In the Spotlight
The stories, people & places of the Badlands
Everything below is published elsewhere or by locals — this is just the archive. The Dakota Cycling Adventures crew, formerly known as Dakota Cyclery, has played a role in putting the Maah Daah Hey on the world map.
Dakota Cycling Adventures (formerly known as Dakota Cyclery) and the Maah Daah Hey Trail have earned widespread recognition across leading outdoor, cycling, and travel media, connecting Medora as a premier destination for adventure tourism and showcased in 40+ national and international media features and publications such as:
The Maah Daah Hey trail was recognized as the “Best Hidden Gem” in the 2022 Bicycling Travel Awards, highlighting its appeal for cycling enthusiasts.
- Outside Magazine
- Bike Magazine
- REI Co-Op Journal
- MTB Project
- Trailforks
- Bikepacking.com
- 2012 ND Governor’s Award · International Tourism
Seven pieces worth your time
01Dakota Cyclery guiding the Maah Daah Hey
Filmed over sixteen years ago, when the shop sat across from the Roughriders Hotel and was the only guide and bike support in the area for the Maah Daah Hey Trail.
Dakota Cyclery · YouTube · Archive
02Discover the Adventure of the Maah Daah Hey Trail
Jairo and Julie Ramos on the climbs of the Maah Daah Hey, cycling performance, and the stories that make the badlands a destination. Full episode.
Western Edge Living · YouTube
03New ownership at Dakota Cyclery rooted in global experience
From a Honduran village to high-profile builds, Jairo and Julie Ramos Lagos take over the Medora shop from Jen and Loren Morlock.
The Dickinson Press · May 6, 2026
04Backpacking ND: shuttling out to the Maah Daah Hey
After hitting trails around North Dakota, the crew loads bikes into a Dakota Cyclery shuttle and heads for the Maah Daah Hey, with Jen getting the group prepped to backpack the trail.
BackpackingTV · North Dakota Tourism · 2026
05Pedals of Praise
A documentary following Dakota Cycling guide Kim and two fellow riders down the Maah Daah Hey, where the Badlands makes its own case for faith.
Film
06Run the Grasslands in Theodore Roosevelt
A four-day adventure through Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the Maah Daah Hey that points readers to Dakota Cyclery for guided tours.
Outside · June 5, 2016
07Why you should visit the rugged North Dakota Badlands in 2026
The Badlands named one of the world’s best destinations to visit in 2026, and the entry sends Maah Daah Hey riders to Dakota Cyclery for rentals, shuttles and guides.
National Geographic · October 21, 2025
Upcoming media
Two video docuseries are in production — the same two previewed on our home page. New episodes are edited through the season and posted as they’re finished.
A Dakota Bound original video series
From the Jungles to the Prairies
Jairo & Julie, from jungle trails to Badlands singletrack.
Coming soon
A Dakota Bound original video series
Dust on the Tires
Gravel, backroads and Badlands singletrack — one season at a time.
Coming soonDakota Cycling Adventures
Jairo, Julie, Jennifer, Kim and the wider North Dakota cycling community. Independent interviews are added as they publish.
The Dickinson Press
New ownership at Dakota Cyclery rooted in global experience
From a Honduran village to high-profile builds, Jairo and Julie Ramos Lagos take over the Medora shop from Jen and Loren Morlock.
May 6, 2026
Direct profileNational Geographic
Why you should visit the rugged North Dakota Badlands in 2026
The Badlands named one of the world’s best destinations to visit in 2026. The entry sends Maah Daah Hey riders to Dakota Cyclery for rentals, mechanics, shuttles and guides.
October 21, 2025
National featureFilm
Pedals of Praise
A documentary following Dakota Cycling guide Kim and two fellow riders down the Maah Daah Hey, where the Badlands makes its own case for faith.
Western Edge Living · YouTube
Discover the Adventure of the Maah Daah Hey Trail
Jairo and Julie Ramos on the climbs of the Maah Daah Hey, cycling performance, and the stories that make the badlands a destination. Full episode.
701 Cycle & Sport · YouTube
701 Cycle & Sport Staff Spotlight — Jairo Ramos
A sit-down with Jairo during his years as service manager at the Bismarck shop: his Honduran national team racing, the bikes he builds himself, and advice for anyone just starting out.
September 2022
Direct profile
It’s Her Brand Magazine
It’s Her Brand Magazine — Issue 17
Julie wrote several pieces for this issue, covering culture and cycling alongside the magazine’s focus on diversity and women building their own brands.
January 2022
Direct profile
The Bismarck Tribune
Biking expert Jairo Ramos to present seminar at Bismarck Tribune Sport Show
The paper’s preview of Jairo’s Sport Show seminar, noting his years racing and coaching for the Honduran National Team before landing in Medora.
February 2024
Direct profile
Bismarck Sport Show on Facebook
Jairo Ramos’s kids’ cycling seminar at the Bismarck Tribune Sport Show
The show’s own post inviting families to Friday’s session, where the former pro and cycling coach works with young riders.
February 2021
Direct profile
KFYR-TV
Interest in bicycling grows in Bismarck
Television coverage of National Bike to Work Day that includes Jairo on riding and commuting.
2022
Global Neighbors on Facebook
Dakota Bike Program — bikes for those in need
Jairo and Julie have been collecting donated bikes and getting them to people who need them, working through the Salvation Army and Global Neighbors.
North Dakota Cycling Hall of Fame
Induction coverage and the history behind it don’t live anywhere public yet. We’re building that archive here — the ceremony, the people, and the photographs and clippings that came before us.
- 01Annual induction ceremony coverage
- 02Inductee interviews and personal stories
- 03Historical cycling photographs and newspaper clippings
- 04Stories from North Dakota’s cycling pioneers
- 05Videos from the Hall of Fame and its events
Dakota Cyclery promotes summer and wants nominations for ND Cycling Hall of Fame
Studio 701 checks in from Medora on the summer riding season, and on the open call for nominations into the North Dakota Cycling Hall of Fame.
Have a photo, clipping or recording? Send it our way and we’ll add it to the collection.
The Dakota Cyclery Legacy
Pioneers in trails across North Dakota, including the Maah Daah Hey Trail. For more than two decades the Morlocks and their Medora shop have been the Maah Daah Hey headquarters for hikers and bikers who come to the Badlands.
The Dickinson Press
Dakota Cyclery provides a gateway to the southwest North Dakota trails
How a small-town shop became the staging point for the Maah Daah Hey 100 and the trails around it.
ND Department of Commerce
Tourism leaders honored with Governor’s Travel and Tourism awards
The state’s award release names Jennifer Morlock of Dakota Cyclery the International Tourism honoree for guiding visiting media through the Badlands.
April 2012
2012 Governor’s Award
Golden Valley News / GS Publishing
Dakota Cyclery Mountain Bike Adventures celebrates 30 years in Medora
Three decades of bikes, guiding and trail stewardship on the edge of the badlands.
July 2024
Direct profile
Big Sky Journal
Biking the Maah Daah Hey Trail
A first-hand account of riding the trail, including how Jennifer at Dakota Cyclery put the trip together.
Summer 2015
Mentions Dakota Cyclery
BIKE Magazine
Heavy Pedal Tour 2014 – You Can’t Go Home Again
Hurl Everstone, who worked for Loren and Jennifer when the shop opened, rides back into the grass and writes about it.
September 2014
Direct profileMinnesota Bikes
Free Wheeling: Medora, North Dakota, is prime mountain-bike terrain
An early feature on Loren’s influence on cycling here and Medora’s rise as a mountain-bike destination.
2004
Direct profileSame tours, same trail, twenty-plus years
This film is over sixteen years old, from the years the shop sat across from the Roughriders Hotel and we were the only guide and bike support in the area for the Maah Daah Hey Trail.
The guided tours and shuttles we run today are the same ones we have been taking people out on for more than two decades.
Watch on YouTubeThe Maah Daah Hey Story
Films, route guides and travel writing about the trail itself — its reputation, its logistics and its landscape.
Beautiful Badlands ND
Spectacular fall colors on the Maah Daah Hey Trail
A photo-rich account of a five-day autumn ride through the clay buttes and river bottoms.
2021
Condé Nast Traveler
The thrill of cycling North Dakota’s Maah Daah Hey Trail
The longest contiguous singletrack in America, and what it asks of the people who ride it.
BIKEPACKING.com
Maah Daah Hey bikepacking route
Distance, elevation, trail conditions, camping and resupply — the full planning guide to the 150-mile line.
GearJunkie
Off the Map: Maah Daah Hey Trail
The film crew that rode the trail with six friends and came back with the human drama intact.
2012
Associated Press
Legendary biking on North Dakota’s Maah Daah Hey Trail
A national wire story on the trail’s reputation and the riders who travel across the country for it.
2017
The Stable Cyclist & County 23 Films
Maah Daah Hey: Together — full film
A feature-length film about the trail, the race and the people who keep coming back to it.
North Dakota Tourism
Maah Daah Hey Trail — official state guide
Trail access points, the IMBA Epic designation and the state’s own trip-planning resource.
Trazee Travel
Go bikepacking on North Dakota’s Maah Daah Hey Trail System
A travel feature on multi-day guided cycling and camping trips in the badlands.
May 2024
National Media Spotlight
The big-outlet pieces, in the order they landed. Two name Dakota Cyclery directly; the rest put the trail on the national map.
The New York Times
Biking Through Badlands — This North Dakota Bike Trail Is Stunning. Just Hope You Survive It.
John O’Connor’s travel feature on riding the Maah Daah Hey, and what the badlands ask of a rider.
September 2016
National featureThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Biking through Badlands
The syndicated version of the New York Times story, republished for AJC readers.
2016
SyndicatedOutside
Run the Grasslands in Theodore Roosevelt
Four days across Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the Maah Daah Hey, with Dakota Cyclery handling the bikes.
June 5, 2016
Mentions Dakota Cyclery
Outside
32 American Trails for Every Occasion
Their trail roundup recommends booking The Works, our four-day Maah Daah Hey tour.
Outside
The Summer’s Best Road Trips — The Greatest Plains
The Maah Daah Hey as the centerpiece of a Great Plains road trip.
2017
Trail feature
REI Co-op Journal
Madly in Love With the Maah Daah Hey
A Keepers of the Outdoors profile of Nick Ybarra and the stewardship work behind the trail.
December 19, 2017
Trail communityREI Co-op Journal
When Life Takes a Front Seat to Racing
Endurance rider Kelly Magelky and the Maah Daah Hey 150, the race that pulled him off the 24-hour circuit.
June 23, 2017
Trail communityBackpackingTV · North Dakota Tourism
Backpacking ND: shuttling out to the Maah Daah Hey
After hitting trails around North Dakota, the crew loads bikes into a Dakota Cyclery shuttle and heads for the Maah Daah Hey, with Jen getting the group prepped to backpack the trail.
2026
Mentions Dakota Cyclery