The WORS That Could Happen

What? No Sunburst Showdown?

This morning the Wisconsin Off-Road Series announced its 2015 schedule, an interesting mix of old and new. I wasn’t really part of the series this year—I did only the WORS Cup short track race and the Reforestation Ramble—but I might do more next season.

Waukesha will replace Franklin as the home of the Colectivo race. I skipped Colectivo this year because the cyclocross season was already in progress, but I am likely to do next year’s race. Some WORS venues are open only on race weekends or located far from home, while Minooka Park is a place at which I could practice several times to improve my odds for a good result. I have heard nothing but positive things about Minooka Park since August when it was used by the nascent high school mountain biking league in what many of us suspected was a trial run for inclusion by WORS.

Cyclocross likely will be my main goal again in 2015 and that probably means no WORS races for me after Aug. 23. At least for now, I am not very interested in the details of the Sep. 27 WORS race … and I don’t know whether you should read anything into the placement of the number 11 on the map above.

I won’t be 50 years old until June but I can race the entire 2015 WORS season in the 50-54 age group. That gives me a little extra motivation to chase series points. After upgrading to Cat 2 (Sport) for the 2013 season, I was a mid-pack finisher in the 45-49 age group. The 50-54 age group has its share of really accomplished racers—a few of whom I am unlikely to challenge—but I could be in the hunt for occasional trips to the podium and a Top 5 overall placing on points.

Every new season is fun to think about but things rarely go as planned and what sounds good today might sound ridiculous 6 months from now. There are a couple of WEMS races that are every bit as important to me as my favorite WORS events, and the 2015 WEMS calendar isn’t out yet. The dates are unlikely to conflict but it’s too early for me to make any real commitments.