MNSCS #10 Single Track Escape - St. Cloud, MN

What a muddy mess!! But it was one of the funnest races of the season. We sure have been spoiled this season with warm to hot sunshine and dry weather, so this was definitely a different type of race. We left early morning Saturday from home, which is all different than our family is used to. It was drizzling and somewhat cold. We arrived at a bigger crowd than we expected and we started to warm-up which was really difficult.
Jordan race started at 9am. The race started with the course going around the parking lot before heading into the woods on the ski trail, by the time Jordan was half way around the parking lot she was in first place. Her course consisted of about a mile of double track ski trail and then a mile of single track. So just over 15 minutes after the race started Jordan crossed the finish line. It was a lot shorter than any of the other kids comp races. Jordan commented that she whizzed around the trees in the single track without even using her brakes. She placed 1st overall and placed 1st for the MNSCS series in the kids comp division girls 9-10.
Next year Jordan plans to race in the citizen class and is already looking forward to next years race season.

Next my race headed off at 9:30 am, I was cold at the start but by the end of the double track section I was warmed up and ready to race. I was having a little bit of trouble in the first section of single track but as I got my single track legs and stopped using my breaks so much I faired much better. The mud was not too much of an issue for the Citizen race. My bike and I did come back covered in mud, but it didn't affect my ride. I felt good and I felt I learned a lot during this race and during the 2006 season. I stayed around 5th in the wave I was in for the entire race. I finished 3rd for the women and 1st in my age group for the single track escape, and even after crashing in the 1st race and breaking my collar bone in the second race and then sitting out for 4 races I finished 1st in the last 4 races and landed 2nd place in the Citizen division Women 30-39.
With a little reluctance I will be moving up to the sport class, mostly because Jordan is moving up to the Citizen class and I do not want her to pass me in any of the races.

Matt's race was a different story. His race started at 11:30am as usual, by then the rain had been pretty steady for over an hour. He was off and was about 10-12 people back around the parking lot, but he said by the time the singletrack started he was in about 7th place. He came around after the prologue looking strong and asking where the front runners were, I informed him that there were 6 people in front of him and they were all about 30-45 seconds ahead. He was slightly muddy at this point but not too bad. After lap 1 he was in a strong 2nd place, he was 1 minute behind the leader Ray Nickles and there was know one too close behind. After lap 2 the mud was caked on everything and the rain was not stopping. As we saw racers through the woods heading to the finish line I was ready to take pictures. Expecting Matt to be in second place I waited, then all of the sudden he zoomed through the woods first and I missed my picture. Matt finished first overall with a strong finish and almost unrecognizable. With the first place finish Matt landed 2nd place in the Sport Division Men 30-39 for the MNSCS series. Matt said the race went well and he was extremely happy with hoe the new bike worked, especially the disc brakes.
Now he just wishes there were more races to race, he is not burned out and is already gearing up for next year, when he plans to race in the comp class.

The other kids race headed down the ski trail at a little after 1 pm and they all rode hard and fast. This was Wyatt's first race on a 2 wheel bike and he did great. Wyatt had his training wheels taken off on Labor Day up at Maple lag and within a few minutes he was riding on his own. I asked him which race he like the best and he said that St. Cloud was his best race.

MNSCS #9 Laddies Loppet - Calaway, MN

This was the second to last race of the season and our second year going up to Maplelag Resort as an end of the season getaway. We have all been looking forward to this trip all year, since it is a great way to relax and spend some time with all the people we raced with all season.

We decided to head up to Callaway, MN on Friday night so we would be able to watch the Time Trial Race on Saturday morning. The 4.5 hour drive was uneventful, which we like. Once we arrived at Maplelag it began to sprinkle, so we quickly set-up our tent and the rest of our campsite. We put the kids in the tent and Matt and I slept in the van on the air mattress. We put the kids to bed quickly, although they were quite wound up from the trip and it took them a little while to get to sleep. It then preceeded to rain the rest of the night. Except for Jordan's Pillow and PJs everthing, amazingly, stayed dry in the tent.

We woke up bright and early on Saturday morning to a wonderful homecooked breakfast. The Maplelag staff fed us exceptionally well all weekend. Then we headed out to watch the Time Trial and the kids went and found all the other kids and played. It rained on and off all Saturday, but we were able to get our prerides in and felt comfortable for the next days race. Matt took Jordan and Taylor out for their preride, Taylor was a little scared and apprehensive to try much of the trail; so that of course made Jordan upset and made for an extremely long preride. Maybe Taylor will be ready to ride kids comp next year. After preriding we decided some tire changes were in order, since the trail was quite muddy and slick in some places.

Sunday we woke up to an absolutely beautiful day. The sun was shining it was a cool 60-70 some degrees and best of all the trail had dried up considerablely. I took a nice long warm-up ride and felt ready to go. Jordan hopped on her bike and tooled around also. Then at 9:30 we were off.















Just over 30 minutes later Jordan crossed the finish line 1st overall in the Kids Comp looking fresh and unwinded. Then 51 minutes after the start I crossed the finish line landing 1st in my age group out of 7, 4th out 18 for the women and 26 out of 48 overall.












Meanwhile, Matt was warming up for his race. At 11 am he went off with a terrific start. A short time later we watched him through the lake side drops. Although my camera was not cooperating, there are some other really great photos that were taken, if you visit the following sites:

Link

pictures DSC 0925, DSC 0926, DSC 0927



http://new.photos.yahoo.com/slapshotmtb/album/
Go through the list of albums down to Maplelag Dirt Jumping and look at IMG1594 and IMG1589
http://www.skinnyski.com/
The go down the page and click on LaddiesLoppet XC Coverage
The under the photoset for citizen look at pictures 12, 39, 62, 96, & 134
and under the photoset for sport pictures 5, 25, & 27
There are not too many pictures of Matt because much of the race he was the first racer and passed through the sections before the camera person was there.

After taking a few of my own pictures I figured I had a while until he finished so I grabbed a quick shower with that thought that I would be back in time for Matt to finish. I walked up to the finish line and there was Matt cooling down, he had been back for some 15 minutes. He finished 1st overall with the next rider over 41 seconds behind.

So as you can tell we all biked terrific races.

The rest of the weekend we relaxed and socialized. We throughly enjoyed our stay at Maplelag and we are already looking forward to next year.

Jay and his family put on a terrific race and have a fabulous resort. Thanks Jay for the great weekend.

MNSCS #8 Powder Monkey - Duluth, MN

The MNSCS series is winding down at the same time things are heating up. Sitting in 4th place before the race, I knew I had to have a good finish in order to break the top 3. There are a couple of people that don't have six races in yet and with good finishes they could jump ahead of me in the standings.

We left Hutch later than expected Friday night after a fun company picnic. We were on the road before 8:00 PM and heading north on Hwy 15 as we neared St. Cloud we could see we were heading straight into a large storm. The rain started as we merged onto Hwy 23 and for the next 2 hours we drove in a deluge. At times it seemed like we were getting ahead of the front only to have it overtake us again. It wasn't until we turned onto CR18 that we were able to get ahead of the rain. We knew when we arrived at the cabin we would only have a short time to wake up sleeping kids, unpack the van, and gets bikes put away. Sure enoung about 15 minutes was all we had before the rain started. We successfully got everything put away and everyone in bed including ourselves.

Saturday morning we had a big breakfast (French toast, bacon and sausage) and slowly got ready for the trip up to Duluth to preride the course. We left around 11:00 AM and got to Spirit Mountain around noon. We ate lunch in the car on the way which was a good thing because preriding took most of the afternoon. Andrea and Jordan went out first and came back over 1 hour later. Andrea had a disgusted look on her face and had little to say except she didn't spend a great deal of time on the bike. I had heard the course was technical and rocky. Taylor wanted to try the course so Jordan, Taylor and myself went out to give it a try. Yep, the couse was definately rockier especially the top singletrack sections. Taylor did a very good job, but the course was too much for her and we had to walk most of it. Jordan was amazing; over rocks, down sketchy downhills, up short steep climbs, she handled it all. She made it look easy and at only 9 years of age. After over an hour we finally got back to the car.

I went out for a lap at near race pace to see how the hardtail would work on such a rugged course. The new fork (SID Team) worked flawlessly. I soaked up the huge rocks well and the lighter front end was easy to get up and over obstacles. The bike climbed very well and I felt like I had more energy to keep going fast. I made quick work out of the lap finishing in under 30 min. When I got back Andrea went out for another lap not satisfied with how the first lap went. Upon returning she said it went much better although there were still sections that she had to walk. I wanted to see how the full suspension would feel on the course and went out for one final lap. It took all of 5 minutes to make the decision to stick with the hardtail for the race. The FS was harder to control in the woods and noticeably harder to climb with.

It was near dinner time so we packed up the bikes, kids, and dog and went to Grandma's in Duluth for dinner. After dinner we grabbed Maddie and went for a walk down by the lake. It was getting late so we decided to head back to the cabin.





Sunday morning we woke up to a chill in the air and the sun not yet rising over the lake. There was still a little fog, but the sun quickly burned that off. After a quick breakfast we were on the road by 7:00 AM. There was some confusion about the Kids Comp start time and we had to rush to get Jordan registered and to the starting line by 9:00am only to have them move it to 9:35; just after the Citizen start. Andrea felt a little rushed but still had enough time to get warmed up and make a few practice runs up the starting hill. The race organizers decided to make the citizen race a mass start stating that there was not enough racers to split them up in separate waves (we both disagreed).



Andrea had a good start preferring to let most of the traffic go ahead. Although she passed quite a few riders on the first climb. The next time I saw her was a tight section of single track adjacent to the start finish line. I asked how she was doing and she gave me a very short OK. A second later she went to make an adjustment to her glasses and took a slight tumber over the bike. She got up quickly and continued on her way.



Jordan started her race a few minutes behind the Citizen riders. On the start Jordan slipped out of her pedals and fell slightly behind, however, she was able to make up most of that ground on the first climb. She made it up the entire first climb without walking, standing when necessary. The race went really well for her and I could see she was having a great time. On the final climb she was pushing really hard, standing the entire way. She finished 4th overall and 1st in her age group. Later she commented that she could see her mom periodically in the woods. It wont be too long before she is beating both of us.

I rode out to the last set of singletrack to find Andrea and we rode the last second of the race together. Overall the race went fairly well. Andrea said she could have pushed it a little harder but there were sections that she had to get off the bike for one reason or another.



I had a good warmup before the race, riding the first climb 3 or 4 times' each time slightly faster. This time I got to the starting line early and got a good position in the front row right in the middle. They sent us out in waves with the 30-39 going in wave 1. The start was exactly as I wanted. I got a good jump ahead of most riders and settled into 4th position on the climb. As I neared the top a couple of the leaders started to fade and I moved into the second spot just behind Rich Omdahl. Rich was fairly smooth through he first singletrack section and I followed closely behind. We were putting a gap on the pack so I rode in second for half of lap 1. Halfway through the first lap I passed Rich to push the pace a little faster and put even more distance on the the pack. After a couple of minutes I had also dropped Rich. I rode in front the remainder of lap 1, but was passed on the beginnig climb. I held the first place riders wheel for most of the second lap. Near the end of lap 2 I hit two trees and dropped a chain on a long fast downhill section and was unable to close the gap to first place. The third lap I focused on conserving my energy and felt as if I was slowing down. I kept pushing and the lead I had built up was plenty to finish in a strong second place. Overall, a great race which gave me the confidence to run with the leaders.



The kids race was a blast Devon won his race passing Duncan who was leading the group of kids. Taylor finished in second in her race and Wyatt finished in first as well.

I am now sitting in second place in the MNSCS series with only two races to go. Because the third place rider only has 5 races I will probably not be able to hold second place, but I could hang on to 3rd. I need strong finishes in the last two races in order to ensure a top 3 placing. Next week is a solo 24 hour race at Afton which due to recent events I will be doing more for fun and less for competing.

All efforts now are toward a strong finish in the MNSCS series, becaue next years goal is to race in Comp and a top 3 finish will be much harder to achieve.

MNSCS #7 Metric Auto Parts Welsch MTB Jam - Welch Village, MN

This past weekend was the 7th race of the MNSCS series at Welch Village. We packed up the car Saturday morning and headed down to preride the course. It took us a little longer than expected to get out of town and we didn't show up to Welch until around 1:30 PM. The course closed at 3:00 PM for preriding so Andrea and Jordan went out first. I wanted Andrea to have plenty of time and not feel rushed. This is her first race back since the second race of the season where she broke her clavicle. I was starting to get a little worried after about 1 hour because typically the citizen laps are around 45 minutes. Little did I know that they only marked the sport course and she had to ride the "Wall" which is a 100' vertical climb that goes almost strait up. Although it took a while to finish, Andrea was starting to feel comfortable on the new bike (Fisher supercaliber).

I went out for my preride lap after the course was officially closed, so I pushed a little harder than I normally would. I also was riding a new supercal, but had brought the trusty hardtail along as well. My first impression of the bike was that the front end was rather high, probably due to the riser bar. The bike also felt relatively heavy compared to the 23# hardtail I had been riding. On the way back to the finish I was greeted by a man who needed his car jumped. Yu Vang and I hopped in the car and wassuccessful at getting his Honda Pilot started. He wished me a great race and we went our separate ways.

We loaded the bikes and headed to my parents in Cottage Grove to celebrate my mothers B-day. It was also a nice excuse to spend the night, making a shorter drive the next morning. Later that evening the entire Horner family met at Demorie's for a nice laid back pizza dinner.

Sunday morning we rolled the kids out of bed at 6:00 am (not too many happy faces) and had a quick breakfast. We arrived with pleanty of time to get everyone registered and Jordan ready for her Kids Comp race. Andrea was a little nervous but excited to get back in race mode after a long wait.




Andrea let most of the pack get out in front so she didn't have to worry about riding in traffic at the start, but she started to pass people on the first long climb. I snapped a few pictures as she picked off riders up the long first climb. Andrea came in first place in her age group and felt she could have pushed it a little harder, but she was comfortable with her finish.




Jordan finished first in her age group (again) and 4th overall. She is a very good technical rider and an exceptional climber. She handled the downhill switchbacks with ease.


I had a terrible start in my race. I somehow got confused as to which wave I was in and started at the back of the pack. After the riders funneled out of the start area I was about 5 places out of last place (30-39 age group). I managed to pass a handful of riders on the first climb, but was stuck behind slower riders entering the single track. The leaders were now way out in front and there would be little chance of bridging the gap. I had made the decision to use the FS supercaliber and althought the bike is very efficient for a FS it felt heavy and slow compared to the hardtail. The bike rocketed on the downhill sections, but on this course there was a lot of climbing and the extra weight was evident. I still think if I would have had a better start I could have held close to the lead group.

I will post an update after the next race up at Spirit Mountain.

First Post

This is the first of what I hope is many posts of our family adventures. The family will be traversing to Welch this weekend to kick-off the second half of MNSCS mtb series. This will be the first race back for Andrea after breaking her clavicle at the second race of the series (Rochester).

We will pack up the family and drive to Welch Saturday morning to pre-ride the course. Both the Andrea and I have new Fisher Supercalibers that need to be dialed in for the race. I am still a little tentative to ride the Supercal because of the limited ride time on the bike and will be bringing along the trusty Fisher hardtail as well.

Jordan is cleaning house in the Kids Comp races and is currently in first place in the MNSCS series. Taylor has a new larger (24") bike with gears that is too big for her but she doesn't care. Devon and Wyatt are having a great time in the kids races and have accumulated a large stash of medals.

Synopsis of the 1st and 2nd Races of the season

As spring came upon us we were in full gear, preparing for the mountain bike season to begin. We had 10 races planned for the year and our first race was in mid May and we were set. Race day came Jordan placed first, Matt placed mid pack and I blacked out and crashed due to having strep throat. So we put that race behind us and we were looking forward to the next race which was in Rochester and was to be the start of our summer vacation. The plan was to go to the race, then drop the kids and dog off at Jamie and Joe's house in Kansas City for a week and Matt and I were going to go on a mountain biking trip with several stops planned throughout Missouri. Well best laid plans do not always happen. The Rochester race began and I was feeling good and ready, about 6 minutes into the race my hand was bumped off my handlebars and then I hit another bump and I did a superman over my handlebars which resulted in a badly broken collar bone. After the first-aid team assured me it was not broken Matt went ahead with his race and finished 11th. After his race we headed to Mayo Clinic where we spent 4 hours and found out it was indeed broken with an inch separation between the pieces of bone. They said they could do nothing for me and sent me away with pain medication and said to come back in a week. So we left Mayo pretty sad knowing that our vacation had turned into just a relaxing sight seeing trip. We headed for Kansas City, and about an hour into Iowa with a fully loaded van we smacked right into a deer making our van inoperable. With help from the local police (the kids can now say they have ridden in the back of a police car, so can the dog) we were able to get all the kids and some of our stuff to a local hotel, the next day with more help from the police we gathered up the rest of our stuff and found a repair shop for the van. Then we found out it was going to be 2-3 days before the van was repaired. Lucky for us Jamie rented a van and her and Shanon drove down and rescued the kids and our dog from Hampton Iowa. Matt and I found ourselves there for the next 3 days of our trip. Let me tell you there is nothing to do in this small town, at least the hotel had a hot tub. We did manage to salvage 3 days of our trip in Lake of the Ozarks, MO. Although I was in a lot of pain and being on the pain medication I was sort of out of it the entire trip. We had to extend our trip 1 day so I could stop at Mayo and have them look at my shoulder again. Again they sent me away and told me to see someone in 2 weeks; I asked them "what should I see in 2 weeks?" The doctor said, "...nothing will have changed..." So 3 days later I went to a specialist here in Hutchinson and they said I was definitely a surgical candidate and having done a little research Matt and I agreed. So the next week I had a 4 inch titanium bolt put in my collar bone and there it stayed for 4 months. The doctors told me my biking was done for the season. Two weeks after my surgery I was back on the trainer and another 2 weeks after that I was riding on the road, then after my appointment in late July my doctor told me the only thing I couldn't do was weight lift, so I didn't ask any more questions and I started to race again. I did miss the next 4 races after Rochester.