Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap
By Bruce Adelsman
February 17, 2003
For much of the team, this weekend was the "quiet before
the storm" as many were tapering down for the big Birkie
weekend coming up. And like almost every other weekend this
winter, the weather was another freezer box.
Brian May and Cory Wubbels |
Brian May and family travelled west for the Minnesota Finlandia.
The event had a lower field that normal, probably largely due
to the crisp temperatures. However, those that showed up on
the starting line were treated to top notch conditions -- ample
snow, firm trails and fast conditions (yes, fast even with temps
hovering around zero). The bright sunshine and light winds made
it almost perfect day for racing. [ Sidebar: Congrats to
Ryan Ness, who sporting his Skinnyski.com race suit nabbed third
place in the 25K Classical race. ]
On Sunday, Abbi May got her turn and joined Grant Nelson
at the Erik Judeen Classic right in backyard in Duluth. The
trail system is a fantastic old-time classic trail, and everyone
seems to have a great time.
Race Team Results
Feb 14 Minnesota Finlandia
Brian May 2nd male 50K freestyle 2:31:46
Feb 15 Erik Judeen Classic
Grant Nelson 4th male 10K classical 0:35:13
Abbi May 2nd female 10K classical 0:41:51
Team Member Reports
Erik Judeen Classic Report from Grant Nelson
The Erik Judeen Classic at Korkki Nordic turned out
to be a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Korkki Nordic
is one of the hidden gems for cross country skiing in the
Duluth area. Designed by Charlie Banks, the trails are located
about halfway between Duluth and Two Harbors and are situated
on a nice hillside with big trees and gorgeous views. The
trail is a very narrow single track classic trail, but is
designed very well so that all of the downhills have nice
run outs.
As I awoke Sunday morning at our cabin, the thermometer
read -30F, but thankfully the 11:15 AM start and the fact
that Korkki trails are located near Lake Superior made for
some rather comfortable conditions.
When I arrived, I was concerned that I may have read
the schedule wrong, because three of my good friends were
sporting knickers and wool shirts. Thank goodness, they
were in the minority and were just warming up for the Wooden
Ski Rendezvous(minus the wood skis).
Abbi May (Photo: Dave Johnson) |
The race started as waves with the 29 and under starting
first. Maybe I should have thought it over a little better,
but my only plan was to make sure that I had a good position
heading into the single track woods and then ski hard. It
had been a while since I skied a 10km, but I figured that
after all my long marathons, this would be like a sprint.
I also figured there was no need to pace myself, especially
since most of the climbing is done in the first 5km and then
it is pretty much downhill from there(or so I thought).
As the gun went off, my friend Adam Swank and I took
the early lead around the field and then into the woods.
As I started pounding up the trail, there was actually sections
when I felt I had developed a little gap between Adam and
myself, but I knew he was always there. As the k's slowly
slipped by I could tell that my non-pacing plan was not
working as well as I hoped.
At about 5km I stepped aside and let Adam take off,
not wanting to penalize him for my slowness especially since
he was racing against the clock with fast guys in the other
waves. Even though most of the climbing was over, I wasn't
recovering nearly as fast as I hoped. With 3km to go, I
started ascending the Iso Maki Big Hill. I was forced to
make short shuffles and herring boned much of the hill.
My heart was beating much faster than it generally prefers
and most of my muscles were having a heck of time using
up the large amounts of lactic acid I was producing. As
I zoomed down the hill on my wobbly legs I was happy to
make it through the high speed "speed bumps",
but then I noticed a right corner coming up that I wasn't
quite prepared for. I must have stuck my arms out to gain
some balance, only to nail my right hand and pole on one
of the trees next to the trail. It didn't hurt, it just
made me even more off balance as I approached the corner.
All my weight was on the backs of my skis and I was almost
convinced I was destined to become one with the snow bank.
Amazingly, I managed to stay upright on the corner. As I
double poled the final few kilometers into the finish, I
actually started to recover and felt pretty decent. Bruce
Bauer and Phil Rogers both had nice races, finishing 2nd
and 3rd to Adam. I might have been able to ski a little
faster, but overall I was happy with my 4th place finish.
Despite the cool temperatures, the awesome power of
the afternoon sun made for some very comfortable socializing
and award presentations outside the warming house. Very
generous awards and door prizes were given by 3rd St. Bakery,
Austin-Jarrow, Ski Hut, Twin Ports Cyclery and a number
of other local Duluth Companies. Its great to see the community
and skiers come together to support such a great event
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