kind, retired woman out for a ride heading in our direction. She graciously offered to guide us to the trailhead. We continued to ride with this kind soul for several miles, before she turned off the trail heading to her lakeside home. We spoke of all things you're not supposed to talk to strangers about, our life stories, politics, marriage and kids. Her warmth and kindness moved just as quick as she did, zipping down the trail. We departed our new friend and moved into riding the final stretch side by side, seamlessly transitioning onto the Bearskin Trail. Kim and I took in all the beauty the trail had to offer. We moved through a forested wonderland riding by lakes, over creeks, and waterways. The gravel was constant as we made our final push north, stopping only for a few photos along the way when something would catch our eyes. Making it to Minocqua & Seeing Our Son As we approached Minocqua, the number of walkers and cyclists increased. Coming over the final bridge, we found ourselves in downtown Minocqua, which was busy with the bustle of summer activities. We quickly made our way through the busy streets towards my parents’ home, knowing soon we’d be greeted by family. Moving through town I’m still amazed at how much water is in the area. Circling in just about any direction you're sure to see a body of water asking you to take a swim. As we turned down my parents' long and straight road, I could hear the faint sound of bells ringing. When we approached the driveway, we were greeted with ringing bells, shouts of “you made it!” and dogs barking. We had arrived; we were north. Excitement was high, and we quickly exchanged hugs. Our son was eager to see us, but his one-year-old attention was quickly grabbed by the outdoor toys and the sunshine of the day. We all sat in the sun and talked through our adventure and what would lay ahead for the next few days. Our day of riding concluded with family and smiles all around. Our trip was an adventure, and I’m happy we jumped in and made it happen. I know that we’ll remember our time riding north fondly, using what we learned along the way for future trips. Bike troubles and severe weather did set us back, but if it wasn’t that, it would have probably been something else. And, that’s OK, because it’s part of what made it our adventure. This summer we’re already talking about a new adventure with a trip, you guessed it, north.

Winston County Gravel Cup had its inaugural event last year and is gearing up for round two. Through beautiful valleys and heroic gravel roads, the event carries an old cigarette branding theme and promises a full flavored event. This year's event takes place on September 24, 2022 and has a 40, 60, and 100 mile option. Learn more about the event on their website or follow them on instagram. The event is organized by Paul Reardon , Jacob Ellefsen, and Luke Schuttenhelm Interview with race coordinator, Jacob Ellefsen: Let's start with the cigarette branding. What's that all about? That is kind of what it has evolved into a bit. I must credit fellow ride organizer, Luke Schuttenhelm, with the creation of the ride’s name. The race itself takes place in Winona and Houston County, so he mashed those together with some inspiration from days of NASCAR past and the Winston County Gravel Cup was born. The cigarette portion is what grabbed people's attention, we even had an old Winston gas station sign show up on race day and gave away a ton of old Winston memorabilia. It’s hard to take yourself too seriously with inspiration like that. Ultimately, we want riders to have fun. Whether racing at the front or beer stops every 20 miles. We’ve made the route, but you make the ride. This is your 2nd year, right? What were the highlights of year 1? The biggest highlight for us was the overall success. For year 1, we literally organized the ride in 4 months. No small task considering everything that goes into planning a ride, but at the end of the day it was all worth it. Everyone finished safely and there was not one face without a smile. Secondly, there was one rider that was a highlight for all those that rode with her… Nellie Rice, who embodied the very spirit of the event. This was her first ever gravel event and on top of that, she chose the 100-mile route. Even showed up with fake cigarettes! She was so determined to finish, and it took her 10 hours and 52 minutes. "She finished dead last but seeing that feeling of accomplishment on her face was an emotional moment for us as organizers. Riders like Nellie are really what makes all the time spent organizing the ride worth it." What are the roads and gravel in "Winston County" like? Well, when we don’t have the grader go through, they are the definition of hero gravel. Last year unfortunately we had a stretch of road that was graded during the ride, but that’s just the way it is sometimes. Luckily, everyone was able to find the humor about it We are extremely fortunate to have such great roads to host the ride on. Pair that with the challenging climbs and spectacular views… It makes for quite an experience. Why did you start this race? We started this race to share the amazing riding that the Houston, MN area has to offer. The town itself exists in this weird space where it’s the destination for many riders from nearby La Crosse and it’s at the end of the Root River Trail when most riders turn back. It was really a well-kept secret for those that ventured out that way. Secondly, we wanted to bring people together to enjoy and share in this rad experience and that’s the remarkable thing about the culture of gravel. In the end, everyone enjoys a beer together, whether they are racing for first place or simply trying to finish. I see you have picked some charities to benefit. Why are those charities important to you? We wanted to give back to the community that was so gracious to host us. The Houston Nature Center and International Owl Center both provide great environmental education programs. Additionally, the Houston Nature Center offers amazing amenities to cyclists such as showers and camping. Both locations are funded mostly by donations, and we wanted to help by donating to and promoting these community staples for our first year.

The Trans-Wisconsin Adventure Bicycle Route has been a dream of Frank Hassler's for a while. Ever since spending 8 days bike touring part of the route in 2011 and having a whole bunch of Type 2 fun, he's dreamed of formalizing this trail. In this interview I talk with Frank about the route and what it's going to take to complete the project. The TWABR is ~685 miles, with over 35,000’ of climbing. The current iteration of the route can be found on RideWithGPS. To follow along, visit the Facebook page. This sounds like a massive project. What inspired you to take this on? Developing a 700-mile bike route seems like a big reach, but fortunately, I’m standing on the shoulders of giants, so to speak. In the early 2000’s, Chad Berger developed the Trans-Wisconsin Adventure Trail (TWAT) dual-sport motorcycle route. Inspired by the TWAT, Joe Meiser created the Trans-Wisconsin Mountain Bike Trail (TWMBT) and organized the Trans-WI Mountain Bike Race along this route in 2010. What I am calling the Trans-Wisconsin Adventure Bicycle Route (TWABR) is really just a further development of the TWMBT. I expect we will be updating 30-40% of the route for the TWABR, but mostly small improvements along the same general corridor. We only need to route 1/3rd of 700 miles. Back to what inspired me specifically: Over 8 days in July and August of 2011 I toured the TWMBT. Despite repeated heavy thunderstorms, persistent deer flies, breaking my thumb, loosing my wallet, trudging through sand roads and getting lost on abandon logging roads that lead no-where but into a swamp, I had a great time. Its a brilliant route, traversing major bioregions of the state including the Driftless Region, the Mississippi Valley, the Central Sands, the North Woods and finish on the shores of Lake Superior in sight of the Apostle Islands. It links together some of Wisconsin’s best mountain bike trail networks. Ever since doing this trip, I wanted to share the route with other like-minded cyclists. I think it's a world class route. What's the current status of this project and when do you hope to complete it? I have a proposed route worked out on RideWithGPS. Now as the riding season is starting it's time to ground-truth the route to see if the red line on the computer screen makes sense in reality. At this point I’m seeking adventurous riders to scout the route out and local riders who can perhaps suggest better options based on what they like to ride. It will be going together in pieces, I think after we finalize each section of the route it would be good to plan a day-ride on those sections to give it a final check with a number of riders, and to introduce people to each segment. I think with some collaboration we should be able to get the route finalized by late-summer or early fall. Then it's time to get people out to ride the route! I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a tour on the southern-half of the route in late-July with an open invite to anyone who wants to join. Then a second tour in September to ride the northern portion. In any event, we’ll put together the details on the Facebook group. What are your favorite parts of this route? That’s a tough call. While its mostly paved and gravel roads, the first couple days in the Driftless region are just real solid scenic rural riding. Another great section is the last segment north of Delta to Hwy 13 which feels extremely remote, I saw almost no other humans the entire day (but plenty of wildlife). But if I had to pick a single favorite section it would probably be the Black River State Forest. The Central Sands are just unique and remind me of riding in the highlands of northern Arizona. The stunted black oak and jack pine of the barrens is just so different from every other environment in the state. And as a botanist, I just can’t get over the fields of lupine and roadside ditches full of grass pink orchids. How can people get involved or help out? The further along I get in this project the more aspects of it I realize there are. There are a lot of ways large and small that people could help make this a reality. As mentioned above, we need a bunch of people to get out on the roads and trails and ground truth the route. Outreach: We need people to get in touch with local trail organizations, public land managers, bike shops and so forth to let them know what we’re planning and start to work together where needed. I think what we’d be looking for local ambassadors in each region who are part of the community to facilitate communication and coordination. We could use a graphic designer to develop a logo for things like stickers, patches, and trail blazes. We could probably use a website and thus a webmaster, and some organization willing to host the website. Right now we’re using a Facebook group to organize things, but having a website as a central information depot will be essential in the long-run. I would love it if we could have a someone with some GIS/cartography skills develop a good looking map of the route. There seems to be a lot of interest in reviving the idea of a race along the route. That would require someone stepping up as a race organizer.

Moran 166 is in its second year and offers $10,000 in cash prizes with equal payout for men and women. The event is remote, fast, and growing in popularity. Check out this Q&A with Tyler Tafelsky, Race Coordinator, to learn more about the philosophy and vibe behind this event. Moran 166 takes place in Moran in the upper peninsula of Michigan on Saturday, October 1st. To learn more or register for the race, visit the Moran 166. Photos: @moran166race Ok, so $10k is a lot of dough. That means 20 men and women are going home with money in their pocket; why the prize purse? We’re not ones to compare ourselves to others. But to make a point, you see these big iconic gravel bike races in the U.S. that draw thousands of racers including major sponsorship and media attention, and yet, there’s no payout to the top finishers. That’s kind of bogus, in our opinion, especially when some of these events are pulling in millions of dollars in revenue. Pros and non-pros alike invest 10, 20, 30 hours a week into training for these events. That’s a part-time job in and of itself. While the MORAN 166 still has a lot of growth to reach a similar volume as the major gravel races throughout the country, we’re adamant about setting the tone now that our race gives back to the gravel community and rewards those top-performers who show up and race their hearts out. Sure, there's an incentive component to attract cyclists to our event. But the decision to offer a $10k cash purse goes much deeper than that. In the fast growing gravel community, we’re positioning ourselves now among race promoters by doing the right thing and giving back to those who train hard, show up, and race with us. Moran is just about the farthest corner of The Nxrth's coverage (WI/MN/U.P.). What makes it worth the drive? Arriving into Moran and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is like stepping back in time. Very little has changed in the last 100 years here. So the vibe is very historic in a way. There’s not much for development, as much of the eastern UP is protected national forest. It’s probably as close to true wilderness as you can get without traveling further north into Canada. The course itself is truly an adventure. You can count the number of buildings and/or cars you’ll see on both hands. Within the first mile upon heading north up East Lake Road out of Moran, you’ll quickly cop on to the untouched wilderness vibes. For the first 30 miles, it’s nothing but pristine gravel roads lined with flourishing wetlands, open expanses, and densely packed woods. There are a few paved stretches throughout the course, but they’re a welcomed change and the traffic is minimal. Overall, it’s one of the most beautiful and scenic bike races that truly feels like a remote adventure ride. And with this year’s race taking place October 1st, the autumn colors should be blazing. Tell me about last year's inaugural event This will be the second year for the Moran 166. We’ve made some slight course modifications at the northernmost section, so there will be slightly more climbing.But still not very much. Over the course of the 166-mile course, the elevation gain is fairly minimal (about 3,000 feet), so it’s a very fast race. Last year’s top finishers averaged 21 MPH for the full 166 miles. Between the weather, the people, and local community support, we couldn’t have asked for a better inaugural race in 2021. The race itself had some interesting turning points. A small breakaway group separated itself from the pack at mile 30. Two of those attackers held on to take first and second place. But a hard-working chase pack managed to catch up to the other around mile 110 to make for a dramatic sprint for third at the end. You can read the full race recap here. We had just about one hundred racers show up for the first year’s 166-miler. It was the perfect kickoff that received rave reviews from both participants and the community. We expect to see double (perhaps triple) the participation for 2022. Combined with on-site camping and more vendors, food trucks, and event happenings, it’s going to be a much more lively and energetic time at the Mackinac County Fairgrounds this year. Currently, we’re open to sponsors and vendors who’d like to get involved. Interest in the race is rising fast, so we expect to see a great turnout for 2022.

A free spirit cyclist and photographer from Duluth Minnesota, Josh Kowaleski looks for nontraditional ways to document adventures. Last year he became a dad and is enjoying the new pace of life while growing his photography project, Pointed North Photo. In this interview, we discuss bikes, fatherhood, and some of his favorite shoots. I first met Josh in college at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. We both rock climbed and rode bikes. I still have a homemade cribbage board that he gave me when I got married over a decade ago. We've lived in different states for a while now but continue to follow each other's bike adventures. I'm extremely proud to get to share his work with you in this interview. Tell me about your photography project, Pointed North Photo, and where are you headed with it? Pointed North as a concept came out of a bit of boredom in 2015. I was tired of my instagram handle and was kicking around some new ideas and I had no idea that it would inevitably be something I could build a brand around years later. I liked the image of a compass and always having a constant bearing , a consistent reference point to make decisions around, a basic guiding principle. I liked the imagery it conjured up in my mind of wandering the woods, exploring. Like most everyone knows, all good things are found the further north you go. I came up with Pointed North and it stuck. Where am I headed with it? As with any adventure, I’m not quite sure. I'm going to keep going in this direction though with Active Family Portraiture and see where it takes me. I hope it brings me all around the region, documenting all the different people who live up here, doing the things that they enjoy the most with those they love the most. Things like skiing the first set of tracks through droopy pines while quarter sized flakes fall from the sky. Or, riding steep and gnarly singletrack on your mountain bike while your dog nips at your heels. Maybe it’s chasing trout with your loved one, fly rods in hand as you journey up a North Shore stream? Those are the moments that keep us here. Big loud moments and small quiet ones. I want to capture them all and I want to share them. You’re originally from Northern Minnesota? What’s it like finding new ways to document an area where you’ve lived almost your entire life? Yup! I was born in Duluth and spent my early childhood in the U.P. of Michigan and then we moved to Minnesota. I love it here. Between the bike, the camera I feel like you have no choice but to see things differently, even if it’s the same gravel road you’ve been down a million times before. The bike forces your body to move at the pace of the land and to engage with it. The camera forces your eye to look for fun details. The two in combination are magical. Then you just play in the woods. It always feels new. I’m fortunate to live where I do. I’m fortunate to have quick access to adventures that are large and adventures that are small, right from my doorstep. There’s a running list of things to do and you get to configure those combinations of things to do based on what the weather and your time frame give you. There’s an infinite combination and I feel in some ways like I’ve only just started, despite living a whole lifetime up here. It’s my opinion that if you’re bored it’s your own fault. What gear do you shoot with? I'm pretty in love with the Fujifilm X System. I love the mechanical and tactile feel of the bodies with all of their dials.Their lineup of lenses are amazing, and the big thing is that it’s all really packable. The cameras are little powerhouses and because they’re unassuming and retro in aesthetic I feel they allow me to be in a scene and to shoot portraits of people without it feeling intimidating or like they’re in a big production photo shoot. The camera’s are unassuming and I love that quality the most. My kit for shooting most everything is my x-t4 paired to my 50-140mm f2.8 and my 10-24mm f4. For portrait work I use the x-t4 with a 50mm f1.0. As a second camera I have an x-t20 with a 27mm f2.8 pancake lens. This combination is tiny. It's pocketable and easy to slip into a pack. This combination is the most unassuming and allows for some really intimate shots. This combination is mostly used for my own, personal documentation of my family, but it does land in a pack and join me every now and again.. What bike are you riding these days and what routes and events have you been into? Bikes:Living in Duluth I have access to a lot of different types of riding and that lends itself to having a line of tools for the different types of “jobs”. I love steel and tend to lean that way with my bike choices. To keep the list short, I won’t go through all of the bikes but I will say that if it came down to choosing the bike that would be the very last one to leave my collection, it would be my custom Surly Karate Monkey Single Speed. I just love that bike. It’s purpose built to tackle everything that Northern Minnesota has to offer and it is just a riot to ride. I have a few different parts to configure it in a few different ways. It’s simple. It’s reliable. It’s versatile and It’s steel. I’ve put a LOT of miles on that bike and it is my personal favorite in a lineup of some pretty sweet bikes. Routes & Events: I haven’t participated in an event in a while, between COVID and the welcomed addition in our family of my Son, I’m not in a spot to tackle as many events in a year as I have in the past. Most recently a group of likeminded dad’s all got together and we rolled the 50 mile edition of the 2021 Heck of the North. Prior to COVID and the arrival of my son, I routinely enjoyed a LOT of the events that our region hosts. 2019 was a pretty big year on the bike for me. I do all of my long distance stuff on the single speed and checked of the Mid South 100, Lutsen 199er (shuttled to the start, rode the race, rode home to Duluth) which was prep for the CRUSHER 225 Point to Point in the Upper Peninsula, and there was a few mountain bike races in there too with events like the Wausau 24. I closed out the season with a fat-bike adventure with a few friends, riding to a remote checkpoint in the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon where we volunteered as dog handlers for the mushers. That was probably the highlight of the 2019 season for me. The region is so full of all kinds of fun events that you can keep yourself as busy as you want to, year round. As far as routes go, I prefer to mostly ramble around and see where I can get to on my bike. I got into bikepacking this way and I think it’s the most fun. Growing up in this region and seeing a lot of remote places from a Jeep or an ATV really opened my eyes to what’s possible on the bike. My first bikepacking trip was simply a trip to see if I could get to this one remote spot that my family used to go to with our Jeep, and to try and get there by bike. I then just continued to try and visit those places that were so far out there but by bike. No route, just riding familiar roads and trails. This is more my style. Pick a spot and go there, simply because you want to see what’s there. It seems like a lot of your photography centers around families that are active together; why has that been such a focus? The short answer is that I like people! Ha! The longer answer is that I really think it’s a fun niche that I haven’t seen represented in photography. We see classic family portraits, everyone all wearing the same color, posed, multi generational etc. That’s great! Those images are important. I am just not good at taking them. This style that I’m embracing grew out of shooting images of my friends riding their bikes, hitting jumps and screwing around in the woods. It’s morphed into this category that’s between action sports photography and family portraiture. It’s families recreating together. It’s sweaty, it’s dirty, it’s raw and it’s real. I have shots ranging from a family day at the cabin, with the dog about to steal an ice cream cone out of the hands of a toddler, to images of teenage boys hitting big, gapped jumps over their parents. I don’t pose stuff. I just come along for the ride with your family and document “you” doing whatever it is that you all like to do. It’s a blast and every shoot is different! You recently became a dad; how have you found a balance between an active lifestyle and being a young parent? Early on it was a bit difficult but now that he's bigger and more sturdy, we have adopted a philosophy that “he goes where we go and he does what we do”. Obviously this is within reason, but lately I just bundle him up, throw him in the pack or the sled and head out. I’m tuned in enough with him where I can read his body language and interpret his verbals and make decisions around him. In the winter he seems good for about an hour to an hour and a half outside, so I just tailor my adventures around him and keep them in that time frame. Knock on wood we haven’t had any major meltdowns in the woods yet. No long hikes back to the car with him screaming or crying. To be honest, I don’t really care if I ever do another long distance race or event. I want to do as many adventures as I can with him, at his pace, on his time, however he wants to do them. That’s my adventure now. That’s my goal. Follow him around and just try and keep up. I feel like if that’s the approach, balance shouldn’t be too hard to come by. To view more photos or learn more about Josh Kowaleski, check out Pointed North Photography or follow his photography on instagram.

Straddle & Paddle was born in 2017 from a bikepacking.com contest and a little bit of Minnesota/Wisconsin rivalry. The route has inspired hundreds of Arrowhead bikepacking adventures and this year celebrates its 5th birthday. Happy Birthday, Straddle & Paddle! Straddle & Paddle is a 180 mile, 3-4 day bikepacking adventure in the Arrowhead of Minnesota's north shore. In this interview, I talk with Peter Pascale, the original creator of the route to discuss how it all came together and what makes it meaningful to him. Photos: David Vessel Photography Interview with Peter Pascale: Why did you create Straddle & Paddle 5 years ago? I was inspired by Bikepacking.com’s 2017 route contest. Now, I’m not a native Minnesotan (raised in Pennsylvania) but it still bothered me that Wisconsin beat us to the map! The Bikepacking.com route map that is. Dave Schlabowske’s wonderful Tour de Chequamegon route had been published the year before. Since I consider bikepacking.com the definitive source of inspiring routes, I wanted to see Minnesota’s great north represented. Having ridden northern Minnesota for years, I knew we had all the elements of a great bikepacking experience. When the contest came out in 2017, I figured it would be a great project, a chance to get Minnesota on the map, and… maybe win a prize. Turns out - the Straddle and Paddle took fourth place - not too shabby when the top first and second go to lifetime bucket list routes in Australia and New Zealand respectively! I did want to win that red Surly Krampus for my wife (I’m a huge surly fan), but the prize pack for honorable mentions was still very fun, and I split it with David Vessel - the amateur photographer friend that helped document the route. What was your process like for creating the route? Well, I’ve been refreshing my soul in the north woods and north shore of Lake Superior for almost 30 years. I was introduced to the BWCA, and the North Shore, working for the Minnesota Conservation Corps in the early 1990s. The ‘Arrowhead’ is just a place more midwesterners should experience. I knew there was cultural value - Native American history, fishing and logging history, the small towns, etc. And I knew incorporating the BWCA would be really special. I had been doing wilderness trips out of Sawbill Lake for years. You can literally get a free day permit and rent a canoe from the outfitters right at the lake, and do the wonderful Kelso Lake loop in a half day. So I thought it would be great to incorporate the Boundary Waters in the route, even though I expect most folks don’t actually get in a canoe! I did a lot of pre-rides, usually sneaking away during a family trip for a morning to explore a segment, or see if lines on the map that nearly connect could be bushwhacked through (most always… no). This led to many great experiences and discoveries - some of which are on the route. For example - locals know the beautiful falls on the Cascade River just south of Eagle Mountain Trailhead, but I only discovered it because it’s on old maps of the area. I also got EXTREMELY lost bushwhacking northeast of Grand Marais following a line on a very old cross-country recreation map. That did not become part of the route - though I did come across a functional moonshine still in the woods! I connected enough of the segments to ride the majority of the route with friend Ron Lancaster a season before submitting to the contest. Then rode it again with another friend David Vessel to document it for Bikepacking.com. David is an accomplished amateur photographer and his photos brought the route to life. I’ve since re-ridden a longer version solo and continued to explore segments. I was set to ride again last year, but the forest fires pushed us east - to a great four-day ride in the Porcupine Mountains at the western end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Who helped create the Straddle & Paddle route? I’d have to start with two gravel pioneers - Jeremy Kershaw from the Heck of the North, and Joshua Stamper of Gravel Conspiracy. Between the two of them - I believe they have ridden the entire arrowhead. Their events are inspiring, and they have been extremely generous with their knowledge and route maps. Joshua was running the Gravel Conspiracy the first time Ron and I did the entire route, and we ran into him at the Trestle Inn. Jeremy’s Heck Epic (now Fox and Wolf) and the Grand Du Nord events use some of the same roads. He steered me right, while challenging me to push harder with his events. I think the Heck of the North is my favorite gravel race of all time. There’s also Jay Decoux - mayor of Grand Marais and owner of the Fireweed Bike Co-op. Any section of road not ridden by Jeremy and Joshua he knows first hand. There was a large format topo map at the back of the Fireweed and you could point to any thin line and Jay could say ‘likely flooded’ or ‘too much logging traffic’ or ‘definitely worth riding’. Jeff and Sarah at Sawtooth Outfitters have been supporting family adventures up there for years. It’s a great place to rent a canoe or buy gear. And they too have been willing to pour over maps and answer questions about the area several times. They have also invested countless hours into the development of single track in the Tofte area - including Jackpot - a new connection between Lutsen and Tofte that you can incorporate into the route. Stop by, say hi, (and it never hurts to spend some money there). I don’t know their names, but the USFS personnel I’ve run into on the route have been very friendly and helpful. On the first ride through, we ran into staff doing work at Crescent Lake and they gave us the extensive if hard-to-read ATV maps of the area. Finally - David and Ron have been great riding partners, and it wouldn’t be possible without my wife Kathy supporting (and sometimes participating in) adventures. I imagine you’ve spent a lot of time on these roads; what is your favorite part of the route? I love the quirky Trestle Inn - see if you can line up your visit with Bingo Night! So many of the smaller lakes with small campgrounds are quiet and nice. Hog Back lake is not too far from the Trestle and very quiet. Silver Island Lake has sites right on the lake including one with a dock. I also always have to stop at the falls on the Cascade river, and then whoop down the fast and windy downhill just after the falls. But I also think some of the best parts of the route, aren’t officially on the route. What makes this route special? I think the most special part about the route is you can make it your own. It’s extremely composable. Want to do something shorter? You can cut off a lobe. Want to add a day? You can expand into the Isabella area west, or the Gunflint area east. The route is a suggestion - Even I haven’t ridden it the way it was laid out more than once. Two real highlights that aren’t on the original route but that I would definitely recommend. First - the abandoned Cramer Railroad tunnel. The Cramer tunnel is the longest railroad tunnel in MN and is just south of the Trestle Inn. Just east off the road, and a fun (if spooky) place to check out. Many have incorporated this into their rides. Scott Haraldson’s excellent ride report includes photos that will convince you this is a must-add. Section 29 Lake road, which you can pick up just east of Divide Lake campground, is a way to add miles through some very remote and beautiful country. It starts as a gravel road, and slowly devolves through single lane, dirt track, and single track trail before dumping you back out on Gravel Road 7 just south of Lake Kawashiwi. I think it’s my favorite road section. It passes through the July 4th 1999 blowdown area which is wild to see even after 20 years, and gets pretty remote. One thing to note - you’ll exit the blowdown area and come to a grassy clearing. There are two exits - the right exit is a fake trail leading to a swamp! The left is the actual trail that will take you into the woods. A short ride after - you’ll hit a 'Tee' in the woods. You can take a left and explore Coffee lake, or take a right to continue on the ATV trail back to the gravel road. But I encourage folks to decide what experience they are after, and adjust the route accordingly. To celebrate the five year route-iversary - I’ve published an updated route map with new and revised points of interest, and the two additions noted above. I’m always happy to answer questions and my DMs are open @peterpascale on Twitter. Updated Straddle & Paddle Route Map

Having twins 4 months before the pandemic meant that I was going to be spending a lot of time at home. Regaining some of my old freedoms took about two years and during that time I taught myself how to sew bike bags in the evenings with grandma's old sewing machine. Words & Photos: Josh Rizzo In middle school I made hemp bracelets and tried selling them to all of my friends (they didn't buy them). In high school, my friends and I started a male crochet club. I've always had a little bit of a creative itch and really enjoy crafts and using my hands to make things. I've long admired sewing and the people who are patient and creative enough to figure out how to turn fabric and string into something beautiful and practical. When I was little my dad bought a tiny handheld sewing machine and would fix clothing with it. Then my wife and I had sewing machine in our basement that was passed on from my grandma to my mom and then to me and my wife but I never paid any attention to it. Finding a twin-dad pandemic hobby Then two things happened that made me go to the basement searching for that old sewing machine. 1. I stumbled on an article on bikepacking.com about sewing your own frame bag. I was pretty intimidated at the idea of sewing but it really intrigued me so I cataloged it in the back of my mind. 2. We had twins. Let me correct that; we had surprise twins. Raising babies is a lot of work and multiplying that by two doesn't make it any easier. I spent a lot more time in the house and new I needed a home hobby. Well by the time I learned how to make a frame bag, there was no turning back. Every evening, I put the kids to bed and ran to go get the sewing machine. My sewing obsession quickly turned into fanny packs, stem bags, roll tops, stuff sacks, and tool rolls. We're now out of the first 2 years of having twins so life has opened back up a lot. But overall, life still moves slow and we prioritize short family adventures over epic dad-is-going-away-for-a-week adventures. My 5-year old son loves the bike bags that I make and always asks me to make new ones. But what's even cooler is that he now wants to learn how to sew himself and just made (with a bit of Dad's help) his first stuff sack. We're repurposing rain coats, old flannels, and even retired rock climbing rope to make bags that will cary our next adventures. I personally find the activity both enjoyable in the moment and rewarding in the long term. I don't sew quite as much anymore but still love to pull out grandma's machine and create something new.

In total Todd-Poquette fashion, he recently started spewing on social media about another crazy project that he just made up. When Made U.P. bikes first crossed my feed, I thought it was maybe a pipe dream, something on his wish list, or just a casual napkin brainstorm session he was sharing. But as his social media musings accelerated, an official Facebook Page showed up out of nowhere and then a bona fide website, MadeUPeh.com. I can only image he's been cooking this up for a while since planning graceful geometry and creating a prototype for something as nuanced as a friggin' Upper-Peninsula-adventure-dedicated bike doesn't happen overnight. So I reached out to Todd for a 9am Zoom call. And his response? "Nope, 9:06am." You have to admire somebody who is that relentlessly on brand. (never mind that I showed up an hour late forgetting that the U.P. is on Eastern Time; sorry Todd) Sometimes Less is More So let me be a little transparent here. When I first started seeing all the cryptic teases about a new bike brand that seemed to be alluding to a new niche category, I had to ask myself, "do we really need another bike category that we all have to subscribe to and continue with the endless n+1 nonsense? Sure, I love bikes as much as the next person (I mean...I publish bike content almost endlessly), but there are a few ominous downsides to having a different bike for every single type of riding. I''m personally a one-bike guy. I have always been a wholehearted, lifelong bike believer because of the simplicity, community, and raw pleasure I get from riding two wheels with people I love. Now, I don't want to over-romanticize this because I love geeking out about gear, but when we jump on the "more and more of everything faster and faster" train, we lose something. We lose simplicity (consumerism is addictive), the environmental benefits (most of our bikes are shipped from Taiwan and they can't manufacture them fast enough), and the equitable nature of an inclusive community (expensive sports leave out people who can't afford to keep up). Full disclosure: I'm not opposed whatsoever to adding another bike. But I don't buy a bike just to sell it a year later and get a new one when my riding style shifts by a few degrees. Our sport can be exhilarating and accessible. Bikes can be simple and versatile. They can be endlessly adventurous and still benefit the environment (and our own communities). It was fun to see a neat bike project... ...but ultimate I just kept scrolling. But when I gave it a little more a chance, I saw that the entire heartbeat of Made U.P. bikes addresses these exact issues that I see in the bike industry and that are also a part of my own bike story. Meet the Made U.P. Lake Ehfect Okay, before we get into the details of the bike, let's address the name itself. The first bike announced under the Made U.P. brand gives 3 nods to the U.P. indicating that it fully intends to be be built around the adventurous heartbeat of the wild Upper Peninsula of Michigan. First is the the play on being "made U.P." which has two meanings. It is actually made and manufactured right in the U.P. but it's also a playful way of saying they're making it up as they go. Todd says a core message at the heart of Made U.P. is to dream something U.P. and go for it… or spend the rest of your life wondering what would have happened if you had. Second is the lake effect reference. Lake effect is a meteorological phenomenon that causes cooler summers and a butt ton of snow in the winter. With 1,700 miles of coastline, you better believe the Upper Peninsula gets a full dose of lake effect weather. Third and lastly, the spelling of ehfect includes "eh". The yoopers in the U.P. have a little thing called yoopernese where they say 'yah' instead of 'yeah', 'de' instead of 'the' and end of lot of their sentences with 'eh'. Don't ask me why. One bike. Four seasons. All surfaces. Less Hype. Back to the downsides of the bike industry and where Made U.P. fits into that whole mess. According to Todd, "I’ve been a fast food cook. Was a truck driver. Worked retail and construction. Spent a lot of years in food distribution and hospitality. Moved into the non-profit sector. Started youth programs and events encouraging people to discover the best version of themselves through outdoor adventure. My approach is simple: I remind myself every day I have a lot to learn. I work hard. I listen to people, figure out what they want, and give it to them. I don’t sugar coat things." "I tell it like it is because that’s what I’d want from you. We shouldn’t be telling people they need a bike for every season or surface. It’s not responsible. It’s fake. It’s hype. " The Lake Ehfect is Made U.P.'s first bike and it's built around 4 principles: 1. Steel is real Not a new concept, so who cares, right? Well, expensive materials like carbon tend to cost a whole lot more and often come with goofy, non-standard tube and component sizing which increases the barrier to entry and decreases the serviceability and versatility. But it goes deeper than that. Yoopers are literally the people who brought the world iron ore - it's only fitting that their bikes are forged with the steel heritage they cut their teeth on. Further, the steel gospel is always preaching (and I happen to be a subscriber of steel, myself) the field serviceability and lifespan that comes with the simple, versatile, and sturdy material. 2. One bike. Four seasons. If anybody understands how ridiculous weather and jacked up terrain demand a lot out of a bike, it's the yoopers. Full stop. If you've ever scratched your head wondering why the heck people do rides like The Crusher and Marji Geskick and go bikepacking in the Upper Peninsula, then you get it. Marquette, MI gets 154 inches of snowfall in the winter and summer rides are punchy with sand and boulders (that is if the road is even still there when you show up). Lake Ehfect promises to carry you over anything you throw at: Bikepacking, mountain biking, gravel biking, and fat biking in the winter (but not water biking, those things look real dumb). With standard, no frills specs and a blend of mountain and gravel bike geometry, just swap out the wheels in winter for snow biking and again in the spring for mountain-y riding and junk. According to Made U.P., "The fact Lake Ehfect fits a 4.6" tire doesn't make it a fat bike - it makes it capable of adapting to its environment. Riding U.P. here demands a lot of a bike. We wanted a platform that would handle whatever Lake Superior throws at it." 3. One bike. Every surface. We all have that one friend who has a completely different bike for gravel, single track, bikepacking, bikepacking on sand, bikepacking on babyheads, fat biking, fat biking on slush, and fat bike racing (and a tall bike, but everybody actually should have a tall bike). Lake Ehfect isn't for that friend and it just doesn't care. This bike proves you actually can have a single awesome bike that will take you anywhere. 4. One bike. Less hype. There is a lot of marketing noise around bikes. Made U.P. seems to be on a mission to put raw and genuine passion into a purpose built machine without the puffery of making something flashy in order to maximize profits. No doubt that's harder done than said, but I'm excited to watch this unfold. Todd is known for his marketing “hype machine” but if you ask him about it he’ll be quick to counter. “Lets talk about hype. Remember back a handful of years when Giant decided to blanket the planet with 650b and the industry declared the 29er was dead? That’s hype. That wasn’t about what was best for cycling or the consumer, it was a gimmick, and a lot of folks followed. Where are we at now? The 29er platform is alive and well. I had a bike brand guy tell me the other day “I’ve never understood why you would want just one bike”. Of course he can’t… he’s paid not to. Can people get by with one super versatile adventure rig? Yes. Will some people need more than one bike. Yes. That’s not hype. It’s the facts.” Give me the Lake Ehfect details, please 2nd Full disclosure: I know nothing about bike geometry and will just smile and nod my head if you get on a roll about bottom bracket spacing pros and cons. I just want to ride. That being said, here's what we know about the Lake Ehfect: To kick things off, the Lake Ehfect is not a boutique bike. Everything about is meant to be utilitarian, not glamorous. You won't see fancy hubs and headsets. Instead you'll see an absurdly useful bike that's accessible to all riders on all surfaces. Here are basics of what they call, "the one bike to ride them all": USA steel frame and fork Fat tire compatible (up to 4.6") 180mm q-factor (which they claim, "we don’t know of any fat compatible frame with a narrower q-factor ") MTB geometry Dropper post Direct mount packs Bikepack ready Drop bars or flat All the bosses Also, it's not a just a bike. Here's what else Made U.P. is cooking. 1. Bike Bags: Made U.P. is partnering with Morrow Packs to create a full set of bike bags including direct mount packs. These will even include panniers, yep panniers. This one was surprising to me but Todd took panniers on his Project Adventrus scouting ride last year and swears by the improved handling on crazy back roads that are offered by the low center of gravity on panniers over a seat pack. Plus you can carry a lot more stuff for longer trips without having to buy expensive ultra-light everything. 2. A rack: The Lake Eheffect will also come with an optional rear rack. I haven't seen any details but I have to imagine it'll be bomb proof and highly functional. 3. An iconic route called Project Adventrus: More on this in an upcoming story but Made U.P. will also be the home to yet another of Todd's projects called Project Adventrus. This is an epic 1,600 mile route circumnavigating the entire upper peninsula. It's a long term development with support of many people and organizations to build an iconic midwest tour similar to the Tour Divide. How to follow the development of Made U.P. and the Lake Ehfect Made U.P. is constantly teasing more and more developments related to the bike, build, bags, and rack. While carefully planning a bike that is versatile (and practical) to use in four seasons on all terrains, Todd loves to make things U.P. as he goes and you can count on their more plot twists and big reveals as this evolves. As they're currently in the prototype and testing phase, Todd and Made U.P. are collaborating with Equinox Bicycles on continued design revisions during testing, Winnebago Bicycle, Morrow Packs, and Project Adventrus partner Marc Salm. To stay up to date, check out Made U.P. on Facebook and Instagram and visit their website for stories or to get in touch.

After a long break, hyperborean reporters Seeley Dave and Cowboy are back with a new partner, Birkie, a 10-month-old puppy. It is crust season, so come on up and git sum while the ephemeral conditions last. This longer video gives you a tour of the Penman trails, including the tunnel and the old sawmill as well as the Seeley Hills and a bit of gravel. For more from Seeley Dave, visit the Life Above Eight website and YouTube channel.

The Crusher in the Upper Peninsula is scheduled for Saturday, July 16 (with Expedition versions offered all summer). Check out this sweet video from glowingrock of last year's 225 EX. I bikepacked some of this route last summer as well and can confirm it's bonkers. Learn more about The Crusher or view more videos from glowingrock.

The 10th annual Fat Bike Birkie took place on Saturday, March 12, 2022. Due to the cold temperatures the race was pushed back two hours. In this story, James Kirchen shares a recap of his 2nd time racing. Story: James Kirchen, Chippewa Falls Photos: @americanbirkebeiner While only my second attempt at racing fat bike, and eager to get out and ride after months of training, I must admit I was pleasantly surprised to find out there was a two hour delay due to very cold temperatures. The 2021 race was moved up due to over 40 degrees at the finish. That’s what you get for winters in Wisconsin. Staying in our cabin near Stone Lake, my brother-in-law (first time fat bike racer) and I woke to negative 16 degrees. "Those kinds of temperatures make you question your sanity, but we didn’t come all this way to bail. As I’ve heard it put – There’s no bad weather, just wrong gear." Race time for us and the rest of the half-fat was 10:15 am and the temps made it all the way up to zero degrees. Woo Hoo! Even at that temperature, I have to admit I had done no training, so what gear should I wear? Our plan was to just layer up and use hand and toe warmers. It was a beautiful sunny day. We followed the 350 full fat bikes out and the trails were unbelievably well groomed, packed hard, and fast. It was like riding a hard packed gravel road. Following the powerlines out was pretty easy until the pacer peeled off and we turned into the woods… up hill! With my nose and mouth the only exposed skin, it was my right-hand thumb that is numb as we start the race. Of course, a necessity for shifting for the next hour plus. As we hit the ups and downs of the trail, the ice on all the trees from the weekend before made for a sight that was spectacular. The sun is coming through and reflecting off those trees, all bent over the trail making it feel like you were riding through the woods with a glass ceiling. As my brother-in-law put it, “If I wasn’t busting my butt up all those hills, I could have enjoyed what was probably one of the best sights I’ve ever seen.” On we rode and found a couple aid stations with water, which I brought none of being it would freeze. As I grabbed a small cup, put it to my lips – why was I surprised it was warm? If it wasn’t warm, it would freeze. Thanks to those volunteers toughing out the cold as well as all the fans (especially our wives who were real troopers to stand around in that weather for over and hour). This year’s race felt a little faster for me even though my time was almost identical to last year. My brother-in-law, who had never experienced the Birkie trail simply said upon finishing, “I was not ready for hills like those!” By the time we got back to the cabin, got our post-race warm up drink, he was already thinking about next year. It was such a great day – I’d highly recommend this for anyone into fat bikes. With three different distances, there is a race for you – just find some hills to practice on. Already looking forward to next year but will soon hang up the fat tires for the road bike and mountain bike. On to another adventure.