Hanson Hills 50 Race Recap

My expectations were tempered for this event. I simply wanted to test my fitness and get a finish. Lets get into it....

I ended up not heading up to camp the night before so I could sleep in my own bed. I was up and out the door by 6:15am. I arrived at Hanson Hills Recreation area just after 9am. Plenty of time to get checked in and geared up. This is a smaller event so not a ton of people around. I took my water and extra bottle (for the second lap) over by the pavilion and tucked it into a corner out of the way.  

I was relaxed and feeling pretty good overall. I chatted with a few people about how it was the last event. To my surprise many of them were only riding 1 lap. Just to say they were there for the last rendition of the Hanson Hills 50. I rolled around a bit in the parking lot. Knowing I didn't really need a warm up. More on that in a bit. I grabbed the pic below at the entrance and just rolled a bit more.

At 9:50 the race announcements started. Brent was explaining everything and thanking everyone for coming to the event. There was about 50ish...maybe 60 people racing. I saw one tandem and I believe the youngest rider was about 13 years old. Then it was time to go.

At 10, Brent took off down the pavement for the controlled rollout. We go down thru a little neighborhood before kicking back into the park. Didn't take long for the group to get stretched out and the separations to begin. Knowing this is a long ride I just dropped into a group and tried to draft. Mountain bikers in general don't understand the 'peloton' mentality. lol. A few people looked nervous to be in the group so I just stuck to my line and the group started to break up. We moved back into the park and around the buildings before crossing the Finish line to start lap 1. 

The initial trail is pretty flat and open. We had a decent group riding together and I was feeling comfortable with the pace. I held on for the first couple of miles before the first real climb and I dropped off the pace. Feeling pretty good I tried to settle into a pace that I knew I could manage. I was pushing a bit, because I wanted to make the cutoff time. I kept finding myself riding harder. Mentally I had to slow myself down. Eventually I settled in.

I would see people now and then. Some behind me, some just ahead. Overall I rode by myself for the majority of the first lap. One time I was very sure that I was off course. There is a long section of 2 track and I didn't see any signs for a bit...so I was getting nervous that I missed a turn until I spotted the red arrow. The woods gave way to a big clearing and I recognized where I was on the course. Last time I did this race, in 2021, they had just logged this area. There were huge log piles everywhere and it was like riding in a tunnel. This time it was wide open and the sun was shining pretty hard. The dry dust and warm sun made this section warmer than I prefer. lol. 

I finally reached the last climb...and I slowly made my way to the top. I cleared this hill for the first time ever. WIN. I was then descending back to the finish area. I had some heat coming into some sand and got kicked off the trail....almost losing it. But I stayed upright and collected myself a bit. I rode around the buildings and back to the finish line. I crossed with a time of 2:35:28. I crushed the cutoff time! I stopped at the pavilion to swap bottles and refill my bladder. Then I headed off for the second lap.

The first section went well enough. My confidence was pretty high after that first lap. But the first major climb had other ideas. I knew I pushed to hard on the previous lap and it was time to pay the price. The first climb made me cry. lol. I got hung up on a root and had to stop. So I walked a bit to the top. I took a second to look around. The woods out here are beautiful. This area in particular I actually snagged a pic. Rolling hills and open forests are the best. Because of how far North Grayling is located, this area reminds me of Big M. Love it up here.

I kept going....knowing I wasn't the last person out here...well....hoping I wasn't the last person out on course I knew I had to keep moving. Something went awry with my derailleur. I still need to look into what is happening with it. But it was making my gears grind constantly. I stopped and tried to fix it. It would get better, then it would start doing it again. Annoying for sure...but I was still moving forward. There is a nasty sandy section of 2 track about 8 miles into the course. I was doing ok, riding to the right of it. But eventually the sides were too sandy and I had to drop back into the sand. Front wheel hooked and dumped me off the side of the road. Thankfully I was going slow...but a big dude hitting the ground is hard to miss. The friendly volunteers at the aid station all asked if I was ok. Mostly....lol. 

So now I was starting to struggle. I was getting tired. I had crashed. My bike wasn't working right. My frustration level was growing and I still had a long way to go. I was able to mentally get past those moments and keep rolling. I caught a guy. He caught me a while later. I caught him again. He caught me again. Another guy passed. I was feeling like I was the last person out there because I had slowed down so much. I finally saw the last climb. I made it almost to the top before I just couldn't do it. It kicks the last third and my legs were wasted. I reached the top and rode safely down into the finish area.  

I crossed the finish line with a time of 5:32:13.   

I crushed my goal time by nearly 20 minutes. I really paid the price for a fast first lap. Most people that had finish times around mine had similar results. Strong first lap, much slower second lap. I took last in my category, but was NOT the last person out on the course. Some people had slower times than me. Still, this was a great test for me. This course is similar to LJ100 (much more sand). It was a good test for my nutrition, endurance, and mental fortitude. It does make me nervous about the distance. But my mindset for 100 will be much different than it was for 50. 

Always a good day on the bike...even with the issues. Next up is Dirty Donut this weekend. Weather looks to be HOT HOT HOT so that will be interesting. 

Hanson Hills 50 Preview.

 

I will be making the trek to Grayling Friday night to camp at Hanson Hills. Staying at the recreation area so I don't have to make that 3 hour drive in the morning. This way I can wake up, get some food, and relax before the fun begins.

All good things come to an end, and that includes this event. This will be the last Hanson Hills 50 and the last event for promoter Fun Promotions. I will be glad to take part in this final episode. 

I attempted this race one time before back in 2021. I struggled and missed the cutoff time so I didn't get the full experience. In 2021 I was at 3:30 on my first lap. I went back and read the recap (click here) and started to remember how I struggled. Didn't sleep because of noisy neighbors at the campground. Mentally was in a different place that year as well. 

So why this race?

Training and testing.

Honestly, I always like the events that Fun Promotions does...er...did. This will be their last event as I stated before. When I saw it was happening again I wanted to sign up so I could be there to finish this story. But I am also wanting to have some redemption. Having been unsuccessful on my last attempt, I want to get to the finish line this time. 

Recently the surge of gravel races has seen the mountain bike races drift to the background. Most of them are under 20 miles (for Sport) and don't lend the type of training that this race will give me. Sure gravel is great, but its different than mountain biking. Knowing this terrain is similar to what I will see in a few weeks will help me get an idea of how things are going.

Lets dig in....

Mass

I am currently about 20 pounds lighter than I was when I last did HH50 in 2021. That is a win as we know that carrying 4 of the 5 lb bags of flower isn't something that helps you climb faster.

Sorry no free advertising ;)

Speed

The image below is my times at Yankee Springs. Throw in the race time around 1:16 and my times from this year are falling inline with the times from 2015. 2015 is the last year I did the LJ100 and I used Yankee as training. So things are moving in the right direction here!

Climbing

I wanted to break down the feet of climbing per mile at each of the trails below. Yankee versus Hanson versus Lumberjack. I went and pulled the feet per mile off Strava to get an idea of the intensity of the climbing. These numbers are what my bike computer gives me so they are close but not 100% accurate. Will still give you an idea of the elevation that I am against coming up.

Yankee Springs:.....100.1   

Hanson Hill 50:.....68.2

Lumberjack 100:.....73.1

Yankee not only offers more climbing per mile but the trail is also sandy, rocky, rooty, and much more technical than either Hanson or Big M. Each trail has its moments, but I definitely consider Yankee a harder trail than the others. Doesn't mean the other events are easier...because with the added distance those climbs wear out the legs. Hanson and LJ courses are fairly close as far as climbing per mile. 

This means that this will be a half test of LJ100. It will be a good indicator of where I am...not only physically but mentally. I feel pretty good overall and I am ready for this challenge. Not going to be an easy day on the bike...but with the right plan I will be successful. Nutrition testing will be happening. I will be doing everything in my power to make the cutoff time and get a finish here. 

Full race video from MI-XC (from 2021)

So lets talk goals. Even though I don't see a cutoff time, I am sure Brent will mention it like he did in 2021. Basically....3 hour cutoff time. This might not seem like a big deal for 25ish miles. That is only 8.3 mph right? This should be doable in my eyes. I am looking at a goal finish of sub 5:52 for this event. That is 8.5mph as an average. I know, not fast...but that isn't the point. If I can average that speed at this event, it means I am in a good position for LJ100. 

Gang, I know I am not a fast cyclist. I am a big dude out here doing the best I can. I am doing shit on a bike at 250+ that people who weigh 180 pounds won't do. This isn't for anybody but me. I am seeing positive progress on the bike. Learning a ton on nutrition. Losing weight. Moving forward. Finding that confidence that I had back in 2015. Getting healthier and living a happy life. Sure I might take last place on Saturday.....but last place with a finish means more to me than sitting on the couch eating Twinkies all weekend. I just do the best I can. A lot of us do. It is a lot of fun to get out there and see what the world has to offer. My goals are my own. Everyone has them. While some have goals to be podium at these events....mine is simply to finish. That can be more of a win that you can even imagine.

Hanson Hills 50 Goals:

1. Make 3 hour cutoff

2. finish

3. Finish sub 6 hours

4. Finish sub 5:50

Check back to see which of these goals I accomplish on Saturday. 

Continued progress, even with hiccups

 I always say that life gets crazy. And its true....but we learn to manage. Over the weekend I attended a Dance Comp for my girlfriends daughter. She happens to dance at the same studio where my oldest daughter attended and currently teaches. The girls danced amazing and took home a massive trophy with the best Overall Group dance of the entire day. It was pretty amazing. 

Why do I bring this up....well....there are a few reasons. 

1. Life

2.  Expectation

3. Managed Chaos

These girls (and even some guys) work hard to learn the dances. Then they show off their skills. The work they put in isn't really seen by the general public. They are in dance class receiving instruction for hours upon hours multiple days every week. This is the same for any athlete. No everyone sees (or understands) the work that goes into the outcome. The blood, sweat, and tears that are buried into anyone showing progress can be hidden. As a former dance dad I have seen the hard work. I see it now with the girls at the studio. Its amazing to see. This becomes part of their life. The schedule revolves around their schedule. Saturdays are sacrificed for the entire year. But you get into that flow of life, where you have it planned out every night and it makes it easier. A plan. We always have plans in our lives. Those plans change, and we just have to do our best to keep moving ahead.

Just like cycling events, dance competitions have levels for their competitors. The better the dancers, the higher the levels. From solo dancers to group dances...those levels change. Even within a team the levels become very evident. And the dance teams have multiple dances with different dancers. This means that even within a team that there are other teams competing against each other. At the competition last weekend when one group dance took the Highest Overall award it was an amazing outcome. Everyone was extremely proud of the entire studio, but especially happy for that group for taking the highest honors available. But, not everyone was completely happy with it. We heard one of the dancers from the group that was not in that winning dance was having a hard time with some jealously. It was stated that "it isn't fair that they get all the attention when the whole studio dances". She didn't care they won, she was slighted because she didn't get any glory for not winning. But that is part of life. Instead of cheering for her team, she took offense and basically said "where is my trophy". But that isn't life....and we need to teach these kids a few things. First, cheer for those that win. Its ok that you didn't win, but its not ok to be upset with them because they did. Second, use that loss (or their win) as fuel. Add it to that fire and use it as motivation. Say "next year that will be me up there with that trophy" instead of "this just isn't fair". Work for it. Improve. Come back stronger. Life and expectations. 

During some down time at the competition, Christine and I were talking about some vacation options. Somehow we arrived at how chaotic my life was in the past. How I managed it for 25 years and how that chaos gets injected back in whenever dealing with certain people. That chaos ended for me and I prefer to not live like that again, but I see my kids trending that direction. I realized that because of how they were raised that they almost crave that chaos. Its literally all they know. That stresses me, but they are all pretty much adults and can choose that chaos if they want. I can handle the chaos, but I refuse to live in it. Its not a healthy environment. When I get pulled back into that chaos it shows as major stress and I am working on how I struggle with it. 

I know....boring post right....life...chaos....this is dumb. So lets talk bikes for a minute. lol. 

Riding has been pretty good. Getting some solid rides in and feeling good overall. Had a hard ride Sunday and legs were actually sore Monday, so I took the night off. Heading out tonight though for some miles and plan Yankee tomorrow. Dropping the weight has been helping. Down over 40 pounds for the year has been a huge accomplishment for me. I still have bigger goals ahead, but I am so happy with what I have done so for. So a few more rides this week before heading up to Grayling for Hanson Hills 50. I plan on doing a preview of this event. 

Overall....keep on moving forward friends!

2023 Fort Custer Stampede Race recap

Happy Mothers Day! Lets do some racing! 

I made the trip over to Fort Custer early so I could watch the Expert/Elite riders start. I was there WAY too early, but I had a good parking spot. ha. It was a bit cooler than I figured it would be but that meant a good day was ahead. Watched the first waves go off and chatted with a few people before heading back to the car to relax a bit.

Eventually it was time to get warmed up and check out the start and finish. These were both different than in years past and I wanted to have an idea of what was coming. I checked out the start first. Normal start down the hill towards the building. Instead of riding past, the trail hung a right and rode along the parking lot before crossing the road and dropping to the Green trail. The finish was the same as it was a few years ago. Kick off the green, and cross the road before riding around the pavilion and around the parking lot to the finish. No big deals, just wanted to have that knowledge. 

It was time to line up in the Sport Men 40-49 class. Seemed like the biggest class of the day. Over 20 registered, but only 17 were racing. "why not clyde" you might ask.....well....with the lower turnouts there are less categories and clyde is one that is easy to sacrifice. There was no single speed or fat bike classes either. Thanks a lot covid!!!

I was lined up towards the back as the gun went off. The front guys were off like rockets, but the back of the group wasn't as intense as I figured it would be. I dropped into the line and we crossed the road before taking the first left into the tail end of the Green trail. It was a pretty solid line of riders and I was holding the wheel in front of me. This section of the Green is very root filled. Riding close together can be sketchy, but we got thru unscathed. Then it was full tilt to the yellow trail. Its flat and open so we had a good clip going. 

I stayed with a few guys into Crazy beaver. The fast guys from the classes that started after us were starting to gain. There was a steady trickle of people passing for the next few miles. Eventually we hit the 2 track leading into green again. Another guy and I were riding next to each other. I could tell he didn't know the trail, so I said...this dumps into the green singletrack again, and he told me to go ahead. We flew into the trail and reached the base of Erin's climb. I pushed hard to the base, dropped a few gears and powered over the first section. I cleaned the second section and took a second to catch my breath, but not much. I knew people were coming so I pushed on again.

Before I knew it I was past the boat launch climb. I looked at my computer and was shocked to see the speed I was holding. I crossed the road and rode around the parking lot, crossing the finish line at 49 minutes and 7 seconds. As a numbers guy I started doing the math. I was on pace for my goal time. Wanting to ensure I made it I pushed on again. 

The second lap was fairly quiet. A few riders here and there would pass. I was starting to catch a few people too. I was feeling good but I could feel my energy start to drip. Well, it was mental...and I broke thru a barrier on that second lap. I got to the stop of a switch back climb at the end of crazy beaver and wanted to slow down. My body was telling me to ease up...and my brain wanted to as well. Instead, I pushed past that wall and kept pushing. As I got to the top of the boat launch climb I looked at my computer again....and knew I was going to beat my goal time. Instead of coasting in, I pushed as hard as I could. I made that last left and crossed the road the last time only to be greeted with a head wind. lol. Generally not a factor in a mountain bike race, but there it was adding just a little bit more to the grassy finish stretch. 

 

I crossed the line under 50 minutes for the 2nd lap as well. Finish time of 1:39:03!!! I blasted my goal time by almost 6 minutes. I was guessing that the 1:45 would be tough to hit, but I had a really good day on the bike. Felt good for most of it and finished as strong as I could.

Early in the race I caught a stick and apparently took it along for the ride. Had a decent sliver I had to dig out after I was done. 

As always, thank you to the SWMMBA for all of their work for the Stampede and the trail work. Your work is underappreciated. Thank you to all of the volunteers as well! 

Next up is the Hanson Hills 50 in a couple of weeks. Going to go up to Big M this week and to a loop of the race course so we have an idea of what to expect and continue testing the new Eagle setup. Just want to make sure its all good. Otherwise, will be out there grinding those miles on gravel and hitting Yankee for hill training. 

Weight loss update: I have lost almost 39 pounds this year. I have dropped at least 1/2 a pound every week for the past 11 weeks. Some bigger than others....but consistently seeing the scale going in the right direction. Really going to buckle down again these next few weeks and get down another 10-15 for Lumberjack. That will make a huge difference with all those hills!

Keep moving forward!

Weekend recap, and what's to come

I figured I would update on the weekend, and then let you know what I realized. 

Weekend recap

Saturday it was raining all morning. Yes it was light, but still enough that I was being a wuss and didn't go out until evening. I headed to Yankee Springs because I know this is where I will gain the most training. Tough course, lots of climbing...yada yada. When I left home the rain was still falling softly. By the time I got to Yankee it had stopped and the sun was poking through the clouds. The only issue was the sign I saw as I turned into Deep Lake campground. Trail and campground closed for prescribed burn. Ugh, no way did I drive all the way here only to have the trail closed. Well, it was closed....all weekend apparently. So I jumped on the maps and determined Custer to be next closest. Basically, I took the long way to get there. lol.

When I got to Custer I was frankly shocked to see a nearly empty parking lot. I geared up and headed out on the Red. I quickly remembered that its a been a while since I have been out there. And in this direction (T,T,S) I don't know the trail as well. I do know it and can play it backwards, but hitting the hills right is always a bit different. At the end of Amusement park (in this direction) I remembered there was a re-route. I can say with full confidence that I had never ridden it....especially this direction. Kudos to the SWMMBA crew for this change as it makes that section much more enjoyable (at least in this direction). I finished the Red and went out to Green. After that, did a red loop out to granny's garden and kicked back down to green to ride back to the car. It was getting dark because of my late start. Overall, I got just over 20 solid miles and never saw another rider on the trail.

Sunday I hit up a new friend from my town to see if he wanted to ride. I was planning on doing the Dirty Donut 40 mile course. We met up and headed out. I was shocked at how firm the gravel roads were after all the rain we had overnight. Gravel conditions were better than my last ride, but my legs were in worse condition than my last donut ride. The solid ride at Custer on Saturday put some stress in my legs. We ended up cutting off the route just south of Hopkins and heading back towards home. Ended up with just over 25 miles. Pretty solid weekend of riding. Legs are sore enough to prove it too.

So what's next....

Next up is the Fort Custer Stampede on Sunday. I was going to head up to attempt the Bear Claw Epic on Saturday, but its not in the cards this year. With Custer being a course I know well I am happy to go out and ride hard for 15ish miles. Just keep building that fitness leading into LJ100. 

What I realized a few minutes ago is that LJ100 is almost here. Literally less than 6 weeks out and I will be doing the hardest event I have ever done. But I want to share what I have in the weeks leading into this event.

5-14 is Custer Stampede

5-19 nothing on the schedule (but more to come on this)

5-27 Hanson Hills 50

6-3 Dirty Donut (60 miler)

6-10 Cowpie Classic (66 miler)

6-17 THE BIG MF'r Lumberjack 100

Steady build into the hardest races of the year. Should be interesting. Hanson hills will be a great test to see where I am a few weeks out. If I can hold my goal average speed there then I should be 'ok' at LJ100. Lisa and I do plan to head up to Big M sometime next week to get a pre-ride of the LJ100 course into our legs and get a reminder of what we are in for.  Otherwise, its the status quo. Eat less. Eat better. Keep dripping weight. Keep riding with ample rest.

Riding plans are fairly fluid depending on weather, recovery, and life. But my plan is to always use Monday as a rest day. Most of my races are on Saturday's....so Sunday will be recovery rides just to keep the legs moving. The plans for Tuesdays will be a 20-30 road/gravel ride. Then Wednesday I will try to head to Yankee for 2 or 3 laps....leg dependent. Gotta get those climbing legs ready for long hills. Will add another ride on Thursday and rest again on Friday before all my races on Saturdays.....whew.

Keep on keeping on!

Yankee Springs Time Trial Recap

 

Finally back at it with a mountain bike race! Been a while! My last MTB race was Hanson Hills back in 2021. 

Waking up to cooler temps made getting dressed interesting. Wasn't sure whether to go heavy, light, midweight, or thermal. I opted to just wear shorts and a sweatshirt hoping the sun would poke thru and send some much desired warmth. I go to Yankee around 9:30 and found my parking spot. Headed to registration and picked up my number for the day. Not too many people there yet and the Elites were already out on course. 

I wandered around a bit and eventually started to get ready. I did pull on a long sleeve under armor because when rolling the temps felt a bit cooler. I watched the Experts start their waves and was beginning to have a realization about my start point. I was seeing Expert plates with numbers in the high 150's. As you can see above, I was only #164. This meant that I drew a very early start time and would have the entire Sport class chasing me. Whoops! ha.

I headed out for a cruise to warm up and actually went down the warmup loop. I just took it easy and eventually got back to the car. I discarded the under armor because it has warmed up enough that I was comfortable without it. Then I headed towards the start chute. Here was where I found out that I was the 4th Sport racer off the line. As we got closer Martin was saying that we would be heading off every 7 seconds. That meant a lot of people strung out across the trail. So cool.

It was time for me to go. I took off and dove into the trail in the first section. Always a cool start because it throws you right into what this trail offers. A few small drops, some rocks, some roots, and a bunch of sand. I cruised up the first section and it wasn't long before the first rider caught me. No worries, he made a clean pass and we pressed on. Across the bridge and up the little climb (where the first shortcut back to the trail head is) and a second rider caught me. Again, clean pass. Then, another....and another....and another....lol. I was in for a long day of people passing me. I just had to ride my race. 

I did have a goal time of 1:10 in mind at the beginning of the race. Doable for me I figured. I kept going as good as I could, but I started too hot. I held a decent pace into the ditch climb, but my heartrate so high and I was struggling to slow it down. Knowing I had a stream of riders behind me was making me push to stay ahead of them. When I got to the first real climb on the course (where the concrete Washington monument is) I was over the limit. I had to get off and walk. No worries, just keep going. 

Riding into the pines is where I confirmed my descending skills are where I live. I had a guy pass me on the climb, and I caught him easily on the descent in the pines. This happened again on the climb after the pines. A guy caught me easily, and I closed him down during the descent....only to get dumped again on the climb. Still, a fun little cat and mouse style of ride....for me anyway. lol. He probably didn't even know I was back there. HAHA!

I pressed on and got to the last few miles. I was able to ratchet up my speed again. I love the last few miles out there. But with a few to go I stopped to check on another rider. He had crashed just before a drop section and had a bloody nose. I made sure he was alright and told him I would let the volunteers ahead know he was coming. 

I got to the last section and a GROM when ripping past. Little dude was hauling with his dad right on his wheel. So cool to him tearing it up. This did however cause one issue. Because the little dude had a major fan base I had a guy step into the trail when I was coming full speed. The kid rode past the guy and he was recording with his phone, so he was excited and was heading toward the finish....but never looked to see if someone was coming. I nearly got him. I yelled "WATCH OUT" and probably scared the bejeezus out of him, but as a big guy....I wouldn't have been able to stop. So as a trail etiquette request....PLEASE do not walk in the trail during a race. 

I finished and rolled to my car. I was gassed. Not sure how many people passed. It doesn't matter. It was overall a fun day on the bike pushing my limits as best I could. I did miss my goal time as I finished with a time shown below. 

With all of the passing, the walking I had to do from being at limit, and stopping to make sure the rider was ok....I will take that. Yeah I missed my goal, but I tried. At the end of the day I was back out there doing what I love to do....with a whole lot of like minded people. 

Next up is Fort Custer Stampede. It is time to really get some long rides in on pavement, gravel, and dirt. I am still losing weight and I need to continue to do that while ramping up my endurance. The stampede will be fun, but looming Memorial weekend is the Hanson Hills 50. That will be a great test for me to see how I am progressing. So stay tuned, and help keep me on track!