The First Ever InSayner ROCKED

LAMBO’s newest bike race was a huge success, drawing participants from all over the Midwest, and this is just the beginning.

Over 120 people gathered in the small town of Sayner, WI, on Saturday, June 12^th, for an adventure to remember, the first race of its kind in the Lakeland Area. This race was the brainchild of Race Director Dan Trapp and Mike Olkowski, both active members of the Lakeland Area Mountain Bike Organization (LAMBO). “It came together just as we hoped,” said Olkowsi. “I was told the pack leaders caught sight of a bear crossing the course and one of our local, legendary mountain bikers had to lay down in the middle of a creek to relieve a leg cramp!”

The InSayner is not like any other bike race. It can’t be classified as a road race, a mountain bike race or a gravel race – it’s in its own category of adventure as it includes fire roads, snowmobile trails, gravel roads, paved road, and even a few deer and foot trails. Challenges include climbing Mus-Ski mountain, slogging through mud, fending off mosquitoes and deer flies, creek crossings and more. It levels the playing field for adventurers – folks who never raced a bike event before finished and placed in the top 3, while active racers dropped like, well, flies! But, for all involved, it was a blast.

The InSayner has a bigger purpose, though, than just getting folks up to the Northwoods, bringing like-minded silent sports enthusiasts together and just having a fantastic amount of fun. It’s serving to introduce a significant new LAMBO project – Mus-ski Mountain Trails, with a 5-year plan and a $350,000 price tag. “The terrain around Mus-Ski Mountain is some of the best in the Mid-West,” said Bryon Black, Planning Coordinator with LAMBO, “and we are planning a trail system that will appeal to all riders.” Funds are being raised to design and build up to 15 miles of sustainable single-track and flow mountain bike trails for public use, further developing the area as a mountain bike destination. The Mus-Ski mountain bike trail system, along with LAMBO’s Zip, The Raven and Shannon Lake trails, as well as WinMan and future development and Minocqua Winter Park, allows the Lakeland Area to be a destination for enthusiasts of a sport growing in popularity and a $534 million industry in Wisconsin.

The InSayner, drew nearly 80 registrations in its first year, with visitors from all over the MidWest, and it promises to grow next year with an additional 50+ mile course highlighting more of the Northern Highland American Legion National Forest. But the success of this year really shows the potential for the area, the drive and passion of LAMBO to take on a new trail system, and the demand for such an endeavor. It’s a win-win that now just needs additional financial support.

LAMBO is funded entirely by donations, managed in full by volunteers, and though it encourages an annual membership to help support trails, it does not charge for the use of any of its trails. Tackling a big project like this will require a lot from volunteers and donors. We’ve had incredible support from the community and we hope to reach new members and potential donors in surrounding areas as we provide more great trails for all visitors. If you are interested in learning more about LAMBO, becoming a member or sponsor, or otherwise support the development of Mus-Ski Mountain Bike Trails, please contact us at lamboridersemail@gmail.com, 715-600-2961, or visit LAMBORiders.org.