WEMS Knows EVOMO

by Tim Ek on May 26th, 2009

2nd Place = Beer Mug and 20 Bucks - Good enough for me.

The 12 hour season is alive and well in Wisconsin. The WEMS as it is known (Wisconsin Endurance Mountain Bike Series, www.wemseries.com) has already proved to be living up to it’s potential. With two races complete the series has enjoyed excellent attendance as people have come from far and wide to test their mettle.

The first of the series was held in Green Bay, WI. Once known as the autumn home of now controversial Brett Favre, Green Bay places it’s trust on the opener of the endurance series. Expectations were low for this writer as the previous weekend was the Trans Iowa and the notion of jumping on the mountain bike in order to traverse off road trails for 12 hours seemed ludicrous. Therefore, my hopes were pinned on young Justin Lund, fellow Evomo rider and home town boy (sort of). I’d hoped to work pace with him for a lap or two if I could, but luck was not on his side as his machine gave him fits forcing him to “big ring” the whole course draining the strength from his legs.

Surprisingly, I felt good as things loosened up and a few laps were behind me, however as time went on the climbs of Iowa began to re-introduce themselves to my quads. I began to feel the pain rear it’s head as I approached the 9 hour mark. I decided to shut down the day with 100 miles of trail behind me. I figured 431 miles of racing in one week was good enough. I was due for some rest and quite possibly a few of G.B.’s best brews.

Morgan and Kate - Best Crew in Wisconsin!

Two weeks later and the third weekend in a row residing in lovely Green Bay I found myself stepping to the line at the 12 Hours of Northern Kettles. (I should explain that I did not choose to go to Green Bay for the love of the city or Lambeau field, but more importantly my wife was running the G.B. marathon and it was my turn to be support crew, which by the way I thoroughly enjoyed. Amy posted a P.R. of over 20 minutes, must have been the Motor Tabs.) Now, Northern Kettles is a mountain biker’s dream course. It’s flows like a babbling brook, with relatively few climbs that seem to end quickly and best of all, it is made up of 100% single track! I was unsure of my condition as the start of the season has been all about blowing up the legs, but I was determined to give it everything I had for as long as possible.

Tough Isn't Enough! D.B.D. - Death Before Dishonor

The Evomo boys lined up side by side, shared some laughs and got ready for the “Go”. Once underway the pace was very high as I jumped on the wheel of one of the race favorites. Soon the field fell away, we were clear and I felt as though we were really rippin’! I attached myself to his wheel for the first 2.5 hours until I got held up in some traffic and found myself alone. “Steady as she goes”, became the mantra of the day. I knew the game plan consisted of minimizing stops and to just keep moving no matter how bad the pain got.

One should note that this was Memorial Day weekend so it will rain and rain it did. The skies opened up at about 1:30 in the afternoon in a biblical style deluge for about three hours turning the course into as Justin Lund put it, “butter on glass”. It was so slippery and dangerous I thought for sure they’d call the race. Lap times were doubled for most riders as things became painfully slow. Soon enough though, it began to clear, a slight breeze picked up and the course began to get tacky.

The officials had notified me that I was running in 2nd position, but that was all the info I had. I began to ride like I had just stolen my bike. Losing this 2nd place spot was not something I was willing to let happen so I was determined to dig deep and lift the pace. My lap times began to come around and I felt I was riding strong. Once I completed my 14th lap of this 7 mile loop my wife and Evomo brother Justin, informed me that not only was my 2nd place secure, but I was in fact closing on the leader. The number one rider was a mere 10 minutes up, but on this 50 minute lap I quickly deduced that it was not to be. In order to close 10 minutes with only enough time for one lap remaining a lot of things would need to go my way. I chose to pull the plug and absorb a decent finish in a well fought battle. I will fight another day.

Thanks Evomo, I got some great comments on the GUNS while I was out there. And, thanks to Tifosi, I’d be blind from mud clumps flying into my eyes without you. Thank you to Action Wipes for allowing me to get back into the car afterward without having to burn the interior once I got home. Titec, still the best bike parts out there. Fluid recovery, you make me get up in the morning without having to call the paramedics. Finally, thank you to Motor Tabs, such a great product!