Having raced Mt Morris the past three years I had a good understanding of the course and what to expect.  This time around the competition would be much more so accordingly the short punchy climbs became all that much more critical.  Being that the race was six laps with a fair amount of vertical there was little opportunity for recovery.  Exactly my favorite kind of course to race on!

The number 40 plate made for a mediocre call up position, but in a matter of  just 30 seconds or so I was able to maneuver up to 15^th or thereabouts as we crested the initial climb.  Definitely one of the better starts I’ve had and it put me in the mix right from the beginning.  Lap one was fast but manageable and during the second lap came the challenge to somehow recover from the start while settling in and not backing off the pace too much.  I was able to manage this alright and sought to keep steady lap times.  Much of the race I went back and forth with Tristan who was riding the main climb a litter faster while I was able to lead for most of the decending and  punchy uphill stuff.  By the time lap five came around the heat/humidity was getting too me and I gave up a little bit of ground as a matter of self preservation.  The final two laps were a delicate balancing act of not overheating (any more than I already had) while trying to maintain position.  I ended up losing a couple of spot before the finish, but 18^th on the day was still a great ride and something that I felt happy with.

2010 has been a strong(er) season thus far and I hope to continue the trend.  The Trek Bike Store in Boulder has helped out a bunch with the Superfly 100, a race bike that I’m really loving.  It’s not only fast, but also a lot of fun to ride.  The Bontrager tire crew stepped in big time to help get me setup for the conditions so a big thanks to them for the help.   WORS put on a top-notch event just as I knew they would.  Having a pro race come to WI was a long time in the making and it was awesome to be a part of the action.  Hopefully it was just the start of what will become many more pro level events in WI.  WORS is a great group of people that make racing fun and exciting, so thanks again for making the ProXCT happen.

Up next will be the UCI stage race in Colorado Springs which serves as the proxct series finals July 9-11.  That weekend ought to be a good tune up for the National Championships which are just one week later at Sol Vista, CO.  I’ll be better acclimated and ready to give it a good run this year so I’m looking forward to challenge.

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

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

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

skinnyski.com captures the action

Yes, I realize it was nearly two weeks ago, but I might as well throw out a couple lines to reminisce about the River Falls WORS vs. MNSCS race. It was really fast from the start, probably one of the most intense starts of the year with the hill climb there serving up plenty of lactic euphoria. It didn’t take long for a lead group of five to establish on the first lap. Marko, Jesse, Brendan, Mikey, and Myself all exchanged turns at the front but the speed and tightness of the course meant that getting away from the bunch was more of a challenge. Patience worked out well and on the last lap I was able to let loose up the climb with only Marko in tow.  Exchanging the lead in and out of singletrack he drew the right card and led into the final stretches of singletrack. It was close and we were both riding fast, but he got the best of the finish line. I was pumped to have raced a good battle even though a close second place never sits too well. Looking forward to more racing soon to come. And plenty of it!

CyclingDirt.org recaps the race in full detail

TJ

Having placed 2nd at last year’s Ore to Shore I was really motivated to improve on my result. I knew that I could be in the mix and with some great training rides within the past couple of weeks I was feeling good and ready to give the race my 100% energy.  Traveling to Marquette with Chad made for an old school road trip and we got in a great pre ride on Friday with the company of Matt and my 212 bros Chris and Mike.  Flying through the final 20 miles of the course was a great refresher as to just how much fun this race is and fast the trail allow you to go. Overnight rain showers had the course in perfect condition and I was ready to go. All of the MI, WI, and MN riders were there with only two notable exceptions so it was sure to be an intense race.

Mike did the leadout on the pavement and the 212 train was rolling smoothly until I was forced to exit the front group with a rear puncture. It was one of those flats that you knew it happened right away. I kicked up a softball-sized rock with my front wheel and it went squarely under my rear wheel. It was enough of an impact to put some small cuts in the sidewall just above bead on either side of the tire. I used my CO2 to seal off one side and Sova graciously supplied some more air to get me back and rolling down the trail two minutes after stopping.

I was in full chase mode, trying to negotiate my way back to the front end of the race, passing what must have been 100 riders in the process. Inspired by Brian Matter’s ride from ‘08 (he flatted in just about the same spot and chased back to finish 7th) I was still racing and more focused than ever. My goal was to contact the fast guys near the front and get myself back into some sort of contention, whether for the win or otherwise I wanted to be in the mix.    After 50+ minutes of solo chasing I was caught by Doug, Marko, Jeff, and one other rider to my suprise since these were the guys that I thought I was chasing. It turns out that they had taken a wrong turn so poor luck for them made for good luck for me since I now had riders to share the workload with. Jeff and I did the bulk of the pacemaking and if any of us would catch the leaders I would have been happy with my efforts. We rode hard across the paved section and were still charging once in the woods.

At twelve miles to go I felt my rear tire getting soft and before I knew it I was dismounted and scrabling to put in an inner tube. This time I found a two-inch long square headed nail lodged into the tread. This was likely the source of the slow leak and with the low pressure before I stopped I managed to put another cut into the tire too. This time the tire was more or less done for so installing the tube was the only option. I got the tube in and the wheel back on the bike only to discover that I had nothing left in my CO2 but the white cloud that exits once the canister is empty. Eventually Nathan Guerra stopped and offered me his CO2 cartridges so that we were able to ride in to the finish together. At this point we weren’t so much racing, but rather enjoying the trail and finishing off what has been an adventurous race. I was completely drained at the finish, happy with my riding and bummed about my luck. Such is racing on occasion and I’ll be more motivate for the next one…

Thanks to Adventure 212 and Specialized for the support and to Justin for the late race bottle handup.  Chad’s help allowed me back into the mix early on and Nate’s help allowed me to ride it in instead of walk. There’s an awful lot of great people in this sport and I’m thankful for all the help along the way.  See you at the Border Battle on Sunday!

The biggest race highlight was finishing 2nd in the Singlespeed Nationals race. I’ve done limited riding on a single before so it was something not necessarily in my element. This made for some awesome pre race nerves, but by the race started it was largely business as usual. One gear or not bike racing is largely the same in that whoever focuses and works the most usually wins, this assuming that you show up with good fitness.  Using a 32×20 allowed me to sit on some of the climbs to finish out the three long laps of racing. I was with JJ for 1/2 a lap, but he got away near the top of the climb while we struggled to pass Expert racers in the singletrack.  For the most part I rode the race solo and the time gap to JJ stayed at roughly a minute for the bulk of day. I was having fun with the course and figuring out just how hard to go on various climbs.   JJ is a CO guy and we’ve got back and forth in previous races when I’m using gears and he’s on the single.  The Tucson Daily Star even did a little write up: here.

Prior to Nationals, the Eau Claire crew put on a good WORS showdown with the Fireracker race. I was recruited to race with a fork mounted camera, but so far none of that footage has surfaced. If and when it does, there’ll be a couple good crashes and plenty of chasing to be seen since I was off the lead group for most all of the race before finishing fourth.

And to close out the racing for the month I got over to Elk River, MN for the Singletrack Attack last weekend. It was my first ride back from Colorado and unbeknown to me my front tire hadn’t fully sealed itself prior to the start of the race. About 10 minutes into things I was forced to stop and add CO2 from the Big Air. This did the trick, but several riders were able to go by so I had some passing to do and it didn’t take much for the lead trio disappear and I wasn’t able to join in. Another fourth place was the result.

Up next will be the Ore to Shore. I’m excited for this one and hope to have another good go at it after finishing 2nd there a year ago.  I’ve been able to get in some solid training for it, so if all goes well it ought to be an interesting race at the front end.  Over and out,  -TJ

Super D and Short Track were each really fast with some good battles going on. I lead the Super D through the woods before Tristan got by, then we were both jumped by Matter going up the sole climb on the course. A fun super D and some fast times for sure.  It was a bummer to have lost air from my rear tire during the STXC since it limited how hard I could ride the downhill which included a couple of hard corners.  Brian and Chris were charging hard with Tristan in tow. I don’t know that I would have been with them at the end, but none the less it would have been more interesting to find out instead of needing to ride conservatively so as to keep the tire on the rim.  All tallied up (this year by points, not time) I finished 3rd on the Omnium.  Not quite the win as from last year, but good riding none the less.

Aside from all the race action, the real highlight was catching up with a lot of great people who I don’t see all that often.  Peariso’s were an awesome host and it was really cool to have a place to relax, hang out and enjoy the weekend.  It was great to see many familiar faces and to be back at WORS. Thanks,

Climbing Vail (by Brian Schaning)

Teva Games was to be a practice race for the Colorado Springs Pro XCT race. Having raced Teva the past two years I knew that it would be a good test of the climbing legs with some fast, fun descending. Nothing too technical, but enough to test to the skills a couple times. A lot of guys had a similar idea to use Teva as a warm up since a lot of the series guys were there in what made it a more competitive field than ever. Twentieth was an alright result all things considered. Chloe and I met up with Brian post race to take in some of the festivities that make the Teva Game unique. We watched some fly casting, rafting, trials, and rock climbing before getting a pizza and eventually making the drive back to Boulder.  It was an action packed day trip for sure.

The following day was a 50 mile mtb ride with Chloe. Experiencing the Heil-Picture Rocks-Hall ride was awesome. The singletrack was built for bikes and it flows like no other.  I had to go back on Wednesday to do it all over again…

STXC Action (by trailwatch.net)

On Friday we raced STXC and Saturday was the XC in Colorado Springs. It was odd having a Sunday w/o racing but I made due. The STXC course was fun to ride but 100% not suitable for more than 15 or 20 racers. I’m sure that the course used works well for their local series, but it was a joke to have 40 or so of us out there at once. With no call ups given for over 1/2 the field and the widest sections at about eight feet wide, to say that moving up was a challenge would be a huge understatement. From the back I made my way up to 23rd before being pulled.  Maybe next time they’ll have a suitable course for us otherwise I won’t be too interested…

Up and Out! (by trailwatch.net)

Saturdays XC was going to be tough. The climb wasn’t necessarily steep, but it definitely wore on the legs.  It was after 12 minutes or so of climbing that we encountered the rocky technical challenges on the rolling terrain of the upper part of the course.  And the downhill was never a no-brainer. It was consistently inconsistent with changing surfaces from rock to dirt to gravel with fast corners, tight corners and plenty of boulders to negotiate.  I felt alright about the course but knew the technical nature of the loop would be my biggest challenge.  I had an excellent start and rode in the top 20 for the entire first lap, following Andy Schultz on the descent.  A large number of riders gained on us while descending but I mostly maintainedposition the second time up the climb. The second time down the descent was my fastest, but significantly slower than what other riders were doing. At the start of the third lap I had lost some ground despite more or less doing the same pace.  It was probably seven riders or so that went by me on the third lap and the fourth and final lap was the same story as I finished 35th.  Sure it’s still just better than mid pack, but that’s not really what I was going for. The fitness was mostly there for a top 20, but the skills were glaringly lacking.  It’s frustrating, but simple – I just have to learn how to shred more!

Up next is a return to WI for the Subaru Cup.  The fitness is good and I’m pumped with the idea of racing fast with the Brians, Lalondes, and my 212 bros.  After doing three nationals it’s refreshing to think about being in the front end of a bike race once again… See you there.

Thanks to Adventure 212, Specialized, and all of my family and friends for helping to make all of this bike racing possible. The racing community thrives on thegenerosity of many and I’m grateful for the opportunity.  Next time I return to CO Springs, I’ll be rallying that downhill faster!  -TJ