Congratulations to Valerie Litznerski who set the Michigan S-N record on 2018-09-08 with a distance if 364 miles a time of 1 day 3:46, at an avg speed of 13.11mph. Valerie now holds both S-N and W-E solo records.
Read her narrative below
On a beautiful early fall day in September, I set out to establish the women’s south-to-north cross-state record for the state of Michigan. After establishing the west-to-east record in 2012, I decided that I wanted to have the S/N record as well. A recent crash with a car during a group ride compelled me to complete this goal and through the legitimacy offered by the certifying organization, WUCA, I was able to generate awareness and donations for the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club’s efforts to make cycling safer in the state of Michigan. Notably, Michigan is the 11th most dangerous state for bicyclists based on the most recent statistics that I am aware of. This is significant because few Michiganders ride our roads year-round.

I was prepared for a headwind during my ride and in the days leading up to my ride ad fretted as I saw rain and headwinds in the forecast. Luckily the rain didn’t come, but the headwinds did. The winds were sustained from the NE at 15 mph with gusts in larger open fields during the beginning of my ride. Once the winds subsided, the temperature started to drop. I was prepared for temperatures in the high 40s (F) but encountered temperatures in the high 30s (F) instead. As I traveled farther north, the land around me was less developed and more scenic. I was shuttled across the Mackinaw Island Bridge and finished my ride on Sunday morning in the UP. Crossing into Sault Ste Marie and seeing the SOO Locks was a relief after a long day and night on the road.

I was supported by Mariann and Andrea Litznerski and Robert Litznerski and Andrea Fore acted as my officials. Ryan Heidenfeld and Dennis & Katy Bean-Larson visited me while on the road to give me encouragement. I am proud to share this achievement with everyone that helped me along the way and honored to dedicate this ride to our efforts locally and state-wide to make Michigan safer for Cyclists. To everyone that supported me, reached out with kind words and messages, and who made donations, thank you. The support that I have received from the community, friends, and family means the world to me.

If you would like support these efforts to make cycling safer with a donation to the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club, please follow the link below: https://www.kalamazoobicycleclub.org/donate-to-kbc/