By Claire Cannon
Jesse Lalonde (#1) plunges across a creek at the Chippewa Valley
Firecracker, followed by Jason Sager (#168) and brother Mark Lalonde
> (#6). Photo by Nick Caliva.
Firecracker, followed by Jason Sager (#168) and brother Mark Lalonde
> (#6). Photo by Nick Caliva.
After race seven, Matter looks like he has the legs to win the overall, with four wins to his credit out of six races entered. Matter also took home the overall prize at the Subaru Cup stage race in June, winning both the Outback Super D and the Impreza Short Track events. Meanwhile, the top spot in the overall standings belongs to Nathan Guerra (Mr. Tree Racing), who rode to 1st place ahead of Matter at Alterra this weekend. Add in recent upgrade Darrin Braun (Adventure 212 / Specialized), whose new team bike must still be on its way, and who is riding to a strong first season as a Cat 1 from the saddle of what race announcer Don Edberg has jokingly referred to as “the boat anchor”, and Ted “Holeshot” Haines (Fond Du Lac Cyclery), and you have more than a few contenders for the win in every men’s field.
In the women’s series, the overall title is being defended by 2008 Overall Winner Abigail Strigel (Mafia Racing / Pabst / Felt). Strigel won handily at Alterra, though she has been challenged throughout the season by strong regional and international talent including Kim Eppen of Iowas City IA (Mercy Specialized), Holly Liske of Madison, WI (Hayes Disc Brakes), Susan Stephens of Ontario, Canada (The Bicycle Shop), and Jenna Reinhart of Rochester MN (Specialized).
Another Lalonde Brothers Battle Royale at the Chippewa Valley Firecracker
WORS Series racers celebrated the fourth of July weekend in Eau Claire, WI at the Chippewa Valley Firecracker. With Brain Matter out for Sunday’s race, the Lalonde brothers took an early lead accompanied by Jason Sager of Portland, OR (Team Jamis). The three rode together throughout the race, and Sager pulled away at the very end, to finish less than a second ahead of Mark Lalonde in the sprint. With a sizeable gap behind him, Jesse Lalonde pedaled it in for third on the day. The elder Lalonde was followed by Travis (TJ) Woodruff of Tuscon, AZ and Maciej Nowak.
Abby Strigel led the field throughout the women’s race, holding off Susan Stephens of Ontario, Canada, and Kyia Anderson of St. Cloud, MN (Hidden Bay Sports) for the overall win. Holly Liske and Lori Sable (TwinSix) rounded out the top five women.
Ladies leader Abby Strigel (Mafia Racing / Pabst / Felt) crosses the
rocks at the Chippewa Valley Firecracker. Photo by Caren Reich
rocks at the Chippewa Valley Firecracker. Photo by Caren Reich
The course at the Sunburst Showdown, held at the Sunburst Ski area outside Kewaskum, WI, is so fast that despite comparable distances, race times at Sunburst have been among the shortest on the WORS calendar. With this in mind, Brain Matter, a cyclocross world championship team member last winter, arrived with a race and training plan rolled into one.
The Elite men's field begins the first climb at the Sunburst
Showdown, WORS race number six. Here, Brian Matter leads the field,
followed by Nathan Guerra, Mark Lalonde, Chris Peariso and Tristan
Schouten. Photo by Danny Marchewka
Showdown, WORS race number six. Here, Brian Matter leads the field,
followed by Nathan Guerra, Mark Lalonde, Chris Peariso and Tristan
Schouten. Photo by Danny Marchewka
Matter finished five laps in just 1:36:02 to win the overall. Mark Lalonde followed in second, with teammate Tristan Schouten less than a second behind. Teammates Mike Phillips (Adventure 212 / Specialized) and Darrin Braun completed the top five.
Abby Strigel again won the four-lap women’s race. Lori Sable followed Strigel in second, with her best finish of the season so far, and Holly Liske took third. Lisa Krayer (Wildside Velo Club) and Andrea Matter (Gear Grinder) took fourth and fifth, respectively.
Nathan Guerra defends his series lead with a win at Alterra
The Alterra Coffee Bean Classic was held Sunday at the Crystal Ridge Ski Area near Milwaukee. The trails host a weekly time trial with a dedicated following, including Alterra winners Nathan Guerra and Abby Strigel. Guerra has been riding the fast, incredibly twisty singletrack at Crystal Ridge for years, and used his home court advantage to hold off Brian Matter and take the win by over a minute. Guerra led throughout the race, also collecting the prime for the first Elite racer to reach the top of the ski hill midway through the first lap.
Nathan Guerra (#5) is followed by Brian Matter (#10) up the start
climb at the Alterra Coffee Bean Classic. Guerra went on to win the
race, his first #1 finish at a WORS event. Photo by John Wrykza
climb at the Alterra Coffee Bean Classic. Guerra went on to win the
race, his first #1 finish at a WORS event. Photo by John Wrykza
Strong climbing also factored heavily in Guerra’s win at the ski area.
“With the Alterra race coming up, I made climbing a huge focus in my training during the last two weeks. And I was looking for a little redemption after feeling off my game at Sunburst. Having good legs from the last two weeks made it easier to put time into Mike [Phillips] for the first two laps, and then Brian going into the last two. Once I heard that Brian had overtaken Mike, I was a little worried he was getting a late race surge. I know his focus has been on [the upcoming Triple Crown race] Ore to Shore lately, and I was cramping badly the last two laps. The switchback climbs to the top of the ski hill helped me gauge the gap. Once we started the climb on the third lap, I knew if I kept it steady I could hold them off.”
Matter crossed the line in second, followed by another regular at the Crystal Ridge Trails, Mike Phillips of Milwaukee, WI (Adventure 212/Specialized). Darrin Braun, in his best showing of the season so far, finished in fourth place. Dallas Fowler of Madison, WI (Titletown Flyers) crossed the line in fifth.
Like Guerra, ladies leader Abby Strigel went to the front at the start and never looked back, taking home the overall win and the ski hill prime. Holly Liske, Lori Sable, Holly Klug of Chicago, IL (Killjoy), and Lisa Krayer rounded out the top five women. Strigel now has the overall title on virtual lock down, so long as she can continue to fend off Holly Liske and Lori Sable. The men’s series, by contrast, is anyone’s game.
“As far as the overall goes, this win definitely brings new confidence to the table for me”, said Guerra after his win at Alterra. “The usual contenders all look really strong and have had their share of good performances this year. Watching the overall play out is really enjoyable this year with so many guys in the mix to win on any given day. Jesse and Mark Lalonde, Brian Matter, Tristan Schouten, and Travis (TJ) Woodruff, are all showing really good form as usual, and there is some new blood in contention this year with Darrin Braun and myself doing all we can to nip at their heels and make them work for it. Matter has a pretty good lead on wins at the moment, but there are still 5 races to go and with so much talent out there anything could happen. I think we will see a lot of juggling around in the overall series contention right up to Sheboygan.”
For complete results, see http://wors.org. The next race of Wisconsin Off Road Series, the Border Battle, will be held August 16 at White Tail Ridge in River Falls.
