"3 Up" - WORS #2 Rhinelander

It is a good day when you wake up in your own bed, the sun is shining, and the morning temps comfortable. It wasn't even 10 am yet and as I was packing the bikes it was already a great day. A few days before Sunday I had decided to travel the morning of WORS #2 Rhinelander. I do not get to do it often and there is something extra motivating and special about preparing a meal the night before and sleeping in your own house before a race. Pre-riding for a race course is one way to prepare but the other is taking care of your body and mind. 

The lead out and lead lap was good. I was positioned well in the start and was comfortable up to the hole shot. I didn't get in exactly where I preferred but sitting 4th wasn't a bad place to be. Nathan G. pounded out a great first lap. A few times making me question my effort as the dust filled my mouth creating a cotton ball on the dry course. A fairly uneventful first lap and we wrapped around for lap 2 in no hurry on the 2 track leading back out and our 4 became 5. Back into the single track and once again I rode 4th wheel. About a 1/4 way into the lap the unthinkable happened. I dropped a chain. XX1 has been solid I didn't believe it was possible to drop a front chain but it had happened. I tried to finesse it back on but nothing going. A stick had found it sway in-between the ring and chain causing it to come off. In the end, not result of the incredibly solid XX1. A fast stop and I patiently worked it back onto the ring. Any panic in this situation and I find it is takes longer than just staying calm and taking your time. The 3 rode away quick and Justin P then passed. I had been feeling pretty good so without panic I was in chase mode. Hitting every hill and punching every corner I slowly bridged the gap. It took about 5 or so minutes of high effort but I was back on. I took a moment to recover on the back and we rolled around for lap 3 in a group of 4.

Once again, we were in no hurry on the 2 track leading back to the single track which lead to a bit of impatience by me. Also, panic of Big D's teammate, the pedaling "Wicked Witch" - Chris P, steadying his way back to us. I took the front and a higher pace into the single track. I slowly gained speed taking my attack at the front. It did enough to bring the lead group down to Nathan, Big D, and me. The legs were good after the attack and in hindsight I should have just kept going until something happened with me or the group but I seen this as mistake #1 of a couple I made in the last lap. It is a hard decision to make in battle when the guys that tag your wheel are as solid as they come in single track. A rider better be on their game to ride Nathan or Big D of their wheel in tech sections.

Lap 4 went down the same as 3. I lead the entire lap but instead kept a pace to keep people from catching instead of a pace to drop riders. The 3 of us knew it was going to come down to a sprint so in my mind any wasted energy during the final lap was a loss. The final 1/2 mile is a 2 track perfect for cat and mouse games. Nathan came to the front and I came by his side blocking any chance for Big D to take a jump. The fear of Big D and his power is quite daunting and forced me into mistake another mistake. A childhood rule, "He who hesitates has loss." A coach use to yell that at me all the time and sure enough 20 years later here it was. Nathan jumped and I responded. I thought it was a perfect set up for Big D to come off of my wheel and around both of us but instead I led him array. A big mind lapse and thinking the finish line was where we started I made a small turn towards the wrong way. It was quickly fixed but it left no time to catch Nathan and no time for Darrin to come around me.

Not often you get into a 3 up sprint for the win. A blast it was and a lot learned. A victory so close, .9 seconds, it is hard to enjoy 2nd immediately but after a good CD you realize that any podium position at a WORS event is a good day. Thanks to Darrin and Nathan for a competitive day of racing.

Legs Say "Go" - WORS #1 Iola

It is not very often in racing when your legs are screaming "go" and your body yells back "no." It is most always the other way around. I suppose if you start to do this racing thing long enough your bodily experiences will find a new way to surprise you more often than not.

The site of Iola is always a good one. It is site of a new day, new opportunity, new goals, but the re-resurrection of  MTB fun. Training and racing accumulates a bucket full of pain and frustrations but bring everyone's same struggles to one venue and all becomes worth it. The unique thing about knobby tire bikes is we all share the same passion and love for the sport and no matter what ones experience in the past days or weeks WORS brings us together. Ahh yes, it is good to be back.

We were welcomed with a humid and hot 85 degree day. The sun was hiding but it didn't decrease the intensity factor of the heat. I do not usually mention the heat and can fair well in it but bring a Upper Peninsula boy down from his unseasonable 40-60 degree breezy climate into 85 degrees of humidity and the body may react. I came in feeling good and not all that nervous about the challenge in front of me. I had a lot of excitement to analyze the fitness and skill. Although my analysis is not exactly what I expected I'm happy with what came from the first effort.

As most expected the lead out was tight and competitive. The elite field has a mass of riders that can stick the start effort making positioning a battle. The change to the Iola lead out extended this battle and the front group stuck together a lot longer than usual. I lost some aggression at the start but managed to jump on the lead group in about 8th/9th. Cole was off the front and Tristan lead the chase the majority of the first lap. The group winded around the smooth single track still in tact back to the start/lap position. The 2nd time up the start climb I made the decision to ease up on my effort to keep in site the finish that was still 1:20 minutes away. The group rode away and I my objective became "Peariso" power. Known to others as "steady" or "old man" power. Even at that, my legs felt the need to go but no response from the energy stores to allow them.

Chris getting the edge in the last corner

My red line effort on the first lap altered my decision making and started to show in my line choices. The start of the 3rd lap I recovered as Justin P. approached. I jumped onto his wheel forcing myself to choose a better line and bring my alertness back. He rode well and I felt like we gained some of the time back I lost on a slow lap 2. Most of lap 4 of spent solo and all of lap 5 until the last 500 meters. The last 1/2 mile of the course I allowed my guard to drop and didn't take notice of 2 chasing riders. In no hurry I approached Michelle P. and she kindly gave me room to pass where I declined knowing 2 track approached. I sprinted the 2 track and felt someone on my wheel not knowing who. We went onto the last section of 2 track and out of nowhere the other Peariso contended me for hole shot into the last piece of single track to the finish. We ran it right to the last moment and he nabbed it. 9th to 10th in the last 500 m.

A number is a number but a result is not always the result. It was good to be back and to get a picture of the year. The late start to the WORS season leaves us with 3 straight weeks of racing. Saddle up, it's going to be a fast one.

2013 RASTA Rally

We have waited, waited and have waited some more. For the mountain bike season that is. The Northern part of Wisconsin and all of the Upper Peninsula have been buried by late season snow and lingering fall weather. The inclement weather has prolonged the off season or the fat bike season, depending on how you look at. The mountain bike season has traditional come by this time of year and yet very few riders could claim any race results or effort as of May 11^th. The RASTA Rally held in Rhinelander, WI was the first for many to seal up their tubeless knobby tires and feel the single track dirt beneath them.

The RASTA is one of the few races in the North Country that could claim their original date. Even with that, Mother Nature did it’s best to keep us away. Driving through snow from Ishpeming to past Iron River things were not looking promising but as I inched closer to Rhinelander the snow slowly vanished. As the snow vanished the temps fell along with it.  A brisk 31 degrees at arrival made it tough to get into the mid-summer MTB mindset. Ole’ man winter fought but Susie sunshine fought back. The sun slipped through the clouds giving each of us a small hope of rising temps.

With a small crowd on hand the start line was scattered. This was a surprise as I thought people would flock to the first opportunity to ride single track this far North. A relaxed countdown and the first “go” of the season was released. With an absence of race efforts my intention was to mock a high effort start as we see in the WORS season week in and week out to acclimate to the brutishness both mentally and physically. With no care of who was around or on my wheel my eyes stayed forward. Around the first bend Justin Piontek, the other pro on hand, took his turn applying the same start effort I had attempted. After the 1 mile lead-out I took the hole shot into the single track. With no concern of energy for the 2 hours to come I pounced at each hill and turn. Justin glued to my wheel we extended our 2 man lead. My effort felt hard and fast but what wouldn’t feel hard after 5 months of no MTB racing. 1/3 way into the lap Justin takes control. He applied the pressure and now my turn to keep glued. I let a small gap open as I allowed my early efforts to replenish. The hills of Rhinelander smoothed out to flowing single-track. This allowed me to creep closer until we popped back out a 2 track climb. Taking back to the front I settled into an effort. As the terrain went up again I slowly opened a gap. Prior to this my single-track skill was far from being envied. A 5 month layoff of dirt was showing its way with me. The slowly forming gap allowed my mind to relax and I allowed my Trek SF100 do its job. I pointed the 29” wheels and the Maxxis Icon gripped.

The first lap had been completed in 1:02. Not knowing the 2^nd lap was shortened from the first I managed my effort for the next 20 minutes until I noticed I approached a section closer to the end. Figuring I either missed a turn or they cut a section off I picked up my pace tapping the pedals to the finish.  The sun had now started to come out in which I figured was perfect timing so it could shine down on my smile from completing my first MTB race effort of the year. To a course that I figure not to be my specialty Rhinelander has always been good to me. A win in the legs but more importantly it was a race effort long overdue waiting for ole’ man winter to give way to the sun shine of spring.