Midwest MTB Report
Couldn't of asked for a nicer end of September and first few days of October. Wow. Textbook gorgeous fall weather with brilliant sunshine and deep blue skies. The weather was welcomed by mountain bikers participated in the races offered over the weekend, trail events at Lebanon and Woolly and new trail shreds in the Duluth area and enduro racing in the Marquette, MI area. This weeks report includes first hand recaps from Lake Rebecca which was host to race #10 in the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series, the Deer Fly Chase, a couple links and the look ahead.
Deer Fly Chase
The Deer Fly Chase continues to grow in popularity for its classic mountain bike race feel with sweet trails, welcoming atmosphere and energetic race directors providing a grass roots feel. Lonie Sauber from the southern Twin Cities made the trek east and sent in a first hand report:
Wow, I can't believe it's Chase time already. That means it is time for infamous "Deer Fly Chase" in an awesome Wisco forest. The weather was perfect and it was my third time doing this race in the Chippewa National Forest. Noah Mickelson is the race director and his race is top notch along with all the volunteer's CORBA (Chippewa Off Road Bike Association) and sponsors.
This year was full of laughs and surprises. We were all lined up and ready to rip and Rob Duggan (a fellow Hollywood #THC racer) shows up fashionable late. Rob jumps out of his Jeep and yells "Give me 2 minutes." It was crazy fun calming all racers nerves focusing on Duggan. Classic old school racing at its best the more racer's the merrier. Noah turned off the 4 wheeler and we all waited for Duggan! That is what it is all about, don't take it to serious, it's only a race! "Duggan stated; Yeah man, they held up the start but only for so long! Caught the pack as they were rollin' out and was putting my number plate on during roll out - hah. Everything ended up ok and it's really a great race."
(Photo: Lonie and brother Larry ready to rip at start of Deer Fly Chase)
Then we were off rolling behind the four-wheeler before we turned left, hit the gravel and the hounds were unleashed. It was so fun seeing everyone taking off, since I was waiting for the diesel to turn on.
Aaron Swanson, Nate Lillie, Ryan Fitzgerald, Justin Marsh, Drew Wilson and super fast Adam Altmann got a good break. With few miles to go, Adam dropped the hammer and ripped out a victory through the awesome race -course! Stellar win! Justin Marsh and Ryan Fitzgerald battle it out with Justin taking 2nd and Ryan 3rd.
Noah Mickelson (race director) loaned his mountain bike to Altmann 3 years ago at the Deer Fly Chase! Wow, Adam has come a long way in 3 years. This kid has mad skills and humility.
Rachael Jansen took the victory in the women's race! She was flying through the forests!
Shout out to Larry Sauber, Jeremy Horns, Jimmy Janglo, #LCR, Rob Duggan, #THC, Rebecca Sauber and Tim Wilke getting me to cross the finish on my bike! I'll take it. It's a blessing to be able to throw it down and race a bike. See you all next year 2017 Go Big!
Big Woods Classic
After rescheduling to a different location than cancelling, the Big Woods Classic was rescheduled last minute. The last minute change resulted in a bit smaller participation but the racing was competitive up and down the fields and reports were generally good on the new course that was fast with a few mud spots to keep riders honest. After a big cycling vacation in Denmark, Kyia Anderson was back stateside to take on a strong elite women’s field and files a report:
Just back from an amazing bicycle tour in Denmark for 10 days with the family and I was ready to give the legs the test to see if they remembered how to go fast on the MTB! The Elite Women's race had all of the season's podium contenders on the line and I knew getting into the single track first was going to be important, especially with the short roll out and tight single track the first few miles of the race. On the start line Kristy Henderson (GirlFiend) and Robin Williams (Mercy/Specialized) were kind and offered a spot on the front line. With a soft spot on the course just off the start I really wanted to stay to the right so I was happy with the offer. The whistle blew and we were off! I filed in behind Robin through the soggy grassy area and then hoped to get an opportunity to pass and sneak into first before the single track. Robin stayed on the gas and there was no where to go except stay on her wheel! She was setting a good pace and showing us the good lines so I was content to sit on and hope to find a place to pass and try and take the lead. Behind me was Anna Christian (GrilFiend) and Eleanor Bacso (Maplelag), I could tell we were all sticking together and weaving our way through the course. At about mile 4 I saw a spot I could hopefully make a safe pass so I yelled "on your right" and Robin held up a pedal stroke and I moved around her quickly to take the lead. I was able to get a gap right away and I wanted to try and build on that as much as I could, the gals behind me are all strong on the climbs so I was digging deep on the climbs and trying to stand out of every turn to keep the speed high. Going into the second lap I was given a split of 2 minutes up, with a fresh bottle from the hand up master Denny Barry, I told myself to keep after it and try and keep it at 2 minutes or even build on it. I was able to have a clean race and come home with the WIN! Several minutes later Anna would come into view to take the last few turns to the finish line followed by Elanor and then Robin! Those gals had some close racing!
(Photo: Elite Women Podium)
Nice job ladies! I'm glad I got away so I didn't have to contest a sprint with those young guns! The course was hard pan and fast 97% of the time and the other 2% had some soft areas to slip and slide mud pits. You had to stay focused the whole time because there could have been an unexpected turn or mud pit around the next bend. It was fun to check out a new course and the organizers did a great job with the course and the extra $50.00 gift card from Michael's Cycles to go with the pay out was extra cream on the cake! Thank you! A BIG THANKS to the guys at Revolution Cycle and Ski for getting my race rig back into service and my other sponsors Podiumwear, Tifosi Optics, and Giro Sport Design.
Sheboygan Challenge
WORS wrapped up its series with the popular end of season race, Sheboygan Challenge. Racers competed on a variety of single and double track allowing racers to test their skills over picturesque flowing technical trails. Terrain including grass, mud, asphalt, gravel, sand, "Sheboygan Slickrock", roots, rocks, and the "Equalizer". The final race always draws a strong field and this years version was no exception. Both Cole House and Lyndsay Guerra took convincing wins in the Elite class.
Marquette Enduro
Marquette, MI. was host to enduro racing over the weekend, featuring five separate stages including a night race. Photos, video and results on their Facebook page.
Singletracks.com Suspension Forks Review
This weeks interesting article coming out of Singletracks.com includes a report on the most popular suspension forks.
Marji Gescick Recap
Steve Hamlin wrote a huge report on the epic Marji Gescick 100 ultra endurance mountain bike race. I'm convinced it is one of the hardest mountain bike events in the country. I'm intrigued by the terrain and course and although I don't have big long events like this on the radar, this might be an exception.
(Photo: Race start)
Marji Gesick 100 MTB Race Report & Course Details
Chequamegon Support
Mike Hall posted a nice blog entry on what it is like to observe the Chequmegon as a support personal. What is unique about Mike is he covers the course like no one else and provides a nice insight on the 40 course.
Looking Ahead
A relatively light weekend on tap as we near the end of the mountain bike racing season. One event that looks pretty sweet is the Brewmonster, enduro racing in the rad town of Duluth.
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 |