Midwest MTB Racing Report
Doesn't get any better for mountain biking with some of the best conditions of the year right now. The Minnesota series wrapped up at the Jail trail which was also host to race #2 in the High School season. This weeks report includes a full report from Kyia Anderson from St. Cloud and a look ahead to the last weekend in September and a couple events in October.
St. Cloud Jail Trail Race Weekend
Report from the Kyia Anderson:
We had a beautiful weekend to host two spectacular events in at the Jail Trail in St. Cloud, MN. Saturday the MN HS Cycling League and Sunday the MN MTB Series Finals!
The Mid Mn Cycling Club (MMCC) has been working hard to ready our track for the weekend for many months. Our trails were hit really hard in the June storm. We spent several evenings clearing trees with 3-4 crews going till dark. Once the trees were cleared we could begin the rest of the trail cleaning and that is no small task with 8 miles of tight and twisty trails. We couldn’t have done it without the support of many of our volunteers and I believe we were all proud to show the best of the Jail Trail this weekend!
Race #2 of the MN HS Cycling League September 21, 2013
The MN HS Cycling League showed up early on Friday and set up the course for the HS racers. It was a sight to see as they were buzzing around on bikes and a 4 wheeler. Joshua Kleeve has a well-oiled machine when it comes to trail set up and break down. He even offered up some volunteers for our use in building a new bridge in a section they were not even using!
Saturday a.m. came quickly and I was on site to help set up the MMCC’s concession stand for the day. I was asked to welcome the racers to the Jail Trail and send off the girls with a small little pep talk! I had to smile as I could see the pre-race jitters and nerves as I was talking to the girls. I looked forward to riding with the Varsity girls even though it was in the “Sweeper” position. Gary Sjoquist gave the final race instructions and the girls were off and racing!
Every team and every rider was cheering for every racer! It was fun to be the sweeper and see the comradery amongst all the competitors. Unfortunately there was a crash at the front of the women’s race only 200 feet into the single track and Camile Sjoquist was down. Looked like she had caught a pedal and landed on her head. The other girls made their way around her safely and I stopped to help her up. She was a bit shaken and you could tell she was disappointed that she’d gone down. I let her ride a bit more once she felt better and talked to her the whole time. I decided to guide her off course and to the medic tent for her safety. Off I zipped to catch back up to the Varsity racers. I met up with Caitlin Juvland on top of Granny Hill as she was having some shifting problems. It was great to get to know her and learn about her BMX background as we finished out the race! She stopped in the pits to get her shifting fixed up and off she went to finish off lap 2 and 3! Loved how she had her elbows out on all the little down hills and “bmx like” sections. Each lap she really improved!
It was a great opportunity and I wish all the Crank Sisters and the entire MN HS League racers the best as they finish out their season!
MN MTB Series Finals in St. Cloud, MN September 22, 2013
Our 7th Annual Single Track Escape presented by Revolution Cycle and Ski was one of the best ever! With series titles on the line we knew we we’d see some great racing action! We started off with a chilly morning with dew on the grass but the afternoon’s heat turned up as promised and so did the racing!
Racing started early with the Kid’s Comp toeing the line. Sudie and Henry Hall took the top honors and earned the first Granite Trophies of the day! In the Citizen race we saw some tight racing in the women’s race. Taylor Horner (Maplelag) hammer to the line besting Josie Welsh and Melanie Lund (GJ/Wedali). In the Men’s Citizen race it was a tight race between Max Fierek and George Olson with Max taking the win. Erik Wheeler rounded out the podium. Local Becca Hackensack (Revolution Cycle and Ski) took top honors in the Single Speed State Championships as well as the overall in the Women’s Sport race! Andrea Horner (Maplelag) used her gears to solidify second and Kris Brazil had a strong race on her Single Speed to take the 3rd in the overall Sport race and Second in the Single Speed event! In the Men’s Sport race young gun Samuel Olson claimed 1st, Paul Jacobs (FMSC) and Ian Nancekivell (Behind-Bars/LGR) rounded out the podium. Local Aaron Blumke (Fitzharris Bike and Ski) wasn’t far behind in 4th as I know he had hopes of a podium spot earlier in the day! Paul Jacobs (FMSC) took the Men’s State Single Speed title, Ian Nancekivell (Behind-Bars/LGR) 2nd and Grant Larvick (Angry Catfish) was close behind to take the 3rd.
In Comp Gran Larvick (Angry Catfish) took the top spot with local Samuel Kilpela hot on his tails. David Lukaska edged out Zack Johnson for the 3rd spot on the podium.
The Kid’s race was the biggest ever as I ran out of medals to hand out to the excited kid’s! Great job to all! We threw in a little single track and it didn’t cause any problems for any of the racers!
In the Expert Women’s race there was a tight battle going on at the front of the race between GirlFiend/Hollywood Cycles/Podiumwear riders Allison Deroma and Sophia Marchiando. They traded blows throughout the race, Sophia flexed her young talent to bring home the win as well as the overall in the series! Allison came in less than a minute behind Marchiando and Kjerstie Wiltzen (The Missing Link) rounded out the podium. Sophia is loving the collegiate racing scene and said she has a busy racing schedule this fall! Deroma liked the course but Twisted Sister but Twisted Sister was“verywalkable”.
In the Men’s Pro/Expert race it was a tight race down to the end. Dominic Talerico (Angry Catfish) took home the granite trophy, Mason Bacso (Maplelag/Podiumwear) was 2nd and local star Nate Hackensack (Revolution Cycle and Ski) finish 3rd. I spoke with Nate and he gave me a quick rundown of the race Sunday afternoon. “I got in the single track 2nd behind Fred Mills (Tonka Cycles). In the passing lane in the prologue Dominic, Mason and I got around Fred. We continued to trade spots throughout the race and I was in second going into the final lap. In Twisted Sister I took a bad line and crashed, Mason got around me there. I knew I needed to ride a smooth race to secure that final podium spot, as I could see glimpses of Josh Bauer (Hollywood Cycles/Podiumwear) and John Sandberg (Penn Cycle) in the twisty single track as we were nearing the finish”.
Congrat’s to all the racers and a big Thanks to all who came out and raced the Single Track Escape this year!
Looking Ahead
The Wisconsin series gets one race closer to ending the series with race #11 heading to Cascade Mountain in Portage, Wisconsin. Race directors report: "This inaugural event marks what is anticipate to be a long and mutually beneficial relationship between the mountain bike riders of the Midwest and one of Wisconsin’s premier ski area, Cascade Mountain. A first for WORS in many ways, the Cascade XC is a fund raiser in support of the recently established WIN (WORS Interscholastic) Cycling, a not for profit organization devoted to the mission of the establishment of school-based mountain bike clubs in communities throughout Wisconsin."
Experience the rush of night racing with a two-part sprint series at the Elm Creek singletrack trail. Racers will navigate through 10.5 miles of twisting trail using their mounted bike lights. Race is in a time trial format.
Distance: Between 12 and 50 miles. Confused??? The length of the race will be determined during the race by the riders. There will be 5 cards a 4,3,2,Ace and a Joker. A card will be drawn by the leading rider after the first lap to determine how many laps there will be till the next card is drawn. This will keep going on until the Joker is drawn which will signal the last lap to the race.
Keep the wheels moving!!
 | About the author... Jay Richards maintains a very active lifestyle. He somehow finds time between managing a full-time resort (Maplelag) and bringing up a family of four boys with his wife Jonell, to compete in both mountain bike and a few cross-country ski races. Jay rides for Maplelag Resort, manages the Maplelag/Paramount mountain bike team and enters his 23rd year of racing and promoting mountain bike races. |