Mickelson Trail Affiliates
Mickelson Trail Affiliates
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Coming 2015, the return of the Big Mick!
More details coming soon.
Sponsors
Mickelson Trail Century Mountain Bike Ride
from Lead to Hot Springs, SD
Sponsors
Celebrating 13 years, the Big Mick Event says "Good Bye" to the past director Aleen Golis, above--
and "Hello" to Wade Burns--owner of the Elite Fitness Studio as the new Big Mick director, in
cooperation with The Keep Hot Springs Beautiful Organization
.
Highlighted in June ’06 Bicycling
"Spin/Cool Ride" of the Month
"Finishing the 109-mile one day Big Mick ride had been a dream of mine for many years, and I was very fortunate to ride the whole thing last year... The Mickelson Trail, an abandoned, crushed-gravel railroad bed in South Dakota’s Black Hills, runs from Deadwood to Edgemont. God must have lingered a bit longer here—the rock formations, creeks, and pines make spectacular scenery. Go back in time as you bike through four hard-rock tunnels and more than 100 converted railroad bridges, and 3% grades. Fourteen trailheads along the route have plaques that provide a wealth of historical information. But be prepared for all kinds of weather—ride day temperatures have ranged from 31 to 105 degrees."
—Jeanne Kirsch
"The Big Mick is a great early season ride, with fantastic views of South Dakota’s Black Hills. We rode the metric century which started in Hill City and ended up in Edgemont. The trail is an old railroad bed and a mountain bike is the best bet for handling the trail. Although there are no steep inclines, there are a lot of long gradual climbs along the route. The ride offers great rest stops, as well as, a fine lunch; however, it is a good idea to be self sufficient since some parts of the trail are in the boondocks.”
—Jeff Kaplan
HINTS FROM PAST RIDERS:
"One thing I've seen for the past 2 rides that may be a good thing to warn out of towners about is, there still seems to be alot of riders starting out at 5am that don't anticipate how cold the first 4-5 hours of the ride are because it's not only early in the AM but also we continue through the part of the trail that is mostly shaded. We've loaned out extra gloves and such many times and I always feel bad for anyone not knowing ahead of time because most seasoned riders have all the gear already at their disposal at home and just need to be aware enough to bring it (in lieu of having to buy it once they get to SD)."
—Sherry Thurston, ND
Click HERE to read "The Big Fat Mick" by Craig Goseth (2011) >>