Matter doubles down with second WORS victory

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Summer is starting to heat up in the Midwest as the Wisconsin Off Road Series (WORS) continues with its third event of the season. This past weekend in the small town of Rockdale, Wisconsin, just outside of Madison, hosted The Battle of Camrock.

The day started very hot and sunny. But, then, in a matter of a few minutes, a brief lightening storm rolled through, even striking a nearby tree while everyone took cover. The quick rain combined with high heat turned the day into the familiar muggy, humid conditions that so many Wisconsinites loath every summer. The positive effects, on the other hand, turned the somewhat dusty race course into a fast and tacky roller coaster of singletrack. The elite men’s race came through first with Joseph Maloney (KS Energy Service/Team Wisconsin) and Nathan Guerra (Vision Cycling/Attitude Sports) leading through the first lap.

Sitting in during the first lap was Brian Matter(Momentum Endurance). Since he was not able to pre-ride the course, Matter watched the wheels ahead of him to learn the course during the first lap. He said there was a "lull" in the pace during the second lap where he began to make his move to the front. With the high percentage of singletrack built into this race, it was a challenge to make it to the front.

But by the third lap, Matter was leading and opening up a gap on Corey Stelljes and Isaac Neff(both teammates with 5 Nines/Motorless Motion). The lead group of about seven men in the first lap turned into every man for himself by the end. Singletrack seemed to spread the group thin. Stelljes and Neff, who have both received coaching from Matter himself, did all they could to try to get one of the teammates on the top step of the podium. Stelljes even quoted that Brian Matter is the only man in Wisconsin that he has not beaten in a race yet.

Matter’s smart riding got him the win for a second consecutive race while Stelljes’ second and Neff’s third place finishes were their best finishes season to date. Following the top three was Joseph Maloney who had dropped back a few spots from the first lap. Justin Piontek(Adventure 212/Specialized) also took his first top five spot of the year with his fifth place finish.

In the elite women's race, there was little question that Cooper Dendel (Quick Stop Bike Shop) would take the win. Dendel blew past her opponents with a huge gap right away in the first lap. As a self proclaimed lover of technical singletrack, this course seemed to be made for her. With the switchback climbs and rolling luge-style descents, Dendel was in her element. Knowing that Cooper likely could not be caught, Lisa Krayer (Adventure 212/Specialized) and Corrie Osborne (Team Extreme) worked together to make up some ground.

Osborne was new to the course and decided to follow Krayer’s lines to get a feel for the layout. Krayer, in her first appearance with WORS this season, couldn’t pass up a chance to race the Camrock dirt. Krayer finished second to Dendel who is currently undefeated for the season. Osborne has stayed consistant by getting third place in every WORS race so far this year.
Following the top three were Sarah Agena(Hidden Bay/Cider Boys) in fourth and Heather Stelljes(Vanderkitten) with fifth.

One of the youngest events on the WORS calendar, The Battle of Camrock always draws a big crowd. Partly due to its proximity to Madison, Milwaukee and the great Chicago area, this event is favored by many. But aside from just being convenient, this course offers world class trails built passionately by the Capital Off Road Pathfinders (CORP), which was Wisconsin’s first official chapter of IMBA.

The WORS series returns on June 15 in Wausau, Wisconsin with the Red Eye Rendezvous.

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