Races like Saturday’s Chequamegon is what I dream about. Every hour of training or every race that I suffer through I think of the good days and how such ‘average’ days make them that much sweeter. Yesterday was one of the sweetest ever. Entering the birkie trail out of Rosie’s field sitting 7^th wheel I was having zero issues. Past Chequamegons I’ve felt pressure early on, but this year I was in total control, never riding at my limit and wondering when we’d crank it up. This lasted until just north of the Mosquito Brook road crossing where Doug attacked just before the left turn onto the snowmobile trail. JHK and T. Brown were the first respond and Tristan was right in there too. Jeff Hall and I followed suit and eventually pulled up to Tristan but our efforts were in vain as the lead trio was absolutely drilling it on Phipps fire lane.

Ian, Tristan, Mike Phillips, and B. Matter all rejoined and the chase group has officially been formed. This chase group wasn’t living up to its name however, as everyone seemed content to race for 4^th place. There were a lot of times that I had to keep smart and stay second wheel in the group even though I knew that I could up the pace at the front. Perhaps we would have closed the gap some, but in the given situation my energy was best to be conserved. 90% of the time I sat second wheel all the way to Hwy OO. At this point I was getting excited for the hills that were soon approaching and began to make some moderate efforts. Just a couple hard stomps on the pedals created a gap and Chad came up to me quickly. For a couple of minutes I thought that we might actually have a shot at riding away, but of course the group was strong and pulled us back. In a counter move Jeff attacked after Martel’s Pothole but I was able to slowly claw my way back up to his wheel. From here on, we all knew that the battles were to be huge.

After these four miles that were quite intense, my legs began to cramp. Anytime I’d get out of the saddle both quads would cramp. With twenty miles to go, and otherwise great sensations coming from my body, I was scared for my day on the bike. Immediately I slammed down a Double Latte PowerGel and chased it with Sun Tea PowerBar Endurance Drink. This has become a favorite race day combo for me and now was the true test. Could I ward off the cramping with the hardest efforts yet to come?

Riding near the front all of the time we negotiated Boedecker, Smith Lake and Lake Helane roads. With all of the sand I was able to ride good lines since I had a clear line of sight and could plot a good approach in order to keep the pace high. With my legs still cramping every time I got out of the saddle and Fire Tower approaching, I was getting very nervous, but I knew that I could only try and hope for the best. Matter attacked first and Tristan was first to follow up the big climb. Ian had to pull over with a Trek Fuel issue of some sort, so I lead Jeff and Mike to the top. Matter and Tristan had a little gap but Jeff and I pulled it back on the descent and Mike rejoined as well. Staying in the saddle I had made the hardest effort without cramping, maybe I would continue with this luck all the way to the finish…

On the last birkie trail section Jeff went to the front and tightened the screws down. He never really attacked, it was just that he inched his way from the rest of us slowly. Perhaps he caught us sleeping, but the pace was very high here, so speculation isn’t worth much. This turned to be the smartest move from our group, as he was able to solo away and claim the third log of the podium.

We eventually shook Mike and our chase group was down to four – myself, Ian, Tristan, and B. Matter. Ian pulled us the full length of Telemark road and Tristan took his turn shortly after. Once we turned into the Telemark ski trails I went to the front and hit some of the hills hard, pushing the pace. I never got too much of a gap, but it made everyone in the group work hard and test the legs. Tristan would jump and it kept going back and forth that way. As we neared the final climb up the backside of the hill someone called out that they could see Travis Brown ahead.

This meant ‘game on’ and we went into warp speed mode. Brian had been saving something huge and unleashed it all on that final climb, blazing by T. Brown while I tried to follow his moves with Ian and Tristan in tow. Down the ski run was super fast and Ian was sitting right in my shadow, but Travis was just too far to catch with so little trail left. I knew that this was going to be an amazing finish and I absolutely had to get to the line first. In the big sweeper to the left at the bottom hill Ian came just to my right side and we absolutely pounded that last climb with the crowd roaring. The amount of adrenaline pumping through my body was incredible and those final seconds were surely the biggest rush I’ve ever had on the bike. Going by Ian meant that I had finished the Chequamagon 6^th overall after fighting many battles for 40 miles. Quite a different story from being dropped with 30 miles to go and riding solo in the past two attempts…

Everything came together for an amazing day and it was awesome to have a large part of my family and friends there to share in the experience. It was a great way to cap of what has been an amazing season. Now I’m ready to find the next adventures that await me in Tucson. I hope that your Chequamegon experience was as memorable as mine. Gary Crandell does an amazing job with this event that is truly unlike any other. Thanks so much!

-TJ

It is that time of the year that all of us in the Midwest wait for… Chequamegon Time! I’ve been racing this one since ’97, so for me, it does have that ‘legend’ feel to it. There is something about an epic 40 mile battle with everybody who’s anybody in Midwest cycling. Toss in some of the big names who come on Trek paid entries and there is sure to be a rumble. With so much mystery hiding deep in the woods of the North, it is hard to say who will roll across the line ahead of all of the rest. Sticks, rocks, sand, mud, ruts, chains, tires, derailleurs… Who will have the legs, the mental focus, the luck, and the misfortune of others, and that leg breaking move this time? The wonder and mystery of this one is unmatched and I love it!

With a special delivery from my grandparents, I’ve been fueling up the right way this week. Homemade Racing Fuel! Maple-syrup that is certified ‘testosterone free’ has been a staple of the breakfast meal. Because dopers suck. The best part is that the ‘best if used by’ date is Chequamegon specific – perfect!

eBay has also kept me busy this week. I had 17 auctions that ended earlier this week so I had a lot of packaging to do. Now if only these last five auction winners would pay up so I could get these boxes out of here… I’ve got rent to pay people!

Not that I haven’t been thinking about the Chequamagon all day long already, I’ve been watching some small video clips from last years version. Pictures from the finish have me hungry to hang onto the lead group this time. Let’s see if I can make that happen. Stop by here, here, here, and here for some good Chequamegon anticipation. Best of luck this weekend; see you there!

-TJ

Post race Mondays are always tough, but this one is especially so. Anyone who has ever raced knows that worn out, tired sort of feeling that overtakes your whole body. Yesterdays’ WORS Sunburst Showdown was definitely the worst race that I’ve had all year without any mechanical mishaps. Finishing was a huge success and somehow I came across the line in forth. I’ve never had such GI distress during a race and let me tell you, I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone! The first lap was enjoyable, but laps two through six were spent planning a quick escape into the woods if things got any more ‘urgent’. My stomach couldn’t have been any more wrenched. I had about two sips of PowerBar Endurance and that was all the fuel I consumed throughout the whole race. To say the least, my focus wasn’t on the race for a majority of the time out there… Shortly after finishing I spent about fifteen minutes in the porta-john. My body was not very happy. Enough said.

Of course there are always the ‘what ifs’ or ‘if onlys’, but I’ll spare you of those and hope to be healthy for the Chequamagon. Riding as well as I did while ill does offer me some reassurance that I’ll be just fine when I’m healthy next week. For now I just need to rest up and let my body recover from whatever sort of bug I came across.

We were consistently pulling sub-fifteen minute laps and I got to witness some serious attacking between AJ and Brian up the last climb. After finally bridging up to the group of AJ, Matter, and Phillips things really started to pick up. That last lap we closed about 30 seconds back on Tristan simply by repeatedly attacking each other. Ouch. I was just happy to finish with a clean chamois, and being fourth was incredible.

I must also give former PCW rider Brian Schaning props for finishing 54^th in his second Wisconsin Ironman. This result is excellent! Next up is the big CHEQUAMAGON 40. That’s the story, so thanks for reading.

-TJ

Wow is it ever cold today! 54 degrees right now at 2 pm, incredible… I’m glad that today was planned for recovery because I’d otherwise have to find some extra layers that haven’t been used all summer. The seasons are definitely changing and I’m really looking forward to a taste of fall. This is about all I get, a taste, since I’ll be headed to Tucson shortly after the Chequamagon and it is sure to be balmy there. The thought of a new adventure is very exciting and the challenge of expanding a coaching business there ought to be rewarding. Of course riding someplace new is always great and I’ll be keeping at that. There will surely be some good news in the coming weeks so do keep tuned in for the details.

This weekend will be the Kewaskum WORS race. I’m really looking forward to this one since last years edition wasn’t so wonderful with all of the bike-destroying mud. Though it tends to be a short race the main climb each lap ought to help sort out the field as the climb at Devils Head did. A final race tune-up before the big-show next week, it ought to be fun to take in another weekend of WORS. I’ve been racing them for nine years now so it’s almost like ‘home’ no matter what the particular venue might be. Let’s just hope that it is all cylinders firing. Thanks for stopping by.

-TJ

So there was no racing for me this Labor Day weekend, but I did manage to get in two high quality workouts. On Saturday Ron Kay and I headed up to the northwoods to do a reconnaissance mission of the Chequamegon 40 course. We did this at a decent clip, enough so that we were both taxed by the time we rolled into Telemark. The course is setup the same as last year, but seems to be even drier with only a few mud holes out there. It is the sand pits that could potentially cause some issues at several points along the route. It was a perfect day to be up there training and I can only hope that we have such conditions on the 16^th. While we were out there I let Ron ride my Litespeed Sewanee as I got on his Trek TopFuel 110. The only way that he could describe the ride to me was that it “wasn’t fair for me to tease him like this�?. The bike does ride like a dream…

Sunday afternoon brought on some LT work along the lines of a 3×20 day. Doing this workout around Shell Lake is absolutely perfect as you get 4 or 5 minutes to recover as you ride through town before doing the loop again. The loop is a totally flat, tree covered road that perimeters the lake. How could you ask for a better LT route? The wattage was about 15 higher than ever before and my weight is about 3-5 pounds lower, so I just need to keep the engine polished for a couple more weeks without over doing it and I should have no excuses for the big race. I’m feeling and riding more fit than ever before, so it is just a matter of keeping the ball rolling now.

Post Chequamagon plans are in the air as of now. Things are mellow around here in Spooner and I’m itching to get out and on with my next adventure in life. The thought of sticking around town for another three weeks post Chequamy, only so I can do the Sheboygan race is a bit dreary. Sometime two to five weeks from now I’ll be packing up and headed to the Desert Southwest once again. This time it will be to Tucson though. I’ve been spending a lot of time learning the housing market and trying to figure out a bunch of various situations. It’s exciting to think of what life has waiting around the corner.

That’s about all for now. Congrats to Paul for taking the W in the Stage race up at Maplelag. Team RV represented! Keep it real out there, TJ