TJ Woodruff ONLINE

The trip to Tucson was relatively quick since most of it was done by airplane with just a bit of driving on either end of the trip. I’ve been in town just shy of a week now and I’m starting to get reaccustomed to the ways of life here. The guesthouse is working out nicely and things are starting to find there respective places as I get settled in.

I planned to get in a couple rides by now, but that hasn’t happened. It’s the off-season, but that normally wouldn’t keep me away from a ride or two. A swollen, cheese-grated knee and mangled palms have kept me off the bike however.

Here’s how the unfortunate series of events played out. My bikes arrived at the Arizona Cyclist on Broadway Friday morning so I stopped in and picked them up. Next, I brought the bikes home to build them. Got them each out of the boxes, put the wheels on and the bars back into the stems. I notice that the seat binder bolt for the road bike was missing so I call up AZ Cyclist on Cambell, which is the closer of the two shops to my place to confirm that they’d have a replacement. Mine must have fallen out of the box as it was nowhere to be found. OF course they had what I needed so I nearly set off on my Bridgestone townie, but noticed that the tube was bulging through the old-cracked tire. This was the damage resulting from the bike being stored in a hot Arizona garage all summer long… Without much thought I came in, grabbed the Litespeed and set off down the driveway, did the 90 degree turn onto the road, got it up to full speed in the big ring, then boom - straight onto my palms, elbow, stomach and right knee. Sliding three feet or so over the rough pavement before finally stopping was torture. Note to self, don’t forget to tighten the stem bolts. This by far this is the biggest bone-head ed move I’ve made with a bike. I was more upset with my mistake than I was about the crash and bodily damage. I had blood all over my hands, arms and leg. Not cool. I hobbled back to the house and started scrubbing out the rocks with some soap after phoning Chloe to come to my rescue. I opted out of stitches at the hospital figuring that I could clean it and close it up myself, saving a costly bill. With Chloe’s help we were successful and I got to sit around all weekend unable to move too much. Fortunately the swelling is down now and the wounds are healing quite nicely. It’ll be a while before I’m pedaling again, as that might stretch the skin over the knee too much. At least I can walk around.

cyclist decor on the basement wall…

What baffles me is how the stem was so perfectly straight that I never questioned that it might not be clamped to the steerer. And how didn’t by bars slip at all when I did the 90 degree onto the street? Why did I ever loosen them anyways when there never was a need to with my bike box? Crashing there at 5 mph would have been much more pleasant. Lesson learned, humble pie eaten, house sat in while a bit of Tucson has passed me by. At least I got in some forced rest when life would have been hustled otherwise. Live and learn and always tighten your stem bolts.

-TJ

It’s a let down to flat out of the lead group of the Chequamegon 40 with just seven miles remaining in the race. Feeling good at that stage of the race made it all that much more disappointing. What can I say, that’s how bike racing goes once in a while… Now its time to step back from what has been an awesome, but long season. A Full NMBS series, the Sea Otter, the National Championships, the Teva Games, Multiple MSC, MNSCS, and WORS events all make for quite the adventure.

Here’s how the last racing adventure of 2007, the Chequamegon 40, went down. I was ready for this one. I felt strong and fresh after what was an awesome lead up, racing five consecutive weekends. I knew the race would be a real challenge, but I felt good about my chances to be in the mix when things really happened at the front of the race. Fortunately I got that experience until that final section of birkie trail. It’s a great time to be had riding with the guys who all have legitimate shots at taking the win. The pace south of OO was hard at times, but there was never a time that it took 100% to stay on the wheel. Wanting to preserve my legs for the crucial late race miles I was fine just to go along for the ride, sticking on the wheel in front of me.

As we approached Lake Helane I rode at the front of the group not so much as to up the pace, but simply to have a better vision of the winding road that was full of sand and rocks. Fire tower would be the first real effort and a good test to see who had it and who was simply hanging on. I crested the hill second, right on Tilford’s wheel. Without much of a pause we hammered down the backside with Jeff Hall also approaching us. This fast descent had a fair share of rocks and we were really going, but I don’t recall hitting anything harder than usual. But I must have as I could feel that my rear tire was riding softer than normal.

My denial lasted until the pressure dropped to 15 psi or so when I jumped off the bike to quickly add some CO2 in hopes of it sealing at a higher pressure. Had that of happened I could have rejoined the front perhaps. It only took a matter of minutes for it to leak down to 15 again; the cut was too big and right in the center of the tread. The next stop I threw in a tube and aired it up to about 20, draining my CO2 in the process. A third stop at the final feed zone and I was able to find some air, eat a donut, and get back rolling again. Of course by now the leaders were long gone and my race was just about finishing now.

Overall the race was an awesome experience and I’ll be back in hopes of better luck next time. Jenna took the Women’s victory in her first attempt so the great track record of continues. If you want to win next year, you’re best bet is to ask me if we’ve got a place for you to stay… Brian Matter did it in ’04, Megan Monroe set the course record in ’05, and now Jenna Zander followed up in ’07. Paul and Wenk also turned in some good results and I know that we all had a great weekend. The Chequamegon is a great event to have just 45 minutes away.

I’m off to Tucson tomorrow and I’m already excited for what waits for me there. CTS has just opened the regional training center and I’ll also be turning some wrenches once again at Arizona Cyclist. Working with the U of A cycling team is always a riot too. And, after six weeks, it’ll be good to be near Chloe again. Tucson is an exciting place and there’s a lot I’ve missed over the summer. It’ll be good to be back.

Next time from the Sunshine,

TJ

http://www.skinnyski.com/racing/display.asp?Id=9302

check it out.

Maplelag Stage Race

http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtb/?id=2007/sep07/laddiesloppet07

and the sprint finish too…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn8i5zOGErU

3 days and 13 hours until Chequamagon.

-TJ

Driven, impassioned, charged, motivated, enthralled, consumed, and focused. I love bike racing. Going fast, feeling the burn and then turning the screws even harder. It’s empowering to lead, rewarding to chase back on, and a pure rush to rally hard on a race course with the fastest riders the area can produce.

I’ve done five consecutive weekends now, having toed the starting line no less than nine times in those ten days. Each successive race I’ve gone faster, felt stronger, and ultimately more prepared for the next to come. And in a timely fashion, the next to come is the Big One, the Chequamagon 40. Ever since ’97, at the age of 14, I’ve lived and breathed this race for the entire month of September. It was in the Chequamagon Forest that I first set my teeth into the racing experience and I couldn’t have asked for it any other way. I was stoked for it in ’97 and now again in ’07 I’ll return with an equal vigor, this time aiming for the front end of the big race.

Sunburst was one of the final  pieces of the Chequamagon puzzle. You have to be fit, you have to be fresh, you have to have the course dialed, the equipment spot-on, the motivation topped-off and the giv’rator fully ready to go. All systems have been checked with just five days to go.

Yesterday confirmed that the fitness is here, I can be fresh when I need to be, and the motivation may have been upped a notch when I couldn’t quite get around Jesse for the mad dash to the finish line. On Thursday I did a course reconnaissance to confirm the equipment set up, rolling over the 40 miles at a 2:40 pace. It was just enough Chequamgon air to bring about those time and place memories that boil up emotions of years past.

Though a win would have been big, I still got the boost I was looking for in my Chequamagon preparations. Jesse is extremely fit and I was happy to be the internals of the LaLonde sandwich. I’d imagine that there are a lot of guys out there who can only hope that these two pick the wrong gear one of these times…

So with that, I can’t wait for Saturday. It’s been an awesome lead in to this one remaining event and the experiences along the way have been second to none. WI and MN racing is hard to beat. Is it the journey or the end result that counts the most? I’m hoping that it can be both.

TJ

Lakeshore drops in the XC, this and others captured by Dad

The Laddies Loppet stage race experience at Maplelag Resort was second to none. My dad and I made the six hour trek across state line and Minnesota’s vastness for a weekend of bike racing and relaxing. Staying at Maplelag for a race weekend is the most ‘pro’ experience I’ve ever lived. The comfy accommodations are trailside and you get to bunk with your best friends. The meals are incredibly tasty and nutritious at the same time, plus the dinner hall makes for a real ‘team dinner’ experience. We didn’t have to drive anywhere for food or supplies all weekend. The experience couldn’t have been any better. All of this said with the racing part of the weekend aside.

Fast STXC action, probably chasing down Doug here…

The stage race format is always a fun one and the tight competition didn’t disappoint. After the TT I was sitting second place, within five seconds of Brendan who took the win. At just ten minutes and some change this was a full-on dash that didn’t allow any chance for recovery. I honestly felt as if I gave it 100% and doubt that I could have found a spare five seconds anywhere on the course.

That evening’s Short Track was hotly contested with many of us trying our turns at the front. In the end it was Dan Swanson who outsmarted us all with his last lap attack and convincingly held three of us off in the final sprint for the line. Forth place on the stage and I kept my second spot on the GC, gaining some time back to Brendan. The overall would surely come down to the XC results as four laps of the rough and rugged steep course would be enough to string out field and the time gaps.

the W.

The XC was relentless, with several riders taking hard charges at the front of the race. I kept myself in good position and endured to take a hard fought win. I led from the start, but by the end of lap one, Paul was on the throttle going full speed. Into lap two Brendan was attacking while I flailed in the singletrack, losing time and getting off the bike a couple of times due to mess ups. Somehow I clawed back up to Brendan and Paul. By the end of lap two Brendan had popped a bit as Paul and I kept charging hard. Sam bridged up riding super smoothly and took the reigns at the front. The two of us gapped Paul by the end of lap three and rode together for the entire fourth and final lap. I was hanging on for dear life at times and at others the pace was alright. I led through the final singletrack section and opened just a small gap that I held on the ski trail all the way to the finish. We had put over two and a half minutes on everyone else, thus securing our one and two spots not only for the stage results, but for the overall as well.

Stage Race overall podium. Me, Sam Oftedahl, Brendan Moore, Chris Fisher, Paul Hanson

This was my first win of the season and it couldn’t have been any more dramatic from start to end. I crashed a couple times, led quite a bit, but also had to chase hard to keep myself in contention when things got really stressed. I’m really happy that my dad was there to enjoy the weekend and to help me out with the bottle feeds. Honestly, it’s the support that makes fast bike racing possible and I couldn’t do it without a lot of help from a lot folks along the way. Thanks for making it happen,