Pontiac XC

Sunday, August 24 was the Pontiac Lake XC which is event #7 of the Michigan USAC series. The rain the night before had made the trail fast and tacky. Conditions were ideal and the usual vibe at Pontiac was great.

The Elite/Expert singlespeed class start was fast and furious. I hung with the group through the first lap but started to fall off the pace by the start of lap 2. After some hike-a-bike up the first big climb I took in a gel and some fluids and rebounded. I settled in and was able to pick off several riders to finish 6th with a time of 1:32.41. I was happy with my bike handling and choice of gearing. Although the result wasn't the best, the effort was good and it was another fantastic day to race. What a great weekend! RESULTS.

Maybury Time Trial

Saturday, August 23'rd marked the 6th race of the MMBA CPS series. The Maybury Time Trial was held at Maybury State Park. The course was short (8 miles) and the trail was dry and dusty. The Chapter that hosted the event re-arranged the start times in order for the Beginners to race first and have the opportunity to hang around and watch the Elite & Expert riders. As a result, I spend the greater part of the day hanging around the team compound, snacking, pre-riding with anyone and trying to stay cool. My start time was 1430 and I was the first rider in the singlespeed class. My teammate, Daniel (with Abe Lincoln beard) was 30 seconds behind me and once out on the trail he kept "talkin' smack" at every switchback as he eventually reeled me in with a mile to go. My left calf started to cramp on the asphalt road leading toward the finish. I pushed and finished 6th at 37:45.42. It was a good day to race and the team had some great results in their respective classes. Results HERE.
Jeff Wittbrodt (J-Dub) on his way to setting the fastest time of the day.

Ft. Custer Time Trial

Today was the 5th and final race of the Tailwind Time Trial series. This is the 13th year this best 3 out of 5 race series has been running in Michigan. Since I had 2 races under my belt I made it a point to enter and make a go at an overall series award. I decided to run my full-suspension rig in the 50+ Expert group and my singlespeed in the SS class. What lacked in this decision process was trail conditions and tire selection. Heck, it never even crossed my mind. The last time I rode Ft. Custer it was wet and tacky. A rain-free month later and I assumed this was a non-issue. DOH. I soon discovered an abundance of powdery, dry sand. I went with a Geax Barro Race semi-slick and went down hard on the first corner within a quarter mile of the start. I found myself on the edge fighting it the entire 14 miles. The trail was the standard Red loop and Green loop although half of the Green loop had been reversed. I struggled and came in 3rd with a time of 1:08:xx.


After the geared race I rode down to the lake and jumped in. It really helped cool my core down and I made my way back to my car, changed clothes and swapped out bikes. All I could say about the singlespeed is that it was a completely different experience. My legs didn't feel very fresh and I had to walk a couple of climbs. Otherwise, it was awesome. The big tires floated through the sand and I could dive into the corners without fear of sliding out. I lost time on some of the long flats but still finished at 1:10:xx placing 8th in the Elite/Expert SS Class. We hear it all the time but I'll say it again, trail conditions and tire selection are important factors to consider as part of your pre-race stategy. What a great day of racing! Gnarly can be a good thing.

Back2back2back Time Trials

I don't know how this happened but I seem to have scheduled a series of time trials for this portion of the season. Simply stated, I suck at Time Trials. The Ft. Custer Time Trial is on August 17 followed by the Maybury Time Trial on August 23. Two separate series. I think I may have to reconsider the USAC series for next year as I prefer the schedule and venues much more. "It's all good". It's great to live and race where there are so many choices.