Classification: Ultra
MK Ultra Gravel
June 7, 2026 — Marquette, MI
Marquette Fire Bell — 100 miles — Free
The day is here. Get out there.
$10 suggested donation to Great Lakes Recovery Centers
Subject: mind control gravel cycling
Declassified
Why MK Ultra?
The CIA ran Project MKULTRA from 1953 to 1973. It was a covert program of illegal experiments on unwitting human subjects — testing LSD, hypnosis, sensory deprivation, and psychological torture. Subjects included mental patients, prisoners, drug addicts, and ordinary citizens who never consented.
The program funded research at 44 colleges and universities, 15 research foundations, 12 hospitals, and 3 prisons. CIA Director Richard Helms ordered the destruction of all MK-Ultra files in 1973. A cache of 20,000 documents survived because they had been misfiled in a financial records building, and were discovered during a 1977 Freedom of Information Act request.
No mind control required — just legs and grit.
This ride borrows the name as a nod to the Upper Peninsula’s own history of isolation and endurance — and to route creator Mark Kransz, whose initials gave the ride its name. 100 miles of gravel through remote forest roads will test your mental fortitude.
Source: U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, 1977 — Project MKULTRA, the CIA's Program of Research in Behavioral Modification — FOIA-released documents (CIA MKULTRA Collection, National Security Archive)
The Route
100 miles — 3,365 ft elevation gain
Like what you see?
Register NowGravel Sectors
Grinduro Format
This isn't a time trial. It's a mass-start sufferfest with structure.
Seven gravel sectors are timed — rated 1–5 stars by surface brutality, Paris-Roubaix style. Three KOM/QOM climbs are timed separately — fastest up takes the segment.
Race the sectors. Suffer together.
Everything between? Challenging, remote, and utterly untimed. Ride your own ride.
Paris-Roubaix Rated Sectors
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KOM Segments
Restock Points
- Chatham Convenience Store Mile 37.3
- Rumely Gas Station Mile 46.3
- Dollar General Mile 76.1
Route Photos
mi 10.4 .jpg)
mi 13.8 
mi 19.6 
mi 21.1 
mi 22.1 
mi 25.5 
mi 26.9 
mi 28 
mi 29.6 
mi 29.9 
mi 30.6 
mi 31 
mi 32 
mi 32.2 
mi 32.6 
mi 33.7 
mi 34.3 
mi 34.8 
mi 35.9 
mi 35.95 
mi 36 
mi 36.1 
mi 36.5 
mi 37.2 
mi 37.3 
mi 37.4 
mi 37.6 
mi 39.5 
mi 40.1 
mi 40.1 
mi 40.2 
mi 40.2 
mi 40.2 
mi 40.2 
mi 40.2 
mi 41.2 
mi 41.9 
mi 43.2 
mi 43.3 
mi 43.4 
mi 43.8 
mi 43.8 
mi 43.9 
mi 46.2 
mi 46.2 
mi 46.3 
mi 46.9 
mi 46.9 
mi 51.2 
mi 52.2 
mi 55 
mi 55.4 
mi 55.5 
mi 55.6 
mi 55.6 
mi 55.7 
mi 56 
mi 56.5 
mi 60 
mi 60 
mi 60.1 
mi 63.1 
mi 63.8 
mi 63.9 
mi 64.2 
mi 66.6 
mi 76.3 
mi 78.7 
mi 80.2 
mi 83.8 
mi 91.1 
mi 95.1 
mi 95.4 
Event Info
The Format
Mass start. Not a race — ride your own ride. No sag wagon, no course marshals, no excuses.
Self-supported. Carry what you need between restock points. The route passes through remote two-track and forest roads where cell service is a rumor.
The Cause
MK Ultra Gravel is free to ride. We suggest a $10 donation to Great Lakes Recovery Centers.
GLRC provides substance abuse and mental health services across Michigan's Upper Peninsula — crisis intervention, residential treatment, and outpatient counseling for communities that need it most.
Donate at registration or on ride day. Every dollar stays local.
The Route File
Load the GPX into your head unit before you show up. Navigation is on you.
Download GPX