Chequamegon100 SS Kicked It!

Cheq100 was super fab. Organized well. Course well marked. Rain didn't hit til 3:30PM.

Leading up to Cheq100 was interesting. 10 days earlier at Buck I was toast because of this & this. The two prior weekends of self landscape work kicked my ash. Good hammy, back and arm beat down work. So leading up to Cheq100 my week was simply a few half hour rides and Buck Hill race. I scored a respectable improved 6th at Buck. Anyway the Cheq100 bike (with rare shock add-on) rocked!! Can you say Supercompensation? I basically kept firing all day long...ended 4th overall on my single speed.

The Race Re-cap:

• The Start seemed odd as I hit Rock Lake trail in 3rd!! Charlie, Joey & I went into Hilldebrant loop off the front. Larry, Jed & Todd somewhere behind. In Hillde Joey then Charlie dropped chains leaving me hammering up those two steepest climbs from near stand still. SS power, check. I actually led the race to Rock Lake road.
• On Rock Lake road to Telemark it was quite a spin fest to stay with Joey & Charlie. On Spider Lake close to Telemark they inched away. I was taxed.
• I went into Objibwe 3rd with no one in sight coming around to Telemark
• In Ojibwe Jed & Todd caught me. They we're ok just following. It was fun. Again fire roads chasing and spinning 34x18 was hell. But I hung on to Firetower and crested with them. Spent again!
• I chased but lost site of Todd & Jed before OO, I was in 5th position. Past OO the Makwa trail begun and later Hatchery Creek. So fun!
• At Hatchery Creek drop bag zone the one aid stop, I found my bag. I quickly changed out camel back, bottle and bars. I ate my peanut butter / honey sandwich pedaling, in 3rd with Todd McFadden.
• Todd pulled away on the uphills. I wasn't sure how my SS legs would hold on fire roads and Birke to OO. Yet I was on. No one ever came behind, the legs kept giving.
• Past OO Birke Hamburger Hill to Janet, Boedecker, Telemark & Rock Lake roads all the way to Pasty Lake Trail NO ONE WAS COMING.
• Still in 3rd on Pasty Lake trails to Namekagon, to Glacier and back onto Rock Lake trail NO ONE. I rode from Hatchery to Patsy through Namekagon to Rock Lake alone (4hrs?)
• Finally at mile 99-ish Jed & Joey caught me after hearing from other rec bikers I was near. Darnit!
• It started raining hard, it felt good. Joey didn't like my idea to ride in together, saying, "let's sprint for it"
• I was deflated but caught back on to them. Jed agreed to let me chase after Joey as he was trailing. I caught Joey but as supected the downhill gravel finish was too much for my SS gear.
• I ended 4th overall 30 seconds off 3rd place.
• Unreal day!!!

And I wasn't the only one that had a good day. I didn't hear a bad thing about the course markings or challege. Many people we're out there in the rain much longer....all good stories. All seemed happy with their experience. As the trails.....come on, they rock!