I originally signed up for the full 99 mile race, but when I was one week our from the race and I had been on my bike maybe 4 times since signing up I decided that I needed to step down a bit. Ultimately I was thrilled that I payed the extra 20 bucks and shortened my race. It was by far the best choice I have done thus far. I don't think I would have felt good adding on an extra 3ish hours on the bike up there.
Lisa and I headed up to Grand Marais on Friday after she got off of work. We didn't get up there until about 10 p.m. It was a very long drive, especially when we hit road work before Hinkley. Our hotel was incredibly nice as it looked over the bay in Grand Marais. I do really wish I could have enjoyed the view more, but I only got to see it in the early morning before we headed to the race start.
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| View from the hotel room in Grand Marais. |
Once we left our hotel we headed to Lutsen Mtn to pick up my race number and get ready for the start. I was very nervous that it was going to rain all day, so I packed my rain jacked into my frame bag. The threat of rain the day prior and in the early hours seemed to show that it was going to rain all day. I was not excited about that. It was helpful to know that the weather report showed that the rain was likely to hold off for the most part.
The race started off without a hitch. We left Lutsen Mtn and headed down toward highway 61. Once we made it to there we went north for a mile or so before turning west up Caribou Trail. It was a long 5 mile climb up to the top where Caribou Lake was. We rode past Cathedral of the Pines Camp. I used to go there every summer since 3rd grade all the way through high school. It was fun to see it again and have all of the people there out cheering the racers! I felt a lot of nostalgia when I was riding past camp. I have a ton of fond memories from being up there.
Once we hit the top then we went downhill for a bit before turning right onto some forest roads and snowmobile trails. The race continued on with some gravel roads, snowmobile trails, rocky descents, jeep trails, and obviously tons of fun. The miles kept ticking by me and I was really enjoying my time out in the woods. Around mile 24 or so it started to rain. There was some lightning that I was hoping was camera flashes, but nobody had a camera nearby. Once the rain started it was about an hour or so before it stopped. It wasn't anything too terrible, so I didn't put on my rain jacket.
I will add the disclaimer that I paused the writing after the above section. It has now been about six months since this race. The details are fuzzy, but I do know it was one of the most fun races I have ever done. I will definitely be there in 2017.
I will also sign up for the 69er again as it was the perfect distance.
I will try to blog more soon, but I have not done anything too exciting.
