Bright Spot: KAXE volunteer DJ Ironsides cycles along Mississippi

By Heidi Holtan

Published August 7, 2024 at 12:44 PM CDT

A man on a hand cycle bike poses on a sidewalk with his son on a traditional bicycle behind him. — DJ Ironsides and his son are following the Mississippi River Trail on their bikes. They pose outside KAXE's studios in Grand Rapids on July 30, 2024.

Each Monday morning, KAXE brings you "Bright Spot," uplifting stories of Northern Minnesota, to foster a sense of community and connection through storytelling. This week, KAXE volunteer DJ Ironsides from Bemidji talked with Heidi Holtan about his quest on his hand cycle bike.

GRAND RAPIDS — Each year, DJ Ironsides takes a long trek on his handcycle bike.

For many years, the man also known as Dan Zorman has been part of the adaptive sports cycling team at Ragbrai in Iowa. This year, his quest is to ride the Minnesota section of the Mississippi River Trail.

"Bright Spot" is our new segment on the Monday KAXE Morning Show, where we bring you a story to get your week off to a great start.

The man, the DJ, the legend

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“Music has always been a really big part of my life,” DJ Ironsides said.

DJ Ironside hosts KAXE volunteer programs On the River and Jazz on America Avenue, explaining his musical palate has expanded since his first volunteer shift at KAXE.

“I had no idea I even liked jazz until about two years ago,” he explained.

When asked about choosing his DJ name, Ironsides said, as a paraplegic, it popped into his head. “It was an old show about a detective guy that was in a wheelchair.”

The name Ironsides has spread to his family, and on his radio shows, where he is often joined by them. His daughter goes by “Iconic Ironsides," his wife is “The Lovely Missus Ironsides” and his youngest son is “Ironsides 3.0."

DJ Ironsides, right, and his daughter known as Iconic Ironsides pose in July 2023 outside the Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center in Shevlin. This location was the beginning of his journey to cycle along the Mississippi River in Minnesota this year.

The trek

DJ Ironsides is cycling the Mississippi River in segments, starting at Itasca State Park and heading toward the Iowa border.

Summer in Minnesota means hot temperatures.

“It was toasty,” he said. “High 80s, really humid. As long as I kept pedaling fast, it wasn’t too bad. As soon as I stopped and the wind died down, it was just really, really hot.”

Hydration has been key, according to DJ Ironsides. And along the way, there has been lots to see.

“There are so many beautiful wildflowers out there and seeing those have been the highlight so far of the ride.”

Being on a bike brings a different point of view to a trip. “I didn’t realize we had lizards up in this part of the country,” he said. He enjoyed watching a little lizard north of Deer River going back and forth on the highway.

“There are little things that the person notices that I just have never noticed before going fast in the car.”

If you see DJ Ironsides on his trek, give him a honk on a wave. “It definitely keeps my spirits up.”

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