Left: The race included a new route on recently improved single-track trails at Pincushion Mountains. Above: Riding on fat tires, Adam Harju (296) finished second in the 15-mile sport race, while John Twiest (middle) placed 7th in the 21-mile expert class race. Nancy Rova (right) won the women’s division of the 15-mile race.
Riding on a sunny, cool, crisp day with new single track trails greeting them, 49 mountain bike riders turned out to compete in one of three different races held on Pincushion Mountain trails on September 7.
Thunder Bay’s Colin Pendziwol led all finishers across the line of the 21-mile expert class race at the Sawtooth Mountain Challenge, his winning time of 2:01:44 was 3:38 faster than runner-up Todd McFadden of Duluth.
Cook County finishers in the 21-mile event were John Twiest, 7th; John Alt 15th; Max Wahlers 18th; Sam Hedstrom 19th; and Robert McPherson 22nd.
Thunder Bay’s Zack Kondrat won the 15-mile race in 1:43:06, beating Adam Harju of Grand Marais and former Grand Marais resident Eric Larsen by 7:30. Harju helps design and build the single-track trails at Pincushion. Larsen, who now lives in Boulder, Colorado, was back for the second year in a row and tied with Harju. Other local top males included Matt Nesheim, 17th.
Grand Marais’ Nancy Rova won the women’s division of the 15-mile race with a time of 2:03:31. Rova beat Kathryn Ramberg, also of Grand Marais, who finished in 3:11:19.
Paul Burton of Baxter, Minnesota won the 8-mile citizen race in 50:31. Burton was just ahead of Grand Marais’ Will Surbaugh, who finished in 50:55. Not far behind Will was Vaughn Swindelhurst who just outdueled his buddy Pete Sutton to place third in 55:53.7 to Sutton’s 55:54.4. David Eckel placed sixth in 1:02:44.
Chantal Paquette of Thunder Bay bested her friend Magane Lessard by one second, winning the girl’s 8-mile race in 1:52:13.
Starting in downtown Grand Marais by Superior North Outdoor Center, riders climbed more than 1,000 vertical feet to the Pincushion mountain bike trails where some competed in the 8-mile citizen race, some in the 15-mile sport race and the more experienced riders competed in the 21-mile expert race on new and existing single track trails.
The weather was beautiful and the trails, while muddy in spots, were in good shape for the ride. Expert riders were challenged by tight, twisting, rocky, rootfilled turns and straight sections that had dips, bumps, and small boulders to navigate through and around.
Vaughn Swindlehurst (89), Will Surbaugh (87) and Pete Sutton (88) battled it out in the 8-mile citizen race, with Surbaugh beating his two friends and Swindlehurst edging Sutton out by half the length of a tire.
Started in 1991, the Sawtooth Challenge has been an annual event with many riders from the Northland and Thunder Bay, Ontario getting together for camaraderie and some good-natured competition.
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