Midwest MTB Racing Report
A busy last weekend of June with both series in Minnesota and Wisconsin hosting races and the growing in popularity Lutsen 99er taking place on the north shore in Minnesota. This week's report includes recaps from Buck Hill and the Lusten 99er plus a look ahead to a quiet Fourth of July Holiday weekend.
Lutsen 99er
Former top MN Nordic ski racer and St Scholastica soccer player Kasey Bacso made the trip up to the north shore with his family to compete in the endurance event, Lutsen 99er. Kasey had a great result, finishing 4th after riding with the lead group most of the race and files a full report:
First off, to those who have not had a chance to race one of the Lutsen 99er events, I highly recommend it! This was my second year making the trip to Lutsen, and it is well worth the drive. It was a last minute decision to race and see how long I could last with the leaders this year. My family made the drive up Friday night and the five of us registered for the events. We were a little worried about the weather, but turned out to be a beautiful day.
Over 1,000 brave riders lined up at the top of Lutsen and began the adventure starting with the neutral roll out down toward Lake Superior. The course begins with a category 3 climb on the road before entering 94 miles of snowmobile trails, gravel roads, and single track. The race started out relatively controlled up the climb and slowly started to spread out. A group of nearly 15 riders had established the lead pack, which was awesome riding with my brother. This pack stayed together till about 45 miles, when a single track climb and rough snowmobile trail separated the group to 5. I was very glad to have full suspension during that section, it saved a lot of energy! Unfortunately, a Freewheel rider flatted and it was left to 4 riders for the last 55 miles. My goal at the beginning of the race was to survive half of the race with the leaders before hitting the wall. We kept rotating leads and the 4 of us worked together until 2 miles to go. At this point my legs started to lose all power and my calf cramped. The last 2 miles had muddy sections and rocky climbs, and I have a lot of respect for the top 3 riders and all riders who kept pushing through it. I was extremely happy to finish 4th and ride a great course with some great people. And a shout out to my mom for completing her first 39er!
(Photo: Mike Hall)
The post race celebration is always enjoyable sharing stories, the fun family atmosphere, cleaning off the layers and layers of mud, having a "recovery" drink or 2, the awesome handmade awards, and live music to top off an epic day of racing. Huge thanks to Lutsen, Lifetime, and all the other sponsors for putting on a great event... and of course my family. I can't wait to keep doing this race in the future! Happy 4th of July to all.
Results
Related: Mike Hall's race support report
Buck Hill Birch Bump
Once again Mother Nature played games with racers in the Minnesota series but the racers won with the right to race on a World Cup style course at the hilly Buck Hill alpine area. The mostly sandy terrain was turned into surface perfection by the previous days rain. Overall Sport winner Ben Olson files a full report:
Getting good weather on a race weekend is not taken for granted, especially this year. After a Muddy Mankato and a cancelled Red Wing we were not optimistic. Even with the doubts on the weather we loaded up the bikes and headed for Buck Hill Saturday afternoon to register and pre-ride. The weather didn’t cooperate for a pre-ride and poured the half hour that we were there on Saturday. Race directors reassured us that the Buck Hill course could handle the rain and would be in great shape come race time. So we registered two for Kids Comp and myself for Sport Class. Woke up Sunday morning to a very nice day. I was still expecting the course to be wet, but it was in perfect condition.
(Photo: Todd Bauer)
The Race: Thinking how nice it would have been to have ridden the course before race day, I found myself in the chute ready to start. The sprint to the top of the first hill along with the extra adrenaline rush to get to the front definitely took the wind out of me. I got to the top thinking, I need to do this how many more times?!, but after the pack thinned out the climbs became a little easier. Hit the top of the hill in 3rd I think (funny how things become a blur). I was able to get the 2nd spot shortly before we ducked into the singletrack. I then set my sights on the only guy ahead me. He and I both darted through the woods section pretty fast. I caught him just as we left the tight and twisty and then passed him on the short uphill before we started the traversing back and forth across and down the hillside. I was able to put a little gap between myself and the 2nd and 3rd place guys before the end of lap one. They were not far back and remained in view to give me that extra push when I “thought” I was tired.
(Photo: Todd Bauer)
As I continued my laps around the course got to be more and more fun. Knowing what was coming up around the next corner allowed for more speed. With each lap though I got more and more lost on what lap I was actually on (there is that blur thing again). Climbing up to the finish I had to check my watch to see how many miles I had in. Was actually thinking I had one more lap left.
The course was in amazing condition and very fast. The highlight of the day was in lap two or three heading down/across the hillside and being able to hear the race director calling out the Kids Comp awards and hearing Marc (my youngest) making the podium. Proud of both my boys on their great effort on Sunday!
Notes: After placing second overall in the Lutsen 99er, Jeff Hall made it to the line for the Birch Bump to pull off another third place finish in the Elite race among a stacked field.
For the second time this year, the Minnesota Elite class outdrew the Wisconsin Off Road Series on head to head same day racing.
WORS Cup Volunteers Needed
The big WORS cup, which is part of the National PRO XCT series, is fast approaching and race organizers are looking for volunteers. Volunteers are needed for a wide variety of positions, many of which can be done in pairs. Volunteers needed for a full day, half day, or even just a couple of hours and still have plenty of time to cheer on your favorite racer, compete in one or more of the races, and enjoy the WORS Cup as a whole.
Looking Ahead
A quiet Fourth of July Holiday weekend with not much racing on tap. Looking ahead to the next series races, the course at Lester Park needs dry weather to open up the course which has only seen a few days of open riding this year. The Subaru Cup promises another exciting full on race mode weekend of mountain biking with top Pros from around the country including a special session for girls aspiring to race mountain bikes. Full preview in next weeks report.
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. |