Hundreds of cyclists prepare for Le Grand Du Nord

Hundreds of riders are preparing to race 26, 54, or 110 miles in Le Grand Du Nord gravel bike race. On the morning of Saturday, May 25, the riders will assemble at Voyageur Brewing for the 8 a.m. start.

Jeremy Kershaw, one of the race organizers, told WTIP that there are 700 riders registered for the race. With rain predicted Friday night, though, he anticipates 600-650 participants on the day of the race.

The different length races will take separate routes after the start at Voyageur. Jeremy Kershaw said that residents should expect to see riders on a few central roads. He said, “I’d say the main arteries of the routes are County Road 7, Pike Lake Road, Valley Creek Road. And also Pine Mountain Road for the 110.”

While the weather over the past week has included a fair amount of rain, Kershaw said that he doesn’t anticipate issues with the race routes. He said, ” I drove everything yesterday and I was amazed at how well they dried out from the couple inches we got this week.”

WTIP’s Mark Abrahamson spoke with Jeremy Kershaw about the race and what both riders and residents should expect on race day. Audio of that interview is below.

Kirsten Wisniewski May 24, 2024