TJ Woodruff ONLINE

After racing Saturday in Seeley I was actually feeling good by the time evening came around. Maybe it’s true that it doesn’t hurt so much when you win… My dad and I made the road trip to Sova’s place in River Falls that evening, traveling just as we did in the early race years. Chad landed a teaching position and starts this fall so he just settled into his new pad.  After some tasty burritos it was late night of Olympic MTB coverage and catching up on some good story telling. The past three we haven’t seen much of each other as life’s taken us in different directions, but that time lost hasn’t seemed to change too much. It was good to breathe some cycling back into his life and maybe we’ll see more of him in 2009 on the race scene. Back in the day we pounded some serious miles day in and day out…

Race day came early and I awoke feeling fresh and ready to go so I decided to kit up and get in an easy spin and course preview. An hour later I was back ‘home’ and new exactly what we were in for. Breakfast was on my plate when I walked in the door and the tone was well set for the day.  Chad did the Sport race and set a blistering first lap place only to get a flat.  At least he got it fixed and finished up his laps. He was out there long enough to be spotted by the photogs.

Our 1:30 start came with the realization that it was a highly stacked field of WI and MN finest. From the front line it was fast and furious up the climb and I made sure to keep the gas on while cresting so I could put the chase on Jesse. The problem was that I was in chase mode rather than fast singletrack mode. This meant that I wasn’t gaining and only wasting energy. Mikey came around for a bit on the second lap and showed me how to do it. After this I was able to finally take flight on my own. One and a half laps later the gap was apparently down to twenty something seconds though I never saw first hand evidence. At the start of the final lap I was getting sort of tired and there was a lot of lap traffic so I decided to cool the jets and simply ride out the lap. That I did to finish a decent 2nd place on the day. Not quite what I had in mind, but close to it. Had I of ridden the singletrack better on the first two laps maybe I would have been in a better situation.  I’m happy with the result and it was a blast to ride the singletrack out there. It was very fast and flowing once I got the hang of it. If they’d throw in another of those climbs each lap it would be even better. A big thanks to Dad for the bottle feeds and to everyone else for the course side encouragement. These WORS races are nearly on par with the World Cup I did in Quebec with super fans all over the woods. Awesome! We’re even getting press on Velonews these days…

Next up is the Laddies Loppet Stage Race at Maplelag Resort this weekend. If your Labor Day weekend plans are still undecided, I’d encourage you to make the trip. The lodging, the food, the racing, and the experience are all top notch. Jay and the Richards family along with their crew really know how to do it up right.  Last year I had some good luck so maybe this time I’ll be fortunate and have more of the same.

See you there, -TJ

Mountain bike racing is a lot of fun and fortunately there is no shortage of great races held here in Wisconsin during the late summer and fall. It’s a tricky balance to do a lot of racing yet still keep fresh and ready to be 100% when it’s needed most. For me, like many others we try to time that for Chequamegon. Skipping the PreFat would have given me a relaxing day and some more sleep, but I’m a sucker for singletrack and the PreFat has some of the best. About ten or fifteen minutes into the race we looped back across old ‘OO’ and I got to be the first to let it rip.

Jesrin responded and we had a two person race from then on. Jesrin has nearly mastered these singletracks, riding and racing them for most all of his lifetime, so I was more than content to chase him through the tight stuff. On the open sections or climbs I’d up the pace and keep it pretty hard.  We did more of the same on the second loop and near the end I put in a good dig up a steep climb. This created the gap and by keeping the pace high for the final three or four miles I was able to solo to the finish for the win. I felt good and rode strong so its fun when doing that can yield a victory.  Race director Tom Gaier once again put on an excellent event. A big thanks to him and all of the volunteers who were there to help out. Going back to a Northwoods classic event like this is always a great way to catch up with a lot of great people and I wouldn’t have missed the opportunity. If day one of racing goes well, why shouldn’t day two? Later Saturday afternoon my dad and I traveled down to River Falls for Sunday’s Border Battle. Chad cooked and put us up for the night. Catching up was long overdue. There’ll be more to come from Sunday’s action…. While you’re waiting check out these bikes and these shades.

A lingering long term goal was achieved yesterday. I didn’t want two second place finishes in the same number of days so it was full tilt when it needed to be.

Thanks to Super-Fly and Rusty for the pictures. I led Brian around for most all of the race mostly because his kit was too distracting whenever I’d see it in front of or along side of me… Good times and fast racing once again at Sunburst. In ten years of WORS racing I finally reached the very top box for the first time. I’ll certainly be back for more good battles such as this one. Brian had some bike issues that worsened as the race went on so that took some heat out of what might have been a closer finish otherwise. I felt good and the Ore to Shore proved to be a nice ‘opener’ for the legs.

The final 12 miles of Saturday will haunt me for 364 days. I can still see Simonson looking back at me over his shoulder. A gap of 10-20 seconds stayed all the way to the finish. I dug hard, but could not bring the biggest diesel back… Second place at the Ore to Shore in my second ever attempt is a solid result, but I can’t help but think of how easily it could have been different. I made a critical mistake at the bottom of one of fast and twisty dirt trails. I took the left line while Simonson, in front of me, stayed right. At the last moment I saw the water crossing preceded by an approximate three foot drop. I braked hard, rolled off the ledge and saved what could have been a much worse incident. While I was doing this Mike Anderson and Marko who were just behind me rolled past, likely just 3 seconds behind Simonson. I shifted out of huge gear from a near standstill and accelerated myself back up the hill and soon got on the rear of Anderson and Marko. A moment of respite while they kept on Simonson was the plan. Back to four riders, no harm done with the incident was my mindset.

Thirty seconds later, half recovered from my effort to get back on I realized that these two guys were not staying on Simonson very well and in fact the gap had grown from three seconds to perhaps five to ten seconds.  This was enough for me to jump around and initiate the chase back. While I did this Simonson realized that this was his time to pin it. There was never an attack, he just rolled off while I was trying to take a quick breather. Anderson followed me and Marko popped off. Anderson put in a couple of quick pulls while I rallied hard in chase of the leader. Anderson popped not long later and it was everything I could do to keep chasing. I was hoping for a single uphill, but late in the this race it’s all flats and descents. I never got discouraged and I kept at it. Pouring what I had into the pedals. I could see him ever straight section of trail and he knew that I was close behind. This went on for twelve miles! Once we were on the final pavement sections I realized that his chances of making a mistake were slim to none and I was content to roll across the line in second. We matched each other that entire time; it was all about timing and holding on… One mistake on my part and Mike capitalized. He’s tough and he rode smart - we’ll deserving of the win. I’ll surely be back for more next time…

Spending a couple nights in Marquette was a nice getaway though there wasn’t much down time. The rain and wet conditions on Saturday meant some extra work getting things dialed for Sunday’s WORS race. It was fun to catch up with a lot of friends there. After doing this bike racing thing for awhile now I realize that it’s the people and friendships that make it all so appealing. Don’t get me wrong, I love the suffering, but having friends to suffer and share the experiences with makes it all that much better. Thanks to everyone who’s helped along the way. A big thanks to this guy for setting me up with the fast rolling big wheels.

Check back for the WORS report to come next.  -TJ

1×65 min in 44×12

Two hours of technical singletrack for ‘recovery’

1×60 min in 44×11

This was today’s bike practice routine. Of course there were also the warm up and cool down, but those are the boring parts. I rolled out on the Military Ridge Trail en route to the Blue Mound singletracks and kept the pace going pseudo strong along the way. The weather couldn’t have been better as the humidity seems to have cracked for the time being. This made for some excellent singletracking on fresh trails. The first ride on a trail is always an unique experience since gone is the sense of anticipation; one of the many satisfying experiences to have on the bike.

After a lot of tough trails and one gashed sidewall it was time to head home. At hour three it was easy to keep the pace fast and steady with thoughts of O2S flowing from mind to body. The flat and fast dirt grade was an excellent way to dial in the fitness for the drag race that’s soon to come. As was today’s ride, the Ore to Shore ought to be a good one.        -TJ