2009 Lumberjack 100 Race Report

Hard to believe the Lumberjack 100 is here and gone. It seems like just yesterday that I signed up for it. In reality it was several months ago when I got registered and just beat the 200 racer limit. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous for this one. It was a long drive, to do a long race and in a different (for a 100 miler) format than I'm used to. And it would be all single track. That meant it would sorta be like what I envision heaven to be like. But it also had the potential to be a little bit like hell. In reality it was sort of like being in heaven but then getting caught with a stack of nudie books and being sent to do time in purgatory (something I pretty much imagine happening to me in the afterlife). This is how it went down....

In the weeks leading up to the Lumberjack, I started getting a bit on edge about my choice to enter a race this far away from home. But the entry was paid, I wanted to do it, and since we are in the midst of the W.S.E. (Worst Summer Ever) here in Western PA (weather wise) I figured it could be some time until my knobbies hit quality dirt. So I embraced the Lumberjack, which I re-dubbed the Mother F*cking Lumberjack, pack the car with with a bunch of bike shit, the Dos Niner, my friend Rob and his Niner and we headed to the top of the rust belt to race in some dirt.

The drive was long, but it could have been a lot worse. After about 8 hours on the nos we were at the Big M Ski Area, checked in and debating a small pre ride. My friend and what has turned out to be 2009 race partner Brad Schmalzer was driving up from his new digz in West Virginia and was about 20 minutes or so behind us. As we waited for Brad, Rob had some shoe issues (a Lake boa gone bad), light rain was moved in, and desire to pre ride, was sort of lost. We did talk to Speedgoat racer and would be single speed winner Gerry P. for a while and he gave us the low down on the course, we became content just to soak in some of that knowledge and head to the hotel down the road in Manistee.

After a nice dinner and a couple of Bell's Oberons, it was time for prepping the bottles, hydrating, and trying to sleep. After the long drive I was out like a light, but was up at 2 a.m. in a panic. "What the f*ck am I doing in Michigan??" "WHY am I racing my bike for 100 miles again??". "Oh man it's f*cking raining. HARD!". Finally I fell back asleep, but 4:30 came fast and before I knew it I was stuffing the lathered up bunz & boyz into spandex for 100 miles of Michigan single track.

Things were pretty wet from the rain during the night, but even from just tramping around the pit area you could tell that this Michigan sandy soil was MUCH different from the PA/WV mud that I'm used to. From all signs the rain looked to actually improve the course!

We lined up down the paved road and waited for the start. We chatted with some folks and proceeded to get sucked dry by mosquitoes. The start went way better than I anticipated. I pictured a real bottle neck, but the pack thinned out nicely on the road, We entered thee start/finish area and headed up a sandy hill. Things did back up a bit as 99% us hike a biked the climb on the first lap, but once at the top I settled in with some folks for some very sweet single track.

The course was fun and fast. The first lap had me grabbing a bit too much brake in the corners. This is were knowing the course would have helped. But I would have 3 more chances to get more acquainted with the 25 mile lap. I had a nice pace, and was doing my thing. The course was a freaking BLAST! There was climbing, but nothing long, and it was just beautiful in spots. One particular spot was fast (15 to 20 mph) twisty single track through tall ass pine. It was amazing. This is the part I started thinking this was heaven! Just freaking fast and fun dirt. There were parts that I was able to big ring it, stand, give my back a brake and use some different muscles.

I finished the first lap in 2:15. Stopped at the cooler along the trail swapped bottles, ate a gel and a 3 Musketeers bar and head out for lap 2. This time there was a way more room on the first climb so I just put in granny, found a line and spun up the hill. I spent a lot of lap 2 by myself. I was still having a blast and just going my own pace. I'd pass a rider here and there, leap frog with a couple folks, and just kept enjoying this course. Some of the downhills while not STEEP were FAST and I would be reach speeds in the mid 20s as trees wizzed by me.

I was feeling good about my pace and thought that I just might be finishing this one closer to 9 hours rather than closer to 10. I just kept focused on a steady pace, made sure I was taking in calories, and tried to stay hydrated. Lap 2 time: 2:18.

Again, I was in the pit to grab a couple bottles, take a couple Tylenol, and down a bar and gel. My times in the pit were only about one minute. I knew going in Lap 3 was gonna be tough. Sort of "no mans land". All I knew is that I wanted it over with, so I could get out for lap 4 and know the the final 25 before the DNF Demons began to pick at my brain.

I once again pedaled up the first climb, but this time I had to pull over at the top to wiz. I made it quick, and was thankful I was not like Rob who felt the need for a mid race dump in the wood. Yikes!

I tried to up the pace in the 3rd lap, and felt good. But it only took me about 8 miles to regret this decision. I found myself starting to really fatigue. My arms hurt, my legs hurt, my back hurt, and I was on the edge of cramping. Hadn't cramped but there was flashes of the legs wanting to seize up. So I backed off and was now using the granny to spin up hills that I was middle ringing and standing on the previous two laps. Still I manged to not fall TOO far off my pace and came in with a 2:25 lap time. Of course I DID get passed by the top 3 men (Schalk, Tanguy, and Eatough) on their LAST lap, like I was standing still at about the 20 mile mark of my THIRD lap. Freaks.

It was about 2 p.m. when I got in the pit. Got my shit and hurried back out. As soon as I hit the first climb I knew this one was gonna hurt. BAD! I didn't even waste the energy trying to ride the hill and pushed up. Go on and tried to make up a few seconds here and there. My goals was the aid station. Just get to the aid station, get some food, or some cold water and GET THE LAP DONE!

After about 3 miles I realized I was toast. Every bump made me want to puke. The water in my pack was as as warm as a trucker bomb on a July day and my bottles weren't much better. And EVERYTHING tasted like warm dog excrement.

I was bonking. HARD. The legs had no power at all. Nothing. Flats that I was big ringing at 15 mph before I was now spinning along at about 6. I was devastated. I knew I would finish. But how long would it take?? All that good mojo of laps 1 though 3 was gone. I kept it positive knowing I could finish, but I was in survival mode now. Something I really hadn't felt this year at all. This is the part where St. Peter busted me with the above mentioned stack of nudie books and sent me to do some time someplace "warmer".

It took me forever to reach the aid station. I had plans to grab something to eat, fill my bottles with cold water, maybe dump some cool water on myself to cool down, and salvage what I could of the lap. But when I got there I leaned my bike up against a tree, grabbed my bottle and just sort of stood there. I didn't eat anything, I didn't fill my bottle, and I didn't cool down. I drank 2 small cups of Coke and got back on my bike. WTF??

The next down hill I was traveling at about 15 mph. Zoned out, and found myself heading right for a tree. I grabbed giant, handfuls of brake and skidded and finally did a slow speed endo about 2 inches from the tree. Again I ask thee.... WTF?

My race goals were gone. The only things I could salvage on the lap would be not pulling the plug and finishing in under 10 hours. I finished the lap, stumbling, soft pedaling, and coasting. I managed to get in at the 9:42 mark, in 50th place out of 175 male starters and 83rd out of 272 overall. Happy to finish, and happy have had the chance to ride some incredible single track. But not happy to have been reduced to a stumbling goof again.

I by no means "compete" in these races. But finishing in such a way made me realize again that I am an endurance mountain bike RIDER, not a RACER. Will I stop doing the races? No. But I sure as hell won't be telling anyone I "race" bikes anytime soon. I ride bikes in races. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just want to be honest with folks.

OK, now enough with all that end of the race report "woe is me" bullshit. Barring that last lap, the race was a blast. I have another NUE race under my belt, earned my Lumberjack 100 finishers patch, and had a great time with Brad and Rob (who both had excellent races, congrats!). If the race would have been the Lumberjack 75 I would have been gold! LOL!

Time to start thinking of the next race to ride, the Wilderness 101, and maybe even this coming weekend's Wayne Ultra?

Hope to snag some pics to spice up this report in the future.

Later.