Tuesday, November 8, 2016

2016 Chequamegon 40

The rain through the summer in northern Wisconsin made the Chequamegon course wet.  The race organizers announced the course would be changed slightly to reroute a section off the Birky trail.  This was the same route as was used in 2014 when rain and storms forced a reroute.  Based on this information I knew a sub-2.5 hour race was possible (based on my 2014 finish), but also knew a wet trail could be slower (as was the case in 2015).

On Friday, after we were settled in the condo, we completed our mandatory pre-ride of the last 5 miles of the course.  We found the course wet, but it did not feel slow.  There were a few drops of wet mud which flicked up, but nothing overly concerning.

I was excited because this was the first Chequamegon on my new Trek ProCaliber bike.  I was upgrading to 29 inch wheels, no rear suspension, only a double chain ring, all at about one and a half pounds lighter than my old bike.  I was excited to see how my back – and entire body would hold up without rear suspension on the rough Chequamegon course.

The forecast for race time on Saturday called for a slight chance of rain, with the chance of rain increasing in the afternoon.  The roads were dry at the start and the temperature was in the high 50’s.  I was thinking at the start, the conditions were perfect for a good mountain bike race.

The first few miles are always a very nervous time for me as we are packed handlebar to handlebar across the hard surface road and the speed is high.  I always try to draft off other safe riders all the way to Rosie’s field where we say good-bye to the hard surface.  However, the start was uneventful, I saw no crashes as we made our way through Hayward. 

As we began riding the trail I learned it was slightly soft and fairly muddy.  Even in dry years the Chequamegon 40 course has puddles, many which stretch from side-to-side.  I was working to stay out of the muddy water but these lines were adding a few seconds with each puddle.  As the race continued I began to notice the dirt on the exit side of the puddles was getting saturated.  It was getting more difficult to control your bike if you were trying to change direction in the slightest.  I also noticed my glasses were getting quite splattered making it difficult to pick a fast line every time I was in low light.

Shortly before the OO crossing I caught up to Jeff.  As we crossed the blacktop I saw Jeff pull off.  He had picked up a stick in his rear derailleur and needed to pull it out.  I said something as I passed him, but he was talking to a spectator and did not hear me.  It did not feel right to overtake him in this fashion, but racing is racing.

I needed fresh glasses badly, but I did not send anything but lenses worthy of a sunny day with my great support crew.  I decided I was better off with the glasses I had.  I grabbed a fresh bottle without stopping and continued on my way for the remaining 24 miles.

The trail conditions became the main obstacle through the rest of the race.  I successfully completed so many two wheel slides I began to expect one as I exited each puddle or wet section.  I am sure my speed was not as high as it could have been because I was a bit tentative in anticipation of slippery conditions.  Around mile 25 I decided my glasses were limiting my ability to see in low-light conditions and subsequently my speed for large sections of the course.  On a flat section I put my glasses on my helmet and decided I could see much better.  Within a couple minutes my right eye received a splatter of mud causing me to ride with one eye and blink quite a bit.  I eventually recovered and was able to raise my speed.

The Fire Tower climb was crowded as normal.  I shifted to my smallest chain ring so I could maintain a high cadence no matter how low my speed would get.  Frequently riders will bobble causing riders behind them to adjust their speed or stop.  If you are unable to slow, yet maintain an adequate cadence, you will also be off your bike and forced to walk.  Walking is not horrible, but it burns more energy per minute and is slower than riding.  My formula for successfully climbing Fire Tower is to maintain a one to two bike length cushion between myself and the next rider ahead to provide time to adjust to mistakes made ahead of me.  There is clearly a best line to the top.  There are other lines, but they are more rock and root covered with a higher chance of spinning out and being forced to walk.

I made it to the top, but was forced to stop once.  I was able to remount and start pedaling again, so the time loss was minimal.  At the top I was tired, but still feeling good.  I gave the spectators a small wheelie which made them erupt in cheering.  Making it over Fire Tower climb is a big milestone for several reasons.  The first reason; there are 10 miles remaining, time to go harder if you have anything left.  Another reason, this is the last big climb of the race.  Lastly, there is a long rocky downhill over the top, so you have to work to get a drink.

In a few miles there is a very loose right turn where you join the Short and Fat course.  This is the part of the course I pre-ride every year, so I know it well.  It also contains a long fast downhill which is fun.  There are a few rolling hills and then you turn left onto a gravel road.  This road also contains quite a bit of downhill, so it feels fast as well.  When you make the right turn off gravel back onto forest service double track you know there are only a couple miles remaining.  You also know this section contains several uphill sections which feel slow.  I am usually going as hard as I can and flirting with muscle exhaustion cramps.  I normally pass riders who are totally blown and rarely get passed.  Quite likely, I save too much for the last 10 miles.

There was a group cheering riders on the last hill while I was out of the saddle pushing as hard as I could.  My effort was rewarded with cheers from the crowd.  I heard someone say something about me not being dirty.  I was not paying attention, but was surprised to hear this comment because I could not see through my glasses since about mile 25.

 

I pushed my tired legs all the way to the finish.  As I rolled across the finish line I was tired but relieved.  My finish time was 2:39:25  This was slower than my goal, but (I was trying to tell myself) not bad considering the conditions.  As I was trying to reconcile my feelings of disappointment I saw Jeff roll across the finish line not far behind me.  I was happy for Jeff, but still not happy with my performance.  After eating several donut holes and banana halves, I began to come to terms with my finish time.  Jeff took the opportunity to go and print out our results.  To my surprise, my results showed I finished 9th in my age group.  This is the highest I have ever finished in my age group, and the first time I have competed in the 55-59 age group.  Apparently, growing older has a few perks in bike racing, if you are still able to throw your leg over the top tube.

Brad and Jeff at the finish.