So you would think I’d have an advantage racing in Michigan being that I’m used to racing and training above five thousand feet and the Lumberjack started around four hundred feet above sea level. As I discovered last year and it was even more apparent this year, humidity is the great equalizer!
The race started with about a 2 mile roll out on pavement to try and spread the near 350 racers out. Just before we dumped into the woods we did a parade like route through the park’s parking lot which was wall of screaming a cheering people. Racers were amped up as we rolled onto the singletrack with people constantly surging up and down the field. Racers were taking corners and some of the descents way to fast and I saw a bunch of dudes get off trail into the soft brush and crash within the first fifteen minutes of the race. One guy who came redlining it past me right off the start nailed a tree after he misjudged a corner and his race was probably done early. The course had some good climbs early in the race to separate the field which I used to my advantage. The climbs were different then in Colorado. Instead of five to twenty minute climbs, these were one to three minute punchy climbs that were steep and came in groups and were filled with loose soil and roots. The ASR-5C was an advantage here because it didn’t get bumped around on the roots so I was able to maintain great traction. Many of the steep climbs had one lane for walkers and about a half a lane for riders. The ASR-5C kept me in the rider lane.
The race was a three lap format with one aid station just about halfway through. The course was about ninety percent singletrack weaving through at times some pretty dense forest. It would move from open straight trail perfect for passing to some really tight bar grabbing sections to fast double track on logging roads. Even through Michigan has had a lot of rain this spring, the course was surprisingly soft with a number of sandpits and loose sections which of course grew as the race went on. None of the dreaded stop you in your tracks sandpits, but all of them you had to be quick in choosing your line or you might get stuck. The course was very rolling with countless one to three minute steep climbs that always seemed to come in succession. It seemed everytime to got to the top of a climb you’d descend around a corner and then hit another climb, and do the same thing over and over again. Other then the three double track sections, the course really kept you on your game with all the tight twists and turns through the trees.
Along the race you meet and ride with a variety of different people. At the start of the race there were three dudes standing next to me who were obviously proud of the money they spent on their racing gear. Full Assos gear and tricked out 29er full suspension bikes. They turned to me as we were waiting for the start and said, “man I’m glad I’m racing on a 29er, I think you’re at a huge disadvantage racing a 26 inch wheel in this race.” I responded simply with “it’s light and stiff and I like it.” I rode past two of them as they were walking up a steep climb and the other I caught and passed on a flat section a mile or so up from where I passed his buddies.
The first two laps of the race I came in with nearly the exact time which was really surprising to me considering that each lap was thirty three miles long. The second lap was really the easiest because the field was really spread out by then so you could really just ride your own race. The third lap was where things really started to get painful. It was starting to get hot and even more humid and I just couldn’t get the fluids down fast enough. About a quarter of the way through the third lap I really started getting the twitches in my legs of cramps coming on. They never full on seized up, but they constantly let me know they were getting tired and caused made an already hard third lap even harder!
In the end I finished in eight hours eleven minutes to finish in 32nd place out of 209 racers in the Mens Open Category. The race was almost 100 miles long according to my Garmin with just over 6000 feet of climbing for the race. Those short and steep climbs really add up! In total about 70 of the 350 racers that entered did not finish or were not allowed to go out of their third lap. From what I was always told about this race if you finish in under nine hours thats impressive, and if you can finish in under eight hours, you’re a rockstar. For my first 100 mile race this was a great experience with excellent support along the way. My wife Autumn and friend Jason ran our aid station and as soon as I rolled up to the tent I had two new bottles some food in my hand and a gel flask in my back pocket. Especially coming through for my third lap I was wishing they weren’t as efficient. I wanted a little more of a break!
My Yeti ASR-5C was the perfect bike for this race. Light and efficient and it handled all the steep climbs well. On the descents the travel was plush and the bike felt like it was on rails on when cornering. All I had to do was pedal it, because the bike did everything else. The bike just knew how to find the best part of the trail. I used the Optic Nerve Eyeque photomatic glasses the entire race and these were exactly the right pair of glasses. The lenses were dark enough to take the edge off in the open sunny sections, but were perfect in the dense forest sections as well. I carried a Topeak Micro Wedge bag for this race and it kept my gear safe and secure right under the saddle. I pretty much forgot it was attached! The mounting bracket system of this bag kept it in place on the bumpy course which I cannot say the same for some of the other bags riders were using. Now its on to a little rest and relaxation with family in Michigan before heading back to Colorado at the weeks end. Best of luck to all the Comotion racers in Crested Butte this week!
