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July 20, 2016November 18, 2017

The Battle Creek Half Marathon and 5k

The first ever Battle Creek Half Marathon and 5k had WSI members involved in all aspects of the race from planning to pacing to lead outs and more! The Battle Creek Half Marathon and 5k, in its first year, brought over 700 runners to the start line. Participants got an up close view of the Field of Flight and Hot Air Balloon Show that is a tradition in Battle Creek during the 4th of July week. Participants even ran right in front of the Thunderbirds which provided a great photo opportunity!

WSI and Custer Cyclery riders took to the start line on bikes to lead out both the half marathon and 5k. It was quite the experience to ride past the Thunderbirds and on airport runways! In addition to the lead out, WSI’s Charles and Danny both ran in the event.

For Charles, the race started at 4:30 am as he helped to set up the event. Surprisingly, he was then able to run his best half marathon time to date, coming in under 1:50.

Danny loved the course, the shirt, the event staff and volunteers. He was impressed by the organization for a first year event and commented it definitely put other long standing events to shame. For Danny, the half marathon was a bucket list item that had never really worked out for him. His lonest run had been 10 miles a few years ago. With an Olympic Triathlon in his back pocket from the previous weekend, he knew the fitness level was there, but it was still uncharted territory for him. His duathlon runs were in the 6.45 minute/mile range but knew that was probably not a good idea for this race – he lined up with the 7.30/mile pacers and that worked out well. Comfortable pace and the two leaders were good to chat with – made the miles go by quickly. A few of the miles were at a quicker pace but that was fine. At 10 miles the legs started to feel the distance and time out running. Staying with this group was not a great idea so he backed off the last 3 miles – pain, pain and more pain. But he kept the pace around 7.45 or so and finished. With all of the turns, my overall distance was a hair short at 12.8 and his watch said 7.30, officially my pace was 7.17 for an overall time of 1:35. For his first half marathon he was super happy with his performance. “I finished 30th overall and 7th in my age group (a bunch of freaks in my age group). I will definitely do it again once all of the soreness goes away…”

Lastly, WSI’s Katie Bridges ran the race too but not for herself. Katie was an event pacer for the 12:30 min/mile group. Her job was to keep runners motivated and help them to reach their goal of crossing that finish line. She did just that with a smile on her face the WHOLE time!

As a race director for this event, I couldn’t be more proud in watching how the community came together and supported this event and loved seeing WSI team mates being a part of it in so many different ways! Way to go team!

~Nikki

July 20, 2016November 18, 2017

No aquabike this time…

Saturday, July 16, WSI’s Matt Wright competed in the 89th annual Goguac Lake Swim presented by the Battle Creek YMCA. For Matt, this event was just the first half of his preferred race; the aquabike. It was a cool July morning with water temps higher than air temps as over 100 swimmers ranging in ages from 7-77 got ready to dive in. This year the event offered 3 different distance options: a 250m swim for the under 17 crowd, a 750m swim new to the event this year, and the traditional 1.1 mile open water swim.

Matt competed in the 750m event and took first in his age group and 3rd overall.

July 18, 2016July 18, 2016

Ithaca 8 Hours Race Recap

Saturday, July 16th was the annual 8-hours of Ithaca endurance mountain bike race and one of our “northern” riders, Jeff Glynn, represented the team very well. With the course right in his back yard (almost literally), you could say he’s got the home-trail advantage living right there in Ithaca.

Leading up to the race, Jeff was able to put in several hours of pre-race trail time with several of the other local riders to get the trail in top shape. On Saturday, he raced in the two-person Expert division with a friend and managed to get in 22 laps, totaling 110 miles for the race. That was enough to take first place for the day, and while it was a long day on the trail, we’re excited to have Jeff represent WSI with top podium finish. Way to go Jeff!

June 11, 2016November 18, 2017

Bridges Guys on the Road…..to Iowa

Scott

We headed to Iowa for a three consecutive criteriums in three days. The first of which was the Snake 20 percent grade cobbled climb that challenges any rider. After the 100 feet of climbing it was a gradual decent into sharp corners of downtown Burlington, Iowa. The junior race was first, 45 of the best junior riders in the mid-west and a few more. I had a poor start, and entered snake ally near the tail end of the field. Given that this is a very unique race, there was a very unique way of racing it. You would climb snake ally at your own pace, descend alone. And if you were lucky you would get so sit on someone’s wheel on the flat portion of the course. By the end of the race I moved up to 18^th place. I had no idea what to expect. I was happy with the result.

The cat 4 race was later the day. I got a really good start and kept myself in the front. Out of the forty-some riders to start, only five were together with two laps to go. The last time up the climb a junior got a few bike lengths ahead of me as we crested the top. The gap stayed as we went on the decent, I went for a “don’t lose it here” approach. The junior pressed on and grew his gap on the decent. I tried to close the gap and thought I was going to have plenty of time and road to play with. On the final stretch he held his gap and crossed the line a few bike lengths ahead of me. I headed to the podium for my though to be second place but I was told that the winner was disqualified for not reporting to junior roll-out, therefore, I was awarded as the winner. To be completely honest, in my mind, I don’t consider this as a win. Although I received the plush snake, brick, upgrade points and $75, which was nice. I’m very happy with the way I rode the race. It looked like a great start to a long weekend of racing.

The next day was the Melon City criterium. A crit that featured a longer steady climb, with a fast decent and a speed bump that acted as a ramp. Going down at 40 miles per hour you would hit the “ramp” and jump a hand full on inches off the ground and land on skinny tires, because normal crits aren’t dangerous enough. The junior race stared in the morning. The same riders as the day before joined me on the start line just 24 hours earlier. For the first few laps I stayed with the group but eventfully I saw my self in the second group. We hung behind the lead group while a few of the best kids in the country went off the front. I managed to be the first finisher out of the second group and snagged 18^th place yet again. I was happy with the result.

The cat four race later that day had some bigger names. It stared hard and fast. There was a few crashes that I was almost caught up in. one guy fell over and landed on my hip and his head ran down my leg eventually hitting the ground. It happened fast, but I was focused, and in control and his crash didn’t slow me down. On the last time up the climb I managed to get fourth wheel going into the last turn. I held onto it until the finish. I was happy with my result considering how hard the race was.

The third and final day was the Quad City criterium in Davenport, Iowa. This course had a steep hill and a fast decent along with two tricky corners before the finishing straight. I woke up with a cold. I tried my best to not let it effect my mind before it effected my legs. I didn’t say anything about it out loud before the race because I knew if I did I would have lost any chance of a good result. I wanted a top 15. The race started hard, not a surprise. Again I found myself in the second group suffering. I managed to get 26^th is the race. I was disappointed. But hey, one bad result out of a six race weekend, that’s not too bad.

In the time before the cat 4 race I wasn’t feeling great. I was not my best with my cold. But I knew I came here to do something and I had a job to do. So I started the cat 4 race and stayed with the lead group until two laps to go. Then a small group formed. I lead the decent for the group and two riders came around me on the finishing straight a I got ninth place. I was okay with the result given the circumstances. Overall I was happy with the results I got in Iowa and I really enjoyed the courses, because theirs nothing like getting to your max heart rate every two minutes.

Kevin

I raced the Snake Alley, Melon City, and Quad Cities Criterium in Iowa on Memorial Day weekend. All three of these races had a lot of climbing and technical down hills. The climbs and the high level of riders caused the weaker riders like me to separate from the field very quickly. My finishes were towards the back, but considering the level of competition and the difficult venue I am glad I raced these events. Hopefully my next race will seem easy.

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May 23, 2016November 18, 2017

Fort Custer Stampede 2016

Michigan weather, May 1, you never know what you are going to get! The Fort Custer Stampede is a local favorite for obvious reasons, including the fact that it’s home turf! As opposed to the beautiful temps and sunshine that the race offered last year, this year brought cold, drizzle and more cold. WSI was in charge of the grill again and served up 300+ burgers and 400+ hot dogs provided by Team Active. Check out how our WSI members did this year.

Jeff

I was surprised how fast the course was despite the rain we got on Saturday. The trail was fast. The first lap through the reverse amusement park was another thing. There was a huge line of enraged racers waiting for slow fat bikers to clear the way. There was a couple of times where very slow fat bikers refused to allow passing much less communicate with the traffic jam they were creating. I am confused as to why they had the beginner/sport fat bike races lead the sport waves. I am sure the beginner racers were pretty turned off to racing after that.

Back to the race: After the traffic cleared, I felt pretty good through the rest of lap 1. There was a couple of close crashes but I stayed upright. Going into lap 2, I found myself alone most of the time passing occasionally and being passed occasionally. Having no group to work with, I found my second lap was considerably slower. I am pleased with my result and look forward to training on the trails as the weather becomes more agreeable.

Dwight

Raced Stampede on Sunday and did better than I thought I would! The course was nicely packed and dried by the Expert and Elite racers. Weather was chilly until the pedaling began. I raced Sport single speed and placed third with a time of 1:29:02 and I think that’s a PR for me! Not too bad for no real mileage this year. Let that be a lesson to y’all, rest is as important as the ride!

Peyton

Peyton, the youngest WSI member to ride at the Stampede, rode the beginner’s course for his second year in a row. Finishing about 8 minutes quicker than the previous year, he had a blast and is looking forward to more.

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Angela

Now, the question of the day for the race. Did I have fun? Yes and no. I tried to go easier on the first lap, knowing it was a lot of miles but found myself upfront with a small gap. I tried to keep my speed reasonable to keep them close and yet still have fun in the technical sections. Leading into the second lap and feeling the legs start to get crampy, I knew it was just a matter of time before someone caught me. I tried to purposely not look back at this point and j…ust tried to enjoy the course and keep my breathing under control. Then it was just trying to control the cramps. And not thinking too much of the riders behind (one already passed me) kept the nerves down which kept the pedaling under better control (this was a first).
Interesting. I can say I had a bit more fun because I was more calm and laughed at myself.
Not fun is apparently that I have no middle ground and ride myself into the ground no matter what.

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Jacque

First year on the team. First mountain bike race ever. 4th place in her age group. Enough said. Way to rock it, Jacque!

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