I “raced” in Thompsonville, MI for the 17th annual Peak 2 Peak mountain bike race for the first time this year. I wasn’t sure what to expect, it was set for the third Saturday in October, but I had a lot of fun. I signed up for the sport race which is two laps up and down Crystal Mountain.

Friday before the race, I packed the truck up and headed my way up north. The weather was looking iffy, so I ended up going by myself. I hit a few showers on the way and made a slight detour onto some dirt roads for a quick bathroom break. My bike ended up covered in dirt/mud, but by the time I got to the campground, the rain had washed all that away. I stayed at the Betsie River campground in a small cabin. I didn’t realize it had power, but was glad there was an electric space heater.

Saturday morning was very chilly, but I was up and out of bed before the sun came up. I noticed an all-day breakfast place that was nearby the race start on my through and decided that would be a great place to stop. I was not the only racer to stop in at Rosie’s Country Café and I was right, the food was pretty amazing.

Filled up with eggs, hashbrowns, biscuits and gravy I made my way over to the packet pick-up. Even though I was in the third wave, I still had plenty of time before the race started. I took my number plate (and pint glass) back to the truck to keep warm and think about what I was going to wear for the race.

I had brought my shoe covers, but decided against them, that was a mistake. I did a quick little warm-up and my fingers were freezing (even though I wore my long-fingered gloves) and my feet seemed to be okay. After my warm-up (and wishing I had grabbed a different set of gloves… I was worried about braking/shifting, especially on the downhills) I headed to the start line and we were off a few minutes later.

I wasn’t there to compete, but just enjoy the day… the sun was out, there was blue skies and the fall colors were fantastic. Everyone sprinted out of the gate, I wasn’t really interested in pushing super hard, but found a couple folks to ride with. One of those riders was on a Surly Karate Monkey and was a single-speed. Also riding a steel frame, he gave me props when I passed by.

My hands eventually warmed up, but my feet were very cold… I think the temperature hovered just under 40 degrees for the race. Going up the mountain was hard work, but the downhill made it worth it. I was hoping for a negative split, but my second lap was a few minutes slower than the first.
The ending chute was exciting, by the time I got there on my second lap the ground had been torn up and was very soft, I almost ate it on the final turn, but was happy not have an unplanned dismount (especially in front of the crowd).

In my mind, comparing this to the Soft Rock for Ore 2 Shore, they are about the same distance, but the singletrack in Peak 2 Peak make this race a lot more fun. I have a feeling if the weather cooperates, I’ll be doing this one again in the future!