From big races to Saturday morning group runs—find cycling, mountain biking, and time trial events and connect with the local endurance sports community.
Fri, Aug 21, 2026 at 11:59 PM
Welcome to Something New!
The Sawtooth Stage Race is the Midwest's only multi-day mountain bike trail race! The Superior Cycling Association is excited to partner with COGGS to bring this inaugural
event to the North Shore. Race it gun to tape as a classic XC course, or sit back and rip the Gravity Segments like an enduro. Either way, take in every mile of the SCA's trail network, make new friends, and embrace the challenge of something new! The Sawtooth Stage Race offers every rider a new way to test their endurance, skill, and strategy over three days of epic singletrack racing!
The Race Within the Race
A stage race is a format that forces a rider to choose when to spend energy and when to save it. Legs, race tactics, and recovery all have a part to play here. A match burned on Friday is one less in the box for Sunday. The Sawtooth Stage Race gives racers the chance to compete for awards in three categories, but there is so much more than just awards to play for here.
The Stage Win is like any other cross country mountain bike race, the win goes to the rider with the fastest course time on the day (chip time in the ITT, gun time in the head to head stages).
The General Classification the "GC", is like the yellow jersey in the Tour, or the Maglia Rosa in the Giro. The rider with the shortest cumulative time over all three full courses stands on the top step.
The Gravity Classification tests technical skill through 9 independently timed segments. The rider with the shortest cumulative time over the segments wins this classification. (The gravity segments are built into each course, so it is possible for a racer to compete in both categories. See maps below for details.)
The Stages
Friday August 21, 5pm-8pm: ITT Prologue: 6.8mi, 500ft- The tone for the weekend will be set with a short rip around the Britton Peak trails. This will be an individual time trial with riders allowed to start any time between 5pm and 8pm. There will be two Gravity segments on this course, Skookum and Flume. (Skookum is a black trail, be ready for some minor drops. Some riders may want to pre-ride this one.) Plate pickup and race information will be at the trailhead. Stage awards will be done as call ups the following morning.
Saturday August 22, 11am: Jackpot – High Climber: 29mi, 2,500ft- The queen stage. Begin with a few miles of neutral roll along the Gitchi Gami. Chat with fellow racers and take in the view. In Tofte, ascend a tarmac climb to Britton Peak and plug into the singletrack. Pedal, pump, and grit through the Jackpot wilderness. The Gravity Segments here are remote and will test your onsight ability. Keep it rubber side down, help is a long way off out here! Cross onto High Climber at mile 25 and flow through 5 miles of Dirt Candy to Lutsen Mountains and the finish. The final Gravity Segment is pure speed! Post race food, beers, music, and awards at Caribou Highlands near the finish area.
Sunday August 23, 10am: Pincushion Dirt Circuit- 20mi, 2,200ft- The final stage will start and finish in the coolest small town in America. First ascend tarmac, two-track, and a goat trail up to Pincushion. Pedal, pump, and jump around the fully redesigned trail system for two laps (hitting 2 Gravity Segments each lap) and fly back into town. Post race celebration, beer, and awards at Voyageur Brewing in downtown Grand Marais.
Cycling Mountain Biking Time Trial Trail
Grand Marais, Lutsen, Tofte, Minnesota, 55615, United States