this photo and more: skinnyski.com
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
Entries (RSS)
Hey TJ. Nice job on the win. Always a pleasure having you and your Dad. Thanks again for supporting our event.