This past weekend's race was the first Border Battle between the hugely succesful WORS and the seemingly tiny MNSCS series.
The course was new - Whitetail Ridge in Riverfalls, WI.
I wasn't expecting much as I had been on vacation in Door County all week and was no where near racing form. The previous week was spent relaxing near the water, kayaking, wine tasting, drinking beers in the afternoon, bonfires, beers in the evening and eating constantly.
Still, I needed the points to be counted in the overall, so I registered.
The course was awesome. Mostly singletrack and not that much climbing. It flowed very well and was a nice mix of bumps, elevation changes and some technical spots. There were fields for passing and even giant "PASSING LANE AHEAD" signs. It felt like I was heading up to Lutsen.
The weather was perfect - mid 70s and sunny. We did 4 laps and I didn't try to do much due to my vacation condition. Still, I managed to hang with some groups, pass people (in the fields even!) and finish. It wasn't great and I wasn't expecting anything much more, but I did a little better than I thought I would. I managed to not cut anyone off - although I did leave the course due to an accident directly in front of me and I heard someone behind say that I cut the course. Right.
Overall the race was awesome. People were mostly friendly on and off the course. One thing that stuck with me as I called out a pass was the comment of "BURN IT! BURN IT!"
Right before the start there was someone's tent that went flying due to the wind. Now, normally you'd think that's kinda normal, but this thing was WAY up in the air, maybe 50ft up and it flew across the field the event was in, probably 250ft before crashing down. From where we were it appeared noone got hit as it wasn't your small sleeping tent. It was of the EZ UP style. Yikes.
If you get a chance, point your bike towards River Falls and hit this trail - it's a blast!
I'll be skipping Laddie's Loppet this year (sad) so my last race will be in St. Cloud. I'll have to see if I can work off the extra 5 or 6 pounds I accrued from vacation to do well at the Jail Trail.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
We're almost off
We'll be spending the next week on vacation in Door County, WI. We're staying with some friends we met while in China. Their daughter Lily and Charlotte will have all sorts of time to play and hang out. One whole week of doing nuthin! I'm excited. Of course, when we get back there's the Border Battle to attend to....
Updates will be sparce while I'm gone. Have a good week everyone!
Updates will be sparce while I'm gone. Have a good week everyone!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Olympic mountain bike coverage
It doesn't appear to be on TV, but if you don't mind watching from the computer or you have your monitor hooked up to your TV, then this link is for you.
The date is Saturday the 23rd at frickin' 2:00am. I do believe the online coverage will be playable after the original air time.
I've watched several events online and I have to say, I'm impressed. I have had no drops and hiccups. Some sports have announcers, some don't.
Enjoy!!
The date is Saturday the 23rd at frickin' 2:00am. I do believe the online coverage will be playable after the original air time.
I've watched several events online and I have to say, I'm impressed. I have had no drops and hiccups. Some sports have announcers, some don't.
Enjoy!!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Metric Auto Parts Birchwood Bump at Buck Hill Recap
The day was perfect. Mid seventies, clear skies, light breeze. Sadly, I wasn't feeling in the mood to race. All weekend it was like I forgot that I had to race come Sunday. Even as I was packing the MINI, there just wasn't any excitement or nervousness. We arrived and I got registered, thinking that would help me out. Nope.
During a warmup with Dan my legs were feeling tired just cruising on the road so I didn't think much was going to happen for me. And it didn't.
I managed my lowest finish of the series this year. 14th age, 36th overall.
The course was pretty fun. I didn't think so during the race and after, but as I look back on it now, I did enjoy it. There wasn't a ton of climbing and the rest was twisty singletrack. With some sandboxes thrown in. There were several passes across the ski hill and there were some good sized boxes of sand for us to contend. Fortunately my high psi Taurine managed to cut through the sand and I often made up time or passed people floundering in the sand. I think it helped that once I said "BRAAP BRAAP!"
While it wasn't my best race to date, I did learn from it and had fun. Dan managed his first non-podium race of the year - SHAME!
We had lots of cheerleaders: Neil, Dave, Tracy, Charlotte, Scott and Sue and my in-laws were able to make it out and hand out water, clap and yell for us - thanks you guys!
The next race is the border battle on the 24th and I'm sure I won't do well there as we'll be in Door County, WI the entire week prior to the race. And I probably won't have Dan to chase down as it sounds like he'll be at his cabin that weekend.
I'll post some pictures soon....
During a warmup with Dan my legs were feeling tired just cruising on the road so I didn't think much was going to happen for me. And it didn't.
I managed my lowest finish of the series this year. 14th age, 36th overall.
The course was pretty fun. I didn't think so during the race and after, but as I look back on it now, I did enjoy it. There wasn't a ton of climbing and the rest was twisty singletrack. With some sandboxes thrown in. There were several passes across the ski hill and there were some good sized boxes of sand for us to contend. Fortunately my high psi Taurine managed to cut through the sand and I often made up time or passed people floundering in the sand. I think it helped that once I said "BRAAP BRAAP!"
While it wasn't my best race to date, I did learn from it and had fun. Dan managed his first non-podium race of the year - SHAME!
We had lots of cheerleaders: Neil, Dave, Tracy, Charlotte, Scott and Sue and my in-laws were able to make it out and hand out water, clap and yell for us - thanks you guys!
The next race is the border battle on the 24th and I'm sure I won't do well there as we'll be in Door County, WI the entire week prior to the race. And I probably won't have Dan to chase down as it sounds like he'll be at his cabin that weekend.
I'll post some pictures soon....
Friday, August 1, 2008
Powder Monkey recap
I love the course that the COGGS crew have created in Duluth. It's tough. It's tiring. And it's beautiful. The terrain varies from rocks to roots to large patches of slick-rock. Then you're tossed out onto the ski hill for a split second before heading back into the woods where you'll encounter boulders, downed trees, log bridges, some wicked descents and some tight twisty trails.
My weekend started with our arrival in Duluth on Saturday. Due to weddings, there was no pre-riding on the race course, so I headed up to Piedmont where some new trail had been added. I was especially excited to ride the new trail as it covered some terrain that I grew up riding on my Bridgestone MB-1 way back in '91/'92. The Piedmont trail system was just like I imagined - the race course with grand vistas. The trail has several angles of attacks and offers terrain for every skill level. Parts of the course wander out of the woods and make you stop and pause so as to take in the wonderful views. At least twice I stopped and looked around for about 5 minutes as I overlooked the Bay and Lake Superior, or the neighborhoods just below my feet, or Enger Tower just to my left. It was spectacular.
In total I think the trails amount to about 11 miles of riding. I rode almost all of what was available was very impressed. The maps are good at guiding you around and the names of the trails are pretty cool too - Scarface, for example.
Sunday rolls around and we head to the race. David was racing the Sport race so we made sure to see him off. The weather was clear, warm and sunny. The course seemed to be similar to previous races, but with a small amount of single-track added. David was rockin' the single-speed and helmet cam (very cool!) and seemed to be having a good time.
After his race Dan showed up and we readied ourselves for the race. We rode the first climb and some early single-track, then hit the road and sprinted a bit. When we arrived at the start, it was already packed (not cool). We hit the group about midpack and waited for the start.
We were off and running. I managed to make some passes right out of the gates and across the hill. Instead of going all the way across the hill again and then up, we went across half-way and then went straight up the rest of the way. As usual there was a bottle-neck at the single-track entrance. So much in fact that I think people had a foot down while they waited.
I made a choice and got "out of line" and filled a gap entering the single-track. I got lots of negative responses for this but kept going regardless. Again the Cannondale is such a fabulous ride in the technical stuff. It's so light and responsive that I can make just the smallest of weight shifts or slightest amount of input and change direction or correct for a poor line choice. Amazing.
We rocked the single-track and my brake was howling as usual. I passed a couple riders as they put a foot down or crashed. I managed to close a couple gaps when needed and felt rock solid in the woods. Probably the most challenging part of the course is a part where we drop in to a dried up creek bed which is rocky and has a steep entrance. I managed to navigate that with great ease this year, thanks to Avid's Juicy brakes - wow. Such response and control. Fabulous.
We made our way to the bottom via some new trail and a couple reroutes. On our way back up we hit a trail that was full of rocks, roots and steep climbing. On the way up I managed to stay on the bike while others were walking. Normally this is cool. Unless one of those guys walking decides to heckle you and not give way. After a couple minutes of conversation regarding me "...being an asshole.." lap 1 is complete.
The 2nd lap is an abbreviated version of the first. Initially I was bummed to hear this, but now at the start of lap 2, I was happy. I could feel myself getting tired as I hit the single-track at the top of the hill. I set my sights on a rider in front of me and tried to catch up. I yo-yo'd a bit and eventually rode with him for a bit. Then we hit the part where we bypass the lower portion of the lap. We're almost done and ride a dirt road for about .5 or so before hitting the woods again near the finish. The road portion killed me. The last section before the finish hurt and I managed to cross the line in 8th in age, 20th overall.
I was pretty happy with the race. The weather was great, I saw Charlotte cheering for me and managed to not crash on some of the most technical trails in the series. It was kinda hot for our race, but most of all it was fun. COGGS and crew always do a great job of adding trail and they have some really cool t-shirts. I only wish I would have gotten one.
Afterwards, it turns out that Dan bested his streak of 3rd place finishes and grabbed 2nd in his age group!! Nice work Dan.
My weekend started with our arrival in Duluth on Saturday. Due to weddings, there was no pre-riding on the race course, so I headed up to Piedmont where some new trail had been added. I was especially excited to ride the new trail as it covered some terrain that I grew up riding on my Bridgestone MB-1 way back in '91/'92. The Piedmont trail system was just like I imagined - the race course with grand vistas. The trail has several angles of attacks and offers terrain for every skill level. Parts of the course wander out of the woods and make you stop and pause so as to take in the wonderful views. At least twice I stopped and looked around for about 5 minutes as I overlooked the Bay and Lake Superior, or the neighborhoods just below my feet, or Enger Tower just to my left. It was spectacular.
In total I think the trails amount to about 11 miles of riding. I rode almost all of what was available was very impressed. The maps are good at guiding you around and the names of the trails are pretty cool too - Scarface, for example.
Sunday rolls around and we head to the race. David was racing the Sport race so we made sure to see him off. The weather was clear, warm and sunny. The course seemed to be similar to previous races, but with a small amount of single-track added. David was rockin' the single-speed and helmet cam (very cool!) and seemed to be having a good time.
After his race Dan showed up and we readied ourselves for the race. We rode the first climb and some early single-track, then hit the road and sprinted a bit. When we arrived at the start, it was already packed (not cool). We hit the group about midpack and waited for the start.
We were off and running. I managed to make some passes right out of the gates and across the hill. Instead of going all the way across the hill again and then up, we went across half-way and then went straight up the rest of the way. As usual there was a bottle-neck at the single-track entrance. So much in fact that I think people had a foot down while they waited.
I made a choice and got "out of line" and filled a gap entering the single-track. I got lots of negative responses for this but kept going regardless. Again the Cannondale is such a fabulous ride in the technical stuff. It's so light and responsive that I can make just the smallest of weight shifts or slightest amount of input and change direction or correct for a poor line choice. Amazing.
We rocked the single-track and my brake was howling as usual. I passed a couple riders as they put a foot down or crashed. I managed to close a couple gaps when needed and felt rock solid in the woods. Probably the most challenging part of the course is a part where we drop in to a dried up creek bed which is rocky and has a steep entrance. I managed to navigate that with great ease this year, thanks to Avid's Juicy brakes - wow. Such response and control. Fabulous.
We made our way to the bottom via some new trail and a couple reroutes. On our way back up we hit a trail that was full of rocks, roots and steep climbing. On the way up I managed to stay on the bike while others were walking. Normally this is cool. Unless one of those guys walking decides to heckle you and not give way. After a couple minutes of conversation regarding me "...being an asshole.." lap 1 is complete.
The 2nd lap is an abbreviated version of the first. Initially I was bummed to hear this, but now at the start of lap 2, I was happy. I could feel myself getting tired as I hit the single-track at the top of the hill. I set my sights on a rider in front of me and tried to catch up. I yo-yo'd a bit and eventually rode with him for a bit. Then we hit the part where we bypass the lower portion of the lap. We're almost done and ride a dirt road for about .5 or so before hitting the woods again near the finish. The road portion killed me. The last section before the finish hurt and I managed to cross the line in 8th in age, 20th overall.
I was pretty happy with the race. The weather was great, I saw Charlotte cheering for me and managed to not crash on some of the most technical trails in the series. It was kinda hot for our race, but most of all it was fun. COGGS and crew always do a great job of adding trail and they have some really cool t-shirts. I only wish I would have gotten one.
Afterwards, it turns out that Dan bested his streak of 3rd place finishes and grabbed 2nd in his age group!! Nice work Dan.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
