Iceman came & went with little ice or snow dealt out for the racers. It did however offer up a great course especially for the 29er platform. Rolling into Traverse City on Thursday gave us the time to pre-ride and stretch the legs after an 8+ hour drive so we pulled out the Lycra, did some Inchworms & helicopters in the parking lot before hitting the trail in reverse. JB (jeremiah bishop- trek vw) had made the trip with us and quickly made reference to the rolling advantage of the 29er wheels on the course during our ride. The weather was chilly and a bit damp but nothing horrible. Dinners and conversation came and went until we found ourselves at the high school ready to race. Call ups were made which of course got JB a spot up front, but they must have forgotten that the Stork was there because I hung near t
he back waiting to here my name but it never happened. No big deal they must have known I was there just to have a good time. The count down came and we were off. I couldn’t help but to notice there seemed to be 29ers everywhere especially Superflies & Paragons!
With the rolling sandy course I had chosen the Bontrager DryX (now know as the Xdx) because of its low rolling resistance and larger air volume (great for floating over the sand pits). I was having a blast working back & forth through the groups and noticing that our speeds were very high for a mountain bike race. This course offers little area to “rest” because its so rolling it requires you to work the entire time! I finished up with a respectable time and still had a grin on my face. JB had pulled out a win on his 26er but again looking around clearly would have you realizing that the 29ers were the larger group.
Of course Fisher/Bontrager had a great support group there including Sam Foos, Chris Clinton, Travis Ott (our illustrious 29er Crew leader), Mike Shrift aka Shrifty, & Todd the Trek photographer. There were also a few other 29er Crew members like Amanda Sprout (7th place Womens Pro), Dan Kotwicki, & of cour
se Marko Lalonde (5th Place Mens pro). I got the chance to race with Dan for a while during the event as we worked together for some time as teammates which was a rare opportunity for the 29er Crew since we’re all spread out. A big invite into the Fisher VIP Tent at the finish had us warming up with hot dogs, chili & coffee. Again what a great bunch of guys and the support was very much appreciated!
On another note Michelle Johnson who races for our Local Trek Rep Bob Myers, raced Saturday on a Paragon single speed 29er & took 5th in the womens Open Single speed class! She only had the bike for a week and coming from a Trek 69er she found the big wheels to be an advantage for her at this race! Read her story soon here!
Ok so there you have it. Want to view the course? Go here. Read up on the others story’s where I’ve placed links. Michelle will have a nice write up as well as Bob & Jeremiah. Also if you get the chance try to make this race its fast & fun and what better way to end the season than rewarding yourself with a trip. Very well organized! If you do make it take along the big wheels.. they belong here.
*stork
