Midwest MTB Racing Season Preview

by Jay Richards
April 14, 2010

Unlike the past two Springs where riders were itching to hit the dirt the middle of April with skiing still possible in northern locales, the recent warm and dry weather has it feeling like mid-May and most trail systems are good to go. Riders have been enjoying great riding across the Midwest the past few weeks and it seems like the first mountain bike race should of already happened. The first event is still a few weeks away but another great season of mountain bike events is on tap, along with many new trails (like new singletrack system in Washburn County) popping up across the Midwest as well.

The Wisconsin Off Road Series (WORS) and MNMBS (Minnesota Mountain Bike Series) lead the charge, strong as ever, and highlighted by the big National Pro XCT event at Mt Morris the end of June.

Once again the Decorah Time Trials unofficially kicks off the season with racing on the 15 mile trail system in Decorah on April 25th.  The course winds through the rolling, wooded areas of the Decorah Parks System and includes lots of technical single track, some along the river. Riders are released individually on 1-minute intervals starting at 10:00 am.  In past years, course length has varied from 6.5 to 12 miles.  Final course length will be determined by race director and trail conditions on the day of the race.

The WORS Series kicks off circuit racing the first weekend in May with the Iola Bump and Jump at Iola Winter Sports Area in Iola, WI. The highlight of the WORS series will be the Subaru Cup which features a big PRO XCT event at Nordic Mountain on June 26th and 27th.  Long time series director Don Edberg and his staff has done a fantastic job creating an major event atmosphere at each WORS event and the National scene gets to see what racing in the Midwest is all about. With mountain bike racing participation levels in the Midwest some of the highest in the country, expect a large turnout for this mega event. Once again WORS ends with the popular Wigwam MTB Challenge on October 10th at Sheyboygan, attracting many out-of-staters with a large cash purse.

Rich Ohmdahl made notice this week of the 2nd annual Spring Fling at Hillside Park on the Elk River trails Saturday May 8th.  The event is very low key with "no pressure" and a chance to work out the kinks before series racing in Minnesota begins.

With a 30% increase in participation last year, the MNMBS (formerly known as MNSCS) is excited for another season with a few changes. Most noticeably is the loss of the popular Powder Monkey course at Spirit Mountain because of  construction of a mountain slide but it has been replaced by a new race for the series in Duluth at Lester Park, the Great Hawk Chase. Another key feature of the series is the introduction of series registration and permanent numbers.  Riders who wish to participate in the Series Points Tracking, Team Competition and Year End Awards will now be asked to register with the Series. The series has transitioned from being promoted/organized by the race directors to a board headed by Gary Sjoquist as race series director. The series begins again at Harmon Park at Inver Grove Heights and concludes with the Revolution Single Track Escape in St Cloud at the Jail Trail that also features the state singlespeed champs. One of the highlights of the Series will be the Laddies Loppet Stage race at Maplelag Resort which is part of the USA Cycling National calendar and a qualifier for US Mountain Bike Championships in 2011. Once again the Border Battle will be a part of both the WORS and MNMBS with a traveling trophy presented to the state with the highest number of top finishers in the respective classes.

Additional Events

The Cable Off Road Classic has been a staple for many mountain bikers in the Midwest to open the season. The race is one of the first point to point races on the calendar (May 15th) and features some of the trails in the popular Chequamegon cluster of trails. Course changes last year saw the removal of some of the singletrack trail but organizers are promising new singletrack for this years version.

Earlier in the year, upon receiving word that the 24 hours at 9 mile race was canceled, a new endurance event became the buzz with the Unnamed Epic hitting the waves.  Organizers state the birth of the event came to be when Chicago lost its bid for the 2016 Olympics and "the world's top off-road racers were deprived of their chance to tackle the terrain of Wisconsin's driftless region.  On Saturday, Aug 28th, any fit cyclist can take on the challenging slopes in a 75-mile race now called the Unnamed Epic." The event will be capped at 600 solo riders and 100 two-person teams. Upon completion of the event, this years racers will determine the name of the event for the future.

With the organizing group, Granny Gear Productions, pulling out of the 24 of 9 mile event due to monetary reasons, Muddy Paws Racing stepped up to the plate to resurrect the event, naming the endurance event Wausau 24.

North Dakota's biggest event, Race to Sunset, will once again be held at Sleepy Hollow Park in Bismarck, ND.  The endurance race/ride will occur on Jun 12th with 5 and 10 hour options for teams and solo riders.  The 10 hour folks will head out (by way of a LeMans start) at 8:30 a.m.  The 5 hour participants will do the same, but at 1:30 p.m.  The race will officially end at 6:30 p.m., and will be followed by a catered dinner and awards.

The UP of Michigan's big event, Ore to Shore will be held August 14th. The event features a nice variety of logging roads with a final gradual descent into Marquette. With race day on Saturday, Sunday is a good opportunity to check out the great network of trails in the Marquette area.

The Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival (Sep 18-19th) remains the grand daddy of mountain bike events in the Midwest. Determined by a lottery system, the event has been filled for this year but Sunday's events are open until day of. Last year organizers mixed in Sunday Cable Crit with a Crit cross, that featured a two up two lap qualifying time trial that determined the top times for men and women. A six lap Cable Crit-Cross Championship feature the top twelve times for men and women in a pursuit start final making for exciting racing.

USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Championships will be held at Sol Vista ski area in Granby, Colorado for the second year in a row. With the mountain bike course running on private land, course technicians are able to build trail with local pros without USFS red tape, creating signature courses including one of the top Super D courses in the country.

Links:

Manitoba Cycling Association.  If you are heading north for some reason, be sure to check the calendar. The course at Sandilands is top notch and good reports from Grand Beach which opens the off road series first weekend in May

Iowa Mountain Bike Series.  The  Decorah race kicks off the season and finishes in Des Moines on October 3rd.

Wisconsin Endurance Mountain Bike series. Two hour racing not enough for ya? Check this nine race series out.

Minnesota Off Road Cyclists. Site covers list of trails, conditions on other events regarding mountain biking in Minnesota and how to get involved with trail building and preservation

Wisconsin version: Wisconsin Off Road Cyclists

If you have an event or information regarding mountain biking in the Midwest, please feel free to pass along and we will do our best to include it in the report. Race recaps from Jake Richards along with preview of upcoming events, focusing on cross country events, will highlight this seasons reports.


Note: We are tentatively planning on a short notice race at Maplelag Resort Sunday April 25th. More information will be posted in next weeks report.

Keep the wheels moving!