Jana Turpin – WSI Cycling Team

November 23, 2014November 23, 2014

Pedaling Away Cancer +50Miler Single Track Mtn Bike Race Report

The X100 Michigan’s Ultimate Mountain Bike Xventure, starts and finishes at Ranch Rudolf near Traverse City Michigan. The race is either 100 miles or 50 miles. Thank goodness I was smart enough to do the 5o miler! The both races (50 and 100 milers) are mostly twisting single track that wind in and out of the country gravel roads, two tracks and fire roads. The trail takes you through the most beautiful terrain Michigan has to offer: deep woods and steep hills around lakes, streams and ponds. The trail was very challenging and long. Aid stations were set up every 10 miles which seemed like forever!

I had been training on gravel roads and had not been training that much for technology and twisty. So this race was very challenging to me. Also I don’t think my body had recovered well enough from O2S 2 weeks before. I think I am make excesses for my slow time! I will try to do this race again next year just to improve this slow time!

I have raised $200.00 for Patti Pals Relay for Life in Richland Michigan. Patti lost her life to breast cancer serveral years ago. All of us know someone who has or who had cancer. Cancer is a scary disease and we need to find a cure for it.

Jana Turpin

time: 5:45 pace 8:68 ranked 2nd in age group and 5th in women

November 23, 2014

Pedaling Away Cancer -Ore To Shore Race Report

Race report and fundraising for Ore to Shore Moutain Bike Race: It was August 9th in Negaunee Michigan. The morning air was fresh and brisk. I had signed up for the 48 miles of hills and sand and I was questioning why did I do that??? I really would like to be hanging out at the camper now instead of riding this route. There were a lot of bikers that looked fast and mean and lean! oh well it was what it was!

The O2S (Ore To Shore) race is a point to point race that starts in Negaunee (Hard Rock 48 miles) and finishes in Marquette. The Soft Rock (26miles) starts in Ishpening and also finishes in Marquette. The course passes underground mining ores and runs along the Dead River and along Lake Superior shoreline. It is a beautiful wooded wilderness course and very much a great ride.

The gun went off and we started. The route was a two track for most of the way, but it was a very dusty, iron ore red dust. My lungs started to hurt within a mile. I knew this was going to be a long 48 miles. I followed RJ and DeAnn on the Tandem for a few miles til the left me behind a few slower riders that I could not get around. I needed to find someone to draft off of quickly. Then I felt someone drafting on me. I looked behind and it was two guys sucking my back tire. I told them fine but we would need to take turns. Well that didn’t last, when it was my turn to draft – then left me. Who said a race was fair. oh well.

About the first 26 miles of this race is tough, a lot of rocks hills, and sand pits not anything that is real technology but you need a lot of legs and lungs. The last 20 so seems to be easier (or maybe it was I thinking it was down hill). There was still a lot of sand, but didn’t seem to be hug hills or any single track.

Overall this is a great race. I am planning on doing this race again next year and spending the whole week after the race in Marquete and Cooper Harbor area Mtn biking.

time: 3:53:17 Pace 12.35 finished Overall 499th, of 680. 41st out of 70 women 3rd female 50-54 age group

Jana Turpin

November 20, 2014November 23, 2014

Race Report for MudMan (I mean IceMan)

Yes the was Mudman this year. My bike did her job well this year…no issues. A non bike ride ask me what made my bike so much better than others and why did I not have issues with my chain? I said it was just luck why I didn’t have issues. It was not my time to have issues on this race. There will be another race that I will have a flat or a broken chain or another mechanical.

Iceman this year was a mess. Wet, muddy, and just pure old cold – just a mess to be out in it. When it was done (which seems like it took ever!) I wanted to be done and get out of my wet clothes – no pictures, no waiting on anyone, no beer, nothing I wanted just warmth and dryness now!!!

Before the race I had to mentally talk myself into racing. My husband had already said he didnot want to ride and half way thru race stopped to help someone and bailed out of race.

However, within 2 or 3 miles into the race I warmed up and thought the mud was fun. I was just worred my chain was not going to make it. I had 1.9″ wide tires on and thought they were not going to be good in the mud. But I don’t think any tire width was good. There were fat tires wiping all around me. The conditions were slippery for everyone. I was use to riding on those tires and felt good-I just set back and went hard.

Once I reached the logging road it was a deep mud pit (I started in wave 19). I crashed at the top of road – got wet and got passed by about 7 guys which made me see how slow I was going! I guess they were glad I moved out of their way.

The roads seemed so slow with the mud and wet sand. We road the trail Oct 17 and it was so much faster. During race I never got into my big gear not due to chain but tired, heavy legs. My legs could not handle the load they were burning on fire with pain from the load. I could not put the big gear felt like I was going so slow. When I saw that I still had 10 kilos to go and reach my time from last year – I was sick. Really had to get my head around! I had eaten everything I had on me and everthing they handed me at the aid stations (that included all the sand and mud from my gloves) I didn’ t have any energy.

Time:3:28 (somewhere around there)

6th place in my age group out of 28

Jana Turpin

May 15, 2014

Barry Roubaix – Race Report

Yes, it has been several months since this exciting, fun race, but work and life has been a little busy (we all have those challenges!). In my mind it is better late than not at all – kind a like a wedding gift – give the gift before the first year anniversary and you are fine. Anyway getting to my race report, this was so much fun. I rode a tandem with RJ Mullenix and it was a blast. Not sure if it was RJ that made it so much fun or riding a tandem (probably RJ). We trained almost every week for this race. Not only was it was my first time riding a tandem, we trained in the snow. The first day riding with RJ on the tandem, we rode in 6 inch of snow. We rode only 12 miles in 2.5 hours! It was the most fun I had ever had playing in the snow!

As race time got closer, I felt like we were ready as a team and me as a rider. At the starting line we were in the back and we tried to make it up to the front before we started but ended up still too far back when the gun sounded. I think if we had of gotten at the front of the line when the gun went off we maybe up closer in places. We did not get passed by any other tandem and we had passed a few tandems, so we were thinking we would be closer to 2nd or 3rd spot. The course was great! Temperature was prefect! The whole race was a great time. However, we finished 6th out of 12th – still middle of the pack. But we did finish and we had fun. Total time was 2 hours 23mins

January 19, 2014January 19, 2014

Bigfoot Boogie Snowshoe Race

It was a beautiful day in Traverse City, MI on January 17, 2014. Weather was a little overcast with temps in lower 20, no wind and lots of snow. Snow is important when you want to use your snowshoes! But running in your snowshoes in heavy snow is a big challenge. The race started at 9am and we all were ready. The key (besides training) is know how to dress.

This year is our 3rd year of running the Bigfoot Boogie. It is a lot of fun if you like cold, lots of people on a single track and lots of snow. The Bigfoot Boogie is a 5k or 10k race in snowshoes around the Vasa Trail at Timber Ridge. The 10k is a two loop. The trail is on the groomed Vasa trail but most is thru the woods on single track. If you want to pass someone there is effect of running in deep snow.

I started the race too far in the back of the pack. Note to myself when people are lining up be sure to be lining up in the correct place. We all had to move over to the start line (which was marked Finish line). When moving over I moved back too far. I should not be so nice and become passive aggressive, but didn’t want to look too pushy. Anyway, I thought once we start I can pass most people since the Vasa Trail was wide enough. But I think others had that same idea and I was not able to get around poeple before we started the single trail. The snow was deep and not packed at all. I had been running in our hayfield and it was not packed or groomed. There were a lot of snow drifts in our field and at the time of training I was very upset that I had to run thru those. But as I was running the race I felt comfortable, but not as fast as I wanted….I just couldn’t get around those people. When I did pass, I had to go outside the trail which was about a foot deep and that took a lot of my energy. So I did my best….waited til I had a chance to pass on the Vasa Trail.

I did the first loop with lots of people around me or infront of me…but then on my second loop it was just me, the snow and the time clock! I keep thinking I must be last I must push on. I ran the whole thing but the big hill…yes I had to walk up it. But most of the people who were in front of me were walking also. They were the last of the 5kers and they moved to the side and cheered me on. That really helped me focus back on the trail and made me run again. I wished I had done better. Don’t we all say that once we finish – well I know I say that. I wish I had done one more training run, one more leg press! one more bike ride – I have a real job and a family that takes time away from this excerise stuff. Oh well it is what it is! I did it and I finished. No I didn’t get the big Big Foot man but I did finish 2nd in my age group and finished in the 58% in womens and 68% over all. I got a cup full of chocolate candy and husband that said GOOD JOB I am proud of you!

Here is Chuck Brenner and me before the race started.

Jana Turpin