Lumberjack 100 race report by Danielle Musto

The Lumberjack 100 (race # 3 in the National Ultra Endurance Series) took place this past weekend in Wellston, Michigan. The race had a 3-lap format, and consisted of a lot of short, steep climbs and tight singletrack that snaked through the Manistee National Forest.

I was a little worried going into the race as I had the flu the whole week before. Luckily I recovered in time to race as I had a brand new Salsa Selma to test out. The lumberjack course is a good course to race with only one gear and I felt pretty confident that I could race in the women's open class and still make the podium.

My start was less then ideal, as we had to ride on a completely flat paved road for 1.5 miles. There were a lot of people flying past me in their big rings! However, once we hit the dirt I was able to start picking people off and continued to do so for the rest of the race.

I couldn't have asked for a better bike to race on then my Selma. The bike was extremely responsive and a great climber. I equipped my Stan's wheelset with Kenda Small Block Eights. It was the perfect set-up for the sandy course as I was able to corner without ever sliding out.

I crossed the finish line in 3rd place with a time of 8:29, only 9 minutes behind 1st place. All 3 of my laps were very consistent and were within 30 seconds of each other.

I'll be racing my Dos Niner in Oregon next for the Cascade Creampuff! This course has a ton of climbing, so it's back to gears for me!


More coverage about my race can be found at the following links:

www.cyclingnews.com/races/national-ultra-endurance-nue-series-3-lumberjack-100-ne-1/results

www.mtbracenews.com/view_article.jsp?id=74


Thanks again for all of your support!

Danielle Musto