Inaugural winners of the Norpine Fat Bike Classic held last weekend in Lutsen happily hold up their prize money. The top three finishers in the long race each received cash, while the top three places in the shorter 16-mile race received awards. Local riders that took part said it was a great day to be out riding.
As their husbands rode on, oblivious to their predicaments, April Wahlstrom fixed a flat tire and Mica Harju dealt with a bloody nose.
“We did just fine,” said a smiling Wahlstrom, the fourth place finisher in the inaugural 16-mile Norpine Fat Bike Classic. “The guys came back and rode with us, but we had already taken care of our problems,” Wahlstrom said.
The Norpine Fat Bike Classic took place Saturday, January 7 in Lutsen under somewhat nippy conditions and featured a 24-mile-long course race and a 16-mile event.
Competitors started at the Superior National Golf course and rode on the Norpine Trail system along the Sawtooth Mountain ridges and pedaled through the boreal forest during the competition that saw temperatures reach a high of 10 degrees F. The long-course riders turned around at the Cascade River State Park.
Participants in the longer event raced for cash prizes while the top finishers in the shorter race won awards.
Cole House from Oneida, Wisconsin, and April Morgan of Hopkins, Minnesota were the men and women winners of the 24-mile race.
House finished in 1:51:38, followed closely Adam Bergman of Circle Pines, who came in 15 seconds later. Brendan Moore
from Prior Lake was third with a time of 1:53:49. Chris Stevens of New Richmond, Wis., was fourth in 1:54:15, followed by Jeff Hall of Minneapolis with a time of 1:55:37. Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux, who placed 70th and Max Wahlers who placed 74th were the top local finishers in the 24-mile race.
Morgan easily won the long-course women’s division with a time of 2:12:12. Second place went to Sonia Pond of Minneapolis in 2:31:16; Patti Schmidt- Iverson of Hampton, Minn., placed third with a time of 2:34:33. She was followed by Christina Ross of Chaska who crossed the line in 2:36:02.
The top three finishers in the men and women’s long-course race won $250 for first place, $100 for second place and third place won $50.
Short course winners
Pavel Nelson, of Cameron, Wis., won the 16-mile race in 1:30:24. Chris Daube of Duluth followed Nelson in 1:32:17, Chris Corley of Mankato was third in 1:32:48, Greg Gentle of Somerset, Wis., placed fourth in 1:35:28 and James Kauth of St. Paul was fifth in 1:36:47.
Marilyn Ailey of Thunder Bay was the first woman across the line in the short race in 2:05:47. Jennifer Neuman of Anoka was second in 2:11:19, Sherri Shrock of Cohasset, Minn. was third in 2:16:38, and April Wahlstrom of Grand Marais placed fourth in 2:24:12.
Top local finishers, times and places in the 16-mile race were Tom Wahlstrom, 24th, 2:24:12; Adam Harju, 26th, 2:28:54; Mica Harju, 27th, 2:28:55; Lee Bergstrom, 30th, 2:44.14; Steve Surbaugh, 33rd, 2:48:16; Kathryn Ramberg, 43rd, 3:37:09; Lynn Wiitala, 44th, 3:40:01 and Randy Wiitala, 45th, 5:15:11.
About 45NRTH Great Lakes Fat Bike Series
The Norpine is part of the 45NRTH Great Lakes Fat Bike Series showcasing the best fat bike races in the Great Lakes Region. The events include seven mass-start fat bike tire races that take place in three states – Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Riders compete to earn points in each event and establish standing in the overall 45NRTH Great Lake Fat Bike Series. For more information, please visit: www.norpinefatbikeclassic.com.
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