TOPEKA RIDERS REPEAT AS CHAMPIONS IN 2001 CHEQUAMEGON

CABLE, Wis. (September 15, 2001) Nothing changed for Steve Tilford and Catherine Walberg in this year’s Chequamegon 40. And that’s exactly what they wanted. The Topeka, Kansas natives both repeated their wins from a year ago. Walberg also won the race in 1997, giving her three victories in the past five years.

Tilford, 41, seems to get better with age. He crossed County Highway 00, near the halfway point, comfortably in 2nd place in a lead group of ten. Dirk Retting, Madison, Wis., was leading this group. Shortly thereafter, main rival Rishi Grewal of Carbondale, Colo. crashed and damaged his rear brake and Rettig went off course.

With 15 miles to go, the lead group was down to four riders, with two chasing 30 seconds back. At the base of the Seeley Firetower climb, Tilford was leading a group of three, including Jed Schneider, a training partner from Topeka. Doug Swanson of Minnetonka, Minn., also in the group of three, flatted on this stair-step climb with ten miles to go. That left the two from Topeka alone, almost to the finish.

Less than two miles from the finish Dewey Dickey, Cokato, Minn. came from behind and caught the Kansas riders. "Dewey wasn’t in sight with two miles to go. It was a surprise to see him," said Tilford. According to Schneider, he and Tilford celebrated too early, thinking they had the race won.

Dickey and Tilford dropped Schneider on the last climb up Mount Telemark and set up for a sprint finish. As they entered the final corner, Dickey tried to pass on Tilford’s right, just after Tilford moved that way toward the fence. Dickey nearly clipped the fence and tapped his brakes, giving Tilford the win. "We went up against the fence. I took the shortest line to the finish," claimed Tilford.

Dickey, primarily a road rider, was visibly disappointed. "He didn’t hold his line at all," Dickey said of the final sprint. "If I hadn’t backed off, I would have hit it [the fence]." This was his third second place finish and fifth podium performance in the race. "I just needed a couple more hills." With more climbs Dickey felt the finish wouldn’t have ended in a sprint.

Tilford’s winning time of 2:10:56 was only 23 seconds off Marty Jemison’s record time in 1997. Dickey was three seconds behind in 2:10:59, followed by Schneider in 2:11:19. According to top finishers, the course conditions were ideal – fast, dry, hard – and the predicted rain never materialized.

In the women’s race it was all Walberg, who cruised to her third victory here. She grabbed the lead two miles into the race, as the course turns off the pavement of Highway 77 and onto the grass of the Birkebeiner Ski Trail.

With 13 miles to go, Walberg had a two minute lead on eventual second place finisher Anne Grabowski, Stillwater, Minn. "About three miles to go, I started talking to myself. Keep the pressure on. It ain’t over till it’s over," said Walberg. Her time of 2:36:43 was over three and a half minutes ahead of Grabowski.

Grabowski, riding in her first Chequamegon 40, was just hoping to crack the top ten. "This is my first big race. I’m in total shock," she said about her second place finish. "I can’t believe it." Grabowski rode the last six miles with third place finisher Stephanie Moats, Shoreview, Minn. and pulled away from Moats on the final climb. Grabowski finished in 2:40:16 and Moats followed in 2:40:52. Brett Schulze, 1998 champion, crossed the line fourth in 2:41:33.

The men’s 16-mile Short & Fat also came down to a sprint finish. John Devine, Dixon, Ill. nipped Chad Sova, Spooner, Wis. at the line. Devine’s margin of victory was less than a second. They covered the shorter course in 52:56. Local rider, Brad Suhr of Cable, Wis. was third in 53:12.

In the women’s Short & Fat, Diane Trembly of Hayward, Wis, bested the field in 1:06:37. Lori Belz, Stillwater, Minn. was second in 1:07:55, and Louise Austin, Minneapolis, Minn. was third in 1:08:34. 10-time champion Cindy Storm, Savage, Minn. finished fourth, 17 seconds behind Austin.

In the Chequamegon 40 tandem class, Chris Kaiser, Lindenhurst, Ill. and Jeff Tumbleson took the win in 2:32:34 over second place finishers Jon and Mark Hirsch of Fort Wayne, Ind. and Dubuque, Iowa. Jon and Mark, twins who call themselves a "two-headed Medusa", crossed the line in 2:36:07. Rob Leigh and Martha Leigh-O’Conner, Dubuque, Iowa won the mixed tandem in 2:47:36.

OVERALL MEN’S CHEQUAMEGON 40 RESULTS

OVERALL WOMEN’S CHEQUAMEGON 40 RESULTS