Category Archives: Race

Biking, Events, Fall, Maplelag, News, Race, Seasons, Sports

Laddies Loppet Mountain Bike Weekend

August 1, 2022 Jay Richards

Laddies Loppet is a mountain bike event we hold every Labor Day weekend at Maplelag. We have been hosting the event since 1990, making it one of the oldest mountain bike races in the Midwest! This year’s dates are September 2nd-September 5th, 2022. The race is named after our former, friendly dog, Laddie. This is a great event for the whole family with races and age categories for every type of rider. Latest course update can be found on the mountain bike trail report page.

This year’s event will once again be part of the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series (click here for more information on registration). PLEASE REGISTER ONLINE AHEAD OF TIME.

Racing action begins on Saturday with the traditional Series Cross Country races including Kids Comp, Citizen, Sport, Comp, and Pro/Expert.The cross country races will count for points in the series.

Cross Country Course Description:

Kids Comp will have its own special loop featuring mostly ski trail with short sections of singletrack. Loop is just under 3 miles.

The Citizen/Sport Women loop will be a new course this year incorporating the Kids Comp loop and heading west to the Twin Lakes singletrack using ski trail and the flowy Hudson’s Hula singletrack loop. Loop is 6.5 miles.

The Sport and Women’s Comp Loop will be the Citizen loop plus two new sections of singletrack, “Moorhead and Bjorps Bump”. Loop is 11 miles.

The Expert/Comp loop will include the starter loop including the lakeside drops plus the second half singletrack loop of Twin Lakes. You can expect classic singletrack, technical descents, and punchy climbs. Comp loop is 15.5 miles and Expert course is 18 miles. Expert men do the starter lap, take a left back to the start than one full lap. Comp and Expert Women do one full lap. (starter lap is 2.5 miles)

Short Track Sunday:

Sunday we will hold our traditional Short Track races with Open Men’s and Women’s Classes in Kids Comp, Citizen, Sport, Comp and Pro/Expert. The Short Track racing will be held on a tight course winding through the cabins and trees near the lodge making for great spectating.

Short Track Racing Start Times
Kids Comp Open 10:00am
Citizen Open 10:15am
Sport Open 10:45am
Comp Open & Expert/Pro Women 11:15am
Expert/Pro Open 11:45am
Short Track Awards TBD

Latest trail report with photos

Note: There are no license requirements for any riders including Canadians.

Start of one of the Comp class races. Laddies Loppet 2014. (skinnyski.com photo)

Weekend Schedule:
Friday:
Supper 7:00pm (all meals are served family style, please come to the dining hall at meal time)

Saturday:
Breakfast 8:00am

Cross Country Racing Start Times (Note: See latest updates on MNMBS for times)

Lunch TBD

Supper 6:30 pm

Sunday:
Breakfast 8:00am

Short Track Racing Start Times
Kids Comp Open 10:00am
Citizen Open 10:15am
Sport Open 10:45am
Comp Open & Expert/Pro Women 11:15am
Expert/Pro Open 11:45am
Short Track Awards TBD

Lunch served in lodge at 1pm (available for sale for spectators)

Supper 6pm

Bonfire 8:15pm

Monday:
Breakfast 830am

kids racing — Kids Racing at Laddies Loppet 2013. (skinny ski.com photo)

Racing Details:

This year’s event will once again be part of the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series (click here for more information on registration). At this time there will be no on site registration. PLEASE REGISTER ONLINE AHEAD OF TIME.

Laddies Loppet Cross Country (Saturday): The main event will be the cross-country mountain bike race on Saturday. This race will utilize most sections of the famous singletrack at Maplelag including new singletrack built the past few years. Race medals will be awarded to the top 3 finishers in each age group.

Race results are posted near the finish line toward the end of the race. You have 15 minutes after the complete results are posted to report any issues to a race official. Once medals have been awarded, results are final and cannot be changed. However, we do reserve the right to make later adjustments in the results and standings due to registration/timing issues that cannot be resolved prior to awards.

Short Track (Sunday): The short track criterium will be Sunday. The laps will be 1-2 minutes in length and run in between the cabins and lodge making for a great spectator event. Total race time is around 10-20 minutes. There will be prizes awarded to the Top 3 Men and Women in each race. There will be an equal cash payout for Top 5 Pro Men and Top 5 Pro Women. Cost of the Short Track event is $15 in advance online and $20 onsite.

What a great chance to experience Maplelag, other than during the winter season, at a very reasonable rate! For those of you not interested in racing, please consider hiking, canoeing, fishing, or bird watching as other activities to enjoy during the weekend including the bonfire on Sunday night.

Lodging:
Call 1-800-654-7711 or e-mail us for more information on lodging. The special rate of $98 per adult per night includes at least two meals and use of Maplelag amenities. The rate for children ages 10-15 is $39, ages 6-9 is $19. Children ages 5 and under are free. We will also have a limited number of camping spots available. Cost of camping is $15 per person. There is a food service option with camping (camping and meal option). The cost will be $59 per person and include at least two meals. The rate for children ages 10-15 is $39, ages 6-9 is $19. Children ages 5 and under are free. We will also reduce the cost on the Tier 1 units (rooms without a bath) for this weekend at a rate of $69 per person. Call or e-mail [email protected] to make reservations. A two night minimum. With Labor Day on Monday, why not stay Sunday night and relax at Maplelag before heading back home!

Note: You must pre-register for camping. Please do not show up and camp without registering. Please register by phone or e-mail for camping at least 7 days before the event!

Our Sponsors:

Premier:

At Fredrikson & Byron, we’ve built a reputation as the firm “where law and business meet” by bringing business acumen and entrepreneurial thinking to our work with clients, and by operating as business advisors and strategic partners as well as legal counselors. Our lawyers blend a common sense approach with in-the-field experience, and we utilize our firm’s strong reputation and our lawyers’ broad networks of business and industry contacts to get things done for clients. Clients have relied on us since 1948 for great solutions that help them minimize legal risks and maximize business benefits. We look forward to an opportunity to show you what it is like where law and business meet. Thanks to Fredrikson & Byron for their longtime support. www.fredlaw.com

We love helping our customers build their ultimate mountain, road, CX, TT or fat bike. Choose your groupset, components, wheelset spex, and as much as you want to specify….and we’re here to help you choose the parts you’re not an expert on or don’t have a strong opinion about. Supply some of your own equipment if you have it, whatever works to get you on the best bike for the money. Call us any time to start customizing. www.lamerecycles.com

Matt Engen is a Wealth Management Advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificant, a designation awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. In 2021 and 2022, Matt was named one of Barron’s “Top 1200 Financial Advisors” and recognized by Forbes on their “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list. With Merrill since 1999, Matt offers a wide range of wealth management solutions grounded in clients’ goals. www.fa.ml.com/engen_associates

Midwest Bank is a rapidly-growing, locally-owned, independent bank with offices located in West Central Minnesota. Through our rapid growth, we have developed the financial and technological resources to meet the needs of our small and large customers alike. Being locally-owned, we have a vested interest in seeing our communities thrive. Being independent allows us to provide a banking atmosphere that our customers appreciate — a responsiveness not matched by our competition, decisions made by the people you talk to rather than a committee in a distant city, and fees that are considerably below our competition. These items, combined with top-notch customer service, make us believe that we offer banking the way you want it — “Banking Your Way.” Thank you to Midwest Bank for their support again this year. www.midwestbank.net

Wolf Tooth is a company that was founded to design and manufacture unique cycling components that emphasize function, performance, and reliability to meet the needs of fellow racers and riders. We are excited to have their support. www.wolftoothcycling.com

Absolute Insurance Agency, LLC is a full-service, independent insurance agency located in West Fargo, North Dakota. We focus on and serve the insurance needs of North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota individuals, businesses, and farms. We are licensed in a handful of other states as well. We represent many different insurance companies and take pride in being an independent insurance agency giving us a competitive advantage. We understand that each customer is different. We are able to match the needs and wants of our customers with competitive premiums and comprehensive coverage’s from one of the many financially sound insurance companies we do business with. www.absoluteinsure.com

Welcome to JunkYard Brewing. A craft brewery located in Moorhead, MN. specializing in new and experimental styles. Tap room is open seven days a week and crowlers are available to go.

Retailers:
These retailers support our event and are the best place to start when you need the right cycling gear.

Gear West started 20 years ago because of their passion for cross country skiing. Since then, through that same passion and the support of their loyal customers they have grown into one of Minnesota’s premier independently owned specialty sports businesses. www.gearwest.com

outdoor100 — Outdoor Motion is based in Hutchinson, MN. They have an exerienced staff that owns an extensive collection of bikes so they are well qualified to help you find your next ride. www.outdoormotionbikes.com

Our long time partner Skinnysk.com is back again this year providing media coverage all weekend. Watch for outstanding photos from across all classes posted on their site. w ww.skinnyski.com

Camp, Clinic, Conference, Events, Maplelag, News, Race, Seasons

Covid protocols at Maplelag

January 27, 2022 Jay Richards

The comfort and safety of our staff and guests is of highest priority. A few items of note:

We will be seating people of only the same party or group together. We will space people apart as far as possible. We will use all available space and rooms to keep folks spread out. We have been accommodating larger groups in the side rooms when serving meals upon request. Please keep in mind this takes extra staff. We have difficulty finding enough staff to fill each shift and we appreciate your patience. Takeout meals will be available with advance notice.

We do not have a mask or vaccination requirement. If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, please do so. Most guests are testing before coming and we appreciate those that are staying back if positive. Each weekend we have 20-30 people that are not able to come. Cancelling because of COVID is beyond our control and we are not able to refund deposits. We can transfer forward to reservations later this season.

At this time, there will be no variety show or dances planned. Select weekends we have live music on Saturday afternoons.

Checking out or making payment online is an option for those not wanting to come to the lodge. We do not have credit cards on file. Let us know ages and if ski rental if doing remote checkout. We invoice via PayPal. You do not need to be on PayPal to use this service.

Takeout meals can be delivered outside the lodge kitchen making it possible to not even come to the lodge at all for those not comfortable doing so.

Day skiing is available to guests not staying at the resort. Protocols will be similar as last year, purchase pass online and parking in the far parking lot. Porta potties in far parking lot for bathroom. NO bathroom use in lodge and there are no lodge services available for day pass users. There is no ski rental available to day skiers. Please respect this policy so Maplelag can operate safely and remain open. Ski rental for overnight guests is available and is mostly self serve. Directions in the ski rental shop.

We are continually monitoring our staff and of course, if there is any remote sign of any symptoms we are asking staff to stay home and test. We are doing everything we can to operate safely in a community environment. There is no way we can control everything and everybody and have made the decision to be open and operate knowing there is risk among ourselves, the Maplelag family and staff that are here 6am to midnight, among many guest each day. Any of our visitors must understand and assume there are risks when being out in the public. We always tell people that are not comfortable coming to Maplelag during this pandemic, it is best to stay home. COVID is nothing we can control and have made the decision not to let it control us.

This page will be updated as we move through the season. As always, please reach out with any questions. Thank you and be well.

Biking, Events, Fall, Maplelag, News, Race, Seasons, Sports, Staff

Laddies Loppet Recap 2021

September 9, 2021 Jay Richards

Another great weekend of racing and mountain bike fellowship for Laddies Loppet 2021. This was the 31st year celebrating mountain biking at Maplelag.

With that first race in 1990 we forged relationships that we continue to maintain and treasure the new and old ones made throughout the years. Thanks to everyone who visited us this year making it another memorable weekend amongst amazing weather. Special shout out to our staff, volunteers and sponsors that help make it happen.

Saturday Cross Country Results

Sunday Short Track Results

Recap on Skinnyski.com

Virtual Lotvola Cup 2021

March 5, 2021 Jay Richards

Nice job to everyone who completed the Virtual Lotvola Cup this ski season. A wide range of conditions made for memorable skiing. Below are the participants from Strava recording and submitted times/completions. Anyone that is missed, please let us know so we can update the page and photo! We plan to do the virtual option again next season along with a mass timed event. A date will be posted in the fall.

The Lotvola Cup was one of the oldest cross country ski races in Minnesota, starting in 1977, and had grown to be popular among not only local skiers but enthusiasts from around the country.

Start of Lotvola Cup on Little Sugarbush lake in front of the original main lodge, 1980.

We have established a new course for classic only technique. We are not able to host a mass start race but will have the virtual race now open through the remainder of the 2020-2021 ski season. A 14km course has been set using Strava to track skiers. If you are not on Strava, we suggest loading the app. If not using Strava, you may submit your time and we will add all the skiers on a final spreadsheet. In keeping with the spirit of the original Lotvola Cup, the idea is not to be the fastest skier but “simply” complete the challenge. Partnering with ski shops, we will provide random awards to skiers upon completion of the Cup.

There is no entry fee to participate but a season or day pass is required to ski the trails.

Start of the 2021 Lotvola Cup challenge. Sukkerbusk ski trail, just across the parking lot near the legendary orange tractor!

The course starts on Sukkerbusk ski trail at the “orange tractor”. Continue on Sukkerbusk until Twin Lakes trail. Left on Twin Lakes. Upon completion of Twin Lakes, continue back up to Sukkerbusk. Take a left on Sukkerbusk to North Loup. Left on access to North Loup. Upon completion of North Loup, take left on Sukkerbusk and finish out Sukkerbusk back to the start area. Continue on through and finish out on Sap Run trail to the right. The finish is back at the flag pole.

Most intersections take left except near the end of Sukkerbusk stay right to finish out the course on Sap Run trail. Most intersections will be marked with the original signs like above that read “Maplelag Ski Tur”.

The original Lotvola Cup course was 12 kilometers. The 2021 version will be around 14km, classic only technique.

The 12 KM classic technique only race was named in honor of Elias Lotvola. A Finnish pioneer in the local Sugarbush township who was famous for his skiing abilities as well making classic wooden skis in the Finnish tradition by hand. Even is his 80’s Elias would ski thru the “bush” and woods checking his trapline of over 30 miles in length. His skis and poles were on display in the lodge, but sadly they were lost in the fire of December 1999. However, many examples of similar wooden skis made by Elias Lotvola, are on display in the lodge.

Newspaper article by local paper Detroit Lakes Newspapers of first Lotvola Cup in 1977.

The race honors the tradition of Nordic skiing in Minnesota and up to the most recent race, had a wood ski division. Past Lotvola Cup participants included not only recreational skiers but Olympic athletes including biathlete Wynn Roberts of Battle Lake area who competed in the Vancover Winter Olympics in 2010.

Old school and new school, US Olympian Wynn Robert competing in the Lotvola Cup 2009 with wood skis.

Maplelag has always promoted a healthy and environmental friendly use of the land with a minimal footprint to conserve and promote our wonderful natural resources.

Newspaper article from early Lotvola Cup.

Archived results and photos on skinnyski.com

Events, Race

Laddies Loppet Decision

August 4, 2020 Jay Richards

We have made the decision to cancel this years 30th Laddies Loppet mountain bike race weekend and postpone the 30th celebration until next year. The health, comfort, and safety of our staff and guests has always been our number one priority.

The Laddies Loppet weekend is a very special event to us as we have been hosting for 30 year, meeting so many wonderful people along the way and forging life long friendships and meeting new people each year. We look forward to the same for our 31st year of mountain biking at Maplelag in 2021 hosting the 30th Laddies Loppet!

We continue to have the “LagChilada” challenge in place and the mountain bike trails remain open daily for riding until early November. More details on the LagChilda can be found here. As we enter some of the best months of the season to ride, stay tuned for information on group rides, tech lessons and feel free to reach out if interested in a guided ride. 218-849-7669.

Thank you to everyone that has supported the Laddies Loppet and mountain biking at Maplelag. Keep the wheels moving!

Maplelag Resort