(upbeat music) - Look out for blood, and other telltale signs of head injury.

A hundred years ago this was a torn up mining wasteland.

Today, it's one of the newest state recreational parks.

Where mountain bikers take to the single track, hit some sick berms and try not to taco a wheel, bud.

Stick around we're mountain biking.

♪ Living on the edge ♪ Ah!

(lively music) - Today we're exploring, how opportunity can arise from repurposing land.

Crosby, Minnesota is located on the Cuyuna iron range.

About two hours north of the Twin Cities.

A recent spike in outdoor recreation, has helped to revitalize what was once a booming, then busted, iron range town.

When iron ore mining was in its heyday, in the early and mid 20th century, the Vermilion, Cuyuna and Mesabi ranges, provided rich iron ore to help fuel America's cities, and war efforts.

Mining though lucrative for mine owners, and important for cities and towns, proved to be scarring for the land, and dangerous for the miners.

By the 1980s, the mining industry stopped completely, and nature began to reclaim the land.

The open pits filled with water, vegetation covered the mounds of tailings, and people began to take notice.

The Cuyuna County State Recreation Area was born.

Today, when Cuyuna's mentioned, mining doesn't come to mind.

Mountain biking does.

That's why we're here.

To check out those red gold trails.

When you're in town, you might see a mural of a guy with a mustache.

That's Cuyler Adams, he brought mining to town, posing with a St. Bernard named Una.

And he put those two names together.

You got Cuyuna.

A little bit of history for you.

Gunner Carlson, president of Minnesota Off Road Cycling, is gonna share his mountain biking knowledge, and guide me through this expansive trail system.

But first.

Now I need to get a bike and get busy.

(funky music) - All right.

Here we are.

We're at Red Raven.

I'm with my Patrick.

I'm gonna rent a bike.

This is a very new experience for me.

So first off, why don't you tell me a little bit about what am I getting into today?

- Well, you're gonna be getting into some dirt, and to some single track.

Single track is just, single lane trail.

- Like a one way?

- Yep.

One way.

- I heard there's 60 miles of trail.

- Approximately 60 right now.

- I ran into somebody in town, who said their five year old can rock most of the trails.

- Totally.

- That's awesome.

So accessible.

That's uh- - They're accessible.

- I've heard.

I don't want to OTB.

- You don't wanna go over the bars.

- Over the bars.

We're gonna get dirty.

What's so cool about the dirt around here.

- The iron oxide content in the soil here, is it's the red that makes Cuyuna red.

- So we're gonna shred the red.

- Shred the red.

- I don't do handshake.

Fist bump.

- Yeah.

(upbeat music) (bluesy music) - All right.

I'm here with Gunner.

The president of the Minnesota Off Road Cyclist.

We're kicking it, man.

Thanks for coming out here.

Thanks for meeting me.

- I'm here.

It's good to be here.

- Man, what do you love about Cuyuna?

- It is some of my favorite riding, that we have in Minnesota.

You know, being in the red dirt, being in the the Northwoods, is how I feel.

Coming from the city is just different, than what we have there.

And when you get up here, I just feel like you're getting away from everything there.

- Let's get it.

(upbeat music) - [Gunner] So now get, yep.

There you go.

There you go.

Up out of that seat.

Let the bike bounce under you, but you're staying stable.

Make sure you're not too far over your handlebars, when you're coming up over things.

How'd that feel?

- Whew.

Exhilarating - Looked like you were getting more comfortable, with the speed and doing a little more.

- There was a moment where I was going- ♪ Living on the edge ♪ All right, here we go.

- [Gunner] All right, let's do it.

(upbeat music) - You don't have to get way back, but just be mindful.

I don't know if you chose the line, or just rolled it, but it was very nice.

- Whoo!

Yo, I'm exhilarated.

Some of this stuff was, it was tight.

Like I had lean out of the trees.

And the rocks were kind of slippery, on the wheels and everything, but I'm overall excited.

- Good.

So, you got a few minutes into you now, any questions or anything you're wondering about?

- All the pointers you're giving me is real helpful.

I'm just trying to not eat dirt man.

- Yeah, you're doing a good job.

You're keeping the bike loose, you know, in between you and allowing the bike to do most of the work.

And I think we'll head out, do a little more of this easy trail, and then a little bit of a dirt road, and head to something a little more exciting.

- Okay.

(upbeat music) - You get nature in a whole new way really?

And that's the beauty of it, right?

I mean, I've run into deer, not physically, but you know you see 'em all over the trail.

- Oh, yeah.

- I had an experience like that, on my bike in my old neighborhood.

Riding through the woods and ran up on a buck.

- But this is really approachable.

Wouldn't you say?

I mean like- - [Chance] Oh, yeah.

- You'd feel comfortable bringing your family, right?

- Yeah, probably.

Not my eight year old.

- You rode that rock garden really well.

- Thanks.

- So that was the first time, you kind of get a look at that, where I was talking about like, if you were gonna fall, fall one way.

- Yeah.

- So how'd you get started Gunner?

- I used to be into road biking, and about when I was like 19 years old, I decided to give mountain biking a try, and I'm down at the Minnesota river bottoms.

And from that first ride I've been hooked, and haven't looked back since.

And I've been riding off road ever since.

- Man.

I can see the appeal.

So what's it look being like, one of the only brothers out here?

(guys laugh) - Well, it's interesting, especially leading the organization, and knowing that we got a ways to go.

We need to improve.

But what I try and do, and what I focus on, is making sure I'm out there, and I'm as welcoming as I can be.

And that, you know, MORC is an organization, and all the other organizations that we, you know, talk with and partner with, are all just striving to make sure that our space, as inclusive as it can be.

Space is for people of color to ride, and feel comfortable learning.

So that then when you have the skills and you feel comfortable in your riding.

You can go feel comfortable out there, as opposed to having both barriers to deal with.

So.

- Yeah, people in the city getting out of the city, first, it's unfamiliar and then, you know, doing something that they might not be good at.

So that's like double layers of vulnerability.

But like you said, you know, overcoming both those barriers is yeah, key objective.

You said it's the second fastest growing sport.

- Yeah.

Second fastest growing sport in high school here.

We have somewhere around 2,700 high school racers.

Boys and girls.

And it's really diverse when you get to that, in terms of gender, ethnicity, age, grade seven through 12 that's racing.

And everybody comes together at those races.

And I think really that's the future, of making this more inviting.

- Yeah, man.

I mean, I can definitely a test.

Everybody that we've run into is very, you know, kind and welcoming.

And there's a community here.

- Yeah.

- And it's very inviting.

And I think the thrill of the adrenaline and all that, has really led to, you know, people being in a good mood.

- Yeah, there's some natural endorphins for sure.

Right?

- Hmm hmm.

- Like this is your best way to get in a good mood.

I would say your spot on there.

- All right.

So where are we heading to right now?

- Well, we're gonna head over, and do some intermediate trails.

This one's called Sand Hog Mountain.

- Sounds vicious.

(upbeat music) This is already sketchier.

- Nah.

You're good.

- [Chance] Yeah.

I got it.

- You got this!

- Yeah.

Oh, I know I got this.

I got this.

- So I get a little nervous personally, when the leaves are like this, 'cause I can't see, what's going on under 'em.

- Yeah.

- But it just makes it more fun right?

- Yep.

A little unknown.

- I figure if I don't see a ton of blood, anywhere near the trail, nobody else has been dying.

So- - Right.

Look out for blood, and other telltale signs of head injury.

We are shredding.

- [Gunner] You like that?

That's why we go up.

- Thought I was going nuts.

- That's good, right?

- Oh no.

I hit the brakes a couple times, and was like, "Whoop."

I almost went up over the edge and stuff.

- [Gunner] Yeah.

(upbeat music) - Yes, quads.

I feel you.

This is crazy.

Big rock.

- There are some.

- Big shot.

(upbeat music) (bicycle crashes) (laughter) - All good.

- Yes.

- See what I said about skinnys.

- Dude.

- It's mental.

- That was sweet.

If that's the only spill I take today, it was make it worth it.

- But, I will say this, you crashed like a pro.

- I'm good at falling.

I wanna do it again.

- [Gunner] Fire it up.

We call that sessioning.

When you're doing an obstacle that you didn't quite make, and you wanna practice it again.

- I might just go a little slower this time.

- All right.

Take two.

On this, be looking like two feet in front of you.

- Got it.

- The bike's gonna go where you want it to go.

Just look where you need to be next.

- Ah!

Yeah!

- There it is.

- That was scary.

(Gunner laughs) - You almost lost it on that second time.

- Oh for sure.

I was just like thinking of what you said.

- You had about two millimeters left, and I was like, come on.

Just get it, get it.

- That's what I was thinking.

I was like, just keep going.

- I was so glad, 'cause that back wheel, was looking a little perilous.

(Chance laughs) - That was dope.

That's what I needed.

A challenge that didn't break me.

- No, and it only took you two times.

- I know.

I was thinking the whole time, the second time.

I'm just like go.

Don't hesitate.

- [Gunner] Right?

- Trust the bike.

(upbeat music) (Gunner laughs) - [Gunner] There you go.

- [Chance] Okay.

Steep hill sharp turns.

Yeah, let's get it.

- How you feeling?

- Great.

Woohoo.

- [Gunner] Here's a lookout.

- [Chance] Wow.

- [Gunner] How you like that?

- [Chance] That's amazing.

- [Gunner] Not too bad a spot, huh?

This is why we do it.

- [Chance] It's so perfect.

- [Gunner] Yeah.

- [Chance] Man, this view is incredible.

My legs they're on fire.

But now looking at how this landscape is regenerated.

It's grown.

It's provided this, epic view and experience.

And thank you so much for showing me this.

And sharing your wisdom and sharing your time.

- Yeah.

It's a joy to get you out here.

I'm glad you got to see it.

And it really is amazing what they were able to do, with something that was, you know, really thrown away, and forgotten about land and through great partnership.

We get all this beauty.

- Man, we gotta do this again sometimes.

- Yes indeed.

- All right bro.

Here we are in this beautiful landscape.

It was once degraded by industry.

Now restored with a little love, and mother nature, of course.

I had a great time.

Wiped out.

Got a bruise.

Didn't taco a wheel.

Didn't go OTB.

I had an awesome guide.

Very knowledgeable, introduced me to this community.

I would've never known about.

I shredded that Cuyuna red.

My legs are sore.

Thanks for coming.

I'll see you again, next time.

It's Chance signing off.