My return to mountain bike racing went pretty well, and there was probably no better venue for it than the Brown County Reforestation Camp in Suamico, home of the Stump Farm 100.
Last September my racing season ended with a broken collarbone at the WORS race in Lake Geneva. That crash was on my mind during today’s WEMS race, but the Reforestation Camp is far less technical and I have raced it well on several occasions. Even without a pre-ride, I would not be intimidated by today’s course. That is not to say I rode it perfectly—heck, I even suffered a little wipeout near the end—but I am happy with my performance overall.
WEMS races are not broken down by age or ability, so in the men’s 30-mile category I was up against some real heavy hitters. I didn’t expect to win. The victory went to Team Pedal Moraine’s Jeff Melcher, who completed the course in 2:21:07. My time was 2:54:04, good for 24th place out of 40. And just like last year, I finished my 30-mile race with nothing but respect for the men and women who compete in the 60- and 100-mile categories. For me, 30 is enough.
This year’s course was considerably different from last year’s, running in the opposite direction and utilizing more singletrack and less of the wide-open skiing trails. That brought the average speed down and that worked against me. But I think I got my training right in the lead-up to the race, and I was happy with my nutrition and hydration.
Training for the next race—which may or may not be the WORS race in Wausau on June 15—begins tomorrow.
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