Midwest MTB Report

by Jay Richards
August 9, 2022

The first weekend in August saw a variety of events taking place in the Midwest: the Kraus Anderson Bike Duluth Festival, the Refo Ramble (part of the Wisconsin Off Road Series), mountain bike racing on the Maah Dah Hey Trail in North Dakota, and further out, the final race of the North American leg of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup which featured a local Minnesota rider competing. Recaps from the above events and a look ahead seal this week's report.

Kraus Anderson Bike Duluth Festival

Mason Bacso was part of a select group to take on all four events in the Bike Duluth Festival which included a chainless downhill, a multi-stage enduro, a cross country race, and a downhill race. Bacso reports on each race:

"This past weekend was the Duluth Bike Festival at Spirit Mountain. In some ways the super bowl of Duluth Mountain bike racing. The event is a huge fundraiser for COGGS and the Harbortown Rotary. This year I was super excited as they expanded to three days of events and four separate races. I signed up for all 4 and got ready for a gnarly weekend on the bike! Thanks to all the volunteers and organizers, another wonderful event! If you want to challenge yourself on the bike, this is the event for you!"

"Duluth Bike Festival Chainless Downhill - The chainless downhill is just like it sounds. Take your chain off and see how fast you can get down the hill. The course was on Smorgasborg, a blue flow trail with some ski trail taping at the top. The race began with a small downhill and then some strider pushes around a grassy turn. From there it was all about trusting your tires, trusting the berms, and pumping as much as possible on all the rollers to get through the flat spots. Holding line and carrying speed chainless was both nerve racking and fun! I put down 2 solid runs but kept getting scared and giving my brakes an unnecessary brake check into several key berm, costing speed with no way to pedal out. Conditions were extra dry and poor Eleanor slid out on a dusty turn and caught her noggin again, ending her weekend sadly just as it began. Overall, many smiling faces and a lot of people having fun cheering "Pedal, Pedal, Pedal"! Fun way to start the weekend of events."

"Duluth Bike Festival Enduro - Saturday was all about Enduro racing! This year's advanced enduro race included 7 legit Spirit Mountain downhill runs and 5 times climbing up the entire hill! Overnight rain and cloudy/raining conditions in the morning provided early havoc! The race started at bottom chalet with a nice spin up to the top. I went out at a good click to make sure I won the first transit (my own made up victory as the uphill sections are not timed, haha). The first stage was Anvil, a trail packed with roots and rocks to navigate. I went out of the gate ready to send! This quickly changed to survive once I entered the trail and realized how slippery the roots, rocks, and dirt was. Yikes! Wheels pin balling all over the place, it was a wild ride! Making it down safe was a relief. Many riders speaking of the own survival stories at the finish line and talking about how crazy conditions were. After climbing back up, the second stage was Candy Land to Boot. This trail is famous for off camber turns, which made for a tricky riding in the slick conditions. Small mistakes abound for everyone capped off with a steep and greasy rock roll at the finish. Safely down, but no speed records that is for sure. A few bites to eat and we were back climbing to the top again. The third stage was Rock Candy to Rocky Roady. This one scared me the most for the day. Littered with large off camber rock features, I knew I needed to be in control when entering the feature or the greasy rock would quickly send me elsewhere. Another safe run with a few spots that got my heart pumping a bit for sure! More food and another climb to the top. One of the coolest parts of enduro is the camaraderie. Total racing is only a small part of the day. Majority of the time is spent telling stories with friends old and new and enjoying time out on the bike. I think that is why mountain biking has seen such an increase in enduro racing numbers. Onto stage 4, Blaster to Smorgasbord. The sun at this point was starting to sneak out and trails were drying fast. I started the stage well and approached an early rock jump step up near the upper parking lot. Not realizing how much trails had dried, I overshot the landing and gave myself a spook. I missed the race tape after landing and in a panic zipped back up the hill and around the tape to resume my run. The rest went well with hero dirt to the finish. More food and biking up the hill and we were onto stage 5, Monkey Business. This is my favorite trail at the park with a nice mix of big jumps and rock gardens. Trail was in great condition now and I had a smooth and super fun run. The last 2 runs we got to use the lift instead of climbing. Stage 6 was Knowlton Creek trail, another favorite and one I actually got to pedal on. I rocked the pedals as hard as I could and rode smooth through the tech sections. Lost some good time at the end when I was unable to get around a rider, but was still my best stage for the day. Stage 7 brought us to the dreaded Greenman. A non stop rock garden. I dropped it down a few notches and made sure I made it down safe. With so many rocks, one mistake and an unhappy crash may be in your future. What a fun day though and it was great riding with so many old and new faces and keeping it rubber side down!"

"Duluth Bike Festival Northern Exposure XC Race - This is not your average XC. This is down country turned up to 10. The course includes all of the hardest climbs and descents in Piedmont, Brewer, as well as finishing off with a trip down the infamous Greenman downhill trail. I describe it as an enduro with timed uphills. A quick road roll out and into the trails we went. I tried to get towards the front as we were about to climb Valley Girls, a tech trail that is a huge accomplishment to ride cleanly. I found Scotty KJ's wheel to follow as we ride together frequently and he is one of the best bike handlers there is!"

"It was a good wheel to choose and by the top the race had already whittled down to 4. A safe decent down a very scary Bones of the Beast trail and we were moving now. Riding these trails on an xc bike and with others around is a different experience, being extra focused and in control. A loop of everything in Peidmont including trails like Admiral Rockbar and DM kept ya on your toes. Our group at this point was down to Scotty KJ and speedy Chase Sams. As we headed into Brewer I was feeling pretty good even after a long day enduro racing the day before. I picked up the pace climbing into Brewer and we lost Scotty. I zipped down the trail Kissing Booth and also gapped Chase. Still feeling good I zoomed onward on my own. I kept the pace up and found time to smile and enjoy the jumps on Keene Creek trail. One last time up Spirit mountain taking a little steam out of my legs and I cautiously descended Greenman to take the win. We had perfect trails and temps in the 60's to make for an awesome race day!"

"Duluth Bike Festival Downhill - Immediately after the XC race, I switched bikes and threw some baggies and knee pads on for the downhill. My legs were sore, but I was most afraid of holding the bars and upper body strength. This was my first downhill along with fellow every race doer Adam Maki. The two of us did a quick practice run of the course, Calculated Risk. The trail has a mix of upper jumps and flow, a steep and slick rock garden known as the Terrarium, and lots of random piles of rock trying to throw a wheel off down to the bottom. Our practice run was a bit scary trying to hold on, yikes! Even superstar Bodee McFadden was feeling it from the morning XC!"

"The three of us went to the top for seeding runs and made it down safely, with Adam sneaking one spot in front of me! For finals, we lined up in reverse order of our seeding. So the fastest rider went down last. Seeding put us in the top quarter of the field, so plenty of time to stand up top and get nervous and wait. Downhill is intense. Ready, set, go! 2 min on the edge, every second counts, Ekks! I got focused and held on safely to the bottom for a fun run and experience! This time Adam and I switched spots, but still in the top quarter range, not bad for some xc shoe, bib wearing, xc nerds. More stories from racers and a surprise visit and cheering section from Nieces and Nephews capped off a wonderful weekend!"

Bike Duluth Festival Website and Results

Maah Daah Hey Mountain Bike Races

The Maah Daah Hey 100 describes itself as "the raddest race in the baddest place, but it is so much more than that... it is an experiende, an achievement, it is something legendary. Riding the MDH in one day is something that very few mountain bikers can say they have done. Come race on the world famous badlands singletrack, we guarantee you will never be the same."

This year was particularly gnarly as rain moved in, bringing the race to a whole different level. Rain on the Badlands singletrack means peanut-butter-like mud that makes it basically impossible to ride. The legendary and ageless Tinker Juarez posted:

"...the race got shorter, because it started raining and because the Badlands singletrack is impossible to ride when it rains. The mud become like cement and the mud sticks to your tires like glues and become impossible to roll your bike. My race was over at mile 44 out of 106 miles. I was leading the race by a few minutes so the winner go to the leader. When the race was called I couldn't move my bike anymore with the muddy trails, I felt lucky because earlier in the race before the rain I fell and hurt my right hand so I was feeling the pain on the down hills and shifting using my thumb. I was hurting to but I was hungry to win and no matter how I win it still 1st place. After the last two years getting 2 second place it was nice to win Maah Daah Hey the funniest single track in North Dakota, big thanks to my team and must important the race promoter who put on a great event every year, thank you Nick Ybarra for awesome job!"

Maah Daah Hey 100 Results

Maad Daah Hey 100 Facebook Page

WORS #7: Refo Rambler

The second to last race in WORS took place this past weekend on the Reforestation Camp trails. Timely rain made for primo conditions as riders battled for those final overall spots.

Marcus Warrington checks in once again with a recap:

"Just past midnight on Saturday evening, it was getting noisy in Green Bay. A strong thunderstorm was rolling through the area, and it was bringing very heavy rainfall with it. Over the course of a few hours, nearly two inches fell."

"And yet, not even eight hours later, the course at the Brown County Reforestation Camp was in pretty good condition. The event’s race director Scott Putman had been telling me for weeks that rainfall was a good thing for this surprisingly sandy track. He was right. Conditions were slick, but hardly muddy. Times were fast. And, most important of all, everyone was wearing smiles by the time they crossed the finish line."

"As the penultimate race in the 2022 WORS season, a solid number of riders made the trek to the most northern race on this year’s calendar. I want to give the MANY volunteers a special shoutout, who came out in big numbers and made this weekend’s race such a smashing success. This event has a neat “stadium” area, a spot to naturally congregate in a “bowl” below the lodge. Big crowds were there to take in awards, watch riders lapping around the course, and to connect with fellow racers and friends."

"As mentioned above, racing was fast. There isn’t much elevation at the camp, a stark change to the last WORS event, the hilliest course in the series at Mt. Morris. For having all races in the Series be located within ~150 miles of each other, there is a great variety in riding on the circuit. This event was no exception."

"As we now head toward the end of August, we’re approaching the final event in the WORS season. Hard to believe it’s almost over! It’s been a pleasure to join the Trek team and help continue to keep this storied series alive. A big thank you to the thousands of riders who have raced with us this year, and to the hundreds that we will see in a few weeks for the finale!"

"Speaking of which -- in a few weeks we’re in Lake Geneva to wrap up the season with Treadfest, a fan-favorite expected to draw big crowds and the best racing all year. From there, we’ll turn it over to NICA racing and gear up for an even bigger and better 2023."

WORS Schedule and Results

Elson Races First World Cup

Minnesota native Sam Elson of the Cross Lake area competed in his first World Cup race recently which was held in Snowshoe, WV, before crossing the border to compete again on the legendary Mont-Sainte-Anne course. Both courses featured rocks, massive roots sections, and rain, making them more technical than usual. Elson posted after the West Virginia World Cup:

"My first World Cup wasn’t exactly how I pictured it would be but it was an absolute blast anyways! Crazy weather turned it into an absolute mud fest. I was a little too cautious in the mud, but still had a great time and learned a lot this weekend. On to the next one!"

"Big thanks to the guys at Industry Nine this weekend for getting my wheels race ready after riding in mud all week long!"

Pinkbike Snowshoe MTB World Cup Coverage

Cyclingnews Mont-Sainte-Anne MTB World Cup Coverage

Looking Ahead

Minnesota Mountain Bike Series: Tioga Thillseeker

The Minnesota Mountain Bike Series gets set to wind down it's season with the first of three races up north. The newly constructed trails at Tioga outside Grand Rapids will present riders with a fast flowing course near a old mine.

Great Deer Chase

The Swedetown trails in Calumet, MI will be host to the Great Deer Chase which serves as a fundraiser for the trails. There will be multiple distances and events to choose from.

Keep the wheels moving!