Schouten and Strigel win Sunburst Showdown

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The Wisconsin Off Road Series (WORS) returned this weekend in the small town of Kewaskum, Wisconsin after a three-week recess. Named after the ski hill that hosted the event, the Sunburst Showdown was the seventh of 12 races in the Subaru-sponsored WORS 2013 season. Due to its convenient location in the vicinity of Milwaukee, this race has maintained popularity over several years on the WORS roster. Although it has not been favored by some racers in previous years, the Sunburst Showdown received several kudos from its top riders this year after extensive trail building was done to revamp the entire course.

Open grassy climbs used to be the norm for the Showdown. But with racer feedback and WORS' commitment to offering world class courses at all of its events, singletrack was the new word this race. It is one of the more ascent-heavy races compared to the traditionally horizontal midwest riding conditions. But with new punchy climbs and descending payoffs, racers got much more diversity to help them forget about the pain their legs were feeling.

The start line of the elite men's race was stacked. Series leader Darrin Braun(Adventure 212/Specialized) lined up with previous series overall champions Tristan Schouten (Rolf Prima Wheels) and Brian Matter (RACC/Trek/Gear Grinder). Also, joining the line up was Cole House (Cashcall Cycling Team/616) who hasn't been seen at a WORS race since the season opener where he dominated with a huge lead. The breakaway group consisted of Matter, Schouten, House and Joe Maloney (KS Energy Services/Team Wisconsin). An early crash into Shouten's wheel by House had left his rear brake disabled, giving him only one working brake and many steep descents.

Matter and Schouten battled for the lead throughout, while House tried to hide the fact that his hydraulic hose was dangling. Playing it safe, as well as dealing with lap traffic, House fell back a bit into a third place finish overall while Maloney took fourth. Matter and Schouten were able to push harding in the bends and create a gap over third place.

Schouten said that the entire final lap was a sprint with Matter that eventually ended in his (Schouten's) favor as he took the win for his fifth victory in the 2013 season.

Abby Strigel (Honey Stinger/Bontrager) returned to take her fifth victory as well. Her winning streak shows how strong of a competitor Strigel is and still, she says that she is not much of a climber. Strigel did, however, take an early and very big lead on the rest of the elite women's field. The pain was not apparent on her face as she smiled at the cheers from her many young fans.

She was followed by fellow pro racers Lisa Krayer (Adventure 212/Specialized) and Lori Sable (Team 65?/W&S). The two women had their own close battle for the second place position while holding a strong gap over fourth place. Krayer knew how fast Sable would be in singletrack, so her strategy was to drill it on the climbs to be first into the woods. Her tactics paid off, earning her a second place step on the podium which was her best finish of the season so far. Sable took third place for a third time this season.

The next race on the WORS calendar is to be held in Franklin, Wisconsin on August 18th at the newly redesigned "The Rock Sports Complex". It offers a leg burning start climb that leads into dizzying singletrack along with switchback descents that are sure to please any adventure enthusiast. For more information visit www.wors.org.

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