Lumberjack 100 Race Recap

 There is no joy in Mudville....

Christine and I loaded up Thursday evening to head north. We made a quick stop to grab Lisa and off we went. We arrived at our airbnb and got settled in. Easy and relaxing Thursday night.

Friday we got up and headed to Manistee to get some groceries. In hindsight, we were 5 minutes from The Dublin store and should have just gone there. Next year. But we got our stuff and headed back to Wellston. Then it was time to head to Big M and pick out tent spot. We pulled in around 2 and lugged our tent down the start/finish area a bit. A lot of people were around getting set up. We picked a spot right where the start loop kicked into the main loop. Once we got back Lisa and I headed out for an easy spin on some local gravel. We got 11 flat and easy miles and then just relaxed until dinner. 

Lisa and I on our flat cruise

Saturday the alarm went off at 5am. Grabbed a banana and a couple of eggs and we were off. Lisa and I got to Big M around 5:40 and it was already bustling. We got set up and started getting ready. It was brisk, temps were in the 40's at this point. For it being middle of June I was seeing way too many coats and hats. Pretty soon it was time to roll around a bit. 

Lisa and I before the start!

Wave 3 for the start.

We lined up and it was almost time to go. Lisa and I started in Wave 3. It was so cool to see Rick Plite lined up to race. For those that know, Rick started this event and this was his first time ever racing it...as far as I know. Still cool to see him at the line!

Time to go!

Final announcements and it was time to roll. Pretty chill start. Nice 2 mile pavement section. Everyone was just kind of chatting and rolling along. Lisa and I dropped in behind a few riders. Everyone made the turn off the pavement onto the 2-track back to the team tent area. It was a pretty solid string of riders moving along thru this whole area. People trying to settle into their paces. We hit the tent area to a pile of cheers and applause. This is where the race really starts.....

This first section is climbing for nearly 2.5 miles. The first part isn't terrible. A gentle climb. I settled into the group and watched Lisa ride away. She is a better climber than me. I was holding my own on that first part. I could see riders strung out ahead of me for a long ways. It is nice, because it gives you an idea of what is coming. However....what was coming wasn't very nice. There are some major major kickers in these woods. The first one had a conga line of people pushing their bikes. Just gotta do what you can here. Ride a bit, walk the rest. No shame. Everyone is in good spirits still.

Then another kicker. And another. The group is starting to get spread out now as the reality of what we are attempting is starting to sink in. I grabbed another wheel and there was a decent group riding together still. All this, less than 10 miles in. ugh. I was in for a long day!

After that first section of climbing the course is much more enjoyable. It is rolling hills and sections all the way to the aid station. Its fun to hear them cheering, hooting and hollering as people ride thru. I opted not to stop and just kept moving forward. The next few miles were not fun. The section after the aid station was more big hills. Nasty steep hills. Some people were able to ride them, and major kudos to them. Majority of the masses were walking. The people were starting to thin out and spread across the Manistee National forest now. At this point, the leaders had already crossed the finish line and were chasing us. 

I hooked up with a few guys that were riding my pace. We all walked the hills and then cruised the rest. Good guys to ride with as they were my pace. We rode together for probably the last 6 or 7 miles of the first lap. Around 4 miles to go its a bench cut trail and is just slightly uphill. A fun section with beautiful scenery. Rick Plite was with me again. We bombed the Bushwaker descent together. It was so fast that I actually used my brakes. Not knowing the trail and not wanting to die I played it safe. We kept pushing on and eventually I saw some tents. Lap 1 was done!

I crossed the line in 3:50:06. At is stands....that is exactly 1 minute slower than 2015. I am on pace to reach my goal of making the cutoff time. 

I roll into the tent to restock water. I am filling my bottle when I hear "Hey baby!" and I look up to see Christine! Her, L2 and Glenna were there to cheer on Lisa and I. It was good to see her, but I was in full race mode. So I blew her a kiss and was ready to go again. L2 asked where Lisa was, and I was 400% confident she had already come thru. I said my goodbye's and headed out to tackle lap 2.

Little did I know that somewhere along the way I had passed Lisa. I haven't looked at the video yet, but I am guessing she was at the Aid Station when I rolled thru. She came thru about 7 minutes after I did....but I would have bet 100 bucks she was still ahead of me. lol. Funny what you can miss when you are riding....

Lap 2 started with that super nasty long climb. I cleared the first (easier) part and had to walk the kickers again. No worries....just keep going. At this point the riders were very spread out. I wasn't really riding with anyone but I was starting to suffer. Legs were not liking the amount of climbing this course offers. Surely something to work on in the future. I pressed on. I wasn't very far into that lap when I heard "Rider back".....and it was the eventual 2023 Lumberjack winner Jorden Wakeley. I didn't even make it 40 miles into the race this year and got smoked. That guy has always been a strong cyclist...but I shit my pants that he caught me that early. His awesome race ended with the coveted 10 year Saw. So awesome for him as well as the others that got their saw this year.

I settled into my pace and started riding with a single speeder named Bruce. We went back and forth all the way to the aid station. We both stopped and grabbed a snack. I looked at him and asked "you ready Bruce?" and he goes "YEP, lets get to it". So we rolled out again. There was a woman that had been back and forth with us as well. We all kind of suffered together on the next miles. Bruce had his chain come off. Then a flat. Eventually I was riding alone until I passed the woman again. Then I heard Lisa behind me. I heard her call out a pass and took a glace back to catch her jersey. Apparently I owe L2 an apology! ha! Here she was.

When she caught me I said "HEY SIS" and she was like "how did you know it was me??!!?". lol. We rode together for a short amount of time before a nice descent. We were just ramping up the speed when I heard a horrendous sound and felt my bike let loose. It felt like the rear brake went out.....and when I stopped to look I couldn't quite figure out what happened. I wiggled my rear wheel and it flopped like a banana peel. Bearings? Did I just blow apart my rear wheel? Still not knowing I urged Lisa to press on. The lady I had been riding back and forth with stopped to offer her cell but we didn't have service. All I could do was walk. 

I walked for a bit before I decided to really look into what was going on. Maybe I can ride the flats. I rolled about 50 feet before I looked down and saw this....

Needless to say....my race ended the moment I heard the pop. I just had to keep walking. My phone had died at this point...so I was kind of stuck. Thankfully I remembered my gopro has the same plug as my phone and connected it to my battery bank. Eventually I worked with Christine, Lisa, Summer, and the promoters to get out of the woods. I walked around 2.5 miles before I finally found a spot where SAG could get me. Was a terrible place for my bike to break. Was a cool SAG pickup as he is a guy that I know. Allen and I had a great chat on the way back to the parking lot. 

So....clearly not how I wanted this race to go. Not only did I miss the cutoff time, but I also came home with a busted bike. I would like to say that the weekend overall was good....but we had some pretty serious ups and downs. It was great to see some old friends like Mr. Shaver, the Bartzens, the Ackers, the TenCates and Mr. Wheeler. All of the cheering and support is greatly appreciated! This event wouldn't be the same without you! 

I will have some videos coming and will be sure to tag anyone I can. 

Again, BIG THANK YOU to the Lumberjack promoters and their volunteers. Your time and efforts never go un-noticed. You guys are the best people I know and you will always have my support! 

Massive thank you to Lisa for attempting this crazy event with me! I am so proud of you sis! You did an amazing job! I am so thankful to call you and your family my family. I love you more than you know! It was great to line up and ride with you literally from the beginning until the end. Your relentless support, motivation and listening ears have been more help than you can ever imagine. So Thank you for being you!

Finally, thank you to Christine! My love, you are there for me when I need it most. You have been supporting my decision to try this crazy event from the start. You helped me lose the weight I have lost. You encourage me to ride. You even woke up at 5 am on Saturday to wish me luck! When my bike was broken your first words were "we will get you another" which is silly! ***(a moment of honesty here, Chris might not know how much we really spend on bikes :) She is very new to what we do.)  You help keep me sane when I am at my darkest. You offered me all your positive vibes on Saturday when you had bad news hanging on you. Thank you baby for being there for me and helping to push me forward. Of all of us, you were the one that said "you will do it next year". You know we are nuts, yet you give us your support anyway. Thank you woman. I love you.