| WORS 2003 Stage Race, short track events, marathon, trail running
even a road ride are new features for this year's series By Greg Marr The nation's largest mountain bike racing series could get even bigger this year. At the very least, new additions to the schedule will certainly make an already impressive series more interesting. In its 12th year, the
Wisconsin Off Road Series is hosting its first "mega event," in the words of WORS director Don Edberg, the WORS Cup Stage Race June 6 8 at Devil's Head Resort near Merrimac.
Ah, but that's not all that's new for 2003. This year riders can test their skills in a six race Short Track Series, a 30 mile, single lap MTB Marathon or take to the trails afoot in a six event Trail Running Series.
All these activities have Edberg excited and busier than ever. It's a good
thing WORS has grown to the point where Edberg was able to leave his day job as a physical therapist to manage WORS' affairs on a full time basis. And it doesn't hurt that WORS was able to secure Subaru as its major sponsor, enfusing some cash into WORS' promotional efforts.
"The stage race is the most exciting new development," says Edberg, noting that the three day event will offer plenty of fun and challege for the
riders, as well as thrills for spectators. One thing for certain is that there isn't going to be much time to be bored, starting with a 3 p.m. Friday, MTB Chainsmokers Time Trial of five miles for Citizens and seven miles for others.
On Saturday, head over to the short track course for the five or two and one half mile trail run. The afternoon brings what Edberg calls the new "gravity events, the alternate or extreme Devil's Trio."
Qualification runs for the Devil's Drop Downhill are held from 1 p.m. 3 p.m., followed by qualifying rounds of the Devil's Duel Dual Slaloms from 3 p.m. 5 p.m. Finals for the top 12 in the downhill are 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. The top riders in the dual slalom face off at 1 p.m. Sunday. Rounding out the trio are the Devil's Deal Trials.
"The trials are riding through an obstacle course which could include
picnic tables, cars, big rocks, logs, a roped off path," says Edberg. "The rider with the fewest touches (foot to ground) wins."
The second Willybikes Short Track event the first is in conjunction with the May 3 Alpine Valley Open begins at 5 p.m. Saturday. Elites will ride for 20 minutes then kick it up a notch for two laps, the Comp class goes 17 minutes, plus two laps, Sport is 14 minutes, one lap, while Citizens do 12 minutes, one lap.
The short track racing promises to be fun and exciting for both riders and spectators. The approximately half mile course should be in full view of the crowd.
"It's a lung burner," Edberg points out, "with some strategy, and then the real racing begins with the last laps."
Willybikes is also sponsoring something unusual for WORS and mountain races: the Devil's Dare Metric Century Road Ride; that's right a road ride at a mountain bike race.
"If you know the terrain in that part of the state," Edberg points out, "you know it'll be challenging. It goes through Devil's Lake State Park and over the ridges."
The course is a figure 8 through Sauk County, beginning and ending at Devil's Head Resort. Riders can expect a marked route, map and cue sheet, rider support and post ride food.
The Stage Race will include a two day Consumer Expo Saturday and
Sunday from 9 a.m. 5 p.m. with demo bikes, games and giveaways, a bike swap from 9 a.m. 3 p.m. Saturday, Grandma Karen's Kids Race at 2 p.m. and, finally, live entertainment from 8 p.m. 11 p.m. Saturday night.
Sunday brings the weekend's main feature, the WORS Cup, the third race in the series. Events begin at 9:30 a.m. with Citizen/Youth, five miles (one lap). Citizen goes out at 10 a.m. for 10 miles, followed by Sport, 1:30 p.m., 14 miles, then Comp and Expert Women, 21 miles,
and Expert Men, 28 miles, all at 1:30 p.m. The day finally comes to a close with the 2 p.m. Shimano Youth Series, a free event for ages 12 and under.
There is on site camping for $10 and a special rate (by May 23) at Devil's Head Resort (800/472 6670).
"There's been early excitement about the stage race from both industry and competitors," Edberg says. "Where we are on the calendar is one week ahead of the start of that eastern swing of National MTB series,
so we're hoping to pick up some regional and national riders on the way from west to east."
The WORS Cup is just one stop on the WORS 12 venue circuit. The action gets underway on May 3 4 with the Alpine Valley Open near East Troy, the first cross country race in the series, as well as the first trail run and short track event. Riders will find some course changes from last year's NORBA Championship course. They'll still find a
combination of single track, double track and climbs but with a lower degree of difficulty this year. Distances are five miles Citizen/Youth, 10 miles Citizen, 15 miles Sport, 20 miles Comp and Elite Women and 25 miles Elite Men. Last year Alpine Valley drew the most riders of any event in the series, 1,245 (the series averages nearly 900 riders per event).
Next up is the Kewaunee Cross Country Adventure May 17 18 at Bruemmer Park near Kewaunee. Special Saturday events include the
Put the Rumors to Rest downhill radar gun run, and a Grown Ups On Kids' Bikes race, where adults ride kids' bikes on the kids' race course. Riders will go the same distances as at Alpine Valley, but the Comp/Experts will go out to the single track at Riverside Park.
After the WORS Cup Stage race, the series travels back to southern Wisconsin for the Alterra Coffee Bean Classic June 21 22 at the Crystal Ridge Ski Area in the Milwaukee suburb of Franklin. The cross country
race is Sunday with the same distances as Alpine and Kewaunee. Friday features round three in trail running and short track competition. The cross country course is a five mile loop that travels up, down and around the ski hill and includes what the organizers call a "banzai switchback descent to the bottom of the ski hill." There'll be plenty of Alterra coffee to sample.
Series event No. 5, the Hixton Holeshot, is July 5 6 at the CMJ
MotoCross track near Hixton. Come a day early for the Fourth of July fireworks, and then hit the trail Saturday with a downhill event, Mountain Bike Motocross, evening spaghetti feed and live music. Sunday's race (five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 miles) takes riders through plenty of elevation changes as the course works its way through two coulees.
The midpoint in WORS, event six, is the July 18 19 Phillips Dirtfighter Classic at the Price County Fairgrounds. Saturday features the fourth
short track series event. Sunday's main event will be run on a blend of snowmobile trails, cross country ski trails and single track, what the organizers call a "truly classic cross country course." Phillips Cafe and Catering will provide food for the racers.
"The other exciting new addition is billed as the Midwest Mountain Bike Festival," says Edberg. "It may go back to being called the Buzzard
Buster, which was a longtime WORS race at Levis Mound. Besides the festive things, this will be a WORS single lap marathon with a 30 mile course for all Sport and above. It'll be more of a mass start by classes instead of ages. It'll be staged at Bruce Mound, then lead out to the Levis system." Citizen/Youth will ride five miles while Citizens will go 15.
The Aug. 1 3 Mountain Bike Festival promises to be just that with
plenty of action all weekend. "Think Chequamegon meets Woodstock," say the organizers. There'll be over 40 guide rides, celebrity rides, trials, bike expo with demos, live bands in the evenings, a ride in movie theater, night rides and a lot of fun activities for kids.
The Aug. 9 10 Calumet Sun Run at Calumet County Park on the eastern shore of Lake Winnebago will host the fourth event in the trail running series and the fifth for the short track series on Saturday, along with a
dual slalom and fun in the sun activities at the park. Sunday's feature will be run on a course with some "additional little twists and turns," point out the organizers.
WORS No. 9 is the Rome Around Aug. 24 at Alexander Field in Wisconsin Rapids. Organizers promise a challenging event with "great spectator viewing, awesome single track, wooded and open double track, pavement and dirt, climbs and technical descents, wooded dirt
slalom and technical rooted and twisted single track."
By coincidence, the Wisconsin Rapids Hot Air Balloon Rally is held adjacent to the race site that weekend. The night before the race, you can see a massive lighted balloon display, and then watch them lift off in the morning right before the start of the Citizen races.
WORS No. 10, the Sunburst Showdown, is Sept. 6 7 at the Sunburst Ski Area near Kewaskum. Saturday has the fifth in the trail run series,
the final short track race and a dual slalom. Event organizers say the wide open course for the cross country race is a "spectator's dream." For the riders, it'll be fast offering "climbing and descending like no other course in WORS." The serpentine course goes "up, down, across and around the slopes of Sunburst" with "road race like speed, while twisting sections of wooded and rocky single track along and on top of the piste
will provide additional technical difficulties."
WORS travels to central Wisconsin on Sept. 20 21 for the Iola Bump and Jump at the Iola Winter Sports Club trails north of town. Saturday brings the finale in the trail running series. The Sunday race will rake riders on the ski trails and down sandy single track, looping several times through a central area so spectators can watch the action evolve. Competitors will be treated to a post ride spaghetti dinner.
WORS wraps up the season with the Wigwam/Ultimax MTB Challenge Oct. 5 at Quarryview Park near Sheyboygan. Early arrivals can do some night riding on Saturday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. One of the more popular races on the circuit, riders in Sunday's main feature will find "sand, gravel, asphalt, mud, grass, pine needles, roots, and," organizers say, "the famous Sheboygan slickrock." There'll be one steep downhill and one steep uphill.
"I think this is going to be our best year ever," Edberg says. There's a lot of excitement, new sponsors, more activities."
"The largest growth in series is in spectator level," Edberg adds. "More families are involved and I'm surprised by the number who just come out to watch. Some aren't even bike riders. I think it points out the job race directors do in their communities to let the lola people know what's going on."
Edberg says WORS has "done some reorganization for 2003 with standardized age categories between all classes and the introduction of the Citizen Youth Class as a subclass of Citizen." He's hoping the new class will "encourage a greater number of younger riders to make the transition from our Kids Races to regular WORS competition."
WORS 2003 is also introducing a new All In One entry that includes
series registration with priority specific number requests, entries for each WORS Cross Country Series event for the season, and a WORS 2003 T shirt.
"What it means for riders is convenience," says Edberg. "No more race entry forms to fill out, no more registration lines to wait in."
With the All In One entry, riders simply check in at the WORS tent before their race.
To keep up on what's happening with WORS during the season, or to
get information on registration, visit www.wors.org, or contact Edberg at WORS, 8675 County Road Q, Custer, WI 54423; 715/592 5095; wors@coredcs.com. | |
