House and Strigel win Bear Paw Rock & Roll

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The 2012 Subaru Wisconsin Off Road Series (WORS) hosted race number eleven in White Lake, Wisconsin this past weekend. Once again, the Bear Paw Rock & Roll showcased beautiful fall colors in northern Wisconsin and yet another victory in the hands of Cole House and Abby Strigel.

The cool air and bright sunshine reminded the competitors in the elite field that the racing season is not over yet. With the summer over and the race season coming to a close, it has become a battle for final series points. Cole House (Competitive Cyclist/616) took the lead out of the gate and decided to attack the first climb to push the pace for the rest of the field.

The lead out was fast, but was met with a four-tiered, sandy climb. This was a great place for House to create a gap with a few other racers and separate from the rest of the field. Keeping him in sight were Nathan Guerra (Vision/Wheel & Sprocket), Tyler Gauthier (Culver's Racing), Darrin Braun (Adventure 212/Specialized) and Mike Phillips (Adventure 212/Specialized).

Gauthier said after the race, "I was actually happy to see that. I didn't want to be the one to push it hard. But when I saw someone else go, I was more than happy to jump on it and go."

Gauthier caught up with House later in the first lap and hung with him for a while until House eventually pulled away and took the win. Guerra made up some of the gap from sixth earlier in the race to pass Gauthier in the last lap to finish second. House and Guerra are both known for fast, smooth riding in some of the most technical sections of the course, which was one key for their success in this event. Gauthier finished solid in third place.

In the elite women's race, Abby Strigel (Honey Stinger/ Bontrager/ Pat's Gym) was back in action after a crash left her with a broken rib earlier in the season. Fresh from her recovery, Strigel proved that the injury was not going to slow her down. The fast lead out pushed Strigel to a speedy climb to maintain the front spot.

Cooper Dendel (Culver's Racing) and Lisa Krayer (Adventure 212/Specialized) chased for the other two podium spots. Krayer pushed hard throughout the race to hold her spot. Feeling good on the climbs and in the singletrack, Krayer took second step on the podium. After a long, challenging climb at the front of each lap, Dendel made up time in the rocks to maintain her third place spot. Amber Markey (Magnus) took fourth while Lori Sable (K9 Dynamics) finished in fifth.

With the dry conditions this year, the Rock & Roll was much faster than in previous years. The course took racers through a battlefield of boulders and rock gardens, roots and switchbacks. Bear Paw has become synonymous with being a muddy and wet race due to the streak of bad weather from previous years. Many competitors arrived with the assumption that another mudfest was in order, even though the weather reports said otherwise. Some were even disappointed to not get to race in the mud but contenders had an overwhelming satisfaction with the course and race organization. The red and gold autumn trees and crisp air put a smile on everyone in attendance. With only one more race left in the WORS season, the event was bittersweet.

The series finale, The Wigwam MTB Challenge, will be held October 14 at Evergreen Park in Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Full Results