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Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival Saturday Recap

CABLE, Wis. – When it comes to the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, don’t bet against Brian Matter and Jenna Rinehart. Matter (Team Wisconsin/Trek) won his unprecedented sixth title, while Rinehart (Nicolett Bike/Specialized) won her fifth title on a course shortened to 38 and a half miles from the usual 40 miles due to recent rainfall and tree blowdown.

Matter used both speed and smarts to outsprint Jeremiah Bishop (Sho-Air/Cannondale) to win the 32nd annual Chequamegon 40 in 1:59:2.5. According to Jeremiah Bishop, “(Matter) was always one chess piece move ahead.” T.J. Woodruff (Momentum Endurance) of Phoenix, Ariz. trailed Matter by 10 seconds to finish third.

Bishop animated the race much of the day, attacking hard up the stair-stepped Seeley Firetower Climb and going clear of a lead group of a dozen riders with about ten miles remaining in the race. Only Matter and Madison, Wis. rider Corey Stelljas could respond. With less than four miles to go, the three leaders were caught and joined on Telemark Road by a T.J. Woodruff-led group that included Minneapolis-rider Eric Thompson and Alabaman Michael Olheiser (Cashcall Mortgage).

Matter had Bishop marked as they hit the final climb and the long descent into Telemark and the finish line. “He sat for one second, and I attacked,” said Matter. “I knew Jeremiah was going to be strong – but not experienced.” This was Bishop’s first Chequamegon 40.

Matter used his dozen or so years of Chequamegon experience, along with a dual-suspended 29er bike, to rail the final descent and beat Bishop to the line. “I’ve seen it (the finish) play out in a million different ways,” Matter said. He forgot to add that this typically includes him crossing the line first. This was Matter’s fifth title in the last six years.

In the women’s race, Rinehart also used speed and experience to win her fifth title in the last eight years, finishing in 2:10:16.9. She used the rollout down Highway 77 to position herself in the second chase group. “I was just trying to hang on, dangling off the back of the group,” Rinehart said. “I knew I was in first, but you’re always looking over your shoulder.”

Just before the Seeley Firetower Climb, Rinehart had to stop and rip a stick out of her rear derailleur. After the climb, she started to feel good and pick off single riders as she rolled toward the finish. Former champion Sara Kylander-Johnson (Kuhl/Ski Hut) trailed Rinehart by two minutes. “It was hard,” said Kylander-Johnson. “It’s always hard. It’s never easy.” Amber Markey of Madison, Wis. trailed Kylander-Johnson by four and a half minutes to finish third.

Brain and Kim Eppen (Mercy) won their 13th tandem title, finishing 26 overall in 2:05:01.2 despite a high speed crash descending into Martel’s Pothole. The Iowa City, Iowa, couple led the race across the first time check fifteen miles in at Highway OO. Kevin Ishaug and Adam Froemming (Freewheeling) were the second tandem in 2:08:25.9.

Josey Weik won the 16-mile Short & Fat on a cyclocross bike in 51:05.3. Fletcher Arlen of Wausau, Wis. trailed Weik by 20 seconds for second and Samuel Olson of Duluth, Minn. placed third in 54:28.8. Stacy Kalemkiarian of Stillwater, Minn. won the women’s Short & Far in 1:0051.3. Sophie St. Jacques of Minneapolis was second, trailed by Kyra Jackson of Hayward, Wis. for third.

See itiming.com for complete results.

The 32nd Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival was presented by Trek and produced by LifeTime – the Healthy Way of Life Company.