ELY- Ely’s Semer’s Park became the overnight camping spot for The Wolf bikepacking event sponsored by Heck of the North Productions. Over 60 cyclists participated in the three-day event, which started Friday morning, July 21, in Two Harbors and ended in Grand Marais. The race was over 300 miles long.
Bikepacking is a cycling sport that involves biking for multiple days while carrying one’s necessities in a gear kit on the bike and camping out during the multi-day ride. There are different variations of bikepacking events: Multi-day Mountain Biking, Ultra-Light, Race, and Gravel, and Expedition and Dirt-Touring.
Heck of the North, run by husband-and-wife team Jeremy Kershaw and Avesa Rockwell, holds a series of bikepacking races throughout the summer, but the Wolf race is one of their longest options, with the trails running through the North Shore wilderness and participants forced to ride on gravel for much of the journey. The Wolf racers finished the day’s ride in Ely, set up camp on the beach at Semer’s Park, and then went on to find dinner in town. Saturday morning, breakfast was provided by Heck of the North before the cyclists headed off for the last stretch of their journey.
Friday afternoon’s sudden downpour didn’t affect Wolf racers, as they were far enough away from Ely when it started.
“We heard the thunder, and I was waiting for it, but it never rained,” said racer Kevin Kaiser. “Then the thunder stopped…I thought if it rained, I wouldn’t get to Ely. The trails were great; it was a beautiful North Woods experience.”
One enthusiastic participant, Landon Bouma, described Kershaw’s courses as “works of art” and said he has raced in a few other Heck of the North productions.
“It was beautiful…every ten or fifteen miles is a different feel.” Bouma said.
Many racers described the course in these exact words: “Challenging but beautiful.” The challenge seemed to come from the race’s final stretch, with riders facing rocks and bumps on the Prospector Trail.
To learn more about Heck of the North Productions and their various races, visit heckofthenorth.com.