Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival
Gary Crandall, director
Mark Parman, media director
cheqfat@cheqnet.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sept. 14, 2003

Cable, Wis. – Doug Swanson (Trek/VW) won the Cable Criterium, a short, multi-lap race, in the same fashion as he did the Chequamegon 40 – by simply riding away from the competition.
Swanson charged to the front of the pack right off the start line, followed closely by Steve Tilford (Moots/Shimano), last year’s Cable Criterium Champion. Swanson and Tilford quickly opened up a gap on the rest of the field, with Swanson at the front driving the pace. On the bell lap, Swanson upped the pace even higher, leaving Tilford in his wake, and won by a comfortable margin.
“I was just trying to hold my lead, no matter what,” said Swanson, who is familiar with shorter races. He was ninth overall and fourth American in the NORBA short track series. “This is actually a sprint compared to them,” he said.
Brian Eppen of Iowa City, Iowa placed third, and Ezra Taylor, riding a singlespeed, finished fourth overall. Jay “Hollywood” Henderson was fifth after tangling with Taylor in the final uphill corner.
Duluth resident Sara Kylander-Johnson (Ski Hut) won the women’s Cable Criterium in similar fashion, holding the lead from start to finish. “You can’t go out too hard, but you have to be up at the front,” Kylander-Johnson said. She admitted that her legs burned on every uphill, but felt she could stand the pain for the duration of the shorter race.
Rebecca Cleveland and Michelle Flanagan Haag, also of Duluth, finished second and third. Flanagan-Haag got off to a horrendous start, but made up ground in last two laps to put herself into third. Susan Juedes of Madison, Wis. and Allison Bohn of Plymouth, Minn. rounded out the top five.
Michael Gerke won the overall title of the Rough Stuff Rendezvous, an orienteering race through the woods around Telemark Resort. He edged Steven Meurett, a former champion, and Steve Eberly. Amy Statz of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis captured the women’s title.

 

Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival
Gary Crandall, director
Mark Parman, media director
cheqfat@cheqnet.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sept. 13, 2003

Cable, Wis. – Doug Swanson (Trek/VW) took the lead in the Chequamegon 40 just three miles into the race and soloed across the finish line at Telemark Resort for his first ever win at the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival. Swanson finished in 2:07:11, over three minutes faster than the course record and the largest margin of victory in the race’s 21-year history.
Steve Tilford (Shimano/Moots), winner of the last three races here, finished second, nearly eight minutes behind Swanson, edging Brian Matter, Jeff Hall (Salsa) and former world champion Ned Overend (Specialized) in a sprint finish.
Swanson, 25, attacked in Rosie’s Field, dragging along Tilford, who could only hold his wheel for a few miles before dropping off. Halfway into the race, Swanson built his lead to well over two minutes as Hall tried to drive the chasing group forward. The second group never got close to Swanson. “I wanted to ride my own race. I didn’t want to play games,” Swanson said. Riding the climbs and descents as his own pace clearly worked in his favor.
Going into the Firetower Climb, the hardest climb on the course with ten miles to go, Swanson led by over five minutes, but he had no idea he was that far ahead. “I didn’t let up because I didn’t know where I was,” he said. “I’d look back on the straights, and I couldn’t see anyone.”
His lead grew so large that the chase group gave up and started thinking about second place. “I picked him as the guy to beat, but I think I underestimated him,” Tilford said. Tilford was hoping to win his fourth Chequamegon in as many years.
In the women’s race, Australian Mary Grigson (Subaru/Gary Fisher) repeated as champion, also crossing the line almost eight minutes ahead of second place Sara Kylander-Johnson (Ski Hut) and Anne Grabowski (Penn Cycles/Nature Valley).
“It was a lot easier this year,” Grigson said. “I was ready for the end.” Grigson, who drove up from Minneapolis the morning of the race, claimed she was motivated to win first for the prize, a new Trek Fuel mountain bike. Grigson plans to give the bike to her mom who just started racing in New Zealand. Last year Grigson donated the first place bike for a fund raiser for a paralyzed local rider.
John Devine (Trek/VW) repeated as champion in the 16-mile Short and Fat race. Devine, a member of the US national team, finished alone, over three minutes ahead of Jimmy Feely. Syrae Weikle of Denver, Colo. won the women’s shorter race.

Chequamegon Fat Tire 40 results
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Short & Fat results
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WOMEN