Arcadian Grit and Gravel. The second year for this fine event and my second year attending. I tried my damnedest to get a couple more wieners to bite, but they weren't having any. Memories from Mud, Sweat and Beers and visions of the Hanson 100 held them at bay. However, I was not deterred.
The idea was to get up North early Friday afternoon to do a bit of riding the day before the race. I was again staying at Crystal Mountain resort. A swanky little retreat in the heart of Thompsonville, Michigan. They make their own soap. Upon check-in I knew my plans were in jeopardy. The drizzle showed no signs of letting up so I decided to grab a bite and hope for the best. The perch sandwich on a pretzel bun was delicious.
After lunch my fears were realized. My planned ride, which was to be a 44 mile out and back of the Betsie Valley trail (http://www.betsievalleytrail.org/index.html) was cooked. I so wanted to make the ride and enjoy the scenery all the way to Lake Michigan. Deterred only slightly, I donned my wiener casing and drove to what I assumed was a trail head parking lot in downtown Thompsonville. It actually turned out to be a quaint community ball park where the local teenagers like to hang out and smoke.
The drizzle still seemed endless. But weather be damned, this was my vacation and I was going to ride. I slipped on my shoes, unloaded the bike, and put on my trusty back pack. As I threw my leg over the bike, a young man commented on my tights, informed me that it was raining, then took a long pull from his damp cigarette before wishing me luck. My ride lasted 8 miles.
I ordered another Oberon and politely told the man next to me that I was not here for golf, but a mountain bike race taking place in Arcadia tomorrow. This was about the fourth gentleman to ask me how I played, excluding the bartender. After the fifth man asked me, who also happened to be the greens keeper, and was standing at the stall next to me, I simply said, "Not too bad. Shot seven over on the Betsie." When in Rome.
Soon my belly was a happy place, full with beer and medium rare ribeye. However, I opted for just one more Oberon before bed. Maybe two. Or was it three. I do know that three more folks asked me how I played. Funny, my imaginary round got better as the night went on.
Morning came quick. I stretched and slowly made my way to the bathroom where I proceeded to...I'll skip this part too.
I pulled into to Rosie's dinner off of the old Cadillac Highway. The bartender recommended the place as breakfast at the resort started a little too late for my liking. I had a race to attend even though it was still raining. The jovial locals inside greeted me warmly, commented on my bike and actually rode the local area themselves. I have to admit, Rosie's was one hell of a diner. The omelette was fantastic and so was the homemade bread. I will definitely get my pre-race fuel here next year as well.
So now for Arcadia. I had checked out of Crystal Mountain and now had my feet firmly planted in Arcadia at the old Pleasant Valley Community Center. Otherwise known as race central. It would be a much better race central if they invested in a few port-a-johns. The community center has two bathrooms. Both had a line and after that farmers omelette I wasn't thrilled to be currently standing in the 5th spot. Somehow I manged to survive and got registration taken care of. I slapped the old number plate to the bike and was ready. Plus, it wasn't raining.
My group left the starting gate at 10:33. The route is a combination of a little pavement, gravel roads, sandy two track, and some absolutely awesome single track in the Arcadia Dunes trail system. The course isn't easy. The race traverses northern Manistee and southern Benzi county. They are covered in rolling hills. I think my favorite had to be the Taylor Road climb. Nearly 2 miles of fun. And when I say things like favorite and fun I mean dick and balls.
The Taylor climb comes just before you are dumped onto the single track portion of the race. Now this is some really nice trail. However, if you don't have your legs, it just saps the momentum right out of you. The trail itself flows great. And after you manage to recover a bit you can maintain a pretty good pace throughout and carry yourself through most of the climbs. However, there are a couple punchy buggers hiding in them woods. Perhaps the best part of the trail is the last part of the trail where you start seeing the danger signs and bails of hay stacked up against the trees you are whirling by at 20 plus mph.
After 2 hours and 36 minutes, I was back at the community center. I finished 8 minutes faster than last year. I placed the same. Second to last in my age group. One of these days I'll realize I'm actually in a race and not on a joy ride. However, until that day comes, I'm always happy just to cross the finish line and wave to my adoring fans. Yes, I have three.
Since my previous day was spoiled and I didn't get to see good old Michi gami, I rolled an additional two miles to the beach. It turned out to be a great day and I was now complete.
Sincerely,
DLC
