Midwest MTB Racing Report
A quiet scene on the racing front this past Mothers Day weekend but the weather behaved, allowing for most people in the Midwest to quest the thirst for singletrack. This weeks report takes a look at the upcoming events this weekend and a few other mountain bike related items.
High School Racing
Last year saw great growth in the high school mountain bike scene in Minnesota and this year looks no different with organizers keeping busy year round, planning for the fall racing season. The most recent Singletrack Times newsletter highlights the upcoming season including the addition of a Middle School division for Middle School students, pizza parties, sponsors and expansion of the Try it Out Sessions.
Erik’s Bike and Board Shop and Penn Cycle have donated bikes to create a MN League fleet and have an awesome selection for student-athletes to try out and borrow for races. Helmets, donated by the MN High School Cycling League, will also be available. There is a limited amount of bikes and the leagues is asking folks to please e-mail [email protected] to ensure there will be a bike available.
Other details outlined in the newsletter: Meet members and coaches of a team, go for a ride with other racers and give mountain biking a try, whether it’s your first time or you just want to meet other racers! Bring your own bike or use one of the demo bikes that will be available provided by the MN High School Cycling League. Meet in the parking lot. Look for the MN League tents.Pre-registration is not required. Events may be cancelled due to wet trails/bad weather. Events start at 6PM, it is recommended student-athletes show up 15 minute early to register. Full information.
The newsletter also highlights team info meetings and the full schedule which begins September 7th at Salem Hills.
Food for Fuel - Why not gels?
When I first started riding and racing, there weren't the options on keeping fueled during the ride or race like there are now. A banana and or a sandwich with peanut butter and honey was commonplace and a home made energy drink with lemon, pure maple syrup or honey and a little sugar worked just fine for rides over 2 hours or longer. Than the explosion of gels, bars and energy bars hit the market and every year the are more and more options. I've sampled various products setting on a few favorites that make it easier to get through those longer rides. I've hadn't had a problem with gels in the past and found an interesting article I stumbled across this week regarding the detrimental effects of gels.
Looking Ahead
A busy weekend on tap as the current forecast looks to break from the cold, windy and wet weather that seems to be commonplace this spring and be some fine weather for racing.
The Hayward-Cable area begins in mountain bike race season with the long time running Cable Area Off Road Classic (CAORC). The course course combines technical single track, rough double track, remote logging trails, and gravel roads. The long course is 25 miles and contains rock gardens, lung searing climbs, screaming descents, fast winding single track, mud, sand, and everything in between! Be sure to jump in the lake post race if you haven't been polar challenged this year!
The Woolly kicks off the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series, featuring a old school type layout including new singletrack for this year. Great swag, unique prizes and a hard core dedicated crew of trail builders and race promoters give this a special feel among the series races. The big news with the Minnesota series is the split from USA Cycling, allowing riders to race with no extra or special license. Another new addition is the marathon class which will debut at the Woolly. Other changes highlighted on the MNMBS website.
The Wisconsin Off Road Series heads to it's northernmost venue, hitting up Camp Tesomas near Rhinelander. The race has a interesting background, started by the local fire department in 1997 and has grown to be a popular race in WORS with its family atmosphere and deep northwoods camping environment. The course weathers well with the soil and nature of the terrain and is known to have favored a full suspension bike.
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/Podiumwear mountain bike team and enters his 24th year of racing and promoting mountain bike races. |