Lumberjack 100 Follow-up, Part 2

Part 2 is going to follow through a little photo montage of the weekend.  There are huge chunks missing since I wasn't taking a ton of pictures while racing (duh), but let me share a few things:

First, the pre-ride.  This time I DID have my phone with me to snap a couple of shots of the course.  Much of it looked just like this.  There were a few miles of sandy fire roads, and a TON of singletrack.

My wife was kind enough to grab a couple shots of Kenda course tape.  What we do without pictures of course tape!?

We missed some shots of the mass-start, which I can't help but to assume was fun to watch.  400 or so people buzzing down the road on knobbies at 25+ mph had to be kind of neat.

Luckily there were a few shots snapped coming in after lap 1.  Think it was a but dry and dusty out there?

Here's Rob coming in after lap 2.  Still in good spirits, it's all about getting out for lap 3.

Barry Wicks is a nice dude, but when someone is able to win a 100 mile MTB race in under 6:30 and have a smile on their face at the end I just want to punch them.

And then there's me, rumbling through the finish at 8:27.  Exhausted, but I had a great time up there.  I'll be back again.

Lumberjack 100 Follow-up, Part 1

So, that happened.  I'll delve into more detail in the following days, but suffice it to say this year went better than last, I had more fun, I went faster, but I hurt just as much.

Now that I'm home I'm finding my palms are slightly bruised, the cramps that were making some of the climbs unbearable have left my legs feeling like they were run over by a truck, and my arms are so tired I can barely lift them.

When I pulled into our tent after finishing I was so out of it I almost felt like I hadn't finished and needed to go back out onto the course.  It took over an hour with a cool towel on me before I could even think about walking to the car, and when I did whatever was left of my nutritional strategy made a reappearance.  After a long shower and an entire pizza to myself, I actually felt ok.

Within a three hours or so of finishing I realized I had a blast, I pushed myself beyond anything I'd ever accomplished, I'm so proud of all of my teammates, and I'll be back again next year.  If ever there were a course designed around my mountain biking skill-set, it's Lumberjack.  When the trails get really dicey and technical, I lose a lot of time.  But when you can really see where you're going, the trails are fast, and the course requires you to pedal a lot, I can manage.

My goal time of 8:30 was met with an 8:27.  I missed my dream time of 8:00 because of some outrageous leg cramps which started around mile 55 and stuck with me until about mile 80 pretty solidly, then reappeared at various times throughout the remainder of the course.

I'll leave you with this screen shot.  The elevation profile for the entire Lumberjack 100 course.  The opening climb is about 5 miles and 500ft of climbing.  The first time up it's not so bad, but when I hit it at just over 5 hours into the race and 66 miles behind me, it was rough.  The true killer for me was the final climb, which is extremely sandy and steep.  At about 3 miles long and 400ft of climbing, with feet that were on fire and legs cramping, that climb almost got me.

Lumberjack 100 Weather Update

This weekend will see my second attempt at The Lumberjack 100.  Last year I went into the race after 2 full weeks off of the bike and about a week in bed.  A nasty bug of some sort got me and left me out of the game.  I attempted the race, finished the first lap and started my second, but knew there was no way I'd finish and pulled the plug.

More recently, Coach Ted has had me training consistently, I've stayed healthy thus far, and am amped to give this another go.

Here's the weather forecast for this week, going into this weekend, in Cadillac:

Since this will (hopefully) be my first completed 100 mile MTB race, I'm in it to finish it.  Awesome weather means everyone will be fast, and I'm fine with that.  I want to get this one under my belt so I can come back next year and race it.

But, let's focus on next weekend first.....

NEW BIKE DAY! Surly Cross-Check Custom in Robin's Egg Blue

Surly builds like this are always a pleasure.  Starting with the complete build, adding small touches to make the bike yours without going over the top.  Much like we did with this bike, the Robin's Egg Blue Cross-Check today was all class.

The complete build is pretty sweet, but subtle changes like Arundel Gekko tape in white really brightens up the finish on this bike.

Fatties do in fact fit fine.  This bike was built with SKS fenders and 28c Continental Gatorskin Ultra tires, and there's still a ton of clearance.

Just sit back and enjoy the rest of the photos.  This bike is just so classy, so clean, and so ready for whatever the road brings.  This one is intended to be used on a roughly 20-mile commute each way, though I have a feeling it will be seeing far more miles than that.

Continental Ultra Gatorskin sale!

This week we're offering up one of our most popular tires of all time.  The Continental Ultra Gatorskin offers up great puncture protection and long life.

Buy one, get one 50% off.  700x25 and 700x28 steel bead qualify for the sale.  Sale ends 5/12 or until stock is gone, no backorders.  MSRP $50/ea.