TJ Woodruff ONLINE

Labor Day weekend at Maplelag was once again an excellent time. My dad joined in for the trip so he got to enjoy the occasion as well. The racing was fast, the food was excellent and the sense of community continues to go unmatched.  Maplelag is the best place to go to catch up with friends, both on and off the bikes.

The TT started things off Saturday morning and Brendan once again edged me out, this year by just a tenth of second. Doug blitzed the course topped both of us by nine seconds seconds. This set the tone as it was sure to be a fast weekend with close racing. Saturday evening we raced the STXC on a fast and technical course. Jay’s course has a bunch of high-speed corners, a steep climb and a couple other sections that keep you on your game – there’s no mindless hammering as you have to keep sharp out there.  I kept near the front and rode with Doug and Brendan for the most part. We kept it just hard enough to keep the chasers just off of us. Doug had the biggest last lap jump and beat me to the line though things were closely matched out there. Going into Sunday’s XC I would have to go for the win and hope to have Doug finish thirty some seconds (he earned the biggest time bonuses) behind me so that I could get the overall.
The arm wrestling competition between Paul and Mr Anderson was Saturday night’s biggest entertainment. Apparently they’d competed before and were both looking for a good rematch. Paul won with the right arm while Chris was victorious with the left. A crowd of 20+ enjoyed the back and forth battle. With one win a piece,  they’ll both be doing some serious training for next time.

Sunday came around quickly, but waiting until the 1:15 start time took it’s time. I was well prepared and ready to race. With plenty of hard back to back days recently, I was set to go. Doug set the pace and I followed closely behind until a slight bobble had me stopping to get the chain back on the rings. After losing three spots or so I kept it cool and steady, gaining ground towards the front of the race. By the time I caught Eric and Brendan, Doug had popped and Sam was off the front by himself. I kept the pace steady and chased solo for a full lap and a half before finally catcing Sam. With just two thirds of the final lap left I was feeling tired, but good about my odds. I was able to extend the lead by just enough before the finish so it wasn’t too nervous at the line.  It was a blast to have won the XC after dealing with the tough course, the heat, and the competition out there. Wrapping up the overall win was rewarding as well.
A big thanks to Jay and Jonell along with their staff at Maplelag. It was a great weekend with some fast racing and plenty of relaxation – all part of a good Chequamegon preperation…

-TJ

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 9:52 am and is filed under Race Report. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.