Dianna McFadden sent an exclusive report, replaying the race as she endured her chase:

It is always good to get that first race of the year out of the way and there is no better place to do it than WORS #1 in Iola. The course has some moderate climbs and fast fun flowing single track with some ski trails thrown in. And much to our delight, it was dry! It had rained most of the week leading up to the race and rain was forecasted for Saturday but by some force of nature, the rain missed the Iola Winter Sports Area. Race day was cold and blustery but once Don yelled GOOOOOOOO, that was forgotten.

In the women’s Pro/Cat 1 race, we had a field of 20 women. For any other race, that would be considered a good size field. However, for this race, the numbers were down. Last year 30 women toed the line. I asked Don, the race director about the number of participants and he said he thought the weather was a huge factor, not just for the weekend but in terms of the cold wet spring we have had.

This race starts with a lung burning climb right away then a descent into the “bowl” of the ski area. I was flying into the descent and sitting about 3rd or 4th wheel. At the bottom of the bowl as I started to climb back out, I dropped my chain. I tried to shift to get it back on and had no luck. I jumped off and got the chain back on and the rest of the field went soaring by. I was the last one out of the bowl but I wasn’t giving up. I battled back, passed quite a few women on the next section of trail that consists of a few more climbs. By the time we hit the single track, I could see all three of my Adventure 212 teammates up ahead along with Robin Williams (Mercy-Specialized). I made contact with them about half way through the first lap and rode the rest of the lap with them. As I passed the start area and climbed the first hill, I saw Abigail Strigel (Trek Stores of Madison and last years overall series winner) walking her bike. I found out later that she broke her chain and was out. That left Kim Eppen (Mercy-Specialized) out front. I started to slowly get a gap on the girls I was riding with but Kim was nowhere in sight. I could see Sarah Agena-Wright (Adventure 212) behind me and I could tell the gap was widening. The hills hurt but I was having a blast on my Trek Top Fuel. I felt like I was flying through the single track.

Kim proved that her fitness is right on track as she won the race by 9:14! I finished 2nd, Sarah Agena-Wright was 3rd, Lisa Krayer (Adventure 212) was 4th and Michelle Peariso (Adventure 212) was 5th. It was good day for Adventure 212!

The number of participants in the men’s race was also down considerably from last year. Only 60 racers started the Pro/Cat 1 race compared to 90 last year. Tristan Schouten (Mafia/Felt) and Brian Matter (Gear Grinders/Trek) battled it out with Tristan taking the win by 4 seconds. Brian Eppen (Mercy-Specialized) battled it out with Mike Anderson (Trek 29/SRAM) for 3rd and 4th. Brian put in a monster attack near the end of the last lap and finished 7 seconds ahead of Anderson. Mike Phillips (Adventure 212) was 5th. Todd McFadden finished 13th overall. He said he rode the entire race by himself but commented that his Trek Top Fuel was unbelievable. He said he felt like it was on rails.

Thanks to WORS and all of the volunteers. It was a top-notch event! Next up for us, the ­ Cable Off-Road Classic.