See More Do Better - Recap of My 3 Years in Wausau24 Race
Magicshine
August. 15 2023
August. 15 2023
Wausau is the largest 24-hour mountain bike race in the Midwest. Our old friend Michael has been running this race since 2021. In 2022, Michael met us， and so we linked up with Wausau. Let's hear Michael's story of the race over the three years!
"This was my 3rd year racing Wausau24. I did my first 24-hour solo event here in 2021.
Each year has been a different experience and slight adjustments to the race course. Wausau does a great job with setting up a challenging course with easy-to-follow directions, as I don’t pre-ride courses."
2021
"In my 1st year, I wasn’t as experienced at racing 24-hour solo events, so it was a bit overwhelming. The course was challenging, and I cracked my frame at the seat post 90 miles in and had no backup bike. I had ordered a backup bike, but it took 9 months to receive it during Covid so I had only one bike.
I wasn’t going to stop, so I continued to ride the bike with a captain's chair, with the seat post swiveling around. I remember crashing at 2 am and the seat post shooting out and having to find it in the dark and put it back on. I didn’t have Magicshine that year, so my night lap times were slower. I ended up with 13 total laps and felt I had accomplished my goal."
I wasn’t going to stop, so I continued to ride the bike with a captain's chair, with the seat post swiveling around. I remember crashing at 2 am and the seat post shooting out and having to find it in the dark and put it back on. I didn’t have Magicshine that year, so my night lap times were slower. I ended up with 13 total laps and felt I had accomplished my goal."
2022
"The second year 2022 was a little easier, as I knew what the course would be like. They make small changes each year but keep the rock gardens a total of 4 sections, with one that’s a climb. I crashed on my 1st lap on a berm and wasn’t hurt badly, so I was able to continue. This year I had Magicshine, so I had faster lap times at night. On my last lap, I ended up crashing again on a rock garden section and lost a water bottle, so I had to walk back to my bottle. You should never ride against the trail, especially during a race. I had to walk back and find it. It took me about 2 minutes to find it, then back to racing. I ended up with a total of 14 laps and won 3rd place and lost 2nd place by 32 seconds. Oh well."
07/29/2023 CDT | Wausau, WI 54401 US
"2023 was my 3rd time at Wasau24. They had a record turnout this year, and I knew that the competition was going to be intense. The 1st part of the single track causes riders to be bottlenecked as we enter one by one. My 1st lap was slow, and I ended up in 12th position. I knew I was going to have to cut my pit stops short and pick up the pace. On my second lap, I was pushing it and cleared the 1st technical rock garden section with three riders behind me following my lines. We then entered a flowing part of the trail, and my wheel caught a root, and I went down. I wasn’t hurt badly and jumped back on the bike and caught up with the group again. I continued to do short pit stops then night came. This year I had the best of the best, Monteer 8000S Galaxy V2.0 on my handlebars and MJ 906S on my helmet. My night lap times were 15 to 20 minutes shorter due to being able to see better at night. See more do better! I was at 14 laps and had just enough time for one more lap and tried to chase down 2nd place. Unfortunately, I couldn’t catch him, so I ended up 3rd place. Stats from the race,15 total laps, 195 total miles, climbed almost half of Mount Everest, and burned 6500 calories. Great people, and great race."
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