Midwest MTB Report
Another summer weekend in the books and another great weekend of shredding. The record crop of mosquitos have also been happy to see all the mountain bikers, especially the riders that stop! Definitely have to keep the wheels moving! This weeks report includes highlights from Michigan's largest point to point race, the Ore to Shore, a report from the Great Hawk Chase which was held at Spirit Mountain as part of the Duluth Bike Festival, notes on how to watch mountain biking in the Olympics this weekend, News and Notes, Strava Ride of the Week, and the look ahead.
Ore to Shore
Rain during the week helped keep the sand tight and conditions relatively fast for the Ore to Shore held in the communities of Neguanee, Ipsheming and Marquette. However, rain the night before made for larger puddles but not as much as expected. The Hard Rock 48, the main event at the Ore to Shore, saw a spectacular photo finish in the men's race with Jordan Wakeley taking the win over Jeff Hall in a half bike length. A group of seven remained right until the finish setting up the exciting sprint. "That was a nerve-wracking finish," Wakeley said. "I have wanted to win this race for the last seven years and I've come close before, but this is just a dream come true for me. I was really motivated because I wanted this one badly," reported Wakeley in the Mining Journal.
The women's 48 mile event saw the top female racers spread out a bit more among the top 10 with Mindy McCutcheon formally from from Salt Lake City, Utah now living in Marquette, take the win in a time of 2:36:38. Second place winner in the 48, Kaitlyn Patterson reported on Facebook: "After a great but very disorienting few weeks moving to Ann Arbor and starting medical school, it was the best thing to be back doing one of my favorite things with familiar people at Ore to Shore today. Didn't have quite as many lucky breaks as last year, but I'm happy with a solid ride for second place, enough to crack the top 40 overall." The Mining Journal reported: "Patterson edged out McCutcheon by less than a second last year, so McCutcheon was relieved that she redeemed herself.
"I was really hoping to win today because this race kind of haunts me," McCutcheon said. "This is my 11th time doing it. I did the Soft Rock for a number of years and I've done the Hard Rock the last few years. Last year was the closest I came to winning it and we finished side by side. So this year, I was looking for some redemption."
"Last year, Mindy and I were neck-and-neck at the (finish) line, and I edged her by just a bit," Patterson said. "This is such a great race because there's a ton of people and it has great competition. If my schedule allows it, I'd love to come back next year." Sara Kylander-Johnson, April Morgan and Laura Brockmiller rounded out the top five respectively.
Sara's report:
This year's Ore2Shore sure was very interesting. I learned a lesson the hard way by choosing a more aggressive tire. The rain set the course up perfectly, but I thought there would be more mud and slow going. Not so. I had to work really hard and I felt like I was going backwards for most of the first-quarter of the race. It was hard to stay in any group. I was in 5th for a while, not feeling very good. I ended up passing one woman maybe 14 miles in when she pulled over the side of the trail. I passed another rider some time later, who I believe had a flat. ( I think it was Kyia and the irony is that I was riding in a group with her husband, Kris). Our group split up as we were climbing and descending power line type of trail and then it was just a lot of hard work to the finish line to keep my spot of third. I didn't expect to see the top two women As I knew i lost too much time early on in the race. I feel pretty lucky to have ended up third amongst all the women.
This race is always long and hard. I forget how many flat sections there are. One of the groups I was in the men were calling out all the lines which was incredibly helpful. I got to race with some really great riders. All were very kind.
Kudos to the race organizers and all the volunteers that make the Ore2Shore happen each year. They do a really great job marking the course, hosting a great race and providing riders with a great course and experience. And a special thanks to The Ski Hut in Duluth and KUHL clothing for continued support throughout all these years.
Great Hawk Chase at Spirit Mountain - MNMBS Race #7
Cross country mountain bike racing returned to Spirit Mountain for race #7 in the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series after organizers were unable to secure a permit with the city of Duluth for course at Hawk ridge. For the old school racers, the return to Spirit Mountain brought smiles and delight as the course featured old school racing on a "puker" climb up access roads, snowmobile trails, and twisty rooty singletrack followed by a fast technical descent that featured a large rock garden that provided spectacular crashes. The Citizen course also ran on most of this loop making for one of the tougher courses in the series not for the elite class but also all the way down to the Citizen.
The cross country event was part of the Duluth Bike Festival which featured long and short enduro races with 4 and 2 runs respectively and also a downhill race on possibly the gnarliest downhill course in the Midwest, Calculated Risk. A handful of riders competed in the enduro events Saturday that would go on to compete in the cross country on Sunday.
Sunday morning I made the trek over to compete in the cross country. After talking to a few riders Saturday night after their pre-ride, I was very stoked for the race hearing about the features including the old school enduro segment used in the Duluth Enduro. After spending most morning in the car, I arrived at lower level of Spirit Mountain with about an hour to get ready. Race day always seems to run shorter with the usual last minute preparations and visiting of fellow racers taking more time than anticipated. All good. One of the riders I bumped into was Jeff Hall who was fresh off a second place finish in the Ore to Shore the day before and said "figured I might as well stop here, it was on the way" and agreed it was different muscles than the racing yesterday so he figured, why not? Jeff would go on to win the elite race in demanding fashion.
I met up with son Jake who was waiting for my arrival to dial in the bike I brought over since he no longer has a cross country bike and was reluctant to use his enduro bike with the climbing involved. We met up with a few other team mates and made our way for a short pre-ride. We bumped into Scott Kylander-Johnson who took us off course to check out some fresh track that was originally going to be used in the cross country race but left out. Should be mentioned that Scott along with fellow COGGS members helped tune the "fern gully" segment of singletrack on the lower part of the course.
We rolled to the start for last minute instructions and were off! To string riders out, the lower part of the course was avoided as we made our way to the long, sustained climb. The road leading to it was wide and fast and allowed the riders to fall into selection nicely. I caught up to fellow team mate and training partner Ben Olson (who was on his wife's bike since his derailer went out on his bike) and we set in a steady pace on the first climb moving up a few spots but also being passed by a few riders coming up from the back. We kept that pace going and was close to catching Jake and John Sandberg as we approached the lower upper parking lot at Spirit Mountain which led to the downhill back to the bottom of the course. We put the gas on to try and bridge the gap but a rider got around us before we dove into the singletrack descent. We weren't able to ride the pace we wanted being stuck behind this rider. The gap grew a little more to Sandberg and Jake when the rider in front of us crashed hard and we had to slow up to make sure all was okay and scoot around proper.
(Photo: Rolling through the rock garden, Credit Todd Bauer TMB Images)
As we made our way to the massive rock garden, I took the line I remember from checking out the enduro last year, unaware an easier, smoother line was to the right. Thankfully was able to keep the rubber side down putting the chest behind the saddle and keeping the hand off the front brake. The adrenaline was pumping and glad to be upright for the rest of the sweet descent! As we made our way to the bottom, I took a couple more bad lines that allowed Ben to get around me. Same thing happened to him, a result of us both not being familiar with the course. When we got to the bottom, we set into a groove keeping seated as much as possible to avoid spinning out on the roots and commenting how the lower root section reminded us of the training at Black's Grove trail near Wadena.
We continued on the next few laps, catching a few riders including Josey Weik who was attacking repeatedly throughout the climb and creating gaps as we continued on a steady pace. Each lap felt more comfortable as we dialed in the lines and the body adjusted to the sustained climbs. The weather wasn't unusually hot but their was no wind on the sun baked climb and it didn't take long to have a full on sweat and finding the fine line how much to push it without blowing up.
(Photo: Last climb. Credit:Endurance Kennels)
As we started the last lap, we caught a couple more riders including bridging back up to Josey and formed a group with Joe Surla. Ben made a effort at the start of the puker climb that resulted us dropping a rider and catching up to Kasey Bacso. The four of us rode together and managed to pull in Scott Kylander Johnson near the top who reported "blowing sky high" at the finish. Scott saw us coming so made a effort to get to the singletrack first as Kasey got around Ben and I. I was all good with that knowing Kasey was a solid descender while having a flash back when he was sticking back flips off the lake jump at Maplelag's Laddies Loppet last year.
Following Kasey on the last descent was the fastest one of the day as we let things out a little bit more knowing it was the final push to the finish. Going through the rock garden both arms were stiff has boards as a result of tensing up too much on the gnarly tech but it was totally worth it slicing and dicing through the loamy delight. Rode as fast as possible to the end, finishing with a big smile and sense of relief after competing on by far my favorite course in the Midwest, and possibly the country.
Post race was good to connect to many of the old school riders and reflect on the races at Spirit of old and the beauty of this years. Great job to the race organizers and trail builders setting up a pure mountain bike course. Nice job to everyone that took on the challenging course from Citizen to the marathon class.
Leadville 100 Links
A handful of Midwest riders once again made the trek out west to compete in probably one of the more popular epic or endurance events due to its longevity of not only the distance but the elevation and numbers of years the event has been running. Joe Peck of Minneapolis cracked the 8 hour mark in 7 hours 59 minutes and a top 100 finish. The race not only attract riders that are "simply" looking to finish or compete the event but also world class athletes that are attempting course records. A couple interesting links from the race featuring Todd Wells new bike set up Fastest bikes at the 2016 Leadville Trail 100 MTB race and a look at the World Class "roadies" that participated FireRoadies! WorldTour riders get wake-up call at Leadville 100 MTB Race.
Strava Ride of the Week
This weeks's Strava Ride goes to all the riders that competed in the marathon race at Spirit Mountain. I witnessed first hand the agony, pain and exertion those folks put forth racing over 4 hours on a most demanding course. All the guys I saw were absolutely cooked and there was a sense of don't ask too many questions or don't complain how hard your race was in the cross country when I just rode for four hours! Not all the riders that did the marathon are on Strava of course so I picked out long time Series devotee Eric Guse who completed 9 laps in a time of 4 hours, 24 minutes and 42 seconds who titled his ride "Old Skol" Spirit Mountain. Also a shout out to the support crews of these riders, many of them significant others and children who spend a half day keeping the riders nourished.
Watching Mountain Biking in the Olympics
Mens Journal published a nice guide to the Olympics for mountain biking featuring course details, times and access to the course for riders taking in the Olympic action. MJ states: "Rio's addition of man-made features, such as rock gardens and gap jumps, upped the demands on riders not only to be incredibly fit, but also agile and brilliant bike handlers. In the past, jumps were the purview of downhill racers on long-travel bikes, but these days, cross-country riders navigate drops and gaps, all while racing at all-out, breathe-through-their-eyeballs speeds. It all adds up to suspenseful racing that's ridiculously fun to watch".
(Photo: Brazil rider testing out the Olympic Course, Credit: Buda Minda/Gettyimages)
Looking Ahead
Long time promoter Tom Gaier has stepped down but the new promoters promise continued great racing at the Seeley Pre Fat. The course is being touted as " the perfect warm-up for the Chequamegon Fat Tire races" which will be held next month. The new course starts and ends at the Hwy 00 trailhead and goes south using alternate sections of the Birkie Trail, to allow fast speeds and easy passing, and the CAMBA single track to test your riding skills. There is a 1 1/2 mile "spectator" prime loop before heading out on the main course. The first rider in each race to complete the loop back to near the start line will receive a $20 prize! Registration bumps up to $65 after August 18th and includes a lunch post race during a usually swag filled awards ceremony. Stick around for.....
The Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association is excited to present its second annual Boogie in the Barn Gala Fund Raising event this Saturday, August 20. This important event will take place at the Sylvandale Barn at 10886 Round Lake School Road near Hayward from 5:00-10:00 pm. Tickets are on sale at www.cambatrails.org. Tickets must be purchased in advance, as there will be no tickets available at the door.
Reforestation Rambler - Wisconsin Off Road Series Race #8
New for 2016 the Reforestation Ramble will use a shorter more intense loop and the normal WORS race schedule. The historic marathon length course is off the table at least for a year with a new course for 2016 and some new amenities. The course will be more single track than in the past. The Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team (ANST) is proud to host this event again. It is a fundraiser for the club, but also is held for the NE Wisconsin mountain bike community. ANST strives to make nordic skiing at the regional and national level affordable and is the home of the Wisconsin girls state championship team two years running, girls champion, and the second place boys team and sent four skiers to Junior Nationals Championship this past season.
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/LaMere/Paramount/Jake's Bikes mountain bike team and enters his 26th year of racing and promoting mountain bike races. Have an event or mountain bike related information to share from the Midwest? Feel free to contact Jay at |