NUE Lumberjack 100 (Eric Patterson)

The Lumberjack 100 was my second attempt at a 100 mile mountain bike race. The Cohutta 100 was my first attempt, but the weather forced me to DNF. So my main objective was to cross the finish line. I also decided to switch from my full suspension 26" bike to my Niner with a front suspension fork. I tested it at the 6hrs of Stony and it seemed like my back wouldn't suffer that much and I thought that the minor efficiency I would gain through a hard tail could pay off in such a long race. So a few nights before we had to depart to the Great Up North I took off the rigid front fork and threw on the suspension fork.

Like most our up north races, we get blessed to be able to stay in a nice bed at our Aunt and Uncle’s house in Cadillac. This race was no different, but first we had to get to the race location in Wellston to pick up our race numbers and get the nerves and muscles calmed down by doing a little easy riding on parts of the trail. Chris and I also wanted to know how the first section of single track was laid out. This helps because it can get crazy when a mass of 300 racers funnel into a dirt trail that is only wide enough for one rider. As we started to spin up the first few climbs, we commented on how it was going to be hectic but there was enough room for two, maybe three, wide for a long time. We pedaled into the trail for about 30 minutes and passed an old exposed tree stump (this becomes important later on) on a bend before a decent down slope carried you for a while through the woods. Chris navigated us to the end section and we rode that all the back to the car without much exertion on the legs where Rachel was graciously waiting for us. Then all three of us loaded back up the truck and proceeded to our overnight stay in Cadillac.

Once in Cadillac, at our relatives' house, we sat around a table out back in the cool breeze. Chris and I decided to set the alarms to 4 am so we could get on the road by 5 am. Rachel looked at us with a little confusion but we just reassured her that all we had to do was get her in the truck and she could sleep as long as she wanted. The one thing that I have been doing right is getting up early already during the week. I do tend to go through random sleep patterns, but this week it was not unusual for me to be working by 7 am. Having been doing that was a benefit for Saturday. By the time we hit the road I was already mentally awake and moving around quite well and we didn't have to repeat our mistake at Cohutta by being late to the start.

On our arrival at the Big M parking area we got directed and flagged to a parking spot in a well organized fashion by the race promoters. We pulled the bikes out and got our pit area box filled as Ben, Jesse (Ben's cousin whom I heard later can run a high 4 minute mile), and Pace (Ben's dog) came up to the truck to greet us. It was real nice to have those guys come up from Grand Rapids that morning and I was more then surprised they would get up that early just to make sure they saw us off. We also got the luxury of getting to know Danielle Musto this year from our NUE adventures. She is not only the nicest person to meet on or off the trail but at this race, she let us put our pit box in her tent which was already setup along side the trail. We were excited to have a pit tent already setup among the masses but what we didn't realize was her tent was right on the trail. Danielle's generosity proved to be a great help to our success since our pit stops were all very quick hand offs and we never had to detour from the trail to get new bottles. On top of this prime location, we also had three people (Ben, Rachel, and Jesse) taking our old bottles and giving us new bottles in a very organized and fast fashion. Now on to the actual racing.

As we got on the bikes and cruised down the road that leads into the Manistee Forest, we found masses of riders waiting at the start line. We landed our spot about mid-pack and waited for the announcement to begin pedaling. Soon enough the start siren went off and all you could hear was a wave of the sounds of metal snapping from the shoes clipping into the pedals and a hum of wide knobby tires on the cement. As the sound got closer we snapped in and were off. Chris took the outside and started passing people all the way down the left side, of which I followed until the holes got filled with other riders and I just filled in. As we started to funnel down from a full road width to a half road width and then to a double track width I kept an outside line and my speed high to get by as many people as possible. From the pre-ride I knew that we could get a few riders wide for a mile or two so I stayed off the dirt and kept passing until the trees narrowed in. I found myself getting let into the single file line by Danielle Musto herself. I figured Danielle was going for a podium spot in the pro women's class so I settled down for a while knowing I was around a fast rider. Then the steeper hills came and the line of riders (as far as the eye could see) started to crawl. I just took outside lines when they presented themselves and kept passing people for the mile or two of climbing with Danielle right behind me. I never did see Chris after the start but I figured he was going to try and run with the big dogs so I probably wouldn't anyways.

Lap one was pretty fast once all the riders found their pace groups and I was no exception. I kept finding myself with a group of three to six riders and as my legs and lungs settled in for the long haul we started to strike up conversations with all of those around us. One of the fun things about these national races is the number of participants and the locations from which they come from. I must have talked to people from at least five different states and the general consensus was the trail up here in Michigan was a fun and nice system. It brought me a lot of joy and pride to hear about the good comments towards Michigan's great outdoors and I hope a lot of those people I met come back and enjoy some of Michigan's other great trail systems.

Lap two was a lot of riding by myself. This was a major bonus for me since I can ride the climbs faster and play the "no brakes" game on the downhills. In the beginning of the loop I came up the first climbs and as I turned the bend I slammed on my brakes since I thought there was a bear on the side of the trail. Remember that stump I talked about in the pre-ride loop? A stump I had passed during the first loop and now seeing for a third time. Only this time, for some odd reason, the stump was being translated into a silhouette of a bear. It only took a second or two for me to realize it was a stump but I had to laugh at myself for a while since it must have been an interesting sight to see a rider lock up his brakes for no reason. The loop went on and I held my pace, but I was really wanting to just drink plain water. At the aid station, one of the volunteers filled one of my bottles with just water and I grabbed some random treats. Then off I went to last another 17 miles until the start/stop area.

As I rolled into the pit area, I told Rachel and Ben that all I wanted was a plain water bottle (which Ben already had filled for some reason, amazing support crew work there) and since I wasn't getting in my desired calorie and electrolyte amounts, I grabbed some electrolyte pills and GU shots to throw in my jersey just in case I started to feel drained. I set out for the third and final lap with a personal set goal of taking it easy on the first 17 miles to the aid station, and then going all out until the finish. Luckily, I hit a group of two other guys with my same pace and it made for some nice conversation and thoughtless riding until the aid station. I refilled my water bottle and took off out of the pit for the last 17 miles of the day. I kept my internal promise and went as fast as my legs could push. I had to run up my first climb of the day but I told myself if I was going to get off my bike then I had to actually run up it. I made the next steep climbs on my bike since that running wasn't as fun as it sounded and kept passing people every ten to fifteen minutes. After the long and fast downhill, I locked out my front fork and sprinted the last mile or two since I wasn't going to make the mistake of losing a spot or two in the last minutes of an all day race.

I shot through the finish line and was greeted by Rachel with some fresh water and a congratulations for doing such a good job. I wasn't really going for gold out there (the bar for gold is set pretty high with pro-racers from all over the US showing up at these events) but I ended up finishing in under 8 and half hours. I was very happy when I heard this, especially since my goal was to finish and do a sub 10 hour run. Ben found us and said I did an amazing job and couldn't believe I went from a 49th spot to a 37th spot in that last lap. I asked everyone where Chris was and how he did; I knew he must of been up there since he was going to set his personal best time and has more legs then I ever could grow. He ended up coming in for a 33rd spot finish and once we found each other he told me that I did one hell of a job.

Riding the Niner was a good decision for this race, the trail was relatively smooth and my back didn't start to feel anything until three to four hours into the race. I used the bike to my advantage when I could, on the small amount of two-tracks found, I would drop a gear or two and put my head down to pick up my speed. On the first lap this was very beneficial because it allowed for a lot of passing and then recovery once we had to file back down into the single track. There was one small fresh cut section that was pretty bumpy and I learned real quick to just stay loose and let the bike bounce around all it wanted. After my first lap I did decide to drop some air out of the rear tire in hopes that the rough sections wouldn't "bounce" the tail end of the bike so much. Luckily that helped out in the fresh cut section and probably saved my back for the rest of the race. I don't really know if I would have been faster on my full suspension 26" bike, but I do know that I am very proud of my final time and the way the Niner operated that day.

After the race we packed up the truck and got out of our riding gear so we could start to head out. The Lumberjack could possibly be one of the best examples of the team coming together. We had Ben and Rachel completely in rhythm with Chris and I, plus we both took a Top 50 spot in a national ultra endurance race. Put on top of that our showing at the 8 hrs of Cannonsburg, with Ben riding in for the 1st place win and Chris, Rachel, and I manning the pits for him; we are starting to really come together. I am proud to be a member of the team and gracious to have more then just teammates but friends.

None of my efforts could have paid off without the help from all the people out there. Ben, Jesse, and Rachel for keeping us on our bikes; Danielle for allowing our prime pit stop area; and our family for letting us stay at their house and giving us great conversations the night before. Thank you to all of you and I hope I can get the chance one day to do the same for you.