Logsplitter

Raced the Logsplitter on Saturday.  Apparently the course was new this year, as it started from the CCC museum on the north side of Higgins Lake and continued to Hanson Hills.  Overall length on my computer was right around 27.5 miles, but there was a shorter race option (22 miles) others did as well.  

The start was fast and the first fourteen miles of racing were on sandy two tracks and "dirt" roads.  Pretty early in the race a group of four separated themselves off the front, and I found myself in the second group of four chasing hard on the dirt roads.  Twice we got crossed up in the sandier portions of the sand/dirt roads, which brought me to a complete stop.  I was able to chase back on both times but not without big efforts.

Entering the singletrack the group of four were once again all together.  I have ridden both the new and old loops of Hanson but was very, very confused as to where I was in the park most of the time.  Some of the singletrack is so old I've never even seen it before.  And that isn't terribly fun since in some spots you could hardly tell where the trail went.  (Either that or I was so in the red I couldn't follow it...).  I think it was at about mile 18 or so that I realized I hadn't planned my eating quite so well and started to suffer for it.  I lost contact with the group.

So nearing the "normal" last downhill and uphill climb up the backside of Hanson I was chasing back hard to one guy and finally caught him towards the top of the hill.  But instead of the normal left turn down to the finish we took yet another hidden piece of singletrack down to the first normal climb (but going in the wrong direction).  I was counting the miles down at this point - my legs were exhausted.  We dumped onto a new beginner loop that was hardly broken in, which when you're not tired is difficult to ride anyway.  I tried my best to recover through the last few miles of singletrack and opened up a small gap on the "normal" two track used on the start of Hanson.  But it was too little too late, as with about 50 meters left the guy I was racing with came around me and snagged 10th spot.

Definitely put this race on your calendar for next year!

Full results HERE