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Gravel Conspiracy 2013: Laurential Divide

It's Back.
September 13th-15th, 2013
Price: Free
75 Co-Conspirators will depart from Grand Marais, MN for 3 days of gravel and dirt road bike riding through the beautiful Superior National Forest, skirting the southern edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Each night will be spent at a resort, campground or public house.

There is no sag, there is no support, no one will come to get you if you get a flat. At times you will be 40 miles from the nearest gas station.
You could get eaten. Bugs. Bears. Cougars (not the sassy, middle-aged kind either).
We would be sad, but its a reality that you have to face. This endeavor is not to be taken lightly.

The Route
Each Stage will be between 60 and 100 miles, and will consist of predominantly Forest Service and logging roads. Note: We will not have the wide open Gravel "superhighways" like "the Grade" last year. Think a healthy dose of double track.

• The First Stage will end The Grand Portage Casino

• The 2nd Stage will end in Grand Marais, MN

• The Final Stage will bring riders back into Grand Marais.

Note: This years course is going to be especially rugged, poorly marked,  and will cover some very mountainous terrain.  You MUST Have a GPS that allows you to follow a GPX or a TCX course. Cue sheets are only a tool of last resort.
Why?
My experience has been that too often in one day events, you get to ride with and meet a lot of really interesting people, but as soon as the race is over everybody climbs into their cars and goes home. I wanted to put on a low key, challenging event, that gave riders a chance to hangout in a beautiful locale, after a full day of riding.
Yay bikes!


Sound Great? Good!

Registration will open May 1st. All the details are here.

Got Questions? There is a good chance that they will be answered here

2012 Stories

I hope that everyone has had a chance to recover and reflect on all the good times that were had. Just want to thank yall for all the kind words, and present some of my thoughts for what I would like to do next year.
First, while this is not a race, there is plenty of folks that wanted to go to the front and push the pace. Drew was chief among them, and was the first finisher on the first and last day.  His dominance was only interupted by my faulty GPS track on the 2nd day going from Bearskin to Ely.  Aaron Alto was able to capitalize on Drews detour, and was the first finisher on Saturday. I actually gave up trying to keep track of peoples times when riders started wanting to leave early and late, some staying on track, some taking more well established routes. Regardless, everyone got their monies worth.
Drew, Deathrider, Lisa, and Charly all have their own stories to tell, so I will let you check them out yourself.
After collecting feedback from the participants I think that we will make a few changes for next year.

• Stage lengths are going to get trimmed.  I want these events to be a challenge to people, but I also have to recognize that not everyone is capable of averaging 18 mph, and having riders unprepared to finish in the dark was a little too risky. This also gives everyone a little more time to hang out and enjoy company. Expect to ride 60, 90and 80 miles next year, but expect a little more up and down.
• The date is going to be pushed back one week for the sake of Ted Loosens marriage and so that there is a little bit of a break between the Dakota-50 and the GC. Next years date is going to be September 13-15th, 2013.
•  The GPX and TCX files that you get next year will be the actual route that I have ridden, not a transposed version that I created in Bike Route Toaster. This is what caused the one snafu this year on the 2nd day.  If I feel the need to flag a route section I will use a VERY distinct type of flagging (like purple polka dots) or chalk mark the ground.
• I am probably going to have a short list of things that I would like to see everyone carry (front and rear lights, a space blanket, etc)
• We will be using plastic name plates next year.  They will be waterproof, rigid, and will make a nice keepsake.

I did encounter a problem this year that I really do not know how to get around, about 35% of the folks that registered did not show up.  This is nothing new, but it does present a problem when I am turning people away and telling sponsors that they will be getting a set amount of exposure.  What if I asked you to write a check for a nominal amount of money, and if you show up at the start, you get your check back?  If you withdraw 6 weeks before the event, you would also be able to get your money back (this period would also correspond with Bearskin Lodges cancellation policy). Let me know your thoughts in the comment section.

New sponsor

Wanted to send you all a quick update.  After talking with the gents at Skratch Labs I am excited to tell you that we will have Skratch SDM available at the aid stations on course.

I have used SDM this past year and really liked the light flavor, and how fresh I still felt at the end of the day. Its pretty low calorie (ie less sugar, more electrolytes), and Allen Lim advises athletes to eat real food as a source of calories.  I will have Rice Cakes made and wrapped at the aid stations.

Many Thanks to all the people that have volunteered to bring items. We appear to be good to go on all the gear.
See you on Friday!

Hey Crew,
Frank Lundeen of Cyclova XC put together a useful check list for when you are on the bike.  Cyclova XC will also have some basic bike consumables (tubes, chains, quick links, etc) for sale should you burn through your tubes on in the 1st day.

I also put together a short opus on using a GPS to navigate on the bike on my personal blog.

Water: Anytime you see a sign for a campground there is a good probability that there will be well water available.  I will always have at least 20 gallons of water and ice in the truck.

Aid stations: On stages 2 and 3 I will be on course near Isabella with all sorts of beverages and food. There is also the Trestle Inn on the last stage (just before you start heading up Heartbreak!).
Let me know if you have questions

The Route

If you registered you should have received 3 emails from me with the final routes as GPX and TCX files, and Cue sheets.
Below is what the route looks like from 30,000 ft.

Stage 1: Grand Marais to East Bearskin Lake ~50 miles

Stage 2: Bearskin Lake to Ely ~125 miles

Stage 3: Ely back to Grand Marais ~115 miles

I would also like acknowledge our newest sponsor: A-Train Cycles This event would not be possible without the generous support of businesses large and small. Thanks!

Final Recon

Its gonna hurt.

It is finished. Under 300 miles. I have a route put together and will have GPX, TCX, and cue sheets out to you by the end of the week via email.
Few Details: Hwy 1 is still closed and is nowhere near being completed.  I rode through trespassed the construction zone on Friday and almost got ran over by several 60 ton Terex mining dump trucks that were positively flying.  That was the most scared I have been in quite a while.  The official Hwy 1 detour would subject you to about 40 miles of narrow pavement, and I was not thrilled about that prospect either.
So I spent some time evaluating the prospects of routing on "unimproved routes" that connects Tomahwk Rd with Spruce Rd by the Kawishiwi River.  This would totally bypass all the construction and still spit you out on Hwy 1 about 8 miles south of the airport.  I rode the route, found it to be very acceptable, and then marked it with yellow fluorescent tape to aid with navigation since there are no road signs.

Another flat, but I catch this one early, and manage to nip it in the bud.

I only had 1 tire plug and thankfully it held.

140 strokes with the floor pump to get to 35 psi

I managed to get about 125 miles over the weekend, and I can say that I would not be afraid of riding a mountain bike on this course.  There is only about 10 miles that would require you to be super careful on a cross bike with 35c tires, but there is a lot of piece of mind rolling on bigger tires.  It allows you to look about and be negligent with your line choice.  If you intend to SS, please choose a conservative gear ratio (no more than 60 gear inches) and be prepared to do some walking on the last day.

My trusty steed.

Northern Culture on the Skids

Let me know if you have questions