Duluth Dirt Spanker

With some unexpected challenges occurring at the WORS Rhinelander Crystal Lake race had alittle change of plans with the racing schedule. Taking a hiatus for a few weeks to get in some specific training. Initially skipping the Wausau Big Ring Classic last weekend but finding it too hard to pass on one of the closest & as well as better races, the Duluth DirtSpanker held at the Mont du Lac ski hill.

Perhaps should have stuck with my original training plans, it was a tough day. A late start, plus getting held up by this --













Any time you add some reasonable heat with those long hill climbs at the DirtSpanker it's a day that can make and break alot of racers.

Had a reasonable good start, despite not clipping in for the first 100 yards, pushed it to get in the top 12-13 on the ride up the course's initial two pitch climb. That course does have some serious pitch to it's climbs and their long enough you can't bluff when your not having the best day because it shows pretty quickly.

The initial lap I experienced something I'd not scene before while MTB racing. Generally a group of 2, maybe as big as 5 racers will group up through single track before someone makes a moves and breaks it up. After the ascent of the initial climb a group of 8 formed and lasted for the entire first lap -- talk about a snake of riders in the woods. It was half driving me nuts because I was the 7th man itching to get around people and because the top 8 guys were quickly getting out of sight. However as Todd McFadden, riding in the 8th spot behind me ever so wisely pointed out it was going to be a long race. As normal he was right and he ended up pulling out a pretty decent race coming in 16th on the day. For a guy coming back from a real rough prolonged illness that's not at all a bad day in my book.

The start of Lap 2 & a repeat of bigger climbs broke up the group -- I quickly discovered my ability to climb wasn't yet too well honed this season & I held my own but still faded somewhat to the leaders of the group. Around the top of the hill Ross Fabroni came around me and the two of us caught up to a struggling Chuck Norrie (I'm not sure of anyone else that was racing for Hollywood Cycles) -- Ross I think pissed him off after a couple times with his inept & rusty MTB skills. Ross would be professing sincere apologies each time he'd bump Chuck's wheel explaining his lack of tack was because he (Ross) didn't even own a MTB. Poor Chuckie. Anyways, wasn't long before, Todd McFadden caught up to me again. If my memory serves me correctly, it seems like it's lap 2 every year that Todd comes up & starts to kick down the hammer. Kindly asking for the pass & telling me to follow his lines, and the guy took off like a jet rocket holding me in tow. We flew back around Ross and had a good rhythm going again. I think we keep it up for over half the lap Todd asked if I wanted to come around but I just didn't have the continuous energy to keep the push going any harder than he was.

The next two laps though not entirely uneventful wore on me. I had a lot of problems climbing when that's normally a stronger suit for me and my hands were getting raw from the intense single track downhill sections and the bumpiness of the course. Periodically I'd drop another place or two but still somehow ended up 22nd out of 45 on the day in the Expert/Pro field. Guess getting into the top third early helped and alot more people than just myself were having a tough day.

All in all, it was really a great day even moreso outside the racing. It was getting there & seeing all the friends and fellow racers I've gotten to know over the years and catching up with them. Having Todd around the first couple laps was fun exchanging some dialogue was nice. I also showed him the nifty handlingly techniques that are possible with a Trek 69er.. ok, maybe it was my lack of mature MTB skills as I'd pop the smaller tire rear end of the bike around certain corners. Todd's a great guy, a heck of a competitor but also does a great job of encouraging you out on the course. His wife Diana didn't do all that bad with a 4th place finish in the Elite women's race bad back & all.

I got to say a quick "hello" to Mike Bushey but he must have had something go wrong with his ride today. It was nice to see a familiar face from back home, Big Mike W. (& family Lisa & Calvin) came to race. I don't know how someone would want to tackle the DirtSpanker on a single speed but my hats off to Mike's 2nd place finish in that category. Also thanks to Lisa for her encouragement out there & for helping Kate with the kids. Got to also see those Lake Superior cycling guys Shawn Gort & Bart Rodberg, with Bart yet again coming from behind late in the race to catch me on his home turf. Lastly, got to see the SKJ's (all of them) for the first time since little Kiera was born. Neat little connection about all that is both my wife, Kate & Sara had very similar due dates last fall. Ended up it seems they went into labor at about the same time with Kate having our baby girl, Grace, just about 12 hours before Sara had Kiera. Pretty cool, when you think about it. So here we are 8 1/2 months later & both girls are cute as buttons and doing all the wonderful stuff babies do at that age and letting their parent swap stories.

So whether the race was good or bad wasn't all that it's about. Having some fun catching up with friends -- that's the good stuff in life.

20hrs -- 8days

Starting to sound like some covert training for a NUE 100miler….

Crystal Lake Classic: Rhinelander WORS #2

The tale of race isn’t always easily seen in the results. Sunday’s Crystal Lake Classic WORS MTB race in Rhinelander was something of that order. The training I’ve been putting in this winter & spring has been considerable more consistent and focused than has been my blogging.

Despite a somewhat erratic week, by Sunday I was feeling pretty decent. The nerves were up a bit because it was my first Elite WORS level race of the year where everybody (approx. 50-70 entrants) is every bit a damn good racer. The drive down from Ashland with Kate & the three kids went smoothly & surprisingly fast. Happy to hear/see that Paul Belknap from Ashland made good on his intentions and showed up for some racing action as well. His single speed set for some Open or Comp level races. Talking to him later he landed 13th on the day in the 2 lap Comp race and may have done significantly better without some challenges he experienced.

Arriving just a little on the late side, I quickly registered, chatted with Jesse Lalonde and got on the bike to get the body warmed up. Taking a longer route than I should of I got back to the start area, only they’d already called up the Elite racers & where lining up the Elite women, Open & Comp racers. I jumped into the back of the Elite field of approximately 50 racers with a few minutes to spare, enough time to hear the race would be going 3 laps… at 10+ miles/lap… and unless they’d moved a lot of the course to open trails the single track would make this one of the longest time-wise WORS races of the year.

The back of pack start was not to my ideal liking but the opening mile or two of this particular race course if I felt good enough should allow for me to move up. The countdown happened & at “goooooooo” everyone shot off. The dry, dusty gravel lead out with accompanying tight corners quickly stacked up riders & some minor crashes/mishaps happened. I held to the outside and pounced on each opportunity to move up as it occurred. I was surprised with the relative ease I was able to move up and through the wave of racers. Within a few minutes I knew I was feeling very capable and my interval training was paying off. How much so? Well, by two miles in I’d gotten into the top 15 and was holding the pace just fine. Not exactly a shabby group to be in. At some point Adam Swank & I exchanged positions and he looked to be riding really strong. Considering my previous year’s outings in the Elite level races where moving up was not only next to impossible just holding on was tough. Interesting however was that I didn’t feel that different, I dare say it almost felt easier than the other races. What rang true was the comment Coach Powers mentions about when you get faster how it doesn’t necessarily feel any different but your ability to do has increased.

In the ensuing miles of single track riding I kept expecting to see/hear a group of racers latching on from behind or looking to pass. It just wasn’t happening, in fact with each section we went through the more distant the racers behind became. As the race progressed, the lead group with the eventually winner broke away and smaller groups formed, for a good share of time it was myself & one or two other racers. In the later one third of the first lap, getting out of the last section of single track from behind come a couple of single speeders Jeff Curtes & James Lalonde (youngest brother of the infamous Jesse & Marko, it’s spooky at first when yourself racing next to the same Gary Fisher Jersey and tattoos until you realize it’s James). At first you could tell these singlespeeders were just duking it out with each other. If one would jump and attack the other would ramp it up in response. As they hammered at each other I was content to sit back and respond if one made a break. And as luck would have it, Jeff finally broke free as James couldn’t respond and with him I took off soon going to the front and telling him to do his best to hang on.

We had a nice gap in completing the first lap, still sitting in the top 15 and poured it on into the second lap. I recall someone saying we were less than 4 minutes off the front group. I knew the pace was fast, but I was feeling great and having no issues with holding the pace or pushing it. Still it was a long race to go. The first half of the second lap went well we were flying in the single track, I felt my abilities had improved ten times better than the previous weeks race on these trails. At some point, later in the second lap after about 75 minutes of riding I felt trouble coming on, & despite taking in water & gel regularly. Signs of fatigue were coming on much stronger than should be for a race of this duration.

Jeff & I must have slowed down somewhat as James got back on and then the two of them pulled away. I rode alone until being caught from behind by John Lirette. Shortly after he passed me down the trail he made the funniest move ever. I don’t know what he was thinking but instead of swinging wide to round a corner he took a more straight on path & ran through a tapped off area. He looked like a guy that was breaking the tap in the 100 meter dash. Fortunately I had enough energy to laugh at him and give him a hard time about his detour once he caught back up. I road with John & eventually a group of 3 additional riders coming into the finish of lap 2 and really needed to push it to stay with them. It was at that time I knew for whatever reason the tank was near empty and a third lap wasn’t going to be pretty. Better judgment should have perhaps had me call it a day at that point, but I headed out for a the third and final lap hoping I’d survive. And without the boring details of hallucinations in the agonizingly slow final lap, I wrapped it up on the day dropping 20+ places. Ouch!

A promising race but the engine isn’t set to go past 90minutes yet so it might just be a few weeks off the races and intervals training to pack in some longer riding and stretch out the body’s endurance abilities.