KMK – 12 HOURS
OF POTLUCK MOUNTAINBIKE RACE
August 10, 2006. Marquette, MI - It was the hottest
day of the year on July 15, 2006, a record setting 98°F
for this year’s 12 Hours of Potluck Mountain Bike Race
held at Harlow Lake. Nearly 80 mountain bike racers rode the
6 mile course from 10am until 10pm in the sweltering heat
of the day. The gravel pit off of the 550 highway was abuzz
with bikers, supporters and onlookers from sun-up until well
after sun-down.
The event was organized by the new bike club in Marquette
- Kitchi-Mi-Kana (KMK) and its’ co-race directors, Jon
Andrus and Greg Potvin with help from many volunteers. “KMK
worked countless hours to provide a racing experience like
none yet held in the U.P. This was the first official 12 Hour
event organized to date and will no doubt rapidly grow year
after year”, stated Andy Gregg, 12 Hour race participant.
The race began with a LaMonds-style start. After a short
run riders mounted their bikes and raced off into the woods.
The course featured much of Marquette’s sensational
riding with a mix of two track roads, single track trails
and technical rock gardens strewn with roots and other obstacles
just to keep the racers on their toes. The average lap time
of the racers was 33 minutes with the fastest lap was a blistering
25 minutes set by Escanaba’s, Bryan Jung. Many racers
traveled from Marquette, Munising, Escanaba, Big Bay and as
far away as a group from New York state. The ages of the racers
varied greatly including teenagers, both men and women racers
in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s 50’s and
even some racers in their 60’s.
The winners of this year’s event included Solo rider
Tim Shandonay of Marquette riding 17 laps for an amazing 102
miles. Single Speed riders, Danny and Drew Hill of Ishpeming
pedaled 15 laps for 90 miles. The Mixed Team members of Corinne
Piemer, Natasha Lapinski, Josh Cohen, and Matt Koss rode 21
laps for 126 miles. The Female Team members of Billie Neher,
Jillian Betterly, and Andrea Schnelle rode 20 laps for 120
miles and the Male Team members Andy Langlois, Tony Lackey,
Wes Pernesteiner, Derek Anderson rode a total of 25 laps for
150 miles. “I think all racers that participated in
the 12 Hours of Potluck really enjoyed themselves”.
“The race was a success because there was a wide variety
of riders from expert to citizens just out having fun”,
commented race organizer Jon Andrus. “The mood was one
of friendship and camaraderie with a positive dose of competitiveness
mixed in”, stated organizer Greg Potvin.
This KMK event was only made possible by active support from
our community sponsors including: Plum Creek Timber Company,
Hotchandani Lazer Aesthetic Surgery, Jilbert Dairy, Motion
Industries, Signs Unlimited, and Hilltop R.V. In addition
to our sponsors the Department of Natural Resources, Noqemanon
Trail Network, and the Nordic Bay Lodge were exceptional in
their support of the race event. “Not only did we enjoy
the sponsorship support, but most of the sponsors were also
a part of a race team that competed in our 12 Hours of Potluck
Mountain Bike Race”, said Jon Andrus.
The KMK organizers were very pleased by the racer turn-out
and by the enthusiasm the event brought to the Marquette area
bicycling community. Both Jon and Greg expect the race to
grow next year with nearly 200 racers participating.
Keep yourself up to date on other Marquette area bicycling
events by visiting www.kmkcycling.com. KMK will be hosting
the U.P. Cyclocross Championship Series beginning in October.
• 12-Hour Potluck Race Results
Male Teams, Mixed
Teams, Other
Teams (Format: HTML)
KMK CYCLING ON THE PODIUM AT INTERNATIONAL CYCLING
CLASSIC
July 18, 2006. Lyons, WI - Marquette’s KMK Cycling
Team brought home a podium finish at Hammer Gel MGA Proving
Grounds road race July 11 as part of the International Cycling
Classic Superweek events in Lyons, Wisconsin. Greg “Stumpy”
Steltenpohl was led out by teammate Derek Anderson for the
sprint to the 3rd place finish of a 47 rider field in the
Men’s Cat 4/5 40 mile road race.
“Right before the finish there was a huge crash and
we were caught behind it while the front half of the peloton
broke away,” explained Steltenpohl. “I got on
Derek’s wheel and he led me out through the ruckus,
and I attacked for the last 1,000 meters to catch the leaders.”
Steltenpohl worked with teammates Anderson, Wes Pernsteiner
and Tom Mahaney to make it safely through the peloton to the
front at the end.
The sprint to the line ended in a photo finish for Steltenpohl
and the 2nd place finisher as race judges had to review the
tapes to reveal the winner. “It was a hard race, but
my teammates deserve the credit for taking care of me so I
could go for the win in the end.” Marquette’s
Anderson brought home 14th place followed by Tony Lackey in
20th.
This was the second Superweek race for KMK cycling that
week. The team also took part in the Point Beer Tour of Alpine
Valley road race the day before in East Troy, Wisconsin. KMK’s
best result came from Tyler Jenema of Negaunee with a 7th
place finish in the Men’s Cat 4/5 40 mile road race.
Jenema broke away early with a group of nine leaders and stayed
away from the main peloton until the end. The rest of the
KMK team remained in the peloton and tried to organize to
catch the break-away, but the lead group stayed away. Steltenpohl
ended up winning the sprint to the finish of the peloton to
bring home 10th place, with Anderson in 13th and Andy Langlois
of Marquette in 23rd.
“The competition is very tough at Superweek so the
team was happy just to be there at the end,” said Steltenpohl.
“We had just come off of a good showing at Superior
Bike Fest in the 80 mile, but we didn’t know what to
expect at Superweek. We were pleased with everyone’s
results and look forward to the next time we can race as a
team.”
Steltenpohl will travel back to Milwaukee for the final
two Superweek races July 22 and 23 which are both criteriums.
“I love close racing and a good sprint at the end, so
I’m going to try to put KMK on the box again!”
KMK Cycling is sponsored by Bell Hospital, Nordic Bay Lodge,
Marquette Photo, Signs Unlimited, Frei Chevrolet, Upper Michigan
Brain Tumor Center, K2 Media Lab, Upper Michigan Cardiovascular
Associates. For more information on KMK Cycling, please visit
kmkcycling.com. |
