The most happening weekend in Spooner, WI (pop. 2,600) brings hordes of Northern Wisconsinite’s to Northern Wisconsin’s only Pro rodeo. The event, lasting three nights, also includes a rodeo parade and the rodeo stampede 12-hour mountain bike race in Spooner’s own network of well-ridden, twisty, and rooty singletracks. While the event hasn’t yet attracted numbers to rival the rodeo or parade it’s only in it’s second year while the rodeo has sustained through fifty-something years. Here’s a photo of the start of the 6-hour race.

TJ and I raced the 6-hour event as a team and completed a combined 13 laps. I think we had our own category as most racers were doing the 6-hour solo, so I guess we did pretty well. The race was incredibly difficult as TJ and I traded off every single lap with a high five and quick lap time update. All proceeds went to the local Momentum U23 team and a huge thanks to the race directors, the Sova Brothers, for making it all happen. The event was a blast, a true team effort as everyone seemed to volunteer a bit of their time to pull things together and then, of course, back apart as all things that go up must come down. I’m already looking forward to the 3rd annual Rodeo Stampede MTB race.

I should make a note of some of the cool things I’ve had a chance to do in Wisconsin so far:
-Swim in a real lake
-Watched a dynamite show on the 4th
-Go to the rodeo (Thanks Joni!)
-ride my bike in 90% humidity