Support the Timberjay by making a donation.

Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Hittin’ the trail

Riders cruise through this year’s Mesabi Trail ride

Jodi Summit
Posted 8/11/17

REGIONAL- Over 650 riders, both young and old, completed this year’s Great River Energy Mesabi Trail Tour on Aug. 5.

Riders had their choice of four routes, ranging from 14 to 67 miles.

Ride …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Hittin’ the trail

Riders cruise through this year’s Mesabi Trail ride

Posted

REGIONAL- Over 650 riders, both young and old, completed this year’s Great River Energy Mesabi Trail Tour on Aug. 5.

Riders had their choice of four routes, ranging from 14 to 67 miles.

Ride organizer Ardy Nurmi-Wilberg said the pleasantly cool, partly-sunny day meant the riding speeds were faster than normal, and this year no riders needed medical attention on race day.

“People were moving fast,” she said. “They didn’t eat as much food or spend as much time at the rest stops.”

Nurmi-Wilberg said the 27- and 67-mile routes were the most popular this year. The 67-mile route had bikers starting out in Grand Rapids, the 26-mile route started in Hibbing. All riders ended up at the finish line at Olcott Park in Virginia, where there was a catered lunch, free massages thanks to Pebble Spa employees, and live music with the Christopher David Hanson Band.

The ride is a measurable economic boost to the area. Based on rider surveys, they noted that close to 50 percent of the riders are from out of the area, and staying at area hotels and motels. Many riders come back year after year, and also take advantage of the other paved trails in the area.

The logistics of the ride involve over 150 volunteers. Since the route is one-way, both bikes and riders need to get moved to their starting point, while leaving cars parked at the finish line. Volunteers help with registration and bike hauling, provide flagging at busier road crossings, and staff the numerous rest and snack stops along the route.

Riders have the option of having their bikes transported to their selected starting spot the night before the race, and then boarding buses at the ride’s finish line (this year at Olcott Park) to get to their starting point in the morning. Race organizers pack the bikes in moving blankets and store them overnight; riders then claim them at the starting line.

This was the thirteenth-annual ride, which celebrates the Mesabi Trail, a multi-use trail that currently stretches from Grand Rapids to Embarrass. A section from Embarrass to Tower is currently in the planning phase. Tower is now connected to Eagles Nest Township, leaving a small section for future construction to get the trail to its planned end point in Ely, a distance of over 130 miles.

Next year’s ride, always held the first Saturday in August, will include something new– a ride across the new Highway 53 bridge, which spans the Rouchleau Pit and includes a fenced 14-foot wide bike/pedestrian lane. The bridge is over 200 feet high, one of the highest in Minnesota. The starting and finishing points for next year’s ride are yet to be finalized, and will depend on the progress of the Mesabi Trail work between McKinley and Biwabik, but all the routes, Nurmi-Wilberg said, will include a ride across the new bridge. The new trail in the bridge area also includes a section that parallels a large rock cut face.

“This is the most beautiful rock cut I’ve ever seen,” Nurmi-Wilberg said. “It’s like, WOW!”

A wheel pass is required for Mesabi Trail riders ages 18 and older. More information on the trail is available online at www.mesabitrail.com.