TJ Woodruff ONLINE

After racing Saturday in Seeley I was actually feeling good by the time evening came around. Maybe it’s true that it doesn’t hurt so much when you win… My dad and I made the road trip to Sova’s place in River Falls that evening, traveling just as we did in the early race years. Chad landed a teaching position and starts this fall so he just settled into his new pad.  After some tasty burritos it was late night of Olympic MTB coverage and catching up on some good story telling. The past three we haven’t seen much of each other as life’s taken us in different directions, but that time lost hasn’t seemed to change too much. It was good to breathe some cycling back into his life and maybe we’ll see more of him in 2009 on the race scene. Back in the day we pounded some serious miles day in and day out…

Race day came early and I awoke feeling fresh and ready to go so I decided to kit up and get in an easy spin and course preview. An hour later I was back ‘home’ and new exactly what we were in for. Breakfast was on my plate when I walked in the door and the tone was well set for the day.  Chad did the Sport race and set a blistering first lap place only to get a flat.  At least he got it fixed and finished up his laps. He was out there long enough to be spotted by the photogs.

Our 1:30 start came with the realization that it was a highly stacked field of WI and MN finest. From the front line it was fast and furious up the climb and I made sure to keep the gas on while cresting so I could put the chase on Jesse. The problem was that I was in chase mode rather than fast singletrack mode. This meant that I wasn’t gaining and only wasting energy. Mikey came around for a bit on the second lap and showed me how to do it. After this I was able to finally take flight on my own. One and a half laps later the gap was apparently down to twenty something seconds though I never saw first hand evidence. At the start of the final lap I was getting sort of tired and there was a lot of lap traffic so I decided to cool the jets and simply ride out the lap. That I did to finish a decent 2nd place on the day. Not quite what I had in mind, but close to it. Had I of ridden the singletrack better on the first two laps maybe I would have been in a better situation.  I’m happy with the result and it was a blast to ride the singletrack out there. It was very fast and flowing once I got the hang of it. If they’d throw in another of those climbs each lap it would be even better. A big thanks to Dad for the bottle feeds and to everyone else for the course side encouragement. These WORS races are nearly on par with the World Cup I did in Quebec with super fans all over the woods. Awesome! We’re even getting press on Velonews these days…

Next up is the Laddies Loppet Stage Race at Maplelag Resort this weekend. If your Labor Day weekend plans are still undecided, I’d encourage you to make the trip. The lodging, the food, the racing, and the experience are all top notch. Jay and the Richards family along with their crew really know how to do it up right.  Last year I had some good luck so maybe this time I’ll be fortunate and have more of the same.

See you there, -TJ

Mountain bike racing is a lot of fun and fortunately there is no shortage of great races held here in Wisconsin during the late summer and fall. It’s a tricky balance to do a lot of racing yet still keep fresh and ready to be 100% when it’s needed most. For me, like many others we try to time that for Chequamegon. Skipping the PreFat would have given me a relaxing day and some more sleep, but I’m a sucker for singletrack and the PreFat has some of the best. About ten or fifteen minutes into the race we looped back across old ‘OO’ and I got to be the first to let it rip.

Jesrin responded and we had a two person race from then on. Jesrin has nearly mastered these singletracks, riding and racing them for most all of his lifetime, so I was more than content to chase him through the tight stuff. On the open sections or climbs I’d up the pace and keep it pretty hard.  We did more of the same on the second loop and near the end I put in a good dig up a steep climb. This created the gap and by keeping the pace high for the final three or four miles I was able to solo to the finish for the win. I felt good and rode strong so its fun when doing that can yield a victory.  Race director Tom Gaier once again put on an excellent event. A big thanks to him and all of the volunteers who were there to help out. Going back to a Northwoods classic event like this is always a great way to catch up with a lot of great people and I wouldn’t have missed the opportunity. If day one of racing goes well, why shouldn’t day two? Later Saturday afternoon my dad and I traveled down to River Falls for Sunday’s Border Battle. Chad cooked and put us up for the night. Catching up was long overdue. There’ll be more to come from Sunday’s action…. While you’re waiting check out these bikes and these shades.

A lingering long term goal was achieved yesterday. I didn’t want two second place finishes in the same number of days so it was full tilt when it needed to be.

Thanks to Super-Fly and Rusty for the pictures. I led Brian around for most all of the race mostly because his kit was too distracting whenever I’d see it in front of or along side of me… Good times and fast racing once again at Sunburst. In ten years of WORS racing I finally reached the very top box for the first time. I’ll certainly be back for more good battles such as this one. Brian had some bike issues that worsened as the race went on so that took some heat out of what might have been a closer finish otherwise. I felt good and the Ore to Shore proved to be a nice ‘opener’ for the legs.

The final 12 miles of Saturday will haunt me for 364 days. I can still see Simonson looking back at me over his shoulder. A gap of 10-20 seconds stayed all the way to the finish. I dug hard, but could not bring the biggest diesel back… Second place at the Ore to Shore in my second ever attempt is a solid result, but I can’t help but think of how easily it could have been different. I made a critical mistake at the bottom of one of fast and twisty dirt trails. I took the left line while Simonson, in front of me, stayed right. At the last moment I saw the water crossing preceded by an approximate three foot drop. I braked hard, rolled off the ledge and saved what could have been a much worse incident. While I was doing this Mike Anderson and Marko who were just behind me rolled past, likely just 3 seconds behind Simonson. I shifted out of huge gear from a near standstill and accelerated myself back up the hill and soon got on the rear of Anderson and Marko. A moment of respite while they kept on Simonson was the plan. Back to four riders, no harm done with the incident was my mindset.

Thirty seconds later, half recovered from my effort to get back on I realized that these two guys were not staying on Simonson very well and in fact the gap had grown from three seconds to perhaps five to ten seconds.  This was enough for me to jump around and initiate the chase back. While I did this Simonson realized that this was his time to pin it. There was never an attack, he just rolled off while I was trying to take a quick breather. Anderson followed me and Marko popped off. Anderson put in a couple of quick pulls while I rallied hard in chase of the leader. Anderson popped not long later and it was everything I could do to keep chasing. I was hoping for a single uphill, but late in the this race it’s all flats and descents. I never got discouraged and I kept at it. Pouring what I had into the pedals. I could see him ever straight section of trail and he knew that I was close behind. This went on for twelve miles! Once we were on the final pavement sections I realized that his chances of making a mistake were slim to none and I was content to roll across the line in second. We matched each other that entire time; it was all about timing and holding on… One mistake on my part and Mike capitalized. He’s tough and he rode smart - we’ll deserving of the win. I’ll surely be back for more next time…

Spending a couple nights in Marquette was a nice getaway though there wasn’t much down time. The rain and wet conditions on Saturday meant some extra work getting things dialed for Sunday’s WORS race. It was fun to catch up with a lot of friends there. After doing this bike racing thing for awhile now I realize that it’s the people and friendships that make it all so appealing. Don’t get me wrong, I love the suffering, but having friends to suffer and share the experiences with makes it all that much better. Thanks to everyone who’s helped along the way. A big thanks to this guy for setting me up with the fast rolling big wheels.

Check back for the WORS report to come next.  -TJ

1×65 min in 44×12

Two hours of technical singletrack for ‘recovery’

1×60 min in 44×11

This was today’s bike practice routine. Of course there were also the warm up and cool down, but those are the boring parts. I rolled out on the Military Ridge Trail en route to the Blue Mound singletracks and kept the pace going pseudo strong along the way. The weather couldn’t have been better as the humidity seems to have cracked for the time being. This made for some excellent singletracking on fresh trails. The first ride on a trail is always an unique experience since gone is the sense of anticipation; one of the many satisfying experiences to have on the bike.

After a lot of tough trails and one gashed sidewall it was time to head home. At hour three it was easy to keep the pace fast and steady with thoughts of O2S flowing from mind to body. The flat and fast dirt grade was an excellent way to dial in the fitness for the drag race that’s soon to come. As was today’s ride, the Ore to Shore ought to be a good one.        -TJ

(mountaingoat gets the best photoset award)

There’s been a lot of bike racing going on lately and the Alterra WORS was the most recent. After some good races out east I was excited to give it a go back on Wisconsin soil. Ty and the entire Alterra crew put on an excellent event and I had a good time out there racing around Crystal Ridge. The result left something to be desired, but coming away with 6th after bouncing around in the singletack so much, I’m happy to take it. The legs felt good and I was climbing well so next time my handling skills show up I’ll be all set. Honestly though, the Alterra singletrack is the tightest, most twisted stuff I’ve ridden probably since last racing there in ‘04. Good times and a cue for some more bike practice.

Next on the calendar is the Ore to Shore. I’m feeling good about this one and it ought to be a fun weekend kicking off the Triple Crown.  Before racing again though I’m going to throughly enjoy a weekend without zipping on a number plate. Will I be the only one racing 26″ wheels at the O2S?  -TJ

Today’s STXC was alright, nothing spectacular nor bad either. I made up some ground after the start, but didn’t quite have the accelerations to move up and through the groups later in the race. Those first couple laps of fighting traffic take their toll! A pretty good way to wrap up the two weekends of racing… 26th place and making it until three laps to go before being pulled wasn’t all so bad.

Chloe snapped these nice race photos. This one shows the madness of a STXC start and where some of us started from. Click to zoom…

After the race we rode through the Sherwood Forest trails for a final time. Left or Right, which way gets us back? A nice trail ride to cool down. We never found Sasquatch…

And now we’ve got the long drive back to WI ahead of us. It’s been a great trip with some fast racing and a lot of good times with friends. That’s a wrap from the East Coast. -TJ

Today I put together a solid race for the XC here at the US Nationals at Mt. Snow. We raced four laps of the revised course with more steep climbs and little less singletrack. Steady lap times led me to finish line in 22nd place. Starting from the fifth row was a total mess and within the first six minutes of racing I was off my bike and running at three different places. Troy Wells took a dirt nap just fifty feet up the first climb and I was stuck behind him. A minute later on the steep climb dudes were messing up causing a mass dismount and run up. Then a couple minutes later as we started the steep climb of the main loop we were all off the bikes and running again since one dude botched up his line in front of us. Lap two I did faster than the first and regained some ground on riders in front of me. Lap three was done in the same time and I managed to keep the pace going for the forth and final lap too. I was descending faster on laps three and four once things dried up a bit so it was fun to let the Fourstroke do it’s thing over the gnarly terrain. The ZTR Race’s wrapped in the 2.25″ Racing Ralphs were super fast at 19 psi.
In the past I’ve always had a little fear of this course and racing with a greater level of conservation, especially on the steep climbing sections. This year the shorter laps helped my case and I was able to ride more aggressively when the course was most demanding. Racing with Jesse and Marko has helped me refine this tactic… It was pretty cool to have a lot of fans out there in the woods today. A lot of WI people made the trip out and it was awesome to have their support along the course. It was a great day of racing and I’m excited about tomorrow’s STXC. The legs are feeling alright so we’ll see how things go out there.

Congrats to my main squeeze Chloe for repeating her U23 Title on Thursday. Start to finish she put together a solid race and took a hard earned W. This trip has been great times with excellent friends, old and new. Last night Chloe and I had dinner with a really good high school friend of mine who has since moved out here to Maine… Adventure 212 has made this trip possible and I owe Michelle and Chris a huge thanks. Check back for Short Track, -TJ

it’s good to be back to the Nationals!

A quick weekend recap here before our transfer from Windham, NY to Mt Snow, VT… The weekend was a blast and put together a couple of good races. Yesterday was a little frustrating as I finished 31st in the STXC after being as high as top 20 midway through. Chasing around Jesse and Marko was all the motivation I needed to get myself up there, but after several laps there the engine got to be running a little bit too hot. Backing off the pace is never that much fun but it was good while it lasted! After the short track Bender, Jesse, Marko, and I climbed all of the steepest pavement within a 30 mile radius of Windham as we did a sizable road ride. None of us fully intended for ride, but that’s what made it great. Rabid dogs, tainted water and the ever-present town of Jewitt  haunted our journey  of 40+ miles.
Saturday’s XC was four laps of a 26ish minute course. Twenty minutes of tough climbing, broken up with some short descents along the way, was followed by a ripping fast six minute descent. The course was fun to ride and I found a good rhythm on race day. Lap one was alright, lap two was a lot of suffering but I stuck it out to come around nicely for laps three and four. I slowly worked my way through the field to finish 26th. Steady pacing paid off and the result is one of my personal bests. I know that I’ve got more in me so hopefully I’ll get another good one at Mt Snow.

More to come from the next stop…  -TJ

(photos: Phil Kuhns)

Eau Claire WORS proved to be as fast as ever, both in terms of the course and the competition. Little gaps in the singletrack added up and they were too much to close down on the wide open flat sections - no matter how hard the efforts were to do so. Jesse, Marko, and Mike rode away while Chris and I chased, dropping others in the process. As fun as the those trails are to ride, it was frustrating not to be able to let it rip as much as I would have preferred. I could only ride the singletrack so fast and it wasn’t quite fast enough to hang with the leaders this time. A quality race and a solid result despite though… Jess and Craig did an awesome job with this top class WORS event. Thanks!

It was great to have friends and family cheering me on out there. My four parents and four grandparents were attending so that made it an excellent occasion.

This weekend will be the NMBS at Windham, New York. I’m excited to race hard at the national race scene again and try out a new venue - all as a good tune up for Mt Snow which is the following weekend…

I’ll try to get some quality updates from the trip and of course I’ll recap the race action here so stop back here for more from the road. The top five of us from the Eau Claire race will all be racing Nationals at Mt Snow. It’ll be good to have some familiar rivals out there!

TJ