Lumberjack 100 version 2011

No race for me this year. My leg is still jacked (long, boring story) up so I decided to join the fun and help out where I could. I drove up Friday and rode a lap before dinner. It was the first time I have ever rode the trail while NOT racing. I was also digging the trail on my Niner 29'er. It climbed like a goat and rolled super fast on the trail. It was an enjoyable ride and this trail never disappoints. If I were racing I would not have ridden the entire length the afternoon before the event. I went over to Ricos to meet the team and while all my teammates were drinking water I was able to quaff down a few Oberon's without regret. I was kinda enjoying the NOT racing thing. 5am came early on Saturday and we all headed down to the start. No pre-race jitters for me as the team gathered for the 7am start.



The roll out was pretty cool. The buzz of hundreds of knobby tires rolling fast on the pavement was great. The gust of wind created by the pack pushed it's way through the corridor of trees as the riders filed into the singletrack. Check out the video:

A Greyhound train:

Brian Bratney FTW!

Pit debris:

Alex finishing lap 2:




Promoter Rick Plite confirmed that he had plenty of volunteers to help him with the event. Several re-routs had eliminated the need for additional course marshals and I was now essentially free to do what I wanted for 10 hours. With lap times of 3-4 hours it was gonna be a long afternoon. It slowly dawned on me that NOT racing kinda sucked. I met up in the pits with teammates MIKEWOODS!! and Ritzy who had started off the day with a couple of beers. Mike was scheduled to assist at the aid station at 1630 so we gathered to ride a lap and "sweep" the course. The trail had improved significantly with the throng of riders clearing out the debris that littered the trail when I rode it on Friday. Unfortunately, the debris still claimed it's fair share of riders with the first mechanical reported (sheared derailleur)withing 30 minutes of the start. This lap was much more relaxed as we pulled off many times to clear debris and allow racers to pass. At times it felt like I was an Imperial storm trooper riding a speeder through the forests of Endor. Tall trees and a carpet of thick ferns. Truly an amazing trail!

We finished our lap and headed over to the aid station to help out. It was amazing to see the condition of the riders as they were midway on their third lap. All the riders demonstrated a wide range of cognitive facilities. With ~15 miles from the finish there were a few folks who were hurting. As a racer you may feel like shit but as a spectator you truly get to see it. The volunteers did a fantastic job in handling the riders who were limping in at the late stages of the race and encouraging them to finish it out.



Sunday morning crepe-fest. Thank you Jeffro!

MIKEWOODS!! and Camcakes:


RESULTS: