VERDICT Chip-timed Northwoods gravel with a 103-mile long course and a rescue-squad mission.
A training plan for Bear 100—shaped to your fitness and the hours you have.
Chip-timed spring gravel through Wisconsin's Nicolet National Forest.
Since 2013, riders have gathered in Laona to explore the Nicolet National Forest; event proceeds support the local rescue squad's equipment, supplies, and training. Founded in 2013. By Laona organizers and the Laona Rescue Squad.
Reputation: A grassroots, chip-timed Northwoods race known for wet spring roads, self-sufficiency, and direct community benefit.
Photo: YouTube / Adam Lives Adventure
Photo: YouTube / Adam Lives AdventureRemote Northwoods gravel and hard-packed dirt, with rougher two-track, spring mud, and about three miles of easy singletrack on the longer routes.
Signature challenge: A 103-mile, limited-support race through remote Northwoods terrain where spring rain can turn fast gravel into sticky mud and soft two-track.
There were some times where we had some uphills and different things like that and it was a very, very cool atmosphere and cool setting for a gravel race here in northern Wisconsin. These roads I would say overall decent condition. They did have a fair amount of rain here the night before. So, the roads were rather wet and sticky and at times a lot of potholes and puddles.
The Wisconsin Gravel Cyclist · 313 views
There's usually a section of what they call ruddy twotrack at the end. It's just mud really. It's like an ATV trail with deep, thick, slushy mud. They took it out this year because there was an inch of rain a week before the race and they said it was not safe.
Adam Lives Adventure · 501 views
This section here where we start to go up some of these hills with the pines and birch trees here on the sides of the road. This is honestly one of my favorite parts of the course. It's just beautiful and really accentuates what Wisconsin has to offer for gravel riding.
The Wisconsin Gravel Cyclist · 313 views
This is a tough race. I do not quite every year, but I've done it three times now in the last five years, and it's really good primer for the season. Sometimes fun, sometimes just brutal.
Adam Lives Adventure · 501 views
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Early May in northern Wisconsin can mean a cold start, rain, and fast-changing temperatures. Rain is the real multiplier: race-specific riders describe wet, sticky roads, potholes, puddles, and two-track mud rather than a predictable dry-surface event.[1]
Laona is a town of roughly 400 in northern Wisconsin, so lodging, food, and transport require advance planning. Green Bay is the practical commercial-airport approach, and the race's limited-support model means riders also need to arrive with their own food, repair kit, and bailout plan.[3]
The 103-mile route goes deep into Nicolet National Forest with limited support, weak cell service, and no on-demand pickup. That creates real self-sufficiency stakes, even though routes are marked and the terrain remains within gravel-race rather than expedition-race territory.[6]
The event has run since 2013 and uses chip timing, but it remains a regional Northwoods fixture rather than a nationally defining gravel title. Its reputation comes from local continuity and character, not a deep professional palmarès.[5]
Yes if you want an affordable, self-sufficient spring race through remote Wisconsin forest roads. Skip it if you need dense fields, extensive aid, or easy travel logistics.
Research sources used to build this race profile. Always verify details with official race sources before making travel or registration decisions.