Tighten Your Lines and Hang On! You’re in for quite a ride! There is simply no other race like it. The Calgary Stampede’s Rangeland Derby brings together a unique community of men, women and horses for the toughest teamster competition in the world! In 2023, the Rangeland Derby celebrates its 100th anniversary. Every summer for 10 decades, drivers and outriders with their horses and wagons have dashed, yelled and thundered around Calgary’s racetrack. Craving excitement and speed, cowboys and their horses have stoked their version of hell on wheels, creating an electrifying uniquely western event. This book takes its hat off to this incomparable contest and gallops into the lives, stories and true tall tales of the men and women in a community that has no equal. The Calgary Stampede is the Super Bowl of chuckwagon racing. Chuckwagon races originated on the western plains, and nowhere else in the world are they held on the same scale as in Calgary. Here the best drivers and horses compete for the sport’s richest prizes. To compete, every contending cowboy relies upon their family to support their avid racing passion. Working, playing and laughing, the involvement of entire families is rare in any pro sport, but it has always been this way in chuckwagon racing. They share a rare lineage as many families trace their involvement in decades or generations.

Glen Mikkelsen's profile page

Glen Mikkelsen has a unique appreciation and understanding about the Calgary Stampede’s Rangeland Derby’s national and international significance. Mikkelsen holds a BA in Canadian Studies, and has spent 35 years in the events, sport, and entertainment industry. From Lipizzaner Stallion performances and rodeos to Cirque du Soleil, to Elton John and Shania Twain concerts, Mikkelsen has managed events of all types and sizes. Through these experiences he earned the designation as a Certified Venue Executive with the International Association of Venue Managers. In 2019, he was inducted into the Event & Arena Marketing Conference’s Hall of Fame, the only Canadian inductee in its 40-year history. He has travelled through Europe, North America, into Asia, New Zealand and the Middle East. Furthermore, since growing up in Calgary, Mikkelsen has lived in cities across Canada—Toronto, Vancouver, Kelowna, and presently Prince George. Mikkelsen’s writing has been featured in numerous national and international magazines, including The Beaver, Canadian Cowboy Country, True West and Western Horseman. He is the author of Never Holler Whoa: The Cowboys of Chuckwagon Racing, Checkered Courage, Chuckwagon Racing’s Glass Family and a contributing writer to Icon, Brand, Myth: The Calgary Stampede.