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500 Miles for Habitat

By:  John Lofdahl

            This was my second year riding in the Habitat 500 bike ride.  My first year was 2008 and I had intended on riding in 2009 but my work schedule did not permit it.  2009 was a cold windy year so maybe it was a good one to miss!  I had planned on riding that year with our son Wes and my wife Julie was part of the support staff.  That was their first year participating in the event. 

     Wes was planning to ride in 2010 and we had invested in some better bikes and had done a bit of training.  The new bike had an odometer and a speedometer so the challenge was to get a top speed higher than Wes but the 37 year age difference was a bit of a handicap for me.  Wes ended up not being able to participate and that freed up the new good bike for me to use.  My training rides totaled up to about 100 miles.  I knew that would present a bit of a problem the first few days of the ride as my body would have to accustom its self to the bike seat and 50 to 80 miles of riding each day. 

            Julie and I arrived on Saturday in Sandstone MN at the high school.  Most of the riders check in on Saturday and the ride begins on Sunday.  We arrive before many of the riders since Julie was again part of the support crew and would be working the second rest stop.  Our old mini van would be a work horse for the transportation of food water and other items to various rest stops along the way.  All the rear seats were out of it and it could be loaded to the hilt.  The support staff puts in a great amount of work before, during and after the bike ride.  There are typically three rest stops each day where water, food, entertainment, bathrooms and minor first aid are available.  In addition the support crew lines up breakfast and supper, marks the ride route with yellow arrows on the pavement, provides crossing guards at major highway crossings, a sag crew for tired bicyclist support and a roving mechanic for flat tire and other repairs.  The support crew probably works harder than the bike riders and the ride could never happen without the planning and support which goes on prior to, during and after the event.

        Our first day was Sunday and it is typically a shorter day to help people like me who didn’t train much ease into the ride.  The route was from Sandstone to Isle on the south shore of Lake Milacs.  The weather was great, a bit warm but it was July.  The terrain was for the most part flat with only the low divide between the St. Croix and Mississippi drainages to deal with.  At breakfast and at the rest stops it was fun to renew friendships from the 2008 ride.  We were done for the day at about 2 PM and a crew of riders headed for a TV set to watch soccer it was the finals of the World Cup.  The choices in Isle were limited and eventually about a dozen riders ended up at a local watering hole and were able to get a big screen TV tuned into the game thanks to a husband and wife from Germany who was also into the soccer game.  That evening we dined at Isle High School and slept in the gymnasium.

            The second day took us to McGregor MN and this was the hardest day for me.  Sore muscles from day one had to be stretched out and the last four miles into McGregor were slow going.  It felt like I was dragging an anchor.  Barb from Yankton SD gave me moral support and we finished that day together.  Yankton fields quiet a crew and raises quiet a bit of money annually.  One of the bonuses of the ride is to meet people from other affiliates and swap stories about house building and fund raising.  After a shower a change of clothes and setting up the bed for the night I headed out to a local watering hole for a hamburger and a beer with my buddy Bob.  It’s amazing how many calories you burn off riding 75 miles.  After that sustenance I headed back to the high school and read a bit.  Soon it was time for supper at a local church and Julie and I walked there with the other riders and had a delicious meal.  We toured the town on foot after the meal and headed back to the school.  Every evening there is a rider information program and entertainment prior to bedtime.  Lights are out at 10 PM and they are back on at about 5 AM.

            Day three took us to Grand Rapids.  The first third of the ride was a bit hair rising since we followed highway 65 north and it is quite busy with truck traffic.  The first rest stop was at Big Sandy Lake by the dam.  I rode most of the way with Steve Applegate who I had met in 2008.  Steve rides a recumbent bike, he sits in a bucket seat and his feet are in front of him.  Steve was an officer in the Navy and I was an enlisted man so we always have lots of sea stories to tell each other.  There were several other recumbent bikes in the line and they swapped the lead and gabbed until the rest stop.  I turned my red strobe light on and stayed at the back of the pack in an attempt to alert traffic coming from behind.  The rest stop was wonderful.  It was one of my favorite on the trip with a great view of Big Sandy Lake; it is also the site of a small Army Corp of Engineers museum displaying artifacts from the American Fur Company Trading post which was located on Big Sandy in the early 1800s.  Being a fur trade buff added to my enjoyment of this site.  After a bit more riding along highway 65 we turned NW and followed the Mississippi river into Grand Rapids.  This route followed the Great River Road and had light traffic until we entered Grand Rapids.  We negotiated downtown with the aid of the support crew and were treated to a very steep hill as we approached the high school which would be our home for the night.  After cleaning up we again had a pre-supper supper.  We knocked around town a bit but were quite a way from the business district.  With some reading and lounging we were ready for supper and a program.  It was lights out again and I was feeling better after three days of riding and about 200 miles under my belt.

            Day four was from Grand Rapids to Hibbing.  The day started dry but threatened rain.  We rode our bikes to the fair grounds for breakfast and then were on the road.  Breakfast is at 6 and runs until 7 with many people arriving at 6 eating fast and getting an early start even though the official support crew isn’t out until 7 am.  I was one of the last to leave at about 7:15 and we headed north and then to the NE.  The weather deteriorated and it began to rain lightly.  There was also some thunder off in the distance to the NW.  All riders carried rain gear but I chose to skip it as it was quite warm out and the light rain kept me cool and I stayed very comfortable.  After the first rest stop we headed NE and the rain began to fall hard but there was no wind just a steady down pour.  I was riding by myself on this stretch and was feeling good so I opened it up and was moving quite fast through the rain.  The road was new and smooth for most of the way to the second check point.  Right before the check point there was some road construction.  One pack of riders ended up riding the wrong way after leaving this check point and ended up with an extra 20 mile ride that day.  As we proceeded toward Hibbing we began to leave the rain behind and we started to ride on the Mesabi trail.  This trail hits many of the small mining towns such as Taconite, Calumet and Marble.  In Marble we were flagged down by a group of ladies from the Lutheran church.  They knew we were coming and had coffee, tea, juice and a table full of pies and cakes waiting for us.  This was an unplanned rest stop and we called it stop 2.5.  After refueling here we were on our way again with our last rest stop being in Nashwauk.  The remainder of the ride angled away from Highway 169 and entered Hibbing from the west.  Our home for that evening was the Hibbing high school.  This is quite the high school as it was built with funds from US Steel in the 1920 when the whole town was moved due to the valuable Iron Ore deposits below it.  This would be our home for two nights.  Hibbing was the site of the bike.home. this year.  Some riders pledge some of the funds they raise to help build this home; about $36,000 dollars out of the almost $310,000 dollars which was raised by the 137 bike riders went to fund this home.  After a pre-supper supper and some reading it was time for the nightly program and then lights out for the evening.

            Day five is a 100 mile (century day) or if you chose you can help to build the bike.home. or do nothing at all.  Being a general contractor and the construction manager for Crow River Habitat I chose to ride since I can build almost any time.  The ride this day was a 100 mile loop north to the town of Cook and back.  This was the day that I attempted to ride with the “pack’ since I was feeling pretty good by now.  Bob, Sheryl, Shelby and I were in a pack of about 12 people who rode together and drafted to speed us along and reduce the amount of work.  After several flat tires, most notable being the double blow out which Sheryl had on a bad stretch of road, we headed north.  We try to draft and trade off the leader of the pack just like geese in a V.  This works pretty well and our group was able to maintain about 21 mph until we reached Cook and rest stop two.  At that point I was dying off fast.  After the stop at Cook we turned west into a gusty wind for about 15 miles.  The pack quickly left me behind and I resorted to putting my head down and grunting out the next 15 miles into the wind.  Sheryl and Diane had also teamed up and were grunting it out.  Finally the route turned south and in about two miles the third rest stop appeared.  The wind now quartered us rather than being head on.  I rejoined the pack for about five miles after the third rest stop but again dropped behind after it felt like the bike seat was trying to attach itself to my body.  This was a 100 mile day so there was a fourth rest stop in Chisholm, the stops are spaced about 20 miles apart.  This rest stop was at a Habitat home.  The home- owner was also participating in the 500 mile bike ride.  From here it was a relatively short ride from Chisholm to Hibbing and I rode with Bob; our route went through the old ore pits and by the bike.home. which now had a roof on it.  There had been a morning and an afternoon crew working on the home; all exterior walls had been built and raised and all of the roof trusses set and roof sheathing installed.   After arriving at the school we cleaned up and were treated to a short tour of the school and its grand auditorium.  There are marble steps and murals on the sides of the stairway.  There are crystal chandeliers and a large balcony in the auditorium.  The school is well maintained, a testament to the value of the original iron ore deposits in the area.  Thursday evening’s program included numerous skits and singers.  Several Bob Dylan songs were sung as Hibbing is his home town.  There was a slide show with photos of all riders and some of the road side attractions passed along the way.  Awards were given out to long time participants, 10 and 15 year volunteers and riders.  These riders and volunteers have raised 4.1 million dollars over the 18 years of the bike ride!

              On day six we left Hibbing and rode to Cloquet.  The day was warm but calm and the elevation dropped as we approached Cloquet and the St. Louis River Valley.  The route passes through woods fields and wet lands.  The area is sparsely populated and quite boggy.  The traffic was light and the ride proceeded smoothly.  The crew had completed about 375 miles in five days and when we arrived in Cloquet we would have about 50 miles to go.  We rode into town from the north on Highway 33.  A steep hill on the north side of the river affords a wonderful view of the town and the river valley.  No need to pedal on a hill like this but when you go down you must at some point ride up.  The route traveled through busy downtown Cloquet and past the paper mill and some light industry.  The support crew was present to help us through the high traffic areas.  Our lodging was at the high school and meals were at a local church located about 6 blocks away.  Our pre-supper supper took place at a local Mexican restaurant.  Bob, Julie, Barb from Yankton and myself enjoyed a good meal.  One rider who rode in the pack the previous day went for a run along the river after his bike ride.  There are a few riders who use the ride for training.  They are tri-athletes and aren’t fazed by an 80 mile bike ride.  Some of the bicycles they ride are pretty expensive and it is amazing how fast they can go on them.  After the meal the riders headed back to the school for the program and the last night of camping in a gymnasium.

            Day seven would be a short one only about 50 miles but the weather was threatening.  Storms were moving in from the SW but an early start ensured we would complete the ride prior to the change in the weather.  The start of the day was a steep up hill ride out of the river valley. Once out of the valley things flattened out but we had a bit of a head wind; as the day preceded thing warmed up.  Riders lined up to share there momentum and wind breaking skills.  This day had only two rest stops with the last rest stop being the party at Sandstone’s Central High School.  There were rumors that there would be ice cream there.  I was amazed at how hard it was to ride south that day.  The road appeared flat and straight but I could not maintain my typical speed of 18-19 mph on the flats.  I was down to about 15 mph.  After the second rest stop I realized why; we had been slowly climbing to the top of a divide between the St. Louis and St. Croix drainages.  After rest stop two we entered the Nemadji River Valley with a steep down hill into the valley and the mirror up hill on the south side.  It was a beautiful valley and downhill glide but we paid for it on the up hill.  Head down and grunt it out of the valley.  By day seven most of us were feeling good with almost 500 miles under our belt; one smaller valley was left to negotiated after the Nemadji and then it was highway 23 straight on into Sandstone and the ice cream I had been thinking about.

THANK YOU TEAM CROW RIVER

Thank you Bob Ericson, Diane Gordon, John Lofdahl, Shelby Woodworth, and Sheryl Woodworth for raising $7,786 for our affiliate by biking 500 miles in one week to help eliminate poverty housing in McLeod County.  Thank you George Gordon and Julie Lofdahl for volunteering for the week as support for the ride.

Team Crow River is looking for more riders to join them for the 2011 Habitat 500 Bike Ride.  Be a part of the team by calling the office (320)587-8868 for more details.