Chequamegon MTB Mudfest🇺🇸

Hi everyone,

Round four of the Life Time Grand Prix, and my first real "mudfest" on a mountain bike.
Also one of the toughest days I've had on the bike in 2026.

The Mud & The Search for Rhythm

Days of rain before the race turned the course into a proper swamp, and it completely changed the nature of the race. I tried everything to find a rhythm, but the sensations just weren't there. My legs felt heavy and disconnected all day, no matter how hard I searched for that gear I usually rely on.

Patience Over Panic

While the front of the race blew apart on the decisive climb, my day was a different kind of battle. Panicking would only have made things worse, so I made the call early to stay patient, ride within myself, and save whatever I had left for the finish rather than blow up chasing a pace I didn't have that day.

The Sprint & The Reality

I held on, stayed calm, and arrived at the finish with a small group, hoping to salvage something in a sprint. I gave it everything I had left in those final meters, but on a day when the legs simply weren't there, hope only gets you so far. The photo from the line tells that story better than I can.

The Takeaway

Looking back at the numbers after the race, the watts were actually solid, the data doesn't look bad at all. That's the strange part of this sport: the legs can be producing, but if you have zero sensations and no energy all day, it just doesn't translate into a result. It's actually the first time this has happened to me since I started racing off-road, between gravel and MTB. I'm now 10th overall in the Grand Prix standings with two rounds to go, and there's still real racing left to be done.

What’s next?

I'm heading to China for the Tour of Mentougou (September 25 to 27) before returning to the US for the final two rounds of the Life Time Grand Prix:
Little Sugar (October 11) and Big Sugar (October 17).

Two more chances to finish this GP season the way I know I can.

Thank you, as always, for standing behind me through the mud and everything else.

Ride the Line,