2009 Lumberjack 100

Here we go! Saturday, June 20 will be the Lumberjack 100 near Wellston, Michigan. This will be stop #3 of the NUE series. I love the feel of this event! More later...




UPDATE:
The 2009 installment of the Lumberjack 100 was yet another successful outing for race promoter Rick Plite and his crew. The hand water pump broke (no plumbing in this neck of the woods) at the Big M ski area the night before the event and thankfully Rick was able to secure plenty of H2O for everyone. It's a good thing too as temperatures climbed after a night of rain gave way to a steamy day. The rain kept the sand down and a new course record was established. It's amazing that the top 2 finishers, Jeff Schalk and Christian Tanguy were only separated after 100 miles by 30 seconds! Schalk blistered the course with a winning time of 6:48:06!

My goal was to beat last years time of 11+ hours and I would try to get in under 10 hours. The trail was in perfect shape and the course was anything but easy. After last month's Mohican 100, I was looking forward to 100 miles of fast, flowing singletrack but quickly realized how difficult this venue can be. There is no 2-track or fire roads to recover on here.

My first lap was sketchy with lots of traffic and a few greasy spots I found it difficult to ride the trail efficiently. I was braking when I should have been letting it all hang out. The group I was riding with piled up at mile 5 and I went "slow-motion" over the handlebar. No harm. Traffic thinned by lap 2 and it just kept getting harder and harder for me. I felt slow. I was sweating like a pig and I continued to take in nutrition and fluids. I was trying hard to avoid any cramping. About half way in lap 3 I was really struggling and my legs felt like lead. It felt like I was lacking power on the climbs and failing to maximize any forward momentum. I realized I needed to utilize my singlespeed skills more and hammer on the short climbs. Spinning was slowing me down and sapping my energy. With 7h30m on the clock I set off on lap 4. I needed to turn a 25 mile lap in less than 2.5 hours to make my sub-10 hour time. Alas, it was not to be, although I did manage to nip another old fart at the line to take the tenth spot in the Masters 50+. As a team we introduced many members to the Lumberjack 100 this year and there were many personal success's throughout the ranks. By mid February when registration opens up I am sure many will forget about the grueling nature of the event and sign up again. Heck, I'll sign up just to get another pint glass, t-shirt and patch!

Daniel and his finisher patch:



RESULTS