Lumberjack 100 Mountain Bike Race Report
Yesterday, Saturday June 16, 2023, I completed my seventh Lumberjack100 mountain bike racer. . The results from my Garmin 200 are not quite accurate [1!] because the low end Garmin does not ping satellites enough for accurate mileage in twisting single-track trails.. High end Garmins have wheel sensor for rolling distance accuracy. The race results show I ended up with a finish time of 10:45:35 finish time, 295/362 overall, 264/315 men, 71/83 Master 50+ and a pace of 9.3mph. [2] The race awards patches for finishers. I have my 7th!
I lodged at a cabin Friday night five miles from the race location. I set my alarm for 4am, got up and made coffee and two fried eggs with cheese on brioche bun. I used to make it on a bagel but the brioche is really easy to chew and digest as you multi-task getting ready.
Temperatures outside were in the low 40s so I dressed with arm and leg warmers and a windbreaker. I then drove to the start area. I was the second vehicle in the lot and had a good parking space to haul my chair and cooler to the Founders tent.
As I readied for the 7am start, I changed my mind on attire and removed the arm-warmers and wind vest, opting for a light thermal jacket- it felt that cool. (Ultimately the temperatures would climb almost 40 degrees in four hours prompting clothing adjustments)!
The race started in waves. The course is three laps preceded by a 3+mile lead-in starting on pavement before hitting two-track. I was happy for the jacket as the windchill was evident at the 15–16mph early pace.
As usual the course is crowded for five to six miles at which point we start hitting some climbing which breaks up the pack into smaller groups of 5–10 racers. All during lap one the groups pretty much stay like this. Pit stops, climbing and such eventually end the big groups riding together and everyone is mostly solo or in small packs of two to four.
There is an aid station about halfway through a lap and as usual I rode straight through without stopping on my first lap. (I always stop lap 3 and only sometimes lap 2). Anyway, shortly after was my only crash of the day. As I rolled past the aid station with three or four other riders behind me a racer ahead came off his bike and had to put foot down. But instead of moving out of the way as we bore down on him, he stayed in the track, and remounted to clip in as we all had to come to a breaking trackstand stop until he started moving. Now I am wheel to wheel with this guy- and I had been behind him before- he was NOT good in the twisty technical sections. Sure enough, as there was no room to pass, we reached a technical twisty segment and he begins breaking in places I would not have and I hit his back tire with my front and went down! Dammit. The crash banged the muscle above my right knee, making me concerned it may cramp up later. (It didn’t).
Lap one in the chute, peeled off the leg warmers and the thermal jacket but did put on my windbreaker. Reaching the aid station I ended up taking that off too and had one of the volunteers stuff it inside the back of my jersey to carry it. My pockets were full.
At the end of lap one, due to the cool air, I realized I was going hydration deficient. I had only consumed about 16 ounces. I was carrying three bottles at the time- two with Heed [3] one just water. I also had Hammer Nutrition’s Endurolytes and Espresso Hammer Gel in my pockets [3]. Anyway, fresh bottles and off on lap two, I deliberately made sure to drink more as I rode and consumed two full bottles (48 ounces). Lap three, I opted for two bottles of plain water and one with Heed and nearly consumed all three completely.
Lap one with crowded riding early on ended up taking me three and twenty four minutes- about what I expected. I had figured on 3–½ hour laps in general. Lap two was faster (as it was also shorter without the lead-in mileage) and I completed two laps in just a touch over seven hours. Lap three took me a bit longer than I had as a goal with three hours and forty-five minutes.
The course had two climbs that were impossible for us mere mortals. The first, which is about six miles from the finish chute, reportedly has a grade of 20%! I have ridden climbs of 14–15% but this was just impossible. I know the lead racers rode it because I saw two younger riders climb it after I had gotten to the top — they were part of about eight riders that lapped me on my second lap as they rode their third. The other climb was’t so steep but had so many exposed roots surrounded by very loose sand. That one was in the last three miles. Other climbs were all rideable until that third lap when you had to consider how much energy to put out staying on the bike versus simply walking it. I ended up walking a couple more than I did earlier in the race for just this reason.
In the end, I was satisfied with my finish. I never cramp Saturday June 24th.
[1]
https://www.strava.com/activities/9290319801
[2]
https://www.racetecresults.com/myresults.aspx?uid=16371-6060-3-29955
[3]
https://hammernutrition.com/products/heed-sports-drink
[4]
