Midwest MTB Racing Report
Another busy weekend of mountain bike riding and racing! Fantastic fall weather is in place making for some sweet last minute shreds before winter is here for real. This weeks report includes recaps from the Black’s Grove River Crossing mountain bike race, the Minnesota Cycling League race in Mankato and the look ahead to the season that will soon be completed in the upper Midwest.
Blacks Grove River Crossing
Race director Thad Schulz reports on the Black’s Grove Mountain Bike race:
After a canceled race in June and some extreme rain and wind this summer/fall the 5th annual Black’s Grove Race took place on Saturday October 11th. The trail conditions were dry clay packed and fast. The weather almost could be better of the race: 45% humidity and about 50F by start of the Sport and Citizen Race For the first time there were two classes Sport on a 12 mile course and Citizen on a 7 mile course. Both classes raced on the Black’s Grove unique handbuilt singletrack course with sharp climbs, challenging switchbacks, and tight turns.
There were three brave kids that braved to cool morning in the kids race with Jacob Olson taking top honors.
There were 15 people that participated in the Sport race with Matt Zak finishing as top male with a time of 01:06:17.7 and Melissa Jacobs finishing as top female with a time of 02:17:12.4
There were 10 people that participated in the Citizen race with Will Green finishing as top Male with a time of 56:32 and Heidi Olson finishing as top female with a time of 01:12:00
MN High School Cycling League
Edina high student Max Ellingson was one of many hundreds students to head south the the ski area of Mankato to take on the slopes of Mt Kato for race #4 in the Minnesota Cycling League series. Max took time from a busy school schedule to send in a report:
The Minnesota high school mtb racing series visited Mount Kato this past Sunday for their fourth race of their season. Everybody from middle school girls to varsity boys were put to the test on their difficult but fun trails. Since everybody raced the same loop, sections such as the infamous “quick release” and “mad squirrel” were kept out of the course. Despite that, the course still had its share of steep climbs and technical descents. The lap count ranged from 1 lap (3.6 miles) for middleschoolers to 5 laps (18 miles) for varsity boys.
The weather conditions were a little chilly in the morning but turned out to be perfect for racing as the day went on. In the varsity girls race Jordan Horner took her fourth straight victory and has further increased her lead in the standings. In the varsity boys race: St. Croix Valley Composite rider Logan Schlough set a dominating pace that lead him to 1st place overall. Duluth East rider Samuel Hayden was close behind Logan but a crash mid way through the race resulted in a second place finish for Samuel. I was racing in the varsity boys class and because of a mistake in my race preparation resulting in low electrolyte levels, I did not have that good of a race. I still enjoyed the course though, as Mount Kato is one of my favorite trails in Minnesota. (Photo: Todd Bauer)
This race would not have been possible without the MN high school series and leading sponsors (Specialized, Trek, Penn Cycle, Eriks Bike Shop, etc…). Not to mention Mount Kato ski area for hosting the race on their awesome trails!
BrewMonstor Enduro
Duluth capped off an successful enduro series and various venues in and around the city with a record number of participants.
Laddies Loppet 2015
Plans are already underway for Laddies Loppet 2015 which will be the 25th anniversary!! Maplelag Resort is very excited to celebrate many years of great racing, old school course and most importantly…the people who have supported the Loppet over the years!! The 25th edition will see a return to the grass roots beginnings, offering a different format of events than recent years with two race distances on Saturday and short track racing and other events on Sunday. More specific details will be posted once planning has been finalized but expect the usual fun riding and racing in a great family atmosphere with home cooked meals and down to earth scene.
The Laddies Loppet will no longer be a part of the Minnesota series and Maplelag Resort wants to thank all those involved with the series for their tireless efforts to promote and maintain a wonderful mountain bike series, one of the best in the country, for riders in the Midwest.
Looking Ahead
St. Croix Falls, which is home to the Woolly mountain bike trail system and one of the most energetic and proactive mountain bike clubs in the Midwest, will be hosting Woolly Day this Sunday, featuring the opening of a new trail segment called “Erratic” . Bike demos, food and bonfire time hanging with the freshies.
Minnesota Mountain Bike Series Final: Red Wing Classic
The bluffs of Red Wing will play host to the final race in the Minnesota series hosting the traditional cross country race on Sunday along with a marathon option. Events have been added to the weekend featuring a short track and time trial event on Saturday. The course is fast and old school flowy and features the infamous “stairway to heaven” climb in the advance classes.
The annual fundraiser for the Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team will take place this year on Sunday, October 26th. The 2014 event will include a trail 1/2 marathon, a trail 5k, and a 15 mile mountain bike race! Come on out and help support a great group of kids. Registration is open on Active.com and there is a $10 fee increase for day of registration.
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. |