Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap
By Bruce Adelsman
March 2, 2003
With the dramatic change in the weather after the Birkie
weekend, the racing scene is starting to look a little grim.
However, even with all the warm weather the northland is still
holding a lot of snow and all of the weekend racing events
went off just fine.
Jill Troutner at the Lotvola Cup |
Abbi May ventured out to the new Boulder Lake Ski Tour and came
away with a fun race and a first place finish (9th overall!).
Abbi continues to excel this season, made all the more impressive
as her and husband Brian continue to raise two young ones (watch
out for Rachel, she's demanding ski time already!).
Meanwhile, we were surprised to find Jill Troutner signing
up for the Lotvola Cup at Maplelag, complete with wooden skis
and the traditional flannel wardrobe. Jill has been serving
overseas, but just returned state-side earlier in the week
and is recovering from a broken foot. Jill wasn't racing for
any big results, but was just glad to be back skiing!
Race Team Results
Feb 29th Boulder Lake Ski Tour
Abbi May 1st female 30K freestyle 1:33:14
Feb 29th Lotvola Cup
Jill Troutner 1st female 12K classical (wooden skis) 1:11:56
Team Member Reports
Boulder Lake Ski Tour Report from Abbi May
One of my goals for this season was to do as many races
as possible that I hadn't participated in before. There
are so many great events to choose from each weekend, it
will take years to experience them all. This weekend I decided
to do the inaugural Boulder Lake Ski Tour. I was pleased
to see a race on the calendar in Duluth's backyard. I have
only skied the trails at Boulder Lake a couple of times,
so even the course was relatively fresh for me. The trails
are pretty well flat, but they have plenty of curves and
gentle slopes to keep them interesting. I had prepared my
skis with Toko HF yellow, with cera F over top and some
rills. The riller was packed to put some more structure
in the morning of if required. As we set off at 9:15 am
and the rain started pouring down, it looked like that riller
would get some more use! I was contemplating what to wear
to race in heavy rains, but fortunately the skies brightened,
and by the time we arrived the rain had stopped. By race
time, the sun was threatening to break through the clouds
and really soften things up.
 The
course had been groomed by MN Power, as the trails are owned
and managed by them for the community. The system includes
a small warming hut by the lake, open daily and stocked
with hot chocolate, cider, tea and hot water for thirsty
skiers. The grooming team had been out literally all night
long, and the trails were in top condition. The start on
Boulder Lake was groomed to an impressive width, fit for
about 1000 skiers! The corduroy was fast and firm as I did
a warm-up, but by the 11 am start time, things were definitely
slowing up. The course held up very well though, staying
solid with good pole planting, and actually speeding up
for me on the second loop as the surface was packed by skiers.
I had a good start, passed a couple of men early in
the first loop, then cruised the rest of the 30 km, pleased
with how strong and comfortable I felt out there. It was
pleasant to ski in just a ski suit, no under layers required,
and no hat. The MN Power crew were enthusiastic spectators
at the aid stations, and really seemed thrilled to be hosting
an event on their trails. Between feed stops it was a very
peaceful ski through the woods, as I was alone from about
7 km on. I was having to work to keep my skis gliding the
first loop, so I was happy when they seemed faster on the
second lap. There was a lot of V2 to be done, so I really
enjoyed the few small hills with a chance to V1. The quicker
tempo felt speedy compared to an effortful V2, and I found
myself hop skating up many of the climbs. Almost too soon,
I was back on the lake for the final push to the finish.
Thankfully the headwind was a lot weaker, and the length
on the lake a lot shorter than the Birkie finish across
Lake Hayward last week! All in all, a friendly, low-key
event with superb grooming - I'd be back next year except
there are other races I have yet to try!
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