Midwest MTB Racing Report

Labor Day weekend is in the books, marking the end of summer and the return to school for the kids. It has been one of the best summers of mountain biking personally and this weekends Laddies Loppet, a race I get run by, is in the books. Seriously, it was a fantastic weekend and I feel blessed to have such awesome people come play in my backyard. With that said, there is still some great races coming up including the high school season firing up and the riding this time of the year is as good as it gets. I'll attempt to recap the Laddies Loppet the best I can and also have a report from Griffin Myslivecek, who was the the Bells Beer Copper Harbor Mountain Bike Festival. Plus the look ahead to the first weekend in September as riders fine tune before the big Chequemegon Fat Tire Festival.

Laddies Loppet Mountain Bike Stage Race Weekend

This past weekend marked the 24th running of the Laddies Loppet. I started the race back when I was in college after I first discovered mountain biking and was so amped how awesome this new sport was to me. The first summer there wasn't much time to build trail, as we didn't decide on a date until mid summer and the race was slated for later September. Just over a mile of singletrack was built, based off of a trail I had ridden and raced on while living and working in the Bemidji area and other areas in the midwest and was natural, raw and technical with the Paul Bunyan State Forest being the most adventerous. This type of riding was most interesting to me and what influenced me to build the initial trail at Maplelag. Comparing to how trails are built today, was it the right way? Maybe not, but I was just 20 years old and it was really the only way I knew, as there was no machine built trail at the time and it was either the raw deep woods stuff or double track ski trail. With that said, there has been very little change in the trail at the Lag and personally, I feel the trails weather just as well if not better and are more sustainable than machine built trail. This is my experience from riding all throughout the midwest on both natural and machine built trail. Anyways, I wanted to put on a race, on the trails I grew up skiing, and try to bring together other bikers I had met over that first summer at places like Quadna, Millville and The Volga in Iowa, Irma in Wisconsin and the long standing metro favorite Buck Hill, to name a few, which were also places that influenced the trail building. We even had a few riders come down from Canada which continue to be a big part of the Laddies Loppet today.

Over the years, more singletrack has been built as well as tweaks and changes to the original trail. Over 96% of the trail has been hand built, something I enjoy doing and proud of. I understand this type of trail isn't for everyone. The explosion of machine built flow trail has been great for bringing new riders to the sport and in all honesty, it is better for introducing more folks to the sport. I bring up these points, as I had much conversation with guests at Maplelag about machine built trail versus "raw" "natural" or "primitive" trail. In my 24 years of riding and racing, this season seems like it has been a transition point from the disappearance of building these natural trails and sadly, in my opinion, often times machine built trail being built in its place.

On to the racing ...

Friday rain showers would be a reflection of the weekends weather, damp, cool and intermittent rain showers which happened mostly outside of the racing. A late night shower on Friday evening would make for wet racing Saturday morning but the course absorbed the moisture nicely and the full course was used with no issue, just a bit more caution in the corners and on the rocks and roots. Times were a bit slower compared to previous years as Brendan Moore and Sara Kylander-Johnson set the scene for what would be dominating performances throughout the weekend and retaining the custom Podiumwear leader jerseys. One result that grabbed my attention was that of 15 year old Sam Elson of the Breezy Point area with a time of 10:02 that would have put him in the top 10 of the Elite race and one minute behind Moore.

After a lunch of home made chicken soup, fresh bread out of the oven and a few hours of recovery time or resort activities, stage two featured the always exciting short track. As usual, there were tight finishes in all the classes from Kids Comp to Elite. Riders reported one of the best surface conditions of the 8 years of short track racing, thanks to the moisture that tightened up the soil after hundreds of bikers compacting it to almost a asphalt like surface. Once again the race of the day was the Elite Men as most of the group stayed together until a group of 6 broke free including Moore and Jake Richards which took the early pulls at the front. The front group whittled down to a trio of Moore, Mason Bacso and Fred Mills and finished in that order as the relentless pace shelled off Jake. Jake held off a hard charging Josh Bauer who dropped a chain later in the chase but hammered hard to secure the final spot on the podium. Racing with the Comp men, Sara Kylander Johnson made it two for two as teammates Eleanor Bacso and Jordan Horner traded positions during the race before Bacso made a move to take the second spot just a few seconds over Horner.

All eyes were on the forecast that evening as thunderstorms were predicted to roll in early afternoon on Sunday. It pretty much made for a sleepless night as the skies instead opened up in the pre-dawn hours, dropping almost a half inch of rain. An early morning decision was made to take out one short section of singletrack in the Kids Comp/Citizen races and shorten the Citizen race from 3 laps to 2 not knowing exactly how the course would ride once a large number of riders hit the course. The first riders coming through had more dirty water splashed on them than mud as the course rode well and the air slowly started to feel drier. A quick meeting with Jake to determine course of action for changes in the Sport/Comp/Expert loop which the new marathon class riders would also compete on, resulted in the elimination of the famous lakeside drop section and one short section of technical singletrack taken out on the main loop. The total distance removed was less than a mile but guaranteed a better flowing course still featuring a very challenging track of rocks and roots made even trickier with the damp conditions.

Sport riders would complete one full lap after a one mile ski trail prologue start. Ben Olson, who spent many hours on the Maplelag course, posted the fastest overall time recording a sub 55 minute time as Leslie Hale posted the top female time of 1:05.

The marathon class had racers taking off 30 minutes after the Sport riders, and would then race for 3.5 hours with the option to head out for another lap after that time if behind the main field. Tom Camp rode exactly 3 1/2 hours completing four laps and 5000ft of climbing! He was followed by Piotr Bednarski in second and Nikolai Anikin in third.

The course continued to tighten up, turning the singletrack into some really sweet conditions as Comp and Expert riders rode through. Brendan and Sara continued their winning ways in the Expert class. Sara was followed by Jordan Horner, Eleanor Bacso, Janna Krawcyk and Alicia Fisk rounding out the top five respectively. Jake and Chris Benson rode most of the race together trying to chase down Brendan. Chris would break free and Mason Bacso would work his way up to claim third spot. Jake and Josh Bauer would round out the top five. Top 3 comp riders wereAlex Martin (pro mx racer!), 15 year old Zach Smith in second and another teenager, Sam Goblirsch, in third.

As the awards ceremony was underway, the skis opened up for a little bit before clearing and a short glimpse of the sun. All in all, it was great weekend of racing with some fun people and exciting racing. Thanks to everyone who came, the sponsors that help make it happen, the volunteers, the Maplelag staff and my incredible wife Jonell for handling all the small things behind the scenes. A special thank you to Matt Johnson for his role with marketing and sponsorship. Plans are already underway for next years 25th anniversary event!

Skinnyski.com Coverage:  Saturday, Sunday
Results

Bells Beer Copper Harbor Mountain Bike Festival

Grand Rapids resident Griffin Myslivecek who was featured in a recent mountain bike report, made the trek east to compete in the mountain bike festival held in Copper Harbor. Griffin experienced new sensations on a mountain bike and shares his personal experience as well as recap the overall vibe of the event:

The 21st annual Bell's Beer Festival in Copper Harbor, MI took place last weekend over Labor Day. Copper Harbor, MI is a place where dreams come true and fairy tales appear real Рaccording to a few of the lawn ornaments of local residents. Copper Harbor has around 84 year round residents and about eight kids attending their K-12 one-room school house next the park where awards ceremony, music, food, and fellowship take place. This small town is home to professional trail builder Aaron Rogers and has become a world class mountain biking destination. If you have had the opportunity to visit you know why, and if you have yet to be there more than likely it's at the top of your list. Personally, this is my and my fianc̩es favorite place to visit. Lake Superior has a distinct tone when the waves connect to the rocks on the beach, unlike Minnesota's north-shore, that you have to experience yourself to understand.

The Enduro races took place on Saturday and had a generous turnout; 87 participants combining both short and long races. Hansi Johnson himself competed in the long Enduro and finished in 28thplace. The Downhill race was run on the new Overflow Trail - the recipient of Copper Harbor's 2013 Bell Built Grant. The Trail is so impressive it looks like something out of a Red Bull Signature Series competition. There were a total of 21 riders who competed; three of them women.

I had a new experience during the race! I now know what they mean when they say, "Don't blow yourself up... He always blow's himself up..." etc. At mile 17 I had such intolerable cramps I had to put my feet down, I could not stand up straight. The muscles in my legs were bulging out more than I had ever seen them, and my calf's looked like a dancing water bed. I sat down and was convinced I was going to DNF. About two minutes later things subsided and I decided to keep going until I cramped again. I've had cramps before but this was something totally different. My new mission was to just finish - I figured if I paid for the race I would be disappointed in myself for not finishing... Riding the rest of the trail, walking a couple sections, stopping at the aid station for the first time to take not one but two gulps of Gatorade, were all new experiences that made it a memorable ride for me. I finished 5th in my age, and 28th overall so I still did pretty well - all things considering.

The cross-country races had a combined turnout of 302 riders; 85 riders competed in the 27-mile MTB race, 155 riders rode the 17-mile MTB race, 35 kids participated in the 3 mile Jr. Fat Tire Race (ages 5-13), and 27 kids took part in the 1 mile Jr. Fat Tire Kids Race (ages 2-8).

The Men: The 27-mile MTB race was won by Tyler Gauthier from Ishpeming, MI at a pace of 13.09mph, followed by Jan Roubal from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, at a pace of 12.18mph, who flatted at the beginning of the race on the top of Flow and came in 2nd place last year passing through the finish line with a flat tire. Joshua Blum from La Crosse, WI took first in the single speed division at a pace of 11.18mph. The 17-mile race was won by 24 year old Jeff Squires from Copper Harbor, MI, also on a single speed, with an average speed of 11.94mph.

The Women: Cooper Dendel from Marquette, MI took first in the long race with an average speed of 10.95, and Kathy Abbott from Atlantic Mine, MI took first in the short race with an average speed of 8.89.

Results

High School Mountain Bike Season

The Wisconsin High school season kicked off its inaugural season with the first race being held at Minooka Park in Waukesha this weekend. Race #2 hits up Iola later this month. Full details at wisconsinmtb.org

The first race in the Minnesota high school season fires up this weekend at Buck Hill. Moved to this venue after concerns for parking at Salem Hills. There are more teams being added monthly including a Northwest MN team steer-headed by Anne Ellefson of Park Rapids who has experience running teams not affiliated with one particular high school and has passion for showing younger riders to the sport and getting more kids in to racing in our neck of the woods. Well done Anne!

The first edition of the Singletrack Times came out last week and highlights other key points in the high school season including class placement, pizza parties and the full schedule which includes a few new venues cumulating with the state championships across the river at the MNMBS venue, White Tail Ridge in River Falls.

New IMBA Ride Center

The Noquemanon Trail Network (NTN) accepted as an IMBA Ride Center

As of August 2014, the International Mountain Bike Association has granted the NTN as a Bronze Level Ride Center!

The designation of an IMBA Ride center is only given to large-scale mountain bike facilities which can offer something for every rider. It will allow the Upper Peninsula to be recognized as "destination-worthy" thus us putting a spotlight on our trails and drawing in tourism. There are 16 other only Bronze Level destinations in the nation.

The NTN is confident the new partnership will help to boost the local economy with an influx of tourism and attention.

The Noquemanon Trail Network is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization that promotes development of integrated, multi-use, non-motorized trails. For more information on the NTN visit www.noquetrails.org.

Looking Ahead

Sawtooth Mountain Bike Challenge

The Pincushion ski and mountain bike specific built trails will be hosting a race this weekend outside of Grand Marais, the Sawtooth Mountain Bike Festival. If you missed my review of the trails in a previous report, this is a great network of mountain bike trails that features old school type trail and machine built flow like trails. A good honest climb from Grand Marais to get to the trail system makes this a good ol' fashioned mountain bike race and the donuts at the cafe downtown make it worth the trip up the shore alone!

Any riders heading up, be sure to check out the trail system in Tofte at Britton Peak.

WORS #10 Treadfest

WORS kicks off its fall racing at the Grand Geneva resort on Lake Geneva. One of the series favorites, organizers have promised a special drawing in the amount of $1000 to give back to the racers.

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.