July 24, 2015 at 12:20 p.m.
Thunderdown in the Underdown
Rhinelander riders take cup; Wausau places second at annual WEMS race
Thunderdown in the Underdown
The annual event is part of the Wisconsin Endurance Mountain Bike Series (WEMS) and includes 10-hour, six-hour and three-hour rides as well as relays and duos. The Thunderdown cup is awarded to the area that logs the most points (based on the number of course laps). Wausau riders took home the cup in 2014.
Event coordinator Chris Schotz said the Underdown trails are some of the most challenging singletrack in the entire state. The course was particularly challenging for riders early in the day when the trails were greasy from an early morning rain.
The 10-hour racers took off at 10 a.m., the six-hour racers started at 1 p.m. and the three-hour field began at 3 p.m.
After completing a lap in the 10-hour duo field, Schotz said he did not think the rain substantially affected the speed of the trail.
"You had to be a little more careful and ride it like a fat bike course in the snow," he said. "You're going to have a little drift; it is what it is."
The heat may have ultimately influenced the ride more than the rain. Temps climbed from around 70 degrees at 10 a.m. to around 83 by the beginning of the six-hour field at 1 p.m. with a humidity of 97 percent.
"Underdown is hard when it's 80 degrees," Schotz said. "When it's 60, it's kind of cool, but when it's 80, you really pay for it."
Schotz said what makes the trail so demanding is the unrepentant imperfections inherent in hand-built trails. Portions of the Underdown trail take riders over as many rocks and roots and logs as it does dirt and gravel. The result is a demanding trail that does not afford riders much coasting.
Bill Underdown
The Underdown Recreation Area is named for a former homesteader, Bill Underdown. According to Schotz, Underdown was born during the American Civil War and died during World War II. He owned a homestead southeast of Irma where he allegedly built a reputation for himself as a moonshiner. "But then, everyone was (moonshining) back then," Schotz said.
Underdown lost control of his land later in life when he checked into the county home before he died. Today, the land is part of the Lincoln County Forest.
Schotz said the entire Underdown trail system was built using hand tools. That was about 20 years ago. Currently, he said, trail builders are talking with the city of Merrill about building additional trails on adjacent city-owned land. If all goes as planned, there will be new mountain bike trails being built - both intermediate and beginner level trails - with the use of excavation equipment.
"The big picture is promoting this region as a destination," Schotz said.
Schotz envisions a destination for mountain bikers with trails from Wausau north to Manitowish Waters with more than 100 miles of the best singletrack trails in the state.
For more information on the Thunderdown in the Underdown, visit thunderdown12.blogspot.com.
WEMS
Each race of the series is individually organized and offers unique experiences like 100-mile format races and all-nighter 12-hour races, according to wemseries.com. The series also offers short and mid-distance options for those who are new to endurance mountain biking.
The next race in the WEMS series is the Southern Kettles Classic in Eagle on Aug. 8; the North Kettles Fall Epic will be held Sept. 19. The RASTA Rock N Root will take place Sept. 12 at Washburn Trails in Rhinelander and the WEMS Championship will be held Oct. 3 in the Nine Mile Recreation Area in Wausau.
Ryan Matthews may be reached at [email protected].
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