TJ Woodruff ONLINE

13th place in my 13th Chequamegon weekend.  It was a good day, but certainly not a great performance on my part. I was close, but not 100% on top of my game out there. The racing was fast and I found myself on the receiving end rather than the serving end of race. A bulk of the day was spent trading pulls as a group of us were going from on the back of the front group to chasing the front group.  We were all together at the base of fire tower but 12 guys got over faster than me  so the last 10 miles were spent riding solo to the finish. Certainly not a ‘bad’ day, but sort of frustrating to miss out on the racing those final 10 miles. As always it was awesome to have so many family and friends at the race. A big thanks to everyone who makes Chequamegon all that it is!

Up next will be a transition into CX racing with the USGP races in Sun Prairie this weekend. It’ll be the biggest CX stage I’ve raced on so letting it rip ought to be the natural thing to do.  See you there, -TJ

https://www.usacycling.org/rankings/index.php?org=mountain&disc=xc&cat=PR&msj=SR

All systems go for Saturday! See you at the starting line. -TJ

(USAC’s ranking system is a bit fuzzy, I’ll be the first to admit, but there’s certainly some novelty with it…)

this photo and more: skinnyski.com

PRESS.

Labor Day weekend at Maplelag couldn’t have been much better. As usual it was two and a half days chocked full of good friends, food and accommodations.  We did a little bit of bike racing too, but what makes this weekend great is package experience that other races have a hard time offering. The bunk houses and dining hall make it a unique Maplelag experience. It was cool that my dad joined in on the trip and was able to do ‘support crew’ for me too.

Saturday’s morning Time Trial is always a tough opener. It’s short, but at the same time long enough that some pacing has to be exercised.  I was the first rider on course and came in with a new course record.  I felt good with the ride but wasn’t sure how it would stack up. Brendan did the course one second faster to claim the stage win and the new course record at 9:36.  Each of the past three years he’s narrowly edged me out like this so it’s crazy to think how close we’re matching each other. Doug was 3rd just a couple seconds back. In comparing our gps files neither of us was ever more or less than a couple seconds ahead or behind at any given spot on the course.

The afternoon STXC was fast and tactical near the end. The pace kept mostly honest and I did some work to keep it that way. Brendan made some charges and 18 year old Jack Hinkins was in on the action at the front end of the race.  On the last lap Doug went wide around the fast grass sweeper turn that led into the super steep climb. We came into the base together but he carried more speed to the top and got by.  With tight corners from here to the finish there wasn’t much real estate left for passing. Luckily I kept things upright and held on for second after nearly rolling/burping my rear tire in the last corner.

Going 1-2-3, then 3-2-1 in the two stages, we all had equal amounts of time bonuses so the GC would ultimately be determined by the XC on Sunday. With the race slated to be 3.5 laps it was sure to be a physically tough course. The tight rooted trails require a constant focus while the ski trails beg for speed.  Early on all three of us were in the lead group, but eventually Doug was exchanged for Sam O. After the half lap and first full lap I was doing alright but for some reason found myself getting dropped on the second full lap. I could no longer see Sam or Brendan, but I kept charging knowing that the last lap could make all of the difference. While chasing I even managed to take a good spill over the bars. Putting the adrenaline to good use I got back to chasing and eventually went by Sam.  Brendan wasn’t far up the trail and I was gaining time.  In what was perfect timing I caught him right at the base of Suicide hill and figured that would a good place to really go for it. By the top of the climb 35 seconds later I had a gap and was able to maintain it the rest of the lap all the way to the finish.  It was scrappy, but a great feeling to get the win while securing the overall at the same time.

Some interesting tech notes from the weekend: I ran the Marathon 29er Hardtail and found it well suited for the terrain although I’d love to try a full suspension 29er on those trails for the XC.  A Stans Raven was the rear tire of choice with a Kenda Small Block 8 up front.  Minimal tread, but over the long haul they proved to do the job.  While cleaning/lubing my chain the morning of the xc I discovered a broken roller. Luckily I was able to remove this link and use a second quick link in its place.  It undoubtedly would have broken in the XC so I was lucky to have spotted it (and finished the STXC with it).  I’ve never seen a roller break on a chain like this before… I severed the rear derailleur cable ferrule in the crash and didn’t shift very much during the final lap since the shifting was all over the place when I tried.  I used just a couple gears in the back and shifted more with the front in order to keep going without mishap. Also I snapped off one of my beloved Easton EC90 bar-ends in the crash.  So for now I will forgo bar-ends with just Chequamegon left on the radar…   See you there!  -TJ

Thanks to Tom Gaier and his team of volunteers for putting on an excellent edition of the Pre-Fat race. He’s got an amazing race going on in Seeley and this year more people than ever before turned out to experience it first hand.   I was able to successfully defend my ‘08 win after battling all day long with Jeff Hall. Last year I rode in solo, so to have it come to a sprint was awesome.  Nervous, but awesome.

PRE FAT PRESS

Shortly after the race and a whirlwind of unpacking, packing and bike washing I was en route to Green Bay in Muraski’s big rig.  Four and a half hours in a vehicle is great recovery right? At least I was fortunate enough to lounge in the back seat while Mark crushed the drive, nearly doing in one shot with only a dinner stop along the way.  With some nice Adeventure212 accommodations and a good nights sleep it was game time for the 11:30 wors start.

Fifth place on the day was alright considering the circumstances. I was comfy for the first 2.5 of 3 laps and really it was only the last 20-30 minutes where it was crunch time for our lead group of seven. Brian and Jesse got off the front while I got caught out with Mark and Chris. With heavy legs, a too narrow finish chute, and lap traffic in the way I sat up to roll across while Chris and Mark did the sprint for third. It was close between those of us in the front group and I’m confident with how things are shaping up for the rest of the month.

At just 16 days away Chequamegon will be here before we know it. And for those of you that need to know, Miss Pronouncer can help you.  Next up is Maplelag – one my favorite race weekends of the year.  See you there, -TJ