Local realtor Mike Larson, who is also president of the Lutsen-Tofte Tourism Association and Visit Cook County Executive Director Linda Kratt sat down with the Cook County News-Herald recently to discuss the impacts of developing more bicycle paths and bicycle races for Cook County in an effort to increase tourism on the shoulder seasons, as well as increase tourism year-round.
“There is no place in the country that can run a 100- mile bike race through an area as beautiful as we have, or get the support from the community and business people and Visit Cook County, our promotional arm, that we get,” said Mike Larson.
As Larson talked about the Lutsen 99er, the county’s preeminent mountain bike race run in June (June 25 this year), Visit Cook County Executive Director Linda Kratt looked on and nodded her head in agreement.
The big news about the Lutsen 99er this year is that it has been certified as a national qualifier for the Leadville 100, the granddaddy of all mountain bike races that is run through high altitude mountain passes in Colorado.
This is exciting for the serious riders because it means the 99er will become part of an elite mountain bike race series featuring events held in California, Texas, Arizona and Colorado, “Which means it will get national exposure,” said Larson.
Even bigger news locally is that the race will give out a $2,500 scholarship to a deserving Cook County High School senior.
“Kids will interview for the scholarship, and it doesn’t have to be used for college. It can be used for vocational school or some other type of schooling,” Larson said.
“Kids will be asked to identify a challenge they have faced and tell how they have—or plan to—overcome that challenge. The scholarship isn’t going to be based on grades or activities. It’s going to be different but we think it will be a great addition to the scholarships available to our kids here.”
As far as the 99er, Larson, who was one of the race founders, said the field is going to be limited to 1,500 riders this year. He smiled, knowing that five years ago the event began with less than 100 riders.
“Each rider brings an average of 2.1 people with them,” he said. “That means the 2016 race will bring 6,000 people to the area that wouldn’t normally come here.”
Those numbers have more than piqued the interest of Kratt. “Tourism accounts for 85 percent of the county’s revenue. So we at Visit Cook County want to do all we can to help this race and others grow,” she said.
No one thought the Lutsen 99er would flourish like it has, said Larson.
Five years ago the inaugural competition had 80 riders. “They [mountain bike racers] finished the race, jumped into their cars and went home,” he said. “We thought about that and wondered what we could do to add some excitement and get them to stay longer, so the next year we added a kids’ race for Sunday, and we brought in 400 riders.”
More families came and stayed longer, he said.
“We grew to 800 riders in 2014 and upped the field to 1,200 riders in 2015. Today we have a 39-mile race, the 19-mile event, a kids’ race, and we are adding a 69-mile race. We are trying to be all things to all riders, and I think we are accomplishing that.”
Duluth native Jeremy Kershaw, who promotes mountain bike events in St. Louis County, has, with Larson’s help, planned the Le Grand Du Nord gravel road races to be held here on May 28, 2016. The 50-mile and 100-mile events will start near the Coast Guard Station in Grand Marais and run to the Jackson Lake Road in Hovland. On one overlook all riders will be required to stop for one minute and spend that time looking at the surrounding scenery and Lake Superior below before they can proceed.
“We want them to get real sense of the place they are in, to notice and enjoy the beauty that surrounds them as they ride,” said Larson.
“Visit Cook County is helping to promote this race,” Kratt said. “We folded Voyageur Brewing and the YMCA into the event. Voyageur will host the registration and offer music and entrées in a festive setting. The race will end at the Y,” Kratt said.
As far as the growing national interest in road and trail biking, Visit Cook County (VCC) has taken notice and begun promoting adventure [bike] riding the past year with routes posted on their website. “We want to continue to focus on promoting not just the 99er and Le Grand Du Nord, but to promote Cook County as a biking destination,” Kratt said.
It’s not just the 99er and Le Grand that have Larson and Kratt excited. More competitions are being planned, and Larson said in the not-too-distant future, with the fall Sawtooth Mountain Challenge already a main stop on racers’ schedules, a fat bike winter race will be added for 2017, giving the county four marquee bike races for all four seasons.
“These events will appeal to all riders, from the elite athlete to the weekend warrior,” he added.
Tim Kennedy serves as the county representative on the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission, and he is currently working with the Superior Cycling Association and county to secure a 2016 Federal Recreation Trail Program grant for $150,000, money that if granted, will be used to build 7½ miles of single track mountain bike trails from Britton Peak to tie in with the multitude of trails at Lutsen Mountains.
“The primary use for our proposed trail system will be recreational summer mountain biking and winter fat bike riding,” said Kennedy.
“During its 15-mile traverse, the Britton Peak/ Lutsen Mountains connector will connect with existing trailheads and single track trails, will cross only one road and will provide a mountain biking experience unparalleled in Minnesota or the Midwest,” he said.
Walkers, hikers and runners who will use them, will gain a secondary, complementary benefit of extending the trails added Kennedy. If the grant money is secured work will begin during the summer of 2017 and be completed by June 30, 2018.
Currently the Superior Cycling Association maintains 16 miles of single-track trails both at Pincushion Mountain and Britton Peak. Volunteers provide much of the needed maintenance, removal of fallen trees, brush, sign maintenance, while contractors at times are hired for bigger maintenance projects and to develop more trails.
“Our goal is to get the word out to the community of bikers about our trails and off-road bicycling that we have in the county,” said Kratt. “Once they come and experience the beauty of the area, shop in our great shops, eat in our fine restaurants, and learn out about a multitude of other types of recreation offered in the county, I’m sure they will return.”
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