Capping off the end of another great cycling season, Copper Harbor was the site of the third annual Keweenaw Cup cyclocross race presented by Houghton’s Red Jacket Cycling Team. Over sixty racers from Duluth to Skandia participated in the two-day event, which again featured venues in downtown Copper Harbor and the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge. Contested over short courses approximately a mile in length for a fixed period of time, typically 30 to 45 minutes depending on gender and ability, the races are fast, furious and exciting down to the wire.

Not only were racers competing for top honors in the Keweenaw, but, as the Cup is part of the seven-race UPCROSS points series, racers were also looking to collect points for the season-long series which starts in late September and concludes with the U.P. State Cyclocross Championships in November.

The Keweenaw Cup opened with the Downtown Hoedown in the center of Copper Harbor. Sending racers on a flat, meandering, and obstacle-laden course featuring chicanes, barriers, singletrack, sand trap, and an off-camber turn with potential water hazard, the Cup got off to a blazing start under sunny skies.

In the women’s B race, Melanie Kueber of Houghton, competing in her first UPCROSS event, prevailed, outriding cyclocross veteran Mary Connor of Marquette. Red Jacket rider Tammi Lehto, fighting a cold, held on for third.

A strong field was on hand for the women’s A race, though with the notable absence of Andrea Pernsteiner, the 2009 Keweenaw Cup champion, Lining up as an unknown was Duluth rider Kari Gates, who raced strongly the week before at Bay Cross in Ashland, Wisc., where U.P. reconnaissance operatives spotted her skill and speed on the bike. How she would match up against her U.P. counterparts was yet to be seen, however. Nicole Alexander, UPCROSS series leader with two straight wins under her belt, was looking for the hat trick and was the rider to watch. Not to be underestimated was Marquette racer Christina Bennett, who is capable of riding away from the field on a good day. Following a fast start and numerous lead changes between the three contenders early in the race, Gates settled into a groove, with Alexander sitting on her wheel in a game of cat and mouse. With one lap to go in the seven-lap contest, Alexander made her move and left Gates gasping for air. The Duluth rider finished a strong second, showing that she was going to be a factor for the weekend championship. Bennett took home the bronze for the day.

The men’s C race was a contest between the Dr. Bruces: Bruce Harvey and Bruce Pletka, both Red Jacket riders from Houghton. After seven laps of racing, Bruce H. took the win.

Rocking the singlespeed in the men’s B race was series leader Jeremy Pletka of Marquette. Although his perfect season was shattered two weeks ago by a flat tire at the River Park UPCROSS race, Pletka was still the man to beat. Any number of other riders were capable of taking the win, including Ian Marks and Kit Cischke of Houghton and Matt Belic and Jason Vayre of Marquette. Pletka found himself with in the lead early on and appeared to again be unbeatable. Behind him, Houghton riders Marks and Cischke and Marquette aces Jason Vayre, Andrew Rickhauer and Matt Belic worked to reel him in. Their efforts were in vain, however, as Pletka claimed day one of the series. Marks cruised in for second and, coming off of a victory in Ashland, Cischke took third.

The 25-man A race saw some of the toughest competition to date in this year’s UPCROSS series. All of the known heavyweights were there: 2009 UPCROSS and Keweenaw Cup champion Tyler Jenema of Marquette, current UPCROSS series leader Aaron Swanson of Ashland, and a tough-as-nails Tyler Gauthier of Ishpeming. There were some new faces on hand as well, including Ryan Tervo of Chassell and Red Jacket standout Tim Kostner of Houghton. An early selection was made in the first half lap of the contest, as Jenema, Gauthier, and Swanson moved clear of the field. Kostner worked hard to maintain contact with the trio, but the pace was too high. Midway through the race, Jenema saw his hopes for a Keweenaw Cup repeat dashed as a puncture removed him from the lead group. Too far from the pit zone for a fast wheel change, Jenema lost more ground than he could hope to make up in the 30 minutes remaining in the event. At the head of the race, Gauthier put on a clinic, finishing over a minute ahead of his nearest rival, Aaron Swanson. Third place in the A race went to Tim Kostner, his second UPCROSS podium in as many races.

With the day’s racing finished, cyclists washed down and tuned up their bikes for the next day’s battle and headed over to the Mariner North to civilly discuss the race and plan strategies for the finale.

Race action moved up the hill Sunday morning to the historic Keweenaw Mountain Lodge for the Top of the World Smackdown. In a move designed to give racers on traditional cyclocross bikes an edge over those on mountain bikes, race organizers opted to make the day’s race as fast as possible by including several hundred meters of paved cart path and dirt road. All things being equal, racers with the more narrow tires typically used on cx bikes should, in theory at least, have proven faster on the course. All things are not, of course, equal in a ‘cross race, least of all fate.

In the women’s B race, Red Jacket rider Tammi Lehto of Atlantic Mine capitalized on the absence of day 1 winner Melanie Kueber to take the win and secure her spot as Keweenaw Cup champion. Second place went to Mary Connor and third to E. Voschkl.

The women’s A race was arguably one of the most exiting ‘cx races ever contested in the U.P. The four contenders, Nicole Alexander, Christina Bennett, Kari Gates and 2009 champion Andrea Pernsteiner each led at one point or another in the early laps. Midway, however, the always dangerous Bennett dug deep and opened a considerable gap. Her three main rivals worked hard to cut it down, but to no avail. Alexander, never one to give up, buried herself in an effort to bring Bennett back into striking distance. Over the final laps, the gap nearly gone, it was clear that either woman could take the win. In a neck and neck sprint, it was Bennett who eked out the win, a mere half bike length ahead of Alexander. Kari Gates held her position for third. The weekend title went to Alexander, with Bennett and Gates taking second and third, respectively.

Three racers lined up for the men’s C race: in addition to Bruces Harvey and Pletka, Finn Whalen joined the action. Harvey, again showing strong form, took the gold. Despite repeated attacks by Whalen midway through the race, Pletka held on for second. Class C champion for the weekend was Bruce Harvey. Pletka took home the silver and Whalen the bronze.

In a two-day event, its easy to burn too many matches the first day. And no one knows just how many matches a competitor might have left for the second race. So it was in the men’s B race. Based on prior results, it looked like Jeremy Pletka’s to lose. Yet tactical discussions the night before among Houghton’s Red Jacket squad had certainly been squarely aimed at challenging Pletka’s near dominance in the series. At the gun, Pletka was again able to establish a lead. But behind him a trio of rider joined forces and worked to whittle it away. Houghton’s Kit Cischke, Ian Marks, and James Bialas as well as Marquette’s Matt Belic took turns at the front to keep Pletka’s now shrinking lead in check. And with four laps to go, they managed to turn the tables. Kit Cischke, always the model of composure on the bike, took the opportunity to claim the lead. Marks followed as well, but was unable to match Cischke’s near perfect form over the barriers. Behind them, Pletka was left to wonder if one gear was enough. Cischke maintained a solid lead to the finish, with Marks outpacing Pletka for second.

Though it had always been a possibility, never before had the Keweenaw Cup seen a tie. With Pletka’s first on Saturday and third on Sunday and Ciscke’s third on Saturday and win on Sunday, there was, in fact, a tie for top honors in the B class. Consulting the UCI rulebook, race officials ordered the two leaders to end of the straightaway, some two hundred meters distant, from which they were to contest a one-legged sprint. In a race certain to be debated for years to come, the racers, each opting for the right leg, fought tooth and nail for the first hundred meters when misfortune struck Pletka: the immense forces exerted on the right crank arm resulted in an asymmetric frame deflection that tore his foot from the pedal. Cischke, perhaps through a wiser choice of materials or simply luck, was able to pedal to the line and claim the Keweenaw Cup. Third place for the series went to Ian Marks.

Though anything is possible in a cyclocross race, most of the A racers knew they were racing for fourth. Except for those who were racing for DFL, of course. Provided there were no mishaps, the trio of Gauthier, Swanson and Jenema would likely prove unstoppable, even on mountain bikes. And that’s how it played out, with the threesome quickly breaking away from the pack and racing amongst themselves. At the front, the Tylers worked together to try and wear Aaron Swanson down. Once he was onto their game, however, Swanson realized that the best he could hope for was second. Late in the race, Tyler Gauthier rode away from the pair. Jenema, who had suffered a mechanical the day before was out of contention, which meant Swanson would likely have to chase alone in order to bring Gauthier back. Riding a smart race, Swanson conserved energy and put his eggs in the second-place basket, hoping to out sprint Jenema on the final lap – which is how it ended. With another strong performance, Tim Kostner of Houghton took fourth on the day. Not quite good enough for the podium in Sunday’s race, but it secured his third place in the Keweenaw Cup, behind weekend champion Tyler Gauthier and second place finisher Aaron Swanson.

The Red Jackets would like to thank everyone for traveling the extra distance to Copper Harbor. We’d also like to thank the Copper Harbor Trails Club for their support, Michigan Tech, Computer Mechanix, John Ollila and his dog Toivo, The Bike Shop, BlueSky Health, Banjo Brothers Bags, the village of Copper Harbor, The Mariner North and The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge for making the Keweenaw Cup possible.

Results have been posted and overall series standings updated.

Race photos have been uploaded (Have more to share? Send a link!)