Hugh Jass Fat Bike Race at Canopy

Saturday morning we received our first measurable snow of the year. Just in time for my first fat bike race of the season. The race was at Canopy Tours in Lake Geneva, nice and close to home. 

The course was pretty long compared to most of the Hugh Jass series. It is also tight and technical, so the fastest time of the day still only averaged 9 miles per hour. It sure felt like we rode a lot further than 12 miles.

Photo by Bryan Scheel

There was a great turnout, around 150 riders. I got a good start, 4th into the woods behind Jason, Mike and Nick. Jason took off pretty hard on the first lap and made a gap, I hung back with Nick for a bit till he made a mistake and I went after Jason. Once I caught him I got the sense that he was probably resting a bit before I got there. I tried to ride past and leave him, but he didn't let me get away. We rode together for two laps, toward the end the trail started to wear down to a smooth icy surface and Jason was riding it better than me. He created a gap and got the win.

Photo by Bryan Scheel

I was still pretty pumped with second in Elite, my teammate Bryan Scheel got second in the citizen class so the Bike Haven was well represented. It was a great time riding bikes.

Hugh Jass Fatbike Series Race #3

Photo from Hughjass.bike

Over 100 people showed up to race the third round of the Hugh Jass Fatbike series. We finally got some snow to race to make it feel like a real fat bike race. I had never ridden the Alpha trails before, but they are worth checking out if you are in the area. We did 5 laps of the 3 mile loop, starting with a bomb run down the sledding hill, turn and come right back up to separate the field a bit.

Photo from hughjass.bike

There is a 3 way points battle for the series going on between Brad, Dave, and myself. I had been sick the week heading up to the race so I wasn't sure how things would go. It was my lucky day though, as we went into the first corner Brad and Dave got tangled up. Not bad enough to put anyone on the ground, but enough to lose momentum and a few positions. This allowed me to sneak away behind WORS pro Cole Haus and Cat 1 racer Randy Rollins.

They both took off and left me pretty easily. So my first lap was pretty easy, then on the second lap we got into lapped traffic. The Alpha trails are tight so passing is impossible unless the rider pulls to the side. This involved a lot of communication and patience but during a race patience is not always something I have a lot of.

Brad and Dave were able to move through the traffic better than I was and on the last lap were able to work right onto me. I turned it down a bit to recover knowing they wouldn't be able to pass on the single track. It would all come down to the last sprint up the sledding hill.

I gave it everything and it hurt pretty bad, but I was able to hold them off. That is the way it has worked out every race so far. None of us has won a race yet, but we always finish together and consistently in the top 5. It makes for a fun and exciting series.

Photo from Hughjass.bike

My dad has been doing the series as well, and seems to be really enjoying himself, he finished 59th of 96 in the open men class. The promoters put on an event that is fun for all levels of skill and everyone is there to have a good time.

Next race is January 16th in Glendale, WI. Hope to see you there!

It's Fall!

That means many things are going on.  Another one of my hobbies have come back into season, deer hunting. Man, I love that... it is like a game of chess, except your opponent spends its entire life avoiding you. Those deer are smart creatures no doubt.

Combine that with some prime scenery for riding bikes, add in some trips to the pumpkin patches and apple orchards with the kids and before you know it... I haven't written a blog in months!

This is my favorite time of year, spring can be sloppy, summer hot and winter cold. Fall brings cooler temps, changing leaves, and the motivation to get outside before winter comes.

So while I am short on time, I am not short on fresh air and good times.

Get out and have fun!

David

Snow is here now...