Nicklas Lidstrom with the Stanley Cup during the 2008 Red Wings Parade

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that retired Red Wing Goalie Dominik Hasek might do some mountain bike racing.

Hasek, 43, lives in the Czech Republic but still figures to spend some time here, where his son, Michael, is a freshman at Michigan State. The two will meet in East Lansing this week, and Hasek also plans to be with the Wings when they visit the White House.

Hasek said he is happy with his decision to retire.

For now, he plans to run his business and play beach volleyball with friends. He also hopes to participate in mountain bike races.

It’s unclear whether he’ll be racing in Michigan or the Czech Republic.

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Lance Armstrong rides past Twin Lakes (mile 60)

A group of us from Michigan have been racing the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race since 1996.  It’s a tough race to finish but an easy race to become addicted to,  And as my friend Stani noted that everything about this race is epic: the course, the promoters, the volunteers, the altitude, etc.

Normally this race flies under the radar for everyone except the endurance racing junkies  Last year was an exception as Tour de France racer Floyd Landis showed up.  Landis eventually came in second to Leadville-favorite Dave Wiens.

This year Lance Armstrong did the race, putting Leadville in the national news.  And similar to last year, Armstrong came up short, finishing second to Wiens.  As the race announcer said, Armstrong did win his age group.

I only got one lousy photo of the leading duo.  Some of the best coverage is at Super Human Mag and the Denver Post.

The majority of folks I spoke with seemed satisfied with that result.  Wiens is a super nice guy and now a six-time winner at Leadville.  He could have been the seven-time winner, but the race promoters didn’t let him in that first year.  The race was full and they didn’t have any pro slots for late entries.  Wiens said he appreciated not being treated differently than the rest of the racers,

Stay tuned for more Leadville blogging on the Michigan racer results and photos.

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We stayed at the state park. Our original intentions were to camp in a tent, until I saw the tee pee rentals for only $30. It was darn cool lodging despite the fact that Michigan Indian’s didn’t live in tee pees, We had a great view of the lake and it kept out most of the torrential rain.

As for riding, the roads around Interlochen are great until you start getting too close to the busier Traverse City area. Many of the major state roads had paved shoulders.

I also hit the trails both on bike and foot. The Lost Lake Pathway just north of Interlochen was a decent, flat, and sometimes sandy trail. Further northwest was the Lake Ann Pathway, which was a lot of fun to ride — more hills and less sand. I’d cross country skied part of this trail back in January.  It was pretty straightforward riding between the two trails and including a rest stop in the interesting Lake Ann general store.

And, I did head to the southwest and briefly rode on the Platte River snowmobile trail (very sandy) and Betsie Valley trail.

I could have spent a week up here exploring.

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And the Village of Milford is simply a great place to start and end your ride. The downtown has its share of coffee shops and pubs. The relatively new Milford Trail is just around the corner. Proud Lake isn’t far either. The epic trails at Highland Rec. are just up the road. And, one can use the paved bike paths to access Hickory Glen and Island Lake (via Kensington.)

If you add it up, Milford is the center of some great mountain biking trails (not to mention hiking, horse, cross-country skiing, and water trails.) The Milford Challenge is a great way to introduce yourself to what’s available and ride with friends.

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