Above left: Tom Wahlstrom, Lutsen, finished 7th overall in the Lutsen 39er mountain bike race to lead all Cook County riders. Above center: Placing 39th in the 39er race was Phillip Larson of Lutsen. Above right: Smiling through fatigue, Tom Rider, Lutsen, finished the 39-mile bike race in a fast time of 3:02:40.
Mud, lots of mud mixed with heat, humidity and endless steep hills, hills that went up and up and stretched legs and lungs to their capacity, made for interesting and challenging mountain bike races in Lutsen last Saturday, June 29.
Starting and ending at Lutsen Mountains, the longer Lutsen 99er race included 294 racers and was dominated by Twin Cities riders, but Jana Larson, Lutsen, placed 4th in the women’s 45-49 age group category with a great time of 9:27:02, the 13th female racer across the finish line. Jana and her husband, Mike Larson, finished together ,with Mike coming in at 9:28:08, the 9th male rider in his age group of 55-59.
John Twiest of Grand Marais was the top Cook County male finisher in the 99er, coming in 90th overall and 17th in his age category, 45-49, with a time of 7:43:44. The next Cook County 99er finishers were Micah Mellang of Lutsen in 8:59:30 and Robert McPherson of Tofte in 9:49:44.
Lots of locals in Lutsen 39er
Above left: Looking a tad bit muddy, Jennifer Barrett, Lutsen, was the first Cook County female finisher in the 39er race in 55th place. Above center: Placing first in her age group in the 39er race was Cook County High School track and cross country coach April Wahlstrom. Above right: Riding hard and steady, Tim Kennedy placed second in the 60-plus age group category in the 39er race.
There were 365 racers in the shorter, 39-mile race. The first Cook County female finisher was Jennifer Barett, Lutsen, who placed 55th overall and in first place in her age group of 40-44 with a time of 3:04:15.
Thomas Wahlstrom was the first Cook County rider across the finish line, in seventh place overall, coming in fourth in the male 30-39 division in 2:37:36.
Not to be outdone, his wife, April Wahlstrom, Grand Marais, placed first in the women’s 30-39 age group with a time of 3:05:51.
Reached a few days after the race, the Wahlstroms were pleased with their performance, especially considering the late spring on the North Shore. April Wahlstrom said it helped to have a group of Cook County riders who rode together every Wednesday, on rides of about 50 miles.
Sometimes those rides took them on the actual Lutsen 39er course, which April said was a definite advantage for Cook County bikers. “Absolutely it was an advantage, for example in the Pancore Lake area, where it was muddy and really technical. The girl who finished second overall followed me through there!”
April Wahlstrom said the race was muddier than it has ever been, which was tough on metro area riders. “A lot of the riders are good road riders and whipped by me on the road sections. But I’d just think, ‘You just wait, I’ll get you in a few minutes in the mud!”’
Shelby Ahrendt, Grand Marais, placed second in the 14-19 age group in the 39-mile race with her time of 3:56:33. Sally Summer Mellang, Tofte, placed second in the 55-59 age group category in 4:23:50.
Lynne Wiitala, Tofte, was second in the 50-54 age group in 3:47:25.
Longtime mountain bike enthusiast Tim Kennedy, Grand Marais, also had a fine showing, placing second in the 60-plus age group category in the 39-mile race. Tim’s time was 3:41:57.
Filmmaker Beau Larson, who created the exciting trailer for the Lutsen 99er race website, finished in 3:55:11.
Phillip Larson, Lutsen, also had a great race, finishing in 39th place in the 39er with a time of 2:45:21.
Other Cook County racers completing the 39-mile race included Tom Rider, Lutsen, finishing in 3:02:40; Jonathan Rova in 3:04:33; Jim Elverhoy in 3:17:08; Sam Hedstrom in 3:23:18; John Mellang, Lutsen in 3:31:17; Bill Laine Tofte in 3:33:27; Jake Leonardis, Tofte in 3:38:16; Mark Abrahamson, Grand Marais, 3:42:38; Christopher Rider, Lutsen, in 3:48:55; Matt Berg, Lutsen in 3:56:36; Max Wahlers, Grand Marais in 3:56:41; Joe Buttweiler, Lutsen in 3:59:24; James Coleman, Lutsen in 4:00:07; Molly Wickwire, Lutsen in 4:03:44; Kathryn Ramberg, Grand Marais in 4:07:16; Chuck Corliss, Lutsen in 4:17:14; Travis Wickwire, Lutsen in 4:23:19; Jeff Denniston, Lutsen in 4:28:21; Emily Lein, Lutsen in 4:31:16; Nickie Dietz, Lutsen in 4:40:56; Fred Morris, Lutsen in 5:08:18; Katterine Payer, Lutsen in 5:39:16; Kim Schroeder, Lutsen in 5:39:25; Lucas Fenwick, Grand Marais in 5:45:46; Randy Wiitala, Tofte in 5:51:48.
Next year will be the forth year of the rugged ultra mountain bike races, which are sponsored by Life Time Fitness and promoted by the Cook County Visitors Bureau. To see complete results visit www.Lutsen99er.com
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