PWC 2014- Race that could have went better!

PWC 2014 has come to a close and so has the first portion of my 2014 season.  Pugsley World Championships was the last race in my early season schedule of Fatbike Snow races.  I was going into this race with high hopes of a good finish due to the fact that it was on home course and the snow conditions were looking good.  Hopes and actuality with me often don’t see eye to eye.

Rolling to the start

Race Day

For once got to wake up in a familiar place (my house and bed).  Slept in till I felt like getting up.  As always on a race morning I was jittery and ready to get the day going.  I was able to get a good breakfast in and then it was kit up time and off to sign in for the race.  Upon arriving at the race sign in I was met with not the greatest of starts to the day in that they were pushing back the start due to the snowfall the night before and need to remark the course.  Oh well guess the pre-race tablets I had taken were all for not.  So be it, decided to sit at the Elks Lodge in Decorah until race start and see what I was going on with all the other racers. Was nice to see a couple of new faces this year and of course some of the oldies as well.  Time finally came and we were told the course and time to head out to start line.  Disappointed a little in the length of the course this year at only 10 miles I was figuring it to be about a 1:30 minute course at most.  Gross overestimate on my part.

Waiting for the GO!!!

Race Time

Rolled out to the start line by taking the group of fatties down Water St. (Main St. Decorah) to the odd looks of everyone we passed.  You would think people would get use to us in town with how out there us locals are when riding but I guess not.  The start was located below Palisades park on the gravel (snow) road by the river.  It would be a nice 1/2 mile flat rollout to get the legs opened before it was straight uphill into the lung and leg burners of the Quarry/Whitetail/Clay Hill combination.

The start of the race was a good indication of how the day was to unfold. I went to the front of the pack and started the pace line with Hollywood next to me in another pace line.  I figured being the local I was going to be pushing this line up the hill for a while.  After the long flat rollout it was right and up Quarry/Whitetail. This hill is deceiving as the beginning is paved then turns to good gravel where it starts to go up and then another right and then BAM!!, hits you below the belt hard and makes you want to cry.  That is exactly what it did to me as we hit the gravel Shockey (Local) took the pace lead and pushed it up the hill.  Talking to him later he thought this was a good place to try and separate out some of the racers to see who had the legs. I was feeling fine with this and grabbed his wheel when we took the hard right up Whitetail and pushed as hard as I could knowing that the downhill was icy and going to be troublesome if there was a crash.  

I made it to the top with Shockey and a slight gap on the group of Hollywood, Hollywood Teammate (Sorry Man forgetting name), and Trevor Olson.  Felt good about this so down I went with caution trying to end my race on the icy gravel under the couple of inches of snow from the night before.  It was here that the race was set and the front group of 5 was formed as we got to the end of the decent together and content to work it out over the next couple of miles of gravel roads.  Going up Clay HIll I once again was at the front working to keep the tempo good and stay out of trouble.  The climb up was rough as there were good inclines on this mile long hill that sent my tires spinning because of the ice/snow combination.  I was putting in power only to be caught by the hill with a spin out.  Finally I was content to go with the group over the top due to the fact I knew a head wind was waiting and wanting to catch a break hopefully not on the front.  I was wrong!!!

Went over the top and the refusal of anyone else to go to the front meant I was leading it again.  After about another 1/2 mile, Trevor Olson finally came around and pushed at the front for a little bit.  That was much appreciated!!  After make same 90 degree turns on the gravel on top of the ridge it was down a little hill and back up.  Right after this hill I knew that we would be turning into a tailwind so I took the chance and I jumped.  I put in a strong effort to break away hoping the tailwind would help to hold out front.  Well Hollywood and his teammate didn’t let that last long as about a 1/4-1/2 mile down the road they were back on me but I felt that it was good to separate at least two off the group.

Down the long fast hill to what would be the deciding part of the race.......The Singletrack!!

No Passing Singletrack!!

Well got down the hill just fine and knew it would be a dismount into the singletrack so I was ready in cyclocross style and jumped off the bike and into the snowy foot wide path.    Here I was able to make a little jump again and got around Hollywood after he decided to loose some pressure. I made the decision this year to start off low knowing that some would go high and dump air after entering the trails.  This paid off as I was now in the lead and pushing on.  But then my excitement got the best of me and I was off trail in about 2-3 feet of snow.  It was here that Trevor Olson got by so I jumped back on and pushed on with him. By the end of Iowa Public Television I knew it was going to be a Trevor taking the win, but which one?????

So we pushed on as I ran through the remaining parts of the race in my head wondering how i was going to get around Trevor in order to take this W. I wasn’t able to make anything happen on the open Prairie section as I had hoped as the trail was down to pretty much a tire width and visibility was low due to the snow really falling now.  So on I went following along hoping for a mistake.  After Olson bobbled a little in the Pines East I thought I might get around but no go as I plowed into heavy snow, so back on I went.  I finally made a pass right before entering the Pines West.  Not to far in though I got overzealous and washed out on a corner that has gotten me many time before in snow and dirt.  So Olson was back around. I knew that I had one last opportunity for a pass and that would be from Pines to Little Big Horn.

Made the turn out of the PInes and Olson punched it to keep me behind and I didn’t dare a pass knowing how soft the trail was on the sides.  So I went in behind Olson on Little Big Horn hoping for a slip up by him.  That never did come. We rode tire to tire rubbing often over the next mile or so of trail.  Once we were off of LIttle Big Horn and on Rocky Road, I had to accept the fact that the race was over. 

Down Rocky Road I could have went faster me knowing the trail but with Olson in front of me and nowhere to pass I was stuck in 2nd.  After Rocky it was the Luge and the finish right at the end of the Luge.  2nd place rubbing Olson’s tire all the way in.  I was a little bit disappointed with this finish position because the race was decided by the fact that there was no passing in the last 2 miles of trail even though we were a dead heat!!!  In a race I feel that it needs to be decided like a race and if you are with another guy, a sprint finish. Take us down the opening gravel or at least a few hundred feet of road but don’t let the trail not being passable decide the race!!!!!!  Okay I will stop ranting, still not happy with this though!

So overall the race was not a complete wash but definitely a disappointment.  I wasn’t impressed how my legs felt in the trails section but more disappointed with my riding quality in this section.  Could have done more if I would have staying up right those 2 times.  Oh well race over and on to the actual season.  2nd Place overall in around 1:07 for 11.5 miles of snowy Gravel/Trails.  Olson took the win and Hollywood was 3rd so at least I got Hollywood after last years debacle.  Lessons learned and need to be a little more hard nosed in racing sometimes.  Don’t just let people by.

PWC Garmin File

Actual season starts this weekend, True Grit 100, the opening race in the NUE Series. I am looking forward to this season as I will try and take a podium spot in the Singlespeed Overall. Hope to get off to a good start in the desert outside of St. George,Utah.  Look for upcoming race updates as the season gets going and I tackle the big dogs of the NUE Singlespeed Class!!!  All for now. Thanks for reading.

Fatbike Frozen 40- Frozen everything!!

Traveled to the north country for a little Fatbike fun this past weekend.  FatBike Frozen 40 was on tap in Champlin,MN.  Took off early Saturday morning (4:00 a.m. to be specific) for the race that was set to shove off at 9 a.m.  About a 3 hour drive up and figured should account for some traffic in case.  Arrived plenty early at around 7:45 so had time to get registered and geared up.  The race was being held at Elm Creek Park just north of the cities on what was suppose to be some of the best winter single track around.  Having never ridden here was taking the word of everyone out there and hoping for a good day.

After registration it was back to the truck to get dressed as it was a balmy 5 degrees out and didn’t feel like freezing while getting dressed.  This is where the first bad omen of the day came.  As I put on my race gear, I went to pull my Camelback Race Back jersey hose out of where it was stuck and pulled the cap right off thus soaking my tights/chamois and SS jersey in the process.  All I had in the truck so it was soaking wet I would be.  Finished getting all geared up and then figured I should at least ride around to get halfway warmed up.  Problem area in winter racing!!!  As I rolled around I couldn’t help but feel off as I had developed a wonderful head cold 3 days earlier and it was still full throttle as I rolled my warm up.

Race Time!

So I lined up for the pre race meeting and start line knowing where I should be, at the front at least for the start.  So 2nd row is where I ended up as they called up the top dogs for the series at the race.  Hoped it wouldn’t matter any way.  Bang!!! Time to roll.

The race opened up with a 1/4 mile dash to a turn around cone in which we would then fly back down the same road towards the start line again and off into the wider horse trail for the parade lap.  Got off good and was sitting in with the front line as I flew into the snowy double track.  Sitting a little over 10th and seeing that I needed to bridge a gap before it got away I made a push and grabbed onto the tail end of the lead train of around 7 riders.  Felt ok for the start, heart rate a little high and breathing labored I kept the push on knowing I needed to be here if I wanted to do anything in this race.  Got through the parade lap just fine and finally started the 1st of 4 Singletrack loops of around 10 miles.  

Hitting the single track for the first lap I noticed right away that the trail was in pretty solid condition, the only thing that I did notice is that it was a very icy layer of cornstarch snow on top.  Every corner I was struggling to hold an edge and keep the bike on trail.  This would be the story of the day for me!!!  It was in the first 4 miles of the 1st lap that my race would go to shit and the beginning of a long day would happen.  As I went down the trail, all of a sudden BANG!!  I slammed my head into a low hanging branch.  Fuzzy, seeing double and wobbling around on the bike I slammed into a tree with my handlebars.  OMEN #2.  Just this past week I had done the same thing on the Decorah trails except I had broke my helmet in 3 and suffered what I diagnosed as a mild concussion.  Well that concussion was back again as now my head throbbed and I was having trouble balancing the bike.  Nonetheless I carried on pushing hard to hold onto the trail that rolled up on me.  I was still sitting top 10 at this point and felt I could push on.

Toward beginning still feeling fresher!

After some fast, slippery single track the course opened into the prairie section that seemed to be the toughest section every lap.  This section was complete whiteout conditions in that it was terribly flat light and you couldn’t tell where the trail was at because of this.  Pushed on and was off the bike more than I have ever been in the opening 10 miles of a race like this. Got through the opening lap and knew I needed to get some fluids in after a rough 1st lap and Omen #3 hit, FROZEN WATER!!  OH NO!!!!!!!

Well my water in my Camelback line was frozen solid, both bottles were solid. Only thing to do was head out for lap #2.  This lap went about like the first except the trail started to get worst and worst.  This the lap that the ruts started to appear in the trail.  Also during this lap the prairies section added a new challenge as large, large snow started to fall.  The race was expecting 1-2 inches of snow during the race so on I went trying to again make out where the trail was.  This time the trail threw another wrench into the mix as you tried to fly to catch up all of a sudden the trail sunk and you were slogging through powder trying just to stay upright.  When you did put a foot down you had to make sure that you didn’t go off trail with that foot otherwise it was into 2 ft. of powder you toppled!  Well only did this another 10-20 times during the race, as my Cobrafists would attest to at the end of the race (3-4 inches of snow in them!). 

Lap 2 went by and still I rolled on.  This time I stopped to see if my two bottles in my cooler were ok or frozen.  Luckily there was little non-frozen drink in these so I got as much out of it as I could (10 oz. possibly) and off for Lap 3.

This was a good looking part of trail!

Lap 3 was more of the same with much more pushing up hills and some downhills were starting to require a kickstand leg out to stay upright.  The trail had developed significant ruts everywhere and it was challenging to get any momentum at all.  Still pushed through and pulled into the pits one last time.  It was here that I figured I needed to finish the 4 laps at least never one to DNF and keeping my pride alive!! I pushed out for Lap 4 at around 3 hrs. into the race.  I had all but lost hope of a good finish and was just trying to finish the race now.

Lap 4 was some of the worst riding I have done in a long time.  Riding is not the word for it as a majority of the lap was spent walking not only uphills but also downhills as it was very rutted, soft and not much fun anymore. Still though pushed on and pushed on.  On this lap I ticked off the miles and kept looking for my checkpoints I had established on previous laps to know where I was.  Pushed hard as I could as I wanted to finish the race and be done!!  Across the line I rolled not knowing where I stood and not really caring much other than to get a drink of some water in my system having had little to none throughout the race.  

So after the race found out where I stood after all.  8th Place Overall in a time of 4:33:06. Long day in the saddle with a refreshed mild concussion, very frozen water (no water) and head cold to boot!!  The race overall was a very well put on race. Major props to the race directors, volunteers and anyone else that helped.  Trail conditions are a part of the sport and only the strongest will continue to push onto the end.  Great talking with Ben Welnak from MountainBikeRadio.  About all.  Time to enjoy the non-existent Blizzard raging outside the house!  Until next time….. 

Iowa Winter Games- CVAST Winter Weekend Fat Bike Race

Up this weekend was the Iowa Games Winter Fat Bike Race/ CVAST Winter Weekend in Waterloo,IA.  This race was taking place at George Wyth State Park, a place I have always wondered about as far as where it was and what was there. Well it really is quite a beautiful place.  What probably helped to make everything even better was the fresh 2-3 inches of snow that fell on the morning of the race.

To the Race

Trail really never looked
 this good during the race

So going into this race I felt that I was just going down for a little training ride not knowing how many people would show up.  This race is probably the shortest race that I will do all year as it was only scheduled to be an hour race. I was planning to put in a hard effort and get a good workout but didn’t expect the competition to push me as hard as I did end up have to push. I didn’t put to much into this race as I drove down morning of leaving with just enough time from Decorah to pull in, put the bike together and toe the line.  No warm up for me today!!

The course was a flat, ski groomed trail that ran on mostly double track, flat terrain.  The course was just over a mile long with two loops overlapping in the middle.  The race really did turn into a cyclocross race on snow, with fatties.  The middle overlapping section from the beginning was going to be a pure running section as it was potholed to start the race due to the large tent area in the middle for spectators and the roaring fire.  

So at the start line, I took a look around and didn’t recognize many, as is becoming common in Iowa as I don’t race much here anymore.  One thing that surprised me was a group of riders coming up and asking “ How do you know Dwayne??”.  Hmmmmm.  Confused I asked how they knew him and come to find out they were from St. Louis and came up to ride their fatties in snow for once!  Ha!  Shout out to Mike from Pfu Cancer and all those from St. Louis that I didn’t catch names of.  Great seeing you at the race and congrats on your finishes!

Dale Waack Photo's- Check out his great shots
of the race on the CVAST Facebook Page

Game On

So the start was as expected and I took the hole shot from the start.  First on trail and the story was over.  I was able to ride about 20-30 feet at the entrance to the trail and then it was onto foot for about 30-40 yards.  After this I was on a mission to open a gap.  The trail on the first lap was miserable.  Very soft conditions where I just kept the pedal down and went where the bike took me.  I was able to put down right around a 10 minute lap to open the race and had about 10-15 secs. on second (Mike from Pfu Cancer) and knew I would have to kept the pedal down in order to get some distance.

Dale Waack Photo

Second lap through lap 6 were more of the same.  The trail throughout the race got better and better.  Every lap the groove got a little more pronounced and packed in.  I was able to negative split most of the race, other than lap 3 or 4 where I got caught up behind at least 20 lapped riders.  It was nearly impossible to pass since the trail outside of the groove was 5 inches of soft, soft snow.  When I did choose to pass I punched it and jumped out of the groove and just hoped that I could keep the front wheel straight. During laps 3-6 my lead gradually grew as I was putting at least 15-20 seconds a lap on second and could see this every time I went through the running section and opening section of each lap. 

Dale Waack Photo

I was able to come through Lap 6 at 57 mins. flat so I had one more lap to go to finish the race.  This was actually the best lap of the entire race. I was able to clean the opening section of trail (only lap to do so) and boy was it every fast.  It was during this lap that I laid down my fastest split by putting in a 15 mph. effort in a great section of trial.  I felt as though I was flying through this lap with no dabs other than the running section and exit to the trail with a pretty much mandatory run up. 

Finish It Up

Well I was able to finish the race at 1:03:55 which was a good days work.  Know it was a tough push when I had an average heart rate of 169 and max of 179.  Pretty much had it pinned the whole day.  Ended up 1st Overall for the second race of the season.  Really enjoyed the race and CVAST put on a good race for their first year doing this.  Will return to this one was it is very close and great to support a group that is making an effort to spread single track in Iowa.  Two weeks till the next race which should prove to be a good test as I travel up to the Triple F Frozen Forty in Minneapolis.  Time to relax in my Elevated Legs and get ready for the week ahead. All for now.  Race GPS FILE

Trying to not shiver to bad!

Blue Ribbon Winner

Chatting w/ the St. Louis
Contingent Post Race

Ready...Set...2014!!!

Well the 2014 season has finally gotten underway!!  It is an early start but I was more than happy to see it start up again.  This off-season was quite a lengthy one this year as I felt a little burned out after last year.  Didn’t feel like myself at the end of the season. So one with it!

The beginning of this season started on Dec. 1st for me.  I have spent over the last month switching between my new Babe (Trek Farley) and the torture chamber than is the trainer.  I have been putting in pretty good time weekly trying to get in tip top shape early this season with the first NUE coming on March 15th at True Grit (St. George, Utah). 

Race #1 of the 2014 season though was last weekend at Triple D Endurance Race (Dubuque,IA).  For the past couple of years this race has been negatively view upon race by me after the first couple of attempts need in DNF’s due to completely unrideable conditions and having to walk for 10+ miles in each of the two previous attempts.  Going into this years race I had my concerns again…..

On Saturday, the day before the race, a winter storm came through Iowa as they have been every couple of days lately and dumped around 3+ inches of snow all around eastern Iowa.  For some reason my stomach got the same bad feeling that I have had for a couple of years now that this was going to turn into a marathon walking session.  Nonetheless, I was prepared to toe the line the next morning and ready to take on the challenge.

www.TripleDRace.Blogspot.com

Sunday came and the weather seemed to be just about the best it could have been in this winter.  The temps were forecasted to rise to around 35 and the sun was out in full force.  The only downside to the weather on the morning drive down to Dubuque was that the wind was going to be a factor with it gusting around 20-30mph out of the SW/W. This race is run from Dubuque to Dyersville and back (67 miles), on private snowmobile trails as well as the Heritage Trail (snowmobile trail). The only time that we were not on snow was a brief 1-2 mile section of pavement in the middle in order to transition from the private trails to the Heritage Trail.  Dyersville is unfortunately straight west of Dubuque thus the wind playing a factor.

As the pre race meeting took place, I began as I often do before a race taking stock of who was in attendance.  The unfortunate thing was I had no clue who was going to be the contenders on this day compared to my normal NUE foes!  So blindly I prepared my bike and self for what was going to be coming up.

THE RACE

It all started with a brief neutral roll out to the staging area just of the local shopping strip.  We would be starting on trail specifically groomed for the race with Lance Andre (Race Director) cutting out the trail this winter and riding it in solo with his snow machine.  As we toed the line I was front row and we all decided that we were not going to roll over the railroad tracks that lay ahead of us, but instead would start on the trail itself.  Once on the trial it was go time. Off and running.

Drew pushing through
some drifting

I started the race out front hoping to open a gap early as I felt I had the best endurance stamina out of the bunch.  Well that was short lived as I had made a critical err in my pre-race setup.  The only thing I can guess is my pump was reading high and thus I had put what I though to be 5 psi in the tire when actually was probably running 10-15 psi.  Not ideal for the soft conditions as shown in this video (Opening Hill Video Link).  So after about 2 miles of slogging through the soft conditions I bit the bullet and stopped to drop pressure in my tires.  At this time I was 3rd wheel on the course and after getting all the air out I wanted I was now running around 10th wheel.  Oh well, lots of course to go.  So on I went and caught back up and put in a little surge to get back up to 3rd wheel over the next 2-3 miles.  Really didn’t feel that it took much out of me and felt pretty comfortable after the work to get back up.  After getting through the first race specific snowmobile tracks, we took a turn onto the local snowmobile trail clubs trails that had seen much more traffic.  The unfortunate thing was these trails were far more open than the previous couple miles.  At the turn lance informed me and Greg Gleason (Current 2nd wheel) that the leader Drew Wilson (Rochester,MN) had about 5 minutes on us at that point.  HOLY COW, he was hauling at the start.

After hearing this news I decided I needed to start working a little harder so I surged again to work on closing down the gap.  Over the next couple of miles I rode as much as I ran due to the drifting conditions on the open sections that I encountered.  After running more than I wanted, I again decided it was time to bite the bullet again and drop the pressure.  This time I luckily had a little gap and after stopping as quick as possible only lost about 3 positions.  So off I went in search of Drew once again.  I was lucky enough to get a view of him about a mile down the trail and this offered hope that I was pulling him back. Over the next 3-4 miles I was able to reel Drew in and after a good amount of open field walking though waist high drifts we hit some awesome trails in undulating valley!! This was sweet!!!!  The downhills were rocking fast and the trail was firm.  It was in this section that I finally closed the final gap and it was back to square one with Drew and I at the front. 

After the covered section of trail, it was onto the worst section of non-riding trail as we trudged our way over about 1/2 mile to 1 mile section of open field land directly into a strong headwind.  It was here that we hit the first mandatory check point.  Running into Junction 21 we grabbed our cards and back on the bikes we went.  Supposedly this is where there were quite a few folks that got lost.  At the bottom of a hill, we jumped off the snowmobile trail and onto the only pavement section of the race.  I knew after reading the map that Lance posted on Facebook, as well as had copies of at the race check in that we were looking for Humpke Rd. for our entrance down into the Heritage trail.  I didn’t know where this road was but knew that we had a brief section of road riding so on Drew and I went in search of our turn.  Finally got to the clearly signed  Humpke Rd. and we were in for the notorious level B road down to Heritage.

The level B from previous years came back to me as we entered it.  It was here that in the one of my previous attempts that we encountered a completely ice covered road with about 2-3 inches of snow on top of that.  Let’s just say I slid the whole thing that year on my bottom after wiping at the top and taking my bike with me.  This year was completely different as no ice was to be found and the road was covered in thick snow.  AWESOME ride down, completely out of control at times.  After negotiating the road down, onto the trail that would take us almost all the way home.  We jumped onto Heritage trail and off we went!!!

Heritage Trail

Heritage Trail Goodness!

Once on the trail, the work started.  It was here that Drew and I began to take turn breaking trail as we were the first ones on the trail besides the snowmobile traffic.  I couldn’t believe the conditions!!  After riding snowy single track the last month or so, this was heaven rolling along a nice wide trail.  It was a little bit of work going out as we had pretty strong head winds all the way to Dyersville and the snow was beginning to get a little softer with the rising temps.  The only tough part of the rest of the ride into the turn around point (out and back section) was the wide open area outside of Farley where both Drew and I agreed we needed to be together to work through the wind. We ended up getting to Chad’s Pizza with at least a 3-4 minute advantage over Robert Gritman Jr. 

PUSH IT TIME

After checking in and getting back on the bike it was here that in my mind I knew the push had to happen. So as we left Dyersville, Drew and I started together heading out at a good clip passing all those working their way out still.  We were cooking now as we had a tail wind and a little bit more packed trail to ride on which made for quick riding.  Pushing along we hit the open section outside of Farley again and I began to push even harder.  I wanted to put as much time into 3rd as possible here knowing that it would pay off to get some time when it was easier going.  Unbeknownst to me during this session Drew started having trouble and when I finally turned around to talk to Drew around the underpass at Farley he was nowhere to be found.  That was my sign, GOOOOOOO!!  So I put in probably the hardest surge of the day and wanted to run away as fast as I could. I didn’t know what was going on at the time so I needed as much time as I could to get a gap on those chasing.

Over the next 20+ miles I would ride completely solo with my only company being the runners on the trail and snow machines that passed by.  I felt really good over this section, rolling the Heritage Trail.  What made life a little bit nicer also was that returning to Dubuque was a 1% or so down grade as we had actually battle uphill on the way out.  About 7 miles or so from Durango is where I really started to feel the grove. I was able to get into my highest gear and pushed hard, dancing on the pedals at times with a huge smile on my face!! This year I was really enjoying the ride and hoping to hold it to the end.  I was able to crush it into the Durango check point by 3 p.m. so I was 5 hours into the ride with only 5+ miles of Heritage left and Dubuque snowmobile trails to go. 

Temps on the RISE

Last Downhill & Then HOME!

Well after the check in, life did get a little harder as I could tell that the snow had softened considerably and was becoming a little more peanut buttery.  I was able to push through and off of Heritage trail in the next 30 minutes so all that I had left was the push back up the hill.  Got to the stoplight at the base of the Arterial Rd.  This is a looming giant that I knew was going to push me to my limit.  We would be riding the snowmobile trail up this beast the whole way.  The snow now was melting completely and the open nature of these trails and sun was making it very gooey to ride on. I continue to push on though knowing I had the win if I could push harder and faster than everyone behind me.  One critical mistake over the next section of trail that I made was not hearing during pre race meeting that we were allowed to ride the bike path at times along this section.  Well not hearing this I spent the entire time on the snowmobile trial walking quite a long section of it. I was able to ride most of the steep hills which I took as an accomplishment in this section but had to walk quite a chunk of the roadside section (Those chasing actually were on the road on this section, that is a NO NO! OH Well).

Riding the last downhill on the Arterial Rd. snowmobile section was fun with Lance there to greet me.  I was able to take the downhill into the previously ridden trail from the beginning of the race in 1st and never looked back.  Knowing I was about to win, I was still worried so I was in full gas mode taking as many risks as possible to get to the finish in 1st!!

Well finally onto the opening rollout section and I knew it was over.  Final push up the hill and I was done.  Finally that monkey was off my back and completed goal #1 of the season.  Had about 80 bikers toe the line and 45 finisher this year.  1st place in 6 hours and 43 minutes on the 67 mile journey.  Very pleased with the way my body felt the whole day and how it responded when I needed it to during those surges.  Now hoping to put some good training in over the next month till the next Fat Bike Race at TRIPLE F FatBike Forty in Minneapolis,MN. That is all from here, out into the winter wonderland I go for some single track goodness.

Recycled Artwerks

**THANK YOU to Lance Andre (Race Director) & Squirrel (Brian Pottorff) for the great trophy**

2013- Taking it to the next level!!

Year Stats

Miles Ridden: 3480 Miles 

Climbing Over Year: 300,000 ft.

Racing Miles: 865 Miles

Climbing During Races: 91,639 ft.

Days on Bike: 197

Hours on Bike: 350 hr.

Car Seat Miles to Races: 13402 Miles

Well figured it was about time to put this post together.  2013 was a year of great strides on the bike and life decided to settle down a little bit as well.

Beautiful Twin Loves of My Life

As far as life is concerned, family hasn’t change that much.  I have had a great time getting to see my crazy nieces run all over us and prove that they are in charge.  My working life went from frustrating to pretty pleasant. No longer do I have to put 500 miles on my car as in the beginning of the year but have now moved from St. Joes in New Hampton to St. Benedicts in Decorah.  I continue to work at Trinity and DeSales keeping with those great schools.  I was able to continue my life of driving around Northeast Iowa and getting paid for it, unfortunately half the time wondering if I was going to live or not (NICC Driver’s Ed.)

Team Noah Foundation!!!

Now as far as what this post is really about, year in review of MTB Racing!!  This year was a big year for me.  The first big step of the year was that I was joining a great up and coming team this year.  TEAM NOAH FOUNDATION!!  This team was a great fit for me as we had many of great single speed riders from the NUE series on the team as well as a great group of guys that love to have fun while racing their bikes for long periods of time in the woods.  These guys are some of the goofiest guys on course as well which makes spending 8+ hours on the saddle that much more enjoyable. 

This year not only saw me with a new team, but a new goal in mind as far as my racing was concerned.  This year I was focusing on the NUE series and trying to take a series podium spot by years end.  I started the year small though staying local in an effort to get up to speed for the long season.

Puglsey World Championships

Pugsley World Championships were first up as we raced our fat bikes along one of my favorite training routes, the gravels to Bluffton.  This race was a chance for me to make some cash for the upcoming season that would see me travel many, many miles.  I was able to show my strength in this race and was in the lead group the entire race.  After the leader towards the end of the race took a wrong turn, it was down to me and Hollywood Henderson to settle things on the single track to the finish.  Well I made a bad decision and didn’t drop air and Hollywood did so 2nd to start the year.  Not bad, but to say I wasn’t disappointed would be a lie.  

BoneBender 6 hr.

After this race it was off on a little trip for the next race of the year.  I decided to finally make the trip down to BoneBender in Lawrence,KS for my first endurance race of the year.  Been trying to make this trip for the past couple of years and finally things came together.  I was set for the 6hr SingleSpeed category but also looking to try and get the overall.  The race overall was good as far as the outcome, 1st Singlespeed and 2nd Overall behind resident fast guy Brad Auen.  The course on the other hand was awful!!!  This course was the rockiest course I have ridden to date and that just made for a crappy day in the saddle.  So be it though as it got me ready for the year.

Next up were another two local races around Decorah.  The Decorah Time trials were first as the end of April. Here it is proving harder and harder for me to get up to speed for such a short race as I was only able to take down 2nd place this year behind Brian F.  He is quick and I just don’t have it anymore in these short bursts.  After the Time Trails it was off to Waverly to Camp Ingawanis the next weekend.  This race was interesting this year as I was stuck in mud for a majority of the day.  Lots of quick guys there this year and a top 5 finish is all that I was able to pull out.  Again XC is not my forte anymore and I accept that I am going to get smoked in these races.  Usually warming up by the end of the race!!!

Syllamo 125k Rock Raise!!

Well it was about time that the meat of the year started off!!  The NUE Series was a main focus this year so first up in the series for me was off to Mountain View, Arkansas and the Syllamo 125k.  This race was interesting in that it was the only non 100 miler in the series but just as hard.  The course was pretty quick except for the slick as ice rocks around the course and the crappy trail work that allowed the brush to envelop the trail.  Boy were my arms and legs sore from all the scratches that I suffered due to thistles and thrones on the trial.  One good thing that came from the race was getting race with my Team Noah teammates Dwayne and Peat remembering how much fun it is to ride with them. This race proved that I made a right choice for the year in going after the series!! 2nd Singlespeed and my first Top 5 Overall in 5th! Good way to start the year.  

Off to Loudenville,Ohio next for the Mohican 100.  This was my second go at this race and the result was not much better this time.  The start of this race gets me as I go to hard and blow it to early.  This year saw me dropped early due to some bad luck of jettisoning my water bottles on the first downhill and having to stop to get them, thus being sent pretty far back in the pack.  Over the course of the race I was able to move back up to where I belonged and after fighting all day with Nathan (Pro Mountain Outfitters) I settled for 5th Singlespeed and 12th Overall.  With the success at Syllamo’s not quite the result that I wanted and it would prove decisive at the end of the year.

Mohican 100

After Mohican, I stayed local the next weekend at the 9hr at Boone.  This race was nothing much for me as I didn’t really expect any competition and non was really had at the race. I rode pretty much solo the whole day in the rain and muck and was able to get the Overall win in my division without any worry.

Lumberjack 100 Start

After a break from travel the weekend before it was off to my second year at Lumberjack 100.  This race last year was fast and dry and this year was very similar in that it was fast.  Single’s this year luckily controlled the start so I was feeling much better about myself at this race. Well that was the last good that would come out of this race.  While holding a top 5 position in the race and unbeknownst chasing 1st Singlespeed catastrophe struck and my day was over.  This race would be my first every DNF in all my years of racing with a taco’d front wheel that was very disappointing and frustrating.  The ride home was long and crappy as I knew what could have been with only 17 miles left in the race.

Tatanka 100 SS Podium

Two weeks later I pulled myself back together and it was off to Tatanka 100 in the beautiful Black Hills of SD!  This year saw me going to the Black Hills for 3 different races.  By far my favorite place to race as the people are amazing and the land is beautiful.  This race would put me on some trails that I have wanted to ride for the last 2 years but never had a chance to.  Going into this race, I had high hopes of taking the top step in Singlespeed but after the start and knowing who was at the race, those hopes faded pretty quick.  I was able to ride a good race with a gear that was good for about 50% of the race and horrible for the other 50%, the plight of riding a singlespeed. Ended the day 3rd Singlespeed and 11th Overall.  This race again though saw me getting to ride with 4 other Team Noah teammates and first time 100 mile racers Adam and Brett.  These two did awesome and hopefully will see them doing more of these races in the coming year.  Dwayne and Peat also made the long trip out and took to the single speed podium in 6th and 7th.  Great race and must do every year!!

After this race it was the mid-season break for me.  I would be traveling back out to the Black Hills after the break again though as I would take on the Black Hills 40 once again and try to defend my single speed crown on a wicked tough course. This race was great as expected and I was able to retain my crown but had to settle further down the overall, after taking 2nd last year, settling for 8th Overall in stacked field of great local and non-local riders!!  This race has the potential for being a top notch race in the future.  

Vacation Time in Spearfish (Iron Creak)

View from the saddle (Crows Peak, SD)

 

Once again the Black Hills 40 was the start of my week long vacation and staying in my second home of Spearfish,SD.  This town has become my relaxing destination the last two years. This year I was able to take more of the scenery as I rode different trail this year thanks in part to the man himself out there Perry Jewett.  I am finding that I have made friends over these past few years that allow me to really enjoy traveling the country and take in all that comes with racing your bike for long distances.  

Pierre's Hole 100

PH 100

After a week in Spearfish it was off to Pierre’s Hole 100 In Alta,Wyoming for the second straight year.  This race again would prove to be the toughest of the year!!  I went into this race again with high expectations and again I had to back off those expectations as the race progressed as I was put in my place by the man who would challenge for the top step in the series!!  This race is brutal in that it is at altitude.  For a flatlander this race climbed over 15,000 ft. this year and was unrelenting in it’s beauty!!!  I am amazed how much I was able to suffer at this race and want to get off my bike and quite yet still be blown away while riding through the wildflowers and peaks of the Grand Tetons!!  2nd Singlespeed and Top 10 Overall was a good finish to the day and last race in the series this year for me.

PH 100

PH 100

As far as the series was concerned, since I was only able to complete 4 races, my hopes of a top 3 podium were dashed as the DNF and 5th at Mohican came back to haunt me as I took 4th Overall in the Series SS and missed out on 3rd by 1 point.  Next year will hopefully prove quite different!!!!

SSUSA Start

After the race in Wyoming, there were but 4 races left in the season as my fall races started.  SSUSA was first up. This race was held close to home thank god as it would have been worthless to travel anywhere for it.  The course was fun for about 7 miles and the rest was crappy and nothing much as far as riding is concerned.  The organization of this race was non-existent and overall this race was nothing more than a training ride for me.  I will have to say I will never do another SSUSA race as it is not quite what I would pay to race ever again!  Don’t know how I faired in this race as the scoring was non-existent and nobody knows who finished where!

Dakota 50

After the training weekend two weeks prior, it was off to South Dakota for the final time this year and to another priority race of the season. I was hoping this year to take a Top 10 Overall and the SS win again.  The race was being run in reverse this year and would prove more difficult for some reason. From the start, I was not feeling it as my body was having non of this race. Feeling crappy all day and quite down on myself for not being with the top dogs, I finished the day in 3 SS and 28th Overall.  Pretty disappointed with the result as the expectations were quite high for the race.

Dakota 50 SS Podium

Mullet Classic in Indianola was a redemption race for me this year. I was going into this race ready for a battle with Rick B.  in the 4hr. race.  I was able to show off my development from the year and ran away with this race halfway through.  I never had to look back as I knew that I had a pretty secure win.  1st Overall was a great way to end my Iowa racing for the year.

BT EPIC Start

Last race of the year was in the boondocks of Missouri at the BT EPIC.  This would be the Team Noah Foundation race of the year. We were able to bring 6 of us down for the race.  I was pretty excited for the race as I was hoping to defend my SS title and take a higher overall this year.  Well all was going as planned for the first 55 miles of the race.  I had shaken the SS who was holding my wheel for 40+ miles and was looking at a possible top 5 finish when I took a wrong turn due to no course markings and ended the day in 7th Overall, 1st SS.  The only one to get around me was Dwayne for 6th so I wasn’t to disappointed coming into the finish!  Good way to end the year surrounded by the great teammates of Team Noah!

Unbelievable Team Noah Foundation
 Teammates!!

I have no regrets from the year for sure!!  I have ridden with some of the best in the nation and had blast doing it.  Team Noah Foundation may be the funnest team out there to ride for as we never take racing to seriously and have joke the entire time!!!  2014 is already shaping up to be the biggest year of racing for me to date.  An update of this site is next up as I have additional sponsors for the year and big plans unfolding!! Look for these updates next!!!  Enjoy the end of the year and see ya in 2014!