Midwest MTB Racing Report
August is in full swing and some of the best mountain biking of the year with dry, fast trails and tons of different events to choose from. This weeks report includes recaps from the Wausau 24, the Border Crossing, the Wilderman, a short review of mountain biking near Bismarck and a look ahead to a another busy weekend.
Wausau 24
One of the area's premier 24 hour event, took place on the 9 mile forest trails outside Wausau. Wolf Tooth Comp owner/partner Brendan Moore files a recap:
I know I haven't been a regular on the standard XC scene recently, but last year I decide it was time to take my racing in a different direction after a lot of years enjoying and focusing on standard XC racing. To that end, I have been doing fewer and longer races like Chequamegon 100, MN Mountain Bike Series Marathon races, and most recently Wausau 24 last Saturday/Sunday.
Wausau 24 captures what drew most of us to mountain biking: fun trails, good people, and a festival type atmosphere. My Wolf Tooth Business partner (and founder), Mike Pfeiffer, and I headed over to do the 2-man 12 hour event. Growing up doing traditional team sports, I miss the "team" aspect of sport and this allows me to do my favorite sport as part of a team!
As far as the course there in Wausau, there isn't a lot of climbing compared to most MN courses, but there is plenty to get the heart rate up. The rocky rooty rough terrain had me grinning from ear to ear almost all of my 6.5 hours of riding. The trail was not created to be a hybrid Walmart cruiser bike friendly trail. It was made for those that love dirt, twists, rocks, roots, and can accept that loosing some skin might be a necessary side effect of pushing the limits.
The racing was fun and fast too. The Lemans start hurt me and made my first lap slower than it should have been, but I kept my laps consistent throughout the race as did Mike. We ended up leading by about 35 minutes when I came in about 9:40 PM. Mike said he didn't want to go out, so we sat together before the finish line and waited for 10 bells (they have a rule that you have to cross the line after your respective time limit). I cross the line, grabbed a luke warm shower, and sat by the fire with my kids enjoying a beer. To use a cliche, it really doesn't get any better than that!
Wilderman
The inaugural Wilderman event was held in the Pembina Gorge featuring a mountain bike segment of the triathlon as part as a full day of competition in the hot summer sun.
Caleb Kobilansky files a report:
The course consisted of a mish mashed combination of graveling grinding, single track riding, and a hill climbing extravaganza. Pretty sweet. I was feeling great after the swim and rode the first part of the bike section with a guy from Colorado. We were hammering down pretty hard on gravel section trying to catch up to the leaders. After about 15 miles we hit the single track section, where I eventually broke away. Right away we descended into the gorge and were quickly introduced to a section of jackhammer descents, followed by the first river crossing. The following section consisted of steady hill climbing into a flowy section of switchback trails. Riding the course was as physically demanding as it was mental. This is why the Wilderman course is unique to other standard ironman courses. THERE IS NO LETTING UP. If you slow down on the switchback sections, you risk losing a lot of momentum and energy. The course was demanding and exhausting. Not to mention, the trees block all the wind in the gorge and the trail has an amazing capacity of radiating heat from the sun. It got hot! Eventually, the switchback section ended and the rest of the lap was gravel section until repeating the course again. Naturally, when I hit the gravel section I assumed that meant no more climbing, boy was I wrong! The race director (Andy Magness) designed one sadistic course that reduced even the best of the racers to tears. Ok, maybe not tears but pretty damn close. At this point of the gravel section I managed to work my way up to the 2nd place spot, riding with 2 other riders from Wisconsin. Around this time I had been without food for the past 2 hours, besides the couple pieces of salami that a rider, Paul, thankfully gave me, but still had about 30 minutes left of riding till the drop bin. I was in big trouble. To boot, I had been suffering from the heat and been feeling pretty nauseous.
Dave Jensen of Fergus Falls also filed a race report:
Wilderman ... a race that truly lives up to it's name
Like any good race director, Andy Magness of ENDracing was quick to ask for feedback after hosting the first ever Wilderman Off-road Ironman distance triathlon in Pembina Gorge region of North Dakota. Having just spent the past 25 hours pushing my body to its limits, the first thought that came to mind was that it was “too hard”. How on earth does someone actually race that? Even with picture perfect weather and a field of highly trained endurance athletes from all over the US and Canada, only 70% of those who started the race actually finished it. Truth be told, I was actually shocked that the numbers were that good.
The course was well designed but brutal. It consisted of a two-loop 2.4 mile swim in the Carmel Rec Area Reservoir followed by a 112 miles bike ride over beautiful and rugged Pembina Gorge terrain. The fast gravel road that kicked off the bike course actually made me think the day might go quicker than expected. However, those thoughts disappeared as soon as the gravel turned to dirt. The next couple hours were spent diving in and out of the river bed, which consisted of a healthy mix of thrilling descents and heart-pounding climbs. Those who were lucky enough to complete the bike course before sundown were treated to picturesque views along the 26.2 miles run course. However, with the exception of a few elite freaks of nature, most of us humans were forced to navigate our way along this crazy route with headlamps and mosquito nets. After 8 or 9 miles of creak running and boulder hopping in the dark, I know I wasn’t the only racer to question my sanity. Finally, after what seemed like the longest night of my life, the sun began to peak out over the bluffs giving me hope that I might I be able to still beat the 28 hour cut-off. I felt like an entirely new person as the sun warmed my wet, muddy, and exhausted body. I had just spent the previous 6 hours in survival mode, and now I was in race mode. The feelings of self-pity were replaced with feelings of unexplainable joy, and it started to make sense why we were subjecting ourselves to this seemingly cruel and inhumane challenge.
I crossed the finish line at exactly 9:01, which meant I had been going non-stop for 25 hours. I assumed everyone was in the same situation as me ? thankful tto just finish this beast. However, as I looked at the leaderboard, I was absolutely dumfounded to discover that there were a select few who had managed to actually race it. Jim Felling posted the fasted time with a blistering 17:19 finish. Finishing 8 hours behind the leader would’ve normally disappointed me, but not today. I experienced nothing but total satisfaction and joy as I watched those inspiring athletes go up to accept their well-deserved awards. I think I speak for all the racers when I say that this is one experience I will never forget. Despite all the difficulties and challenges, when asked if I would consider doing it again, my response is ABSLOLUTELY ! I would encourage anyone looking for a truly magnificent challenge to consider this event next year.
Border Crossing
Racers in the Minnesota Series crossed the river to hit up the White Trail Ridge course just outside of River Fall for some fast flowing racing on a popular course. Kasey Bacso who rode to a strong fourth place finish in the Elite class sent in a report:
White Tail Ridge was voted the 2013 event of the year. The course has a large amount of really fun single track, nice open ski trail sections for passing, and of course the two open jeep road climbs. I really enjoy the mix trail and the difficulty level that meets the level of racers in each class. Sunday was a hot afternoon with the highest temperature I saw was 86 degrees. All the racers line up getting ready for a fast start sprinting right up the jeep climb. The race went out just as I expected, a sprint to get into a good position for the single track.
I entered the single track in a decent spot, around 10th place. The lead group of 3 or 4 pushed the pace in the first section and starting to create a gap, which I was hoping to be on the other end of the split. In the first open section I sprinted around a few guys to get in a better spot. I caught up to my brother Mason and was really excited that we could ride and push each other, but my previous effort left me hurting a little and I couldn’t hold on to his wheel. I rode the rest of the first lap alone until I made a silly mistake and fell in the dry grass going around the pin wheel before the lap/finish. I grabbed onto Jesse’s wheel after the fall and the two of us went back and forth for the rest of the race. We were joined by Adam Froemming and Barry Tungseth for a lap or two and they were both riding strong. It was interesting to see which part of the course each of us were stronger at. Some sections would create a small gap and then it would come right back together. I really enjoyed the newest section added to the comp/elite class this year. It was nice to have some technical rock sections to challenge the field. I ate a few gu’s and drank as much water as I could to try and beat the heat. My legs felt strong throughout most of the race and I was able to test them in the new section on my last lap to finish in 4th place. Overall I was very pleased with my race and the event was extremely well run. I have been having a blast at all the races this year and can't wait for the next one. All the racers I talked to after the finish had great things to say about the course and how much fun they had. Thanks to the KORC crew for great trails and all the volunteers for putting on a fun event.
Pounding the Prairie
A couple weekends ago I was in Bismarck, ND for a Junior hockey tryout camp for my son Jon. In between games, I checked out some of the local trails that I have heard about but haven't been able to ride. The trail development in the area is like most of the Midwest, lots of new trails being built! I only had time to check out two areas but was pleasantly surprised to find some great riding on a mix of different trails. The first area I checked out was Harmon lake about 7 miles north of Mandan. It was a machine built, bench cut trail that followed in and out around the reservoir. Tight sweeping turns in and out of the coulees made for an exciting ride. The next day I hit up the Sleepy Hollow track which is has been host to the race to sunset event in recent years. A fun 4 mile loop in the heart of Bismarck with some nice wooded sections and classic prairie riding. There were some other trails recently built just south of Mandan I didn't check out but a good reason to swing back there in the future....The North Dakota Tourism has a nice web page that features some of the favorite trails in North Dakota.
Looking Ahead
A busy month of mountain bike events in August in the UP kicks off this coming weekend with the SSUSA, as singlespeeders head to the top of Michigan to ride the IMBA epic trails at Copper Harbor. Beer, bands and the refreshing lake Superior for post race dips should make for a fantastic weekend for those running just one gear.
The mighty Ore to Shore will take place just to the east of Copper Harbor in the towns of Marquette and Ipsheming. Becoming one of the classics of point to point races, riders compete on a mix of atv trail, forest roads, bed rock ledge rock terrain and a gradual descent on the Noque ski trails. Always a hit for the top riders with the big cash payout.
The Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA) will host a Full Moon Ride and Summer Get-Together on Saturday, August 9. Singletrack and two-track/gravel road mountain bike routes of about six miles (with longer options) will be guided by CAMBA members. Plan to arrive at the Wilson Lake Trailhead east of Cable at 8:00 p.m. for an 8:30 departure. Helmets are required.
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. |