Lumberjack 100 Report

This was the third year in a row that Mark, Tim, and I made the trip up to Wellston, MI for the Lumberjack 100 mountain bike race. This year it was only Tim and I racing as Mark wasn't able to get an entry for the race, the registration filled up in just over 12 hours with a field limit of 300 racers. I had to make an emergency run to Parkville the Saturday before we left so that I could get the rear brake bled on my bike, it was kind of scary how little braking power I had. I went back on Wednesday to pick it up after work and with a 3 a.m. shift on Thursday and then leaving Thursday afternoon I had to hurry to get things prepped and packed. After picking up my bike I wanted to ride it around town for 2 reasons: 1. To make sure everything was working well 2. To give my legs a little stretch before the long drive the next day. I rode around town for a little bit and then as I was rolling toward the driveway I grabbed brake and the rear brake lever mashed to the grip and I just kept rolling. OH DEAR LORD, let the panic begin. I'm not sure how many emotions ran through my body at one time but it was overwhelming, I grabbed the brake lever with my fingers and pulled on it and it came out in my hand.......OH SWEET MOSES!!! I compared the two levers and quickly realized that the pin that held the rear lever in place was missing. I called Mark and he told me to bring it on over, on the drive to his house I was already getting my mind right to ride my single speed instead of my geared rig. Mark already had an old Avid brake system that he had saved (just for these kinds of events) in the driveway when I arrived and quickly determined what was missing and how to retrieve the part from the old brake system. Within minutes of tinkering he said "Try that", son of a gun it worked......I had pooped in my pants for nothing, well maybe not nothing because it was actually pretty scary.

Thursday about 5:00 p.m. we loaded up in Tim's van and headed on the road. Once we got North of Chicago a ways we found a town to pull over in and get a couple hours of sleep, it wasn't the best sleep but it was still sleep and it was good. We woke up as the town started to stir and grabbed a bite of breakfast and then back on the road. We only had another couple hours or so of driving left to reach Manistee, MI. Once we arrived there we found a small camping area and pulled in and slept some more until mid morning and then picked up a few things in town and then headed over to the Black Bear Inn. I don't think check in was until around 3 but we arrived shortly after Noon and was able to get into the room with no problem. We had the exact same room as last year, of course it was a 1 in 6 shot at the Black Bear Inn. We all took another nap and then geared up and headed over to the Big M ski lodge to pre ride and pick up our race packets. The start of the single track started a long gradual climb that was getting my heart rate and breathing up rather quickly but after we got to the top we were able to bomb down some screaming fast twisty single track. Mark and I rode together, we only rode 6.5 miles as I found myself pushing harder than I probably should, and Tim rode another section. After cleaning up we went and had dinner and then off to bed for an early rise to get to the race site, every year people start arriving earlier and earlier. I knew we had picked a great pit area because several pro riders were pitting together and they picked the site right next to us after we had already put up our tent.

The race started with a 2 mile roll out on pavement before diving into single track and there seemed to be a lot more riders trying to ride with the lead group this year. Last year I was on the tail end of the lead group when we hit the single track but this year I rode the pavement strong but didn't push too hard, I knew it was going to be a long day of riding regardless. The first 5 miles or so was a steady train of riders but we were able to work free for a bit and then we got clustered again. I found myself in 3rd or 4th position in a string of 15-20 riders and we rode like this for a few miles. We got to the aid station and a few riders dropped off to fuel up and I was now in 2nd position of this train. A short distance after the aid station was about a 3/4 mile climb in a sandy section and I was able to overtake the lead of the caravan and found myself pulling for roughly the next 8 miles. I was getting tired but didn't want to let a single rider pass as I knew they would all want to pass and besides I was controlling the pace......I kept it uncomfortable. We finally popped out onto a road section and I backed off to let someone else take over and it seemed that no body wanted to but finally a couple guys jumped up and I used the road section for recovery (the road was sucking the energy out of me most of the day...I was glad it wasn't very long). The cluster of riders scattered into the next section of single track and finally I was heading toward the end of the lap and ready for a pit, I was amazed when I crossed the line at 2:52. My pit stop only lasted 2-3 minutes and then I was off again.

If you couldn't tell from the picture....I was suffering and I think I looked like that most of the day. I would find myself feeling really strong and I would push hard during those times and as I would start to peter out I would back off and find a recovery zone to ride in but I made sure not to stay in it. Hydration was a big goal for me that day as I knew that cramping would be an issue for many riders. I didn't get nearly as much liquid as I would have liked on the first lap because I was trying to stay focused with so many riders right behind me. The second lap I drained my camelbak and only had a few ounces left in my bottle. I finished the second lap at 6 hr 2 min into the race, I was really pleased with my pace. This pit was 3-4 minutes, I seemed to have more trouble taking the pills I had set out but quickly was on my way. Only a couple miles in I just couldn't seem to drink enough water, I was so thirsty and just kept hydrating....even to the point I was feeling a bit water logged. I had not stopped at the aid station out on the course on either of the first two laps and I had no intention of stopping on the third lap but I realized that I would not make it to the end of the race without running out of water. When I arrived at the aid station I didn't rush too quickly but I had a plan and I executed it and left. It was a good thing I had stopped because I had already drank 3/4 of my camelbak and was only half way through the lap. I found my happy place with about 10 miles to go and was able to fire on all pistons the rest of the way in. I did struggle at the top of the last big climb, I could feel my hammy's start to tense and I knew to dismount or pay the consequences. After stepping off the bike and taking a couple steps to crest the hill my muscles were trying to knot up but I was able to fight it off. I eased up the rest of the gradual climb and then it was the wicked screaming fast downhill to the bottom and then about 3 miles of flowy single track to the finish. With about a mile to go I caught another rider and was on his tail in a flash, he heard me coming and just moved over and I stayed on the throttle. I was afraid he was catching me but it was my camelbak making noise behind me. Just to make sure I rode with a very high intensity to do a break away that I was certain he would not catch and I ended up making quite a gap and was able to sprint to the finish line. My goal of 10 hr 45 minutes was crushed with a time of 9 hr 19 min 06 secs. I don't think I could have been more pleased with the race that day, I feel like I rode at the next level and I hope that I can continue to do so.

What made the day even sweeter is that Tim is an official Lumberjack, Tim finished the race and he had been suffering.......seriously suffering. A finish is a finish Tim, and no one can take that away from you....GREAT JOB!!!