Cable Off Road Classic

It was a mini stage race for me this weekend with back to back races Saturday and Sunday.  For the past few years the Cable Classic has lined up with one of the Rhinelander races, RASTA or WORS.  This year it lined up with the 2nd stop on the WORS series, Crystal Lake Classic Rhinelander.  Either way it ends up being one of my most favorite weekends of the year.

I was awakened Saturday morning by an incredible sunrise that showed a lot of promise for the day.  It was a vast difference from last years weather of 36 degrees and drizzle.  We were promised mid 80's by the end of this day.

The typical wheels were on the line at including McFadden, Carpenter, Swanson, Johnson, Sova, and even the CX expert Faulkner.  Nerves are mostly always high at a start line and add a good field and it raises it a bit more.  Saturday was a bit different and recently I've accepted the fact that a race is going to hurt and it going to be hard.  It should, it is a race.  So I was fairly calm at the start.  Maybe it helped knowing that they were controlling the start with a roll-out for 1/2 a mile which is very rare for a MTB race.

I jumped the for the hole-shot off of the 2 track and got it.  I heard some rustling behind but today's mission was to race within myself and not by others so I continued on at the pace I was confident with.  The pace slowly opened up a gap on the chasers and as I popped out onto the 3 mile section of rolling dirt road I had a 20-30 sec gap.  I didn't want to be alone the whole race but was OK if that was what was in store.  The chasers were slowly bridging but I wasn't going to make it easy so I stayed tempo up the climbs and flats and rested on the downs to conserve energy for when the joined.  A group of 4 including Sova, Johnson, McFadden, and Swanson were now connected.  Shortly after that another few riders joined including Carpenter and Faulkner.  As if a repeat from last year Sova took his smooth climbing skills down the rolling road and into the 2 track slowly softening the field.  I followed his wheel closely while keeping an eye on efforts behind me.  As a spike in terrain approached I went without looking behind and as I crested I heard Sova say, "You split it, keep the pressure on."  The effort got to me a bit so without him saying that I would probably have sat up.  I'm glad he did.  It was the move that split us into a 2 man break.  From the point of the break it was pretty smooth riding with Sova and I, working together keeping the pace at a respectable speed.  We worked extremely well together sharing the work load.  He made a great breakaway partner and I would ride with him any day.

With 6-7 miles remaining the turning, switchback, bumpy singletrack starts and goes on for a few miles.  It is part of the course that just beats on your body.  At this point I noticed the slightest of gaps opening.  I didn't attack but instead decided to ride a tempo keeping the bike smooth.  Slowly the gap inched its way open and by the time we reached the end of the singletrack and the finishing 3 miles stretch of 2 track I had opened enough of a gap to start seeing a victory.  I enjoyed the best of victories and rode in solo for my 1st ever Cable Classic win.

This race has dug into my competitive core for the past 2 years so the victory was bitter sweet.  A victory I was very pleased to have but at the same time expected myself to win this year.

At the awards ceremony I was presented with 2 incredible surprises.  One, that this race has been titled the border battle between MI, WI, and MN.  My victory this years has claimed the title on the 2nd Annual Border Battle for MI and more importantly the Upper Peninsula.  Tow, I was also introduced to Gary Crandall, race directory of the Chequamegon Fat Tire.  All the good I have heard about Gary and his race were true, a great guy.  He extended a personal invite the Cheq 40.  I humbly accepted.

Results

Race Report