Keweenaw Chain Drive

Houghton, MI
Keweenaw Chain Drive Festival Saturday June 18, 2011
by: Kit Cischke

The Keweenaw Chain Drive will always have a special place in my heart.  It was the first race I ever did, back in 2005.  I lumbered across the finish line of the 16-mile course in 1:39, which was just short of dead last in my age bracket.  It made me fall in love with the sport and revealed my competitive spirit.  Rather than feeling depressed that I was obviously so terrible at mountain biking, I resolved to do better.  A move from the Twin Six homeland to Michigan now makes the Chain Drive my home race—I can ride to the start line in less than 5 minutes—and I always want to have a good showing.  It took seven iterations of the race, but I finally did it.

One of the defining characteristics of the Chain Drive is the long, paved lead-out.  Four miles of pavement takes you through downtown Houghton, across our famous lift bridge and then along the Portage Shipping Canal.  Eventually you end up at the famed and feared Cemetery Hill.  This paved climb oddly leads to the entrance to both a cemetery and some singletrack.  It is only 1/3 mile long, but with grades over 15% along the way.  I was really happy with the way my legs responded during the lead-out and that climb.  I wasn’t an accordion, dangling off the back.  Rather, I was staying pretty close to the 32-mile leaders (including fastman Brian Matter, who had been running a MTB summer camp at my alma mater, Michigan Tech).  The entrance to the singletrack can be a bottleneck, but I knew I was on good form when there was no waiting to hit the dirt.

The story of the Chain Drive is climb, climb, climb.  That’s not to say there aren’t some ripping descents, but my Garmin told me I climbed 1230 feet in 16 miles.  I was keeping it in the middle or big ring all the time, feeling fresh and enjoying the novelty of actually having my legs respond when I wanted to push. 

After the 32-milers split off on their own course at the 9.5 mile mark, I rode in a group of 4, each of us taking a little time leading.  We weren’t really working together—it was more four guys attacking and trying to drop each other for the next 6 miles.  I eventually came in third in that group of four.  That put me in 11th overall and 3rd in the 30-39 age bracket.  For the first time ever, I got to bring some hardware home from a mountain bike race.  I was pretty stoked.

I got to go home and shower up before heading back for awards, but still rocked the METAL wind jacket and team cap on the podium.  Then I got to watch my 6-year old son rip it up in the Junior Chain Drive and earn his own respectable placing. It was a good day.

Next up is the Stony Creek Marathon in downstate Michigan.  I’ll take a break from racing during July and then start hitting it hard in prep for ‘cross season.