2016 Dates Announced – Yes! More than One!

I’ll be organizing two events this year, as well as hosting a number of casual group rides during the summer, perhaps weekly if enough folks are interested.

Event #1 – Sunday July 10th, 2016 – 32/74/153 Mile routes

Event #2 – Sunday October 9th, 2016 – 3 distances, to be decided, may differ from Event #1 routes depending on feedback.

Routes for Event #1 may change as I explore the back country again this spring but so far I have mapped these out:

• 32 Mile route will leave from Marquette and loop north along Forestville Rd to Harlow Lake, over to 510 via a big nasty climb, and back to Marquette via a cut-through from Najee Rd. It’s a 2.5-3.5hr ride for those who don’t want to bite off a bigger ride but still want 3,500+ ft of climbing and nice scenery.
• 74 Mile route follows the short route but goes north on 510 to loop back via the Original HMC route through the Mulligan Plains, south and east along Red Rd to 510 where it rejoins the short route. I expect this to be a 5-8hr ride, includes the famous Mosquito Gulch section we love so much (ask 2015 riders how fun it was after a huge morning thunderstorm), a bit of deep sand, and 6,600+ ft of climbing.
• 153 Mile route is for the truly adventurous and self-sufficient. It follows the mid-length route but instead of heading south to the Mulligan Plains it heads north along Northwestern Rd and other roads all the way to the top of Mt Arvon, comes off the back of Mt Arvon for the biggest descent in the U.P. (unofficially) and returns to Marquette via the Peshekee Grade, Dishno Rd, CR 595, it rejoins both shorter routes at Triple A. For the riders willing to test their mettle with this behemoth, I’d predict somewhere between 12-16hrs to complete.  The Mosquito Gulch section adn the sand of Red Rd welcome you at mile 118.  This is a serious route for serious folks.  Expect 13,500+ ft of climbing and some of the best views and scenery Marquette County has to offer.

More details to follow on routes, start/finish location (within Marquette), and group rides in the coming months.   And of course, I’m open to any and all feedback.