Midwest MTB Report

by Jay Richards
September 7, 2023

Holy buckets! It’s September! Where did August go?!? It has been a busy end to August and I haven't been able to get the reports off like I wanted to while focusing on getting ready for the 33rd Laddies Loppet race at Maplelag Resort, among other things, which I’ve include a recap for in this week's report. This month is one of the best months of the year to ride and is typically a season-ending month (more so on the racing front) for a lot of riders. Some big events are coming up such as Chequamegon and the niche race the Marji Gesick. Sprinkle in a few other events including all of the high school racing action and it truly is a great month. The weather can be a bonus as we enjoy the change of seasons with fall weather rolling in with a smattering of summer-like days. Other highlights in this week's report, besides the race at Maplelag, include recaps from the Dakota Five O in Spearfish, SD and the Copper Harbor Trails Fest in the UP of Michigan, along with a look ahead.

MNMBS #10: 33rd Annual Laddies Loppet

Hard to believe it's been 33 years of the Laddies Loppet at Maplelag Resort. The first year I started racing was 1990 and my first race was at Quadna Resort outside Hill City, MN. I had purchased a steel rigid GT Zaskar the spring of my sophomore year of college and was hooked on the sport—did that race and was immediately inspired to build trail and host a race at Maplelag that fall. That summer I was working at a summer camp in Bemidji but spent my days off going back home to Maplelag to build trail and plan for a race. The first Laddies Loppet featured both a long and a short race and used mostly ski trails as we began building a 25 mile trail system of hand built trails, self funded and supported. Our singletrack trail building was inspired by the races back in the 90’s, carrying into the 2000’s, that featured fall line drops, climbs, and technical singletrack featuring plenty of rocks and roots.

Flash forward to this year and we're continuing to provide a unique course on some of the original singletrack we built with touches of the older stuff. The main race loop is around 12 miles, so about half of the full trail system. The other half is the “harder stuff” that features the lakeside drops and super rocky and rooty singletrack. This was the first time the lakeside drops were not used since they were built. Although mountain biking has transformed to offer more progressive flow trails to be more inclusive for all riders, we are committed to providing a course not found in many areas of the country and do our best to accommodate all racers and classes. The idea and hope is for people to challenge themselves and have the inkling to come back and try and “clean” something they might not have be able to do before.

Adding to the challenge this year was the heat. Kayla Johnson posted:

“95 degrees out and the gnarliest trail of the series. I live for trails like this. I’m pretty proud of learning and adapting for trails like these and racing in this heat, when it’s taken me out in the past. It was a good day.”

Comments like this are what makes it a great day of racing. We always hope that no one gets hurt or off track, pretty hard not to happen on any race day, but you control what you can control.

Overall it was a great day—awesome to have first time racers and especially the long time supporters, a handful who have raced in every one since 1990. Pretty unreal actually. I was able to be out on the course throughout the day watching every class and loved seeing the energy and competitive level in all divisions up and down the various classes, especially in the Kids Comp! Grateful for the support staff, volunteers, race officials and sponsors that make it all happen.

Laddies Loppet Results

Laddies Loppet Photos

Dakota Five-O

The Dakota Five-O is based out of Spearfish, SD and features a 50 mile race with 6500ft of climbing! The course is a lollie-pop loop, beginning in Spearfish City Park with a mass, neutral roll out, and leaving town to the west up Tinton Road. The three miles of gravel road climbing gives the fast folks a chance to vie for position, before funneling onto the twisty, smooth, Tinton Trail single-track. Ben Senkerik rolled to the win in the men's race and posted about his experience:

"The Dakota Five-O was one wild ride. Coming into the season, I targeted this race as my premier event. I wanted the win but wasn’t sure of the plan to get there. After talking with friends, I knew this race was going to be hard but perfectly suited to my style."

"Off the start, Lauren Stephens [the eventual women's winner] took a monster pull up the first climb. Once we got onto the trail, I settled into a group of 4, which quickly became 3. 1 hour in we hit the steepest climb of the day. I made a small mistake, which forced me off the bike, and I immediately lost 25 seconds. After a 45 minute chase, I caught back onto the group and went right to the front. I rode my pace until mile 27 when the group was down to 2. I continued driving the pace until mile 35 'bacon station climb'. This is the last climb of the day and is where I made my move. After gaining about 20 seconds, I attacked the final 7 mile descent into town and never looked back, securing the win."

Dakota Five-O Results

Copper Harbor Trails Fest

Hosted by the Copper Harbor Trails Club, the 30th Annual Copper Harbor Trails Fest took place September 1 - September 3, 2023. The annual Labor Day Weekend event featured races, music, beer, and good times, and the all-ages event had something for everyone, from cross-country riding and blazing-fast downhills, to enduro racing and trail running.

Chelsey Youngberg raced in both the long cross country mountain bike race and the trail run and posts a quick recap:

"Raced the Long XC and 10k Trail Run so I could ride down Paul’s Plunge Saturday and run back up it Sunday Stoked to win both but not as stoked to get four stitches in my left knee after a fall in the trail run."

"Pink sunrises and northern lights after sunset are amazing but the people are what really make Copper Harbor special."

"Lastly, THANK YOU Ski Hut for keeping my bike running smoothly through all these races!"

Copper Harbor Trails Fest Results

The Best Ski Resorts for Mountain Biking

Although the first flakes of snow have been falling in the high country, many mountain resorts will continue mountain bike operations well into April, especially the eastern locations. OnTheSnow has a list of the top alpine areas to mountain bike across the country in a recent article.

Looking Ahead

F-M All Trail Enduro

Enduro racing has recently become a popular category of mountain bike racing, but it is typically reserved for steep mountain trails. The Flatlands Cycling group out of Fargo-Moorhead decided to host an event loosely based off of those Enduro races, even though they don’t have the downhill terrain. Enter the F-M All Trail Enduro!

Riders will be required to ride a lap of each trail system in town: Iwen, Gooseberry, and MB Johnson Park. The times from each trail will be recorded and added together to see who can do it the fastest.

The event will begin at Iwen Park at 8am. Parking is available at either the Boat Ramp or the Lions Conservancy. The event will end at MB Johnson Park with a small get together following the event.

Race Across Duluth

The inaugural Race Across Duluth will showcase some of the best mountain bike trails Duluth has to offer in this epic point to point race on the iconic Duluth Traverse. Come experience an unforgettable day on 45 miles of urban singletrack in the heart of Duluth. All proceeds will be donated to COGGS to be used to create more trails and build up the biking community in Duluth.

Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival

The countdown is on for the mighty Chequemagon Mountain Bike Festival and a only few spots remain to register. The main event, the Chequamegon 40, travels from downtown Hayward, WI over the famed American Birkebeiner Ski Trail and along picturesque trails of varying terrain, finishing at the Great Hall in Cable, WI.

The event is also part of the LifeTime Grand Prix which will feature a later start and slightly different course for the Pro class. We hope to make it to the race and will have a full recap in the next report!

Keep the wheels moving!