Chain Drive – Setting the Record Straight
Jun 24th, 2009 by Di
Two responses to my Keweenaw Chain Drive post were somewhat hateful and seemed to take it quite personally. It seems like some of you have taken that post the wrong way. One person remarked that it was a tirade-type post. That wasn’t the case at all. I clearly expressed how the Chain Drive did not parallel my personal preference, which I clearly described. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Don’t take it personally if I am not happy with the changes to a race. I am entitled to that opinion.
One person remarked that there wasn’t more climbing because the elevation change remained the same. Elevation change and distance traveled are not the same thing. The elevation gain from the start to finish is probably about 400 feet. However, steep descents and not-so-steep climbs will easily put you at much more distance climbing. This is something that all of the Keweenaw races have in common. They all have more climbing than descending, where distance traveled is concerned, and two of them start and finish at the same elevation.
I have never “bagged my community.” Even though I have expressed my unhappiness with this particular race course, I never made a negative remark about how the race was run or how the trails are. The people who run races in the Keweenaw do an excellent job. The trails are also incredible. I have always maintained that Churning Rapids is a great trail system, and I have praised the new singletrack that was built in time for the race. I have also always boasted of the incredible cycling community in my area.
Am I going to stop doing the Keweenaw Chain Drive? Probably not. That doesn’t mean I have to approve of the race course. The world will go on.
