The second edition of Miner's Revenge mountain bike race is next up on the U.P. race schedule (July 10, 2010). The two-, three- or four-lap race features 1/3 mile of "trail" inside a mine shaft in total darkness, making this the only daytime race where a headlamp is an absolute essential. In addition to the stint in the dark, each 8-mile lap features steep climbs, bone-jarring descents and challenging singletrack. The race will be held on the grounds of the Adventure Mine, a former copper mine located in Greenland, MI (40 miles west of Hougton, 13 miles east of Ontonagon). Full details on the race at: www.minersrevenge.com.

Though only two Red Jackets had the courage to brave the elements in the Twilight Criterium, they did the team proud. Caleb Wendel went into the final curve with the lead group and pulled out a 9th place in the Cat V race. Finishing just behind him was teammate Chris Cischke, who was just seconds off the pace with a strong solo chase.

In Saturday's state road race, Cischke led the team with a 12th place finish over the 55 citizen class. In the 35-mile road race, Steve Hackney captured 8th and Bruce Pletka 14th. Terry Kinzel crossed the line in 33rd.

Sunday's Mountain Chase saw a breakthrough performance by first-year team-member Tim Kostner. His 7th place finish put him just out of the money, but well ahead of a number of faces often seen on the podium. Caleb Wendel fought his way through the muddy conditions to 24th place in the 24 mile race. In the 16-mile race, Tammi Lehto returned to the podium (2nd overall); Chris Lehto was 12th across the line.

With the likes of Brian Matter (Gear Grinders) and Mike Anderson (Gary Fisher) at the start, the 2010 Chain Drive was one of the most competitive on record. Leading the way for the Red Jackets, and finishing just 12 minutes down on former U.S. Cyclocross team member Brian Matter and 2 time Chain Drive winner Mike Anderson, Mark Klein finished a very strong 9th place. Next across the line for the team was Tim Kostner (24th), followed by Chris Schmidt (28th/2nd singlespeed). Caleb Wendel, the victim of craming in the final miles was able to hold onto a spot in the top 40. Kit Cischke cracked three hours in his first 32-mile Chain Drive. Pat Szubielak make another podium appearance, capturing third in the 50-59 age group.

In the 16-mile race, Chris Lehto podiumed in the 40-49 age group, as did Tammi Lehto (1st in her age group). Bruce Pletka had a solid finish as well, covering the course in just over 1:30.

A crew of four Red Jackets ventured deep into the Wisconsin northwoods this past weekend in the first ever Chequamegon 100: a self-supported, epic on the singletrack systems that criscross the Chequamegon National Forest. Testing their endurance and navigation skills were James Bialas, John Gershenson, Mark Klein and Chris Schmidt..

Despite the spartan nature of the event (no food or water and only the occasional marking), 115 racers lined up on a dirt road behind the town of Seeley for race instructions. The speech was short: "You're on your own. Keep your head up and ride smart!"

Although this was a race where navigation skills were as important (if not more so) as bike handling skills, you wouldn't have known it from the start. A long stretch of dirt road and two track kept the pace high as racers jockeyed for position before the singletrack started. Once there, it was hard to put the brakes on and ride at a sustainable pace - the smooth singletrack drew every bit of energy from one's legs, begging for more speed.

The day was long though, and eventually the lactic acid in the legs spoke louder than the dopamine in the brain and the pace calmed down. Groups slowly formed - a few lucky riders, including Red Jackets Klein and Schmidt had the good fortune of settling in with the Ashland riders. Nearly local, they knew the course inside and out, which meant no slowing down to read or second guess the cue sheets provided by the race organizers to guide racers through the course.

Nearly everyone made a wrong turn at one point or another during the day, but that was as much a part of the race as anything. A solid day of riding on some of the finest trails anywhere made the day worthwhile regardless of where one finished.

Leading way for the Red Jackets was Chris Schmidt, who rode his version of the course in 10:11, good for 7th place. Mark Klein finished in a solid 10:30, 19th overall. Next in for the team was John Gershenson in 11:28 (40th), followed by James Bialas in 12:29 (63rd).

Red Jacket rider James Bialas journeyed to Rochester, MN for the Almanzo 100, a gravel road race this past weekend, finishing 51st out of more than 250 riders. Get the whole story over at his blog Bad Decision Cyclist.

It has been said that luck occurs when preparation meets opportunity. This past weekend, several Red Jackets met their opportunity in the form of the Cable Area Off-Road Classic. The preparation had been occurring since the early spring thaw. Then it was time to see who was really lucky.

Brett Hamlin, Mark Klein, Tim Kostner, Pat Szubielak and I all attacked the redesigned 25-mile course. The organizers had heard the cries of riders from last year: “More singletrack! Less snow!” With beautiful 70℉ temperatures and sunny skies shining down on the CAMBA trails, we were off. The first “lucky” break occurred only 8 minutes into the race at the holeshot. The backup making the turn from the gravel roads onto the first stretches of singletrack made every backup at the top of Cemetery Hill during the Chain Drive look like an supermarket express lane. Then some of us were trapped behind riders with slightly less developed technical skills and watched gaps form. Throughout, we tried to be upbeat and realistic. One rider near the back of the pack jokingly declared, “I’ll never win now!”

One lucky break for me was stopping by the New Moon Ski and Bike Shop in Hayward the day before the race. The shopkeeper told me the trails up near Cable had received more than 2” of rain the Thursday before the race and they expected a few muddy and greasy locations. I bought and mounted a slightly more aggressive front tire, which turned out to be very much the right decision for the trails. Despite the announcer’s assertion that the trails weren’t as wet as they could have been, there were a lot of puddles and a lot of deep mud. A fast descent and a big puddle caught Brett and he crashed, breaking his collarbone.

After initial selections were made in the first sections of singletrack, not much happened at my end of the race. We plugged along the trails, climbing and descending for 25.61 miles according to my Garmin. I largely ran out of gas after 1:40 and struggled the last 12 miles to the finish. My exhaustion stemmed from two sources of incomplete preparation. Most significantly, I haven’t ridden more than 1:30 all season. Another problem was discovering I had installed my front wheel such that it was dragging on the brake caliper the whole time. (That explained why I was getting smoked on the descents!) I finished 21st in the competitive 30-34 field. Tim grabbed 11th in the 25-29 group. Pat Zoob turned in an impressive 7th in the stacked 50-54 field. Mark Klein had a great race, finishing 6th in the 25-29 age group and 23rd overall! The Red Jacket power couple of Chris and Tammi Lehto had great results in the 18-mile race with Chris coming in 7th in his field and Tammi ranked as 1st in her age group! Bruce Pletka grabbed 2nd in his age group, rounding out some excellent performances by the men and women in red.

The new 25-mile course is challenging and fun and should really be a destination for all our Keweenaw racers, as it feels a lot like home. Much luck to the hardy few heading down to the inaugural Chequamegon 100 -- I hope your preparation is sufficient for that opportunity!