Midwest MTB Report
It was a hot and steamy weekend in most of the Midwest which added to racing challenges. This weeks report includes recaps from both the WORS and MNMBS races, a couple news items, the Strava ride of the week and a look ahead.
Bluff Riders Charge Race #3 MNMBS
Mt Kato was the site for race #3 in the Minnesota series. Unlike the cooler temps at Detroit Mountain the previous weekend, racers were faced with temps near 100 by the early afternoon races. Third place Elite male finisher Jesse Rients stated "Hot one at Mt. Kato today, 90+ degrees. Top three finish possible thanks to my wife and family providing ice bottles and ice socks" Keeping cool and managing the heat properly was critical for the longer races including the marathon class which endured the toasty conditions for over 4 hours. Bruce Martens was the only rider to ride 10 laps under 4 hours in a time of 3:53:34. Allan Shuros and Charley Serrill also two riders to crank out 10 laps. For other riders who endured the heat some wished the day was spent elsewhere including Denny Barry who stated: "Race report: too hot, should of gone to the lake!"
In Elite male, Jeff Hall scorched the course to yet another race win on a custom LaMere fat bike, winning by over five minutes to second place finisher Dominc Talerico. Jesse Rients nailed the third spot, Mason Basso and Brendan Bellew rounded out the top five.
(Photo: Jenna Rinehart, credit: Mike Hall)
Local star Jenn Rinehart posted another win in her stomping grounds by a large margin, besting second place finisher Robin Williams by 10 minutes. Rounding out the top five were Megan Barr, Anna Christian and Stacy Kalemkiarian respectively.
The Minnesota series settles in on another long break until the middle of July when racing will head south again to Red Wing.
Mt Morris Challenge Race #3 WORS
Host to top caliber National events in years past, WORS racers returned to Mt Morris for tight and twisty racing action on one of the more technical races in the series. Emma Swartz, who first raced at Mt Morris 8 years ago, penciled in the win after the moving to the front in the first lap where she was able to "take a break and have a cig" and ride a steady pace to the win over second place finisher Leian Schneeberger. Lindsay Guerra who charged to the front off the first climb nailed down the third spot while Anna Ganju and Rachel Jensen rounded out the top five.
(Photo: WORS Elite podium, credit: Nathan Guerra)
Winning his first WORS event of this year Zwift crazy man Nathan Guerra put almost a 2 minute gap by the finish line over Justin Piontek. Guerra got to the technical part of the course and put an effort similar to Swartz to get to the front, riding his race, harder than others and nailed down the dub. "Super stoked on the first WORS win. After a few bumps in the road in the first two races, the strategy was to quit playing games and just go for it from the gun. Things tend to go well when we just race our best and let the results fall will they will", stated Guerra on an Insta post. Previous WORS overall winner Tristan Schouten took the third spot in his first WORS event of the year after a successful Nordic skiing season. UP shredstar Peter Karinen was fourth and Isaac Neff took the final podium spot.
WORS YouTube:
Mens Report
Women's Report
Strava Ride of the Week
The past Strava rides of the weeks have included some long rides or mountain bike adventures involving multiple rides. I had intentions to select something shorter and unusual but I had to go to the trio of Matthew Faul, David Henry and Cameron Nichols who rode across Minnesota last week starting in the Fargo/Moorhead area eventually making way to Duluth. Although this was a road, day #4 caught my attention when the trio ventured "off road" and capture a nice dirt road shot with some water passage required. Strava Ride of the Week!
(credit: David Henry)
Builder of Champions
Transworld Motocross: Less than two years ago, John Wessling was a former collegiate cross-country skier at the College of St Scholastica, coaching a Minneapolis, Minnesota, high school team with the experience he had gained through his racing career. With a background in motocross, he knew that motocross star Christian Craig had retired early and relocated to work a construction job in Minnesota, and he sent a message out on Twitter that changed his career path drastically. John moved out to California to train motocross riders, using mountain biking as part of that training process. Transworld recently conducted a great interview with John.
Couples that Ride Together
Mountain bike Janna Krawcyzk recently had an article posted in Minneapolis St Paul magazine about her and her husband and what cycling has meant to them and how is has not only brought them together but strengthened their relationship. Janna opens up the article writing: It was 1994, and I was back in Minneapolis for the summer waiting tables downtown at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, saving as much cash as I could before returning to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to finish my senior year of college. My now-husband Paul was a bartender there, and one day, out of the blue, as he poured beers for my order, he asked if I wanted to go out some night and ride bikes with him. He knew I was into biking because that was how I got to work. In fact, that was how I got everywhere."
(credit: MSP Magazine)
Full article with six recommended urban rides in the Minneapolis Twin Cities area
Looking Ahead
A light weekend on tap with Father day's on Sunday keeping race promoters from scheduling any major events.
The Duluth Enduro series was set to kick off today but wet trails forced organizers to cancel. Racing action set to resume next week. Enduro racing features downhill racing with climbing that levels the playing field somewhat. Races are held at various tracks throughout the Duluth area and provide an avenue for the old school cross country rider looking for a return to their roots with generally more technical tracks that today's cross country races.
The CAMBA trails will be host to a truly epic event featuring either 100 miles or 100 kilometers of singletrack bliss. All proceeds go to the CAMBA trails.
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 |