WATCH 2026 LIVE on Watch page
​
Final statement of the original NSBR (2018-2025): 
I don’t always retire, but when I do, it’s because I invented it and then showed you how in 8 for 8.
This is website is how I & a handful of Legends did it.  
​
The North Star Bicycle Race is over.  But its spirit endures within the new North Star Bike Race & the handful of original Legends bringing it to you! Contact the new NSBR via [email protected] to get in on how they're gonna roll.

The North Star Bicycle Race began as a contest of endurance and sportsmanship.  Racers must act in the spirit of self- sufficiency, equal opportunity for all racers and, to be done, with integrity and gratitude.   The NSBR is an old fashion unsupported road race with no cause nor commercial angle.  It is a battle!  And whether riders wage that battle against time, mother nature, friend, foe, or innocent stranger... it's all good here.  Celebrate yourself,  keep it clean and let's all come out pedaling.
Battle by bicycle, my friends. Battle by bicycle.🙌
​Formerly Known as Chief Instigator,
Brian Rhea 

Before it was released from the confines of its own creation, Only 2 RACERS applied & qualified for the 2026 NSBR.  They passed the application process, board review, and Q&A session in response to the critics.
Mayella Krause and Andy Weinzierl.


LEGENDS

Course distance: 629.4+ miles
NSBR LEGENDS
NSBR Course Records  
36h 38m  Sage Seifert, 46.     Men 2025
42h 45m  Kate Coward, 43.  Women2023

NSBR Champions
2025 Sage Seifert & Mayella Krause
2024  Nick Elliott & Leah Gruhn
2023  Kate Coward & Nick Elliott
2022  David Tschan & Leah Gruhn
2021  Keith Morical & Leah Gruhn
2020  Keith Morical & Kate Ankofski
2019  Keith Morical & Kate Ankofski
2018  Jon Lester & Mary Ehlers

NSBR #8 September 10, 2025
Race start 0701
*course record
Finishers

1. Sage Seifert, 46.                  36h 38m*    628.58miles.        
2. Jamie Lindfors, 48.            44h 35m
3. Nicholas Elliott, 35.           46h 45m
4. Mervin Slaubaugh, 34.     46h 55m
5. Mayella Krause, 36.           48h 55m
6. Craig Schulz, 43.                 51h 30m
7. Keaton Clarke, 25.              59h 49m  
8. Bob Ashton, 59.                   58h 2m  (On Maprogress, I added 2 hr to Bob's finish to move him below Keaton even thought Bob finished 1hr45min earlier. It was a great race between the two but Keaton had excellent course coverage. Bob missed the GGT & Silver Bay Hill NB, Grand Portage town both ways and missed some of the GGT SB between Beaver Bay and Goose. I talked to Bob.  He tried hard to correct GGT by the lighthouse and the other 2 were honest mistakes.  He accepted the penalty honorably.) 
9. Adam Orcutt, 33.                63h 7m 
10. Brian Rhea, 48.                   79h 56m
11. Michael Isachsen, 42.       85h 58m 

• Todd Hunter                       52 h 13 m   (Completed course but received private assistance from a friend on Highway 61 (north of silver creek tunnel) and into the GGT at Gooseberry. I asked Todd why he didn't include in his race report this brightly lite disco ball headed one wheel machine powered dot watcher in his description of the difficult foggy first night and in proximity of 3 other racers. He said he didn't want to encourage other dot watchers to do the same thing. It was bad timing for dot watcher interference on an otherwise great race by Todd.  Part of the race and fair play is managing our dot watching friends to not give us an advantage.  It was an unfortunate penalty to give and it must be noted that Todd was honorable about accepting it.   
• Thomas Cook  (Did not complete course.  Intentional skip of GGT section from Beaver Bay to Gooseberry SB.  Tom told me he knew he was off course, his Garmin told him he was off course and that his wife called him and asked why he was off course. Tom told me that he didn't like hills and was in a hurry for other plans that he had made. Rode unnecessary off course miles just before finish.  Rookie mistakes.)
• John Hammje (Didn't complete course in a major way.  Skipped practically all of the Gitchi Gami Trail going south bound.  Unexplained by 2x NSBR Legend Hammje but more proof there are infinite ways to not do the North Star Bicycle Race.)

Scratched with honor
Bjørn Valla, 33.                  415.8 miles finished
Alec Kadlec, 29.                 406.8
Luke Kocher-Staver, 35.  293.1
Andy Koeneke, 40.            187.3
Andy Lageson, 46.            164.7




NSBR #7 September 11, 2024
Race start 0702  
*course record
Solo Finishers 

1. Nick Elliott, 35.             38h 41m*
2. Karl Kroll, 35.               41h 34m
3. Jamie Lindfors, 47.      43h 1m
4. Georgi Stoychev, 39.    45h 57m
5. Craig Schulz, 43.           46h 56m
6. Eric Price, 48.                47h
7. Andy Weinzierl, 41.     48h 54m
8. Bjørn Valla, 32.             54h 47m
9. Brian Rhea, 47.             56h 2m
10. John Hammje, 50.        58h 9m
11. Bob Ashton, 58.            58h 55m
12. Aaron Rutzick, 51.       64h 33m
13. Leah Gruhn, 45.           66h 28m
14. Ben Zvan, 51.                69h 14m
15. Michael Isachsen, 41.  84h 52m

Scratched
Sage Seifert, 45.             463 miles completed
Michael Neuman, 41.   192
Ryan Dee, 48.                 190
Doug Tiel, 57.                 16


NSBR #6 September 13, 2023
Race start 0704
*course record
Solo Finishers

1. Kate Coward, 43.          42h 45m*
2. Mayella Krause, 34.     45h 5m
3. Nick Elliott, 34.              53h 43m
4. Craig Schulz, 43.           54h 52m
5. Johnathon Castro, 43.  67h 56m 
6. Brian Rhea, 46.              70h 36m
7. Leah Gruhn, 44.             73h 1m
8. Dan Proulx, 29.              74h 47m
9. Mike Groth, 31.              75h 51m
10. James Young, 58.           83h 26m
11. Steve Grabowski, 56.    84h 8m
12. Ben Zvan, 50.                 84h 56m
13. Tim Redford, 33.           92h 8m
14. Jessica Swanson, 32     111h 26m

Solo Scratched
Kristoffer Jonson, 40.    463 miles completed
Chase Davis, 40.              463
Mark Skarpohl, 65.        455
Michael Neuman, 40.    307
Timothy Stephen, 48.    193
Andy Weinzierl, 40.      155
Cameron Swengel, 29.  88
Paul Brogan, 36.             30

NSBR No. 5 September 14, 2022
Race start 0702       
Solo Finishers

1. David Tschan, 29.       43h 02m
2. Nick Elliott, 33.            43h 36m
3. Brian Rhea, 45.            51h 25m
4. Phil Ensminger, 30.    51h 44m
5. Andy Weinzierl, 39.    59h 20m
6. Keaton Clarke, 22.       60h 38m
7. Ben Vargo, 29.              61h 37m
8. Leah Gruhn, 43.           63h 32m

Solo Scratched 
Mayella Krause,  33.        355.8 miles completed
Mervin Slaubaugh, 31.    321.5
James Labayen,  27.         245.2
James Young,  57.             186.9 
Not Solo Scratched
Jacob Garibay  28   160.7
Tim Hotze  43          160.7

 NSBR No. 4 September 15, 2021
Race start 0703
Finishers

1. Keith Morical, 61.      43h 17m
2. Anders Hopkins, 28.  45h 37m
3. Brian Rhea, 44.           47h 24m
4. Keaton Clarke, 21.      49h 48m
5. Tim Donahoe, 36.       58h 29m
6. John Jarvis, 66.            59h 34m
7. Leah Gruhn, 42.          63h 45m
8. Kate Ankofski, 37.      66h 09m
9. Kyle VanPelt, 48.         70h 22m
10. Ian Buck, 28.                71h 23m
11. Mark Seaburg, 62.      77h 35m
12. Mike Groth, 29.           81h 10m
13. Mike Nichols, 50.        83h 42m
14. Scott Kies, 57.              83h 52m
15. Cody Johnson, 33.       84h 55m
16. Bjorn Solberg, 25        88h 56m
17. Dan Johnson, 54.         88h 56m 2s
18. Ben Zvan, 48.               88h 56m 6s

Honorable Finishers
Mark Skarpohl*
Brian Broomall
Rob Mosimann
Jonathon Castro
Rose Willey-Farver
(editors note:  NSBR #4 was the year we created the Honorable Finishers as a place to put racers who, for whatever reason, couldn't finish in the way NSBR racers agree to play.  *Mark Skarpohl is the only racer who self reported and did so before finishing.)

Scratched
Dave Sowden           383 miles
Mervin Slaubaugh  346 miles
Cullen White            229miles
Kelley Wegneg         127miles

Disqualified
Rob Welsh

NSBR No.3 September 16, 2020
Race start 0702.
Finishers

1. Keith Morical, 60.               48h 2m
2. Brian Rhea, 43.                    55h 5m
3. Rob Mosimann, 59.             55h 22m
4. Eric Price, 44.                       57h 9m
5. Keith Rahn, 42.                    62h 15m
6. Rob Welsh, 69.                     66h 43m
7. Norman Ehrentreich, 52.  67h 22m
8. Keaton Clarke, 20.               68h 20m
9. Chase Davis,  37.                  85h 16m
10. Ryan Farrell, 26.                  86h 22m
11. Kate Ankofski, 36.               87h 02m

Scratched
Henry Marotske, 44    424.1 mi 
Mike Nichols, 49          355 mi    
​John Jarvis, 65              313 mi    
Dylan Izquierdo, 38    128.4 mi 
Mike Henderson, 32    67 mi      

NSBR No.2 September 11, 2019
Finishers

1. Keith Morical, 59.   49h 10m   
2. Jon Lester, 44.         52h 50m
3. Brian Rhea, 42.       64h 20m
4. Eric Price, 43.          66h 30m
5. Keith Rahn, 41.       72h 54m
6. Kate Ankofski, 35   88h 40m
7. Cody Johnson,  30   112h 3m
8. Elias Radtke,  25     138h 27m

Scratchers
Ryan Farrell, 25.        415.5 mi
Keagan Strenger, 25. 359 mi
Andy Hunsinger, 50. 228 mi
Bill Grau, 49.               201 mi
John Lane, 30.            138 mi
Mark Seaburg, 60.     115 mi
Mary Ehlers, 30.        115 mi
Dylan Izquierdo, 38. 83 mi
Aaron Ehlers, 31.      45 mi

Inaugural NSBR September 12, 2018
Finishers

1. Jon Lester, 43.             44h 50m         
2. Keith Morical, 58.       52h 47m   
3. Anders Hopkins, 25.  ​55h 25m   
4. Brian Rhea, 41.           76h 40m     
5. Dylan Izquierdo, 37.  78h 47m  
6. Crowell Herrick, 61.  82h 37m
7. Isaac Kangas, 18.     ​   88h 05m  
8. Mary Ehlers, 29.       ​  96h 17m 
9. Aaron Ehlers, 30.       96h 18m    

Scratched
Keith Rahn, 40.  441.9 mi
​John Lane, 29.    348 mi