The Pie Burner 2019…. AKA The Northland Edition.

Well,

We had 40 plus riders send in their postcards. Good old “Mother” definitely had other ideas.

The pending winter storm had riders with long drives home, bailing left and right in the days leading up to ride day.

Very smart decisions one and all!!

Next year!!

Here’s the Northland crew….

23/24 hardy souls… braved the elements…. for what turned into only a 17.5 mile day.

If we attempted the 2nd 15 miles… we wouldn’t have been back until after dark; and dragging major ass!

Ely, as usual was well represented on this day!! Thanks guys…. it’s always a treat!! 👍🏻👍🏻

One straggler wondered from Fargo…. 😜

with the Iron Range represented well also.

A lot of new riders this year, which is completely awesome to see!

Final numbers for the Northeastern St. Louis County Toys for Tots… 273 items. 93 toys 57 stocking stuffers 107 books!!

Cash $308.

Checks $325.00

Again, this quality group comes through! Thank You!!

I thinks it’s time I call out these two!!

For their generosity in filling their pickup box with toys…. for like the 4th or 5th year in a row!! Every year they make a special trip over in the days leading up to ride day; to drop their haul. As you can see…. that tandem would not fit with all those toys!!

Our family loves these two…. they are a shining example of the quality humans that attend this event!!

Again, thank you to one and all!!

Save this date…. November 28th 2020.

Year 8 of this event!!

This year’s sponsors… THANK YOU!! Not once have any of these sponsors paused, said we’ll get back to you… they’ve donated willingly.

It’s a small list… but they’ve been very very loyal to this grassroots event!!

THANK YOU!!

In no particular order…….

1UpUSA

RideMN

Lake Superior Brewing

Ursa Minor Brewing

Fat-Bike.com

Crapola

Bikes On Howard

Bark Designs

Spokengear

Cedaero

Otso Cycles

WolfTooth

Giants Ridge

FatBack Bikes

IronRange Tourism Bureau

Palmer’s Tavern

None of this would happen without these three…… I CAN NOT SAY Thank You enough!!

And a “A” plus one helper!!

Thanks H!!

And a special Thank You to Mr. Tom Rupar!! Filling in at the last possible moment to be our sag driver!!

Thank you Tom!!

AND this statement left on the Pie Burner Facebook page….. is proof we are doing something very RIGHT with this ride!!

“Thank you Joe and Family for putting on such a great event! Appreciate all the communication before, all the trail breaking you do to figure out the rides and show us your universe, and for rounding up all the swag! It was gorgeous out there! There is no other ride that is anything like this one! 2 years ago I got lots of practice riding ice which helped me the rest of the season. This year I got better at skinnies haha!”

Thank you Sheri!!

As an accomplished rider (whatever sized wheels you’re on), these words mean a lot!!

It’s always a pleasure seeing you!!

A few after ride shots….

And a few…. out there….

Alright…. that’s about all I have…..

See you all in 2020!! #pieburner2020

Pie Burner 2019 Registration Information……

AND…… HERE WE GO!!

The registration window closes November 1st…… or when it hits 50 postcards.

Since house hunting blows you know what; here’s the mailing address to use.

Pie Burner FatBike

C/O Joe Sacco

1114 Michigan St.

Hibbing, Mn.

55746

Please ONE name and subsequent information to a postcard!!

Include:

Name, first and last.

Email address.

Please include a working email address!!

Please use your best penmanship!!

A non working email address, and me being unable to read your handwriting will result in the card being thrown.

If your postcard is postmarked August 31st I will also throw it away.

I’m working between 70-80 (if not more), hours weekly… so please please follow these simple directions.

As of right now (and probably more so in the coming weeks), it will not take much for me to take a pass on putting this years event together.

If my tone reads short and to the point; please start reading this paragraph from the beginning!! 😜😜😂🤦‍♀️

After I’ve received 50 postcards I’ll list everyone’s names and that’s that!!

If in the past you’ve come for the giveaways, and or the t-shirts…. this year you may be disappointed.

If in the past you’ve come to ride your fatbike in the heart of the Iron Range, with an awesome group of people…. you WILL NOT be disappointed!!

Thanks for the understanding with the above information!!

The Time Has Arrived!!

On and around the Minnesota Discovery Center, Rock Solid Trail Construction crews are cutting in new trails….. 10 years in the making!!

Get excited Iron Range!!

Update…. 7/23

We went to check things out.

I personally have been down and back out the other side of this pit once a week since spring; sometimes twice. Waiting to see trail cut in.

Well today was the day!! 👍🏻👍🏻

We met the Rock Solid crew just as they were pulling away for the drive up and out of the pit for the day.

The conversation went something like this.

Me: thanks for being here boys. Thanks for cutting in trail for us!! What kind of beer you boys like?

Crew: cold ones!! LOL

Me: ✅

Crew: not a problem… and you guys are going to have something very special!! Me: chin on ground. LOL

Crew: You guys gonna ride what we’ve started? It needs tires on it.

Me: no way guys… we just came by to check things out; no way we’re riding your fresh trail.

Crew: seriously…. what we’ve got down needs some tires put to it; have fun!!

Can you say “kids on Xmas morning??!!??

No long runs yet, but sections. Damn if those section don’t ride spectacular!!

We’ll more than likely be back next week… with cold 12 packs for these boys!! 👍🏻👍🏻

With trail building happening all across the Iron Range, it’s an exciting time for area mountain bikers that’s for sure!!

Grimba has their Tioga trail project in full swing.

Giants Ridge has their gravity trails up and running.

It’s The Bike Stupid!!

Saturday I rode the Lutsen99er.

The 69er version for this particular day.

72.43 miles

Almost 4,000′ of climbing, in 8 hours and change.

This post isn’t about my 23 year old riding partner, who kicked ass by the way!! 💪🏻👊🏻

Or the kick ass campsite we had at the Temperance River campground west of Tofte, Mn.

It’s not even about the event itself, which was exceptionally run, with a volunteer group 2nd to none!!

I will say one thing about the riders of this event…. by the amount of race course garbage I personally saw; they are illiterate!! That is all.

What this post will be about, is how I felt during and especially afterwards riding my FatBack Rhino FLT. For up until today is the longest saddle time I’ve had on it since bringing it home back in March of this year.

I knew what to expect, I’ve done long rides on my Pugsley and Krampus respectively.

I was prepared for sore wrists, arms, elbows and shoulders. Along with a sore lower back, and maybe a sleepy left or right foot (depending on the day), for a couple days afterwards.

Hey, that’s the price I’ve been willing to pay in the past… why should it change now?? It was all in the pursuit of my passion that’s called fat/plus biking.

Well, throughout the early part of the ride I felt strong…. legs were fine, I kept a moderate pace. God Damn climbing still kicks my ass; and I’ve made peace with that fact…. so I settle in and turn the pedals until the climbing stops.

Thomas pulled ahead, obviously!! Why would he wait for his slow ass climbing old man?? I wouldn’t if I was him!!

😂😜

The 25 mile aid station came and went… I’m still feeling good; picked up speed and started picking off slower riders. Nothing new there…. it always takes me a bit to get completely warmed up.

From here to the 45 mile aid station i realized I was clipping along, picking off more and faster riders than myself; by bombing through mud holes, bombing down descents with abandon… damn I love the fatbikes big boy tires!!

I also started waiting for it…. the soreness to start creeping in. It usually starts in the wrists and lower back at the same time…. but it didn’t come.

The 45 mile aid station came and went; still no creeping soreness….. and at around mile 52 I caught the young 23 year old!! LOL

The heat was doing a number on him, and he slowed down to compensate. We stopped shortly after reconnecting, and I dumped a good amount of water on his head and down his back….. I saw his demeanor instantly change!! Super I thought… and we moved onto the 2nd to last aid station at the 51 mile mark.

Which just so happened to be two city blocks from our campsite. I mentioned we could go sit in our camp chairs until he was ready to finish. Without missing a beat…. “nope, we’ll stop here for a bit, then move on.”

At the campsite later that evening, he said he was afraid if he sat in his chair he would’t get back up!! LOL smart young man!! 💪🏻👊🏻

So this is where he sat for awhile before we moved on….

By this time I was expecting the soreness to come crashing down on me at any moment. I had even popped a couple ibuprofen after filling Thomas’s water bottles in preparation.

Mile 61 came and went…. nothing.

Mile 62-67 nothing.

Then the single-track…. who puts single-track at the end of a race?? For Christ sake, how am I suppose to enjoy it… being sore and beat down!!??!!

Well, well…. what do you know… I enjoyed the hell out of that end of the race single-track just fine, thank you very much!!

More climbing to the finish… which sucked goat balls… but I did it!! 🥺🙄

After all this, what am I sold on??

My carbon fork in combination with the carbon bars; and running my tires tubeless; and riding a fully rigid bike that was specifically designed with this sort of a shit show of a days worth of riding. I swear to God I would not have felt this good if I rode either of my other two bikes!!

Steel vs aluminum frame? I’m not so sure about that!!

Did I just have an exceptionally good day? Not particularly.

I know I’ve prepared myself similar in years past for an event such as this, so that’s not it.

I’ve thought about this a lot since I laid my head down in my tent that Saturday night.

Carbon fork + carbon bars + tubeless setup + Fatback Bikes Rhino FLT = pain free riding!!

New Sign Up Procedure For 2019 Pie Burner Saturday, and Beyond……

Alright….. here’s the deal for the #pieburner2019 sign up.

Are YOU ALL paying attention??

PLEASE Pass this on to whomever you’d like….. PLEASE!!

I don’t want anyone saying “but we didn’t know!!”

In past years I’ve never capped this ride.

Two years ago we had as many as over 70 riders…. way to many in my opinion.

Things just got to spread out.

Last year was 45ish, which was perfect.

So from now on, and for however much longer I plan on putting the work into this ride, the cap will be 50 riders.

A few locals who’ve helped me out with this ride, I will never ask to register. Deal with that fact or not; that’s just the way it’ll be.

I’m still not asking any rider for money.

The donation (ride fee) to the Northeastern St. Louis County Toys for Tots Foundation stays.

It benefits the less fortunate young ones during a stressful time of year.

It’s a very GOOD thing; and you the riders of this event have never let that needy group down.. kudos to each and every one of you past participants!! I can’t thank you enough for your generosity!! 👍🏻👍🏻

***The postcard sign up window will be from September 1st – November 1st.***

After November 1st I will count the postcards I’ve received and make a post on the remaining spots that are left open, or post who’s in and whose not.

The postcards will be dated on the day they are received… and I’ll go from there after 50.

No emails sign ups… SORRY I just will not have time to answer emails between working two jobs, scouting and planning the routes, and everything else that goes into making the Pie Burner Saturday what it has become.

Please understand this fact; it’s just the way it has to be for my own sanity.

I will have to give you ALL the mailing address at a later date… we are currently in the process of becoming homeowners…. so that address WILL FOLLOW as the joyous search for a home gets completed. 🤔😮🤫

As always; fire away with any questions you may have. Did I miss something?

Yes, I realize it’s nearing the end of June…. but this way you all can plan accordingly, tell whomever you’d like to join you on ride day…. to pay attention to sign up and so forth.

I did mull this new sign up process over for quite some time; so this isn’t something I’ve settled upon lightly……. it will be what it will be.

Either you like it, or you will not.

That decision I leave to you.

-Joe

Why Isn’t Anyone Asking Why…….

I’m saddened and frustrated that no one within the community is asking why, and hopefully there are others like me….. that are asking…..

Why was WCCO contacted?

Why was a prominent education attorney contacted?

Why were simple and plainly stated district policies ignored?

Not to many years ago, this district was in a similar situation; but IMHO much much worse!

A district leader, was accused, and found to be guilty of inappropriate actions towards over 60 young high school aged girls.

A teacher was accused of sending pictures of his genitalia, while allegedly drinking alcohol and smoking weed with those same young female students.

He was allowed to leave with merely a slap on the wrist….. and a few years of insurance coverage!!?

Not once in either of those instances was WCCO and/or ANY national news outlet contacted or gave any information to the public.

The community even organized a “Hibbing Parents Coalition.” Ugh, I feel dirty even typing those words today; so dirty in fact a shower is needed!

NOT ONCE during any of the above was a high profile attorney “on the scene.”

Sure the MNDHR got involved. Mr. Lindsey was brought to town, made a speech… placated parents, and a few months later a report was filed.

All of this information is easily found on this site, including the full report.

The admin. and teacher are now known as former employees of ISD #701.

End of story.

Fast forward to May 2019…..

WDIO breaks a story, Hibbing High School teacher put on “administrative leave.”

All is quiet for days.

Holy crap!! That’s just not good enough… I know….

I think WCCO needs to be made aware!

Then all hell breaks loose….. with audio recordings of said teacher, and only the teachers voice on the recordings that were released.

Social media is in an uproar, rumor whore Dawn says this, rambling rumor Ron says that. Hmm… kind of by design, in the wrongful release of said audio clips, wouldn’t it appear??

Then an education lawyer needs to be brought in saying this and saying that. “Oh the bravery of this young child” to take it upon themselves to record said teacher “over many weeks.”

I call B. and S. on that statement by the attorney.

What JH child has enough focus to do such a thing, without being prompted to do so on a daily basis??

I do not know one!!

The ones I do know, barely get their homework or chores done on a daily basis without constant reminders!!

See what I’m getting at here??

WDIO, WCCO, education attorney, CNN….. am I the only one whose seeing the connection?

Ok, I’ll speak so there is no “doubt.”

Does this “group of parents” have such a vendetta for this teacher, and obviously this school district??

OR… OR…. OR…. is it a situation of convenience? For a darker “root of all evil” reason? Now that would be interesting to find out, now wouldn’t it?

THAT…….

1. They’ll leak such an obvious one sided narrative to the public, so said teacher is crucified in the court of public opinion., while using the cover of a child to do so??

How mentally warped is that??

2. This “group of parents” obviously think their little Johnny’s and Suzy’s are more worthy of this kind of power hungry attention whoring than 60 young high school girls; and a handful of girls who saw their teachers private parts on their phones and/or email??

Give me a freaking break!!!

AND……

3. This is a blanket statement…. That proves this “group of parents” knew releasing the audio was sly, sneaky, underhanded and wrong!!

It just proves a bigger point….. how big their vendetta is for said teacher, and district…. WAIT… hold on… maybe NOT!

Nope…. I’ll hang on to this information until I can get confirmation.

It would be really nice if the public DID KNOW……

1. In the release of said audio clips….. unfair labor practices were used, by bypassing all district and labor contract and employment privacy by releasing to the public.

2. Not ISD #701’s fault.

3. Teachers name and the audio were released by the “group of parents” lawyer.

This should not have happened!!

4. The releasing of audio, bypasses the applicable process to put it in the court of public opinion, as stated above, instead of due process. this fact deals with PELRA laws.

All I’m asking…. is ask yourself WHY….. Does anything about this situation, and how it’s unfolded… pass the smell test??

it’ll be interesting to continue watching how things continue to unfold. What’s the next “breaking news” story we can expect?

Same Old Song and Dance For ISD#701; Not So Fast…..

I’ll preface this by giving a shout out to………

The thankfully now former H.H.S. teacher slinking around the internet like the spineless coward he is; while also pretending to be a current teacher…… You should’ve kept your mouth shut!

How do you like me now?? Be careful what you ask for!!

Ok, carry on…..

This is in reference to the Hibbing High School teacher recently put on leave……..

If teachers are held to the utmost standards… which has been proven, (at the Hibbing High School) and recent past practice is still very fresh in all community members minds.

Teachers and school administrators certainly should be held to a higher standard. This standard has not been the case in years past.

However, I do not believe this is one of those times.

The district and the union did what was right, in those situations through following their set procedures.

The school district along with the union, since that unfortunate time have followed their own set procedures.

At times, these procedures have seemed tedious.

Thankfully, past mistakes have turned into one that now follows a standard of fairness and quality, no matter how onerous the process appeared, it followed a set protocol.

If you think I’m mistaken, please look at any social media platform since this recent “leave of absence” story broke, people are assuming the worst of a very respected teacher.

Why has this happened?

Why hasn’t the set process been followed?

My thought… chalk it up to “the sins of the past.”

I know the teacher who is being accused. I also know him to be a good and decent man.

I know he is exceptional at his job.

Over the past four to five years, the reputation of the school district is it does not “support the bad apples” However, when one of the “good ones” is wrongly accused,  both the union and school district will stand steadfast in support. This must be the case.

 So the question is, where does that leave the students?

Each student gets the web address to the school handbook, on day one of the new school year; along with a sheet that needs to be turned in soon after…. with the parent/s and students both signing.

That handbook clearly states what is excepted and what isn’t.

Claiming ignorance of not going over this should not be an excuse; it took me all of 30 seconds to find this!!

The school district also has policies in place to deal with certain situations that may arise. This being a guideline for what the expectation is of the student.

There’s acceptable behavior and there’s unacceptable behavior.

See #ISD701 policy #527 section J.

Which states……. 

“Students are not allowed to take photos, videos, or audio recordings of staff without their permission.”

If a student records a video of a teacher in his own classroom without consent, where’s the student’s accountability?

In the recent situation were the proper procedures followed?

If so, why and why not?

Furthermore, the student handbook clearly states, “phones must be put away and turned off in the classroom.”  Were these simple rules followed, by the students and the teachers? Again, if not…. why?

If there’s a certain “chain of command” regarding how each and every different circumstance is to be handled, were they followed?  I don’t know, as I’m sure you do not either.

Before everyone jumps to conclusions, let the district follow their guidelines for a change?

As we’ve all witnessed multiple times over the past eight years, seeing one side of the story is often a recipe for coming to the wrong conclusion!! 

Teachers have been faced with having to do more of the parents’ role in addition to the already difficult job of educating the students.

Why are parents today so quick to blame the teacher for the poor behavior of disrespectful children??

I think it is time for parents to look at themselves and the type of parenting being done.

It is imperative that children be held accountable for their actions and mistakes, rather than enabling their bad behavior.

Anonymous ISD#701 Teacher…..

“I’m so saddened & disappointed as it could be any one of us in any place of employment – and where is our voice.

A reputation is now ruined, regardless of being found innocent or guilty; as this student and parents would like.

We (teachers) don’t video kids harassing, hitting, swearing, walking away from us, spitting on us, swearing at us, etc…. as that’s not allowed; and unfortunately, they tell us it’s part of the job.

Where and when do our (teachers) rights begin?

Do We have any?

This should be resolved- diplomatically and according to protocol and school rules.

Dan is a great man. I will stand by him.”

The Really Good, The Really Good, and the Really Really Bad Products…..

I’ve purchased some products in the last year… not very many; but they were needed… some were overdue.

I’ll start with what I think was my best cycling addition in recent memory.

The OutBoundLighting TrailEdition headlight.

This light is HANDS DOWN the most impressive light I’ve ever used…. bar none!! The beam pattern alone is worth the price of admission… with Matt (the owner) providing customer service that simply isn’t seen any more. Nice job Matt, you have a lifetime customer!!

Then it comes to the FatBack RhinoFLT. You’ve already read what I think about this sweet ride; so I’ll just leave another picture.

Now the REALLY REALLY BAD product, I paid a premium price for… even at the 25% discount I received at the AngerCatfish it’s just a horribly overpriced horrible product!!

The 45NRTH Naughtvind pant.

The worst product for winter cycling I’ve ever spent my hard earned dollars on EVER, hands down PERIOD. If I could return this product for a refund…. I would in a heartbeat!! Horribleness x 10!! DO NOT waste your hard earned dollars on this product!!

I’ll be going back to the trusty, completely better made Craft Storm tights!!

45NRTH does a lot of things that are exceptional…. these pants are not one of those things!!

I should’ve listened to you Mr. Doom!!

Anyway, that’s it, for now.

I do have a frame bag currently being made from Cedaero.

I’ve been assured it will be in my hands well before The Le Grand Du Nord which will be my spring beat down this year. I decided to stay in northern eastern Minnesota for this years early season flogging!! 😜🤔

Keep the rubber side down and Pedal On!!

Why The FatBack Rhino FLT

Because it’s NOT a Salsa, Trek, Specialized or other big brand.

I picked up this sweet rig March 1st, from my LBS…. Bikes On Howard; which has become FatBack Bikes newest dealer!!

I wanted to step into the 21st century of fat-bikes. My Pugsley has treated me well for over 11 years, but it was time.

Nothing wrong with those above, or any brands; although FatBack does fat-bikes, and only fat-bikes…. and they do them extremely well!!

It has a threaded BB, (which all FatBack bikes have, as all bikes should), which has been a deal breaker in a new bike with me for years. If it says PF BB…. I move on.

Symmetrically built wheels with through axles, and tubeless ready were a must.

I got an 18″ aluminum frame, FatBacks GX Eagle build with the carbon fork upgrade. For my riding style and riding area, I don’t feel a full on carbon frame is the wisest choice for me.

I choose the non studded Johnny 5’s, which I studded myself.

The only thing I swapped out, after 100 miles were ridden, was the stock saddle to my comfy WTB Koda saddle.

Also, when the studded Johnny 5’s weren’t really needed anymore, I set up my 45Nrth Vanhelgas tubeless. 1st time I’ve went tubeless in 20 years. This time around it went much smoother than that time 20 years ago!! LOL

I don’t feel I can really compare the ride of this Rhino FLT to the Pugsley. How can one compare the difference between night and day??

The Sram GX Eagle drivetrain is a game changer…. and has performed flawlessly, as I’ve now passed the 200 mile mark.

I’ve got a few races, well for me…. they’ll be called rides, coming up; and this will be the bike I ride. I may even get a set of plus size wheels, and sell my other two bikes…… time will tell. 🤔

I’m also patiently waiting for my new Cedaero frame-bag to arrive. Then things will get real!! 👍🏻👍🏻

I’ve named this new whip; well to be completely honest, Cindi named it; when you see me in person ask me the name she came up with; because I’d rather offend you in person than type the name out!! 🤔😂😂😂😂😂😂😜😜

Until then, keep the rubber side down, and pedal on!!

Pie Burner 2018………

Picture heavy post…. few words.

Northeastern Minnesota Toys For Tots got a nice boost again from this event!!

Final numbers for #toysfortots

37 big hearted #fatbikers raised

$795.00/$300 from #palmerstavern 💕

149 toys/books and stocking stuffers.

Yet another year I’m speechless at these numbers!!

THANKS to ONE and All!!

Here’s to #pieburner2019

“Creek crossing” in the 1st 8 miles.