If it were a picnic I was referencing -- it’d probably be a pretty good time. Copper Harbor is a beautiful place and if the weather is right you can’t go wrong.
However it’s the pre-ride of the Copper Harbor Fat Tire festival race this afternoon that I was referencing & it ain’t exactly what you’d call a picnic. The course has got climbing & descending like you don’t find anywhere else in the midwest that I’m aware of and the ribs I injured earlier in the week weren’t exactly happy to cooperate with the style of riding that course requires. Mind you it can be super fun to ride, but racing it …while still fun carries a higher degree of consequence for any mistakes you make on the vertically challenging and rocky course. I don’t mean this in a bad way but I’m always amazed more people don’t get hurt at this event.
Had the power tap & cycling computer on the pre-ride – showed approximately 1900 feet of climbing throughout the first 16 miles lap of the 28 mile course. I gotta be honest I actually like the start – it should separate the racers quickly. Something I’ve always like MTB'ing & why I chosen to pursue it, over, say road cycling. It’s mostly individual effort to see the strongest racers over drafting or other tactics which can mask or distort one’s true abilities.
The initial climb has somewhere over 400+ feet of climbing in 15 minutes, many parts having 17 degree pitches. For reference, take the steepest highway road near you – it’s probably pitched at 7 or 8 degrees at the most, I don’t think the Dept of Transportation or whatever regulating body allows for anything much steeper than that on highways. Now picture it twice as steep…. get an idea of how steep the pitch of the initial climb in the race is?
Managed to get through most of the course unscathed… only one minor tire incident, surprised?….but again the way I look at it that’s just getting the bad luck out of the way (didn’t I say that about Ore to Shore too.. and still got a second puncture during the race? At least that one worked out ok.) It was later on in the pre-ride as I thought I was taking it easy as my ribs were starting to act up and met an unfriendly, angry rock. There’s alot of those kind out on the course, so I’m hoping to make better friends with them tomorrow at the race.
When I got done it was just about sundown with a beautiful sunset over the lake. Tracked down the family, got visit with Todd McFadden along with a few other friends today like Tom Carpenter (and again Tom – the answer is still remains NO -- you’d can’t latch a tow rope on my bike tomorrow at the start for the climb). Should however be a good fast group of racers on Sunday.
Finally headed 40minutes back to Calumet where we’re staying Sat night. With a good nights rest we’ll see how things pan out tomorrow – I don’t think there’s any other course where this blog title is more appropriate. Now to see if I can abide by it; I know one thing for certain my ribs are counting on it. Try to get in a race recap sometime Monday.
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