Laurential Divide Routes

 Ok. The routes are finalized.  Look for a series of emails from me over the next 36 hours that will include your schedule, cue sheets and GXP files.

Stage 1: Sept 13th GM to GP 52miles

 Stage 1 Start Time is at 12 Noon: GM to Grand Portage (GP) will start with 15 miles along hwy 61 then it turns straight up as you move away from the shore.  Expect road surfaces to be very poor with large rocks in the double track. Once you cross Tomohawk Trl you must be extremely alert as there is a very active logging operation in the area.  I will mark this on the cue sheets. You will then proceed into the Grand Portage Reservation and on to the Casino.  Dinner is on your own.

Stage 2: Sept 14th GP to GM 85 miles

Stage 2: We will leave the casino at 9am and traverse the northern border of the US and Canada (you will almost be able to smell the poutine, we are so close). There are no sources of potable water on the northern part of this route. I know this because I ran out of water and ended up having to drink untreated lake water. In a few more days we will find out if I have been living right.  I will set up a aid station around Greenwood Lake.  There is well water access on the lower third of the route at the kimball lake campground, and this will be marked on your cue sheets.

Oh Canada!

Stage 3: Sept 15th Lutsen Figure-8 65 miles

Stage 3: Depart GM at 9am and start running the ridges south. We will actually ride in a large figure-8 so I will set up a aid station at the crossing. 

This is a subtle reminder that we will be in a very large, very remote place.  It took them 12 years to find these guys and the crash site is less than 20 miles from a US highway.  Know how to navigate and Be prepared!

Recon 2013

Went up north with family this weekend to hammer out some unknowns on the route and donate some blood to some of the locals. Much gnar was had and questions got answered. Final route recon is in a few weeks. Then I will send out the route files. I also tried digitizing some maps for distibution, and have figured out how to use google maps offline with a smart phone in airplane mode so it does not kill your battery. All this will soon be revealed. Patience, weedhopper.

Roster

As a means of confirming that I got your registration email, your name and info should end up here within a day or two. You will recieve further instructions via email within a few days.

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