Despite a strong showing by Minnesota riders, Wisconsin took home the trophy after the inaugural Border Battle race on Sunday afternoon.

The contest pitted over 350 racers from the Wisconsin Off Road Series (WORS) against nearly 250 racers from the Minnesota State Championship Series (MNSCS). The White Tail Ridge course in River Falls, Wisconsin, was mostly flowing singletrack but included a steep lead-out climb, a long climb through an open field, and a rocky technical section.

Current WORS series leader Jesse Lalonde (GF29/BKB/T6; 1:38:54) of Madison, Wisconsin, held off WORS regular Travis Woodruff (MomentumEndurance.com; 1:40:21) of Tucson, Arizona, for the men's Elite win after five laps.

Lalonde, who has been dominant this season, let the gap fall to under 30-seconds late in the race. The two leaders were close enough that during the fourth lap, fan encouragement to Woodruff
included promises to keep Lalonde in the dark about the shrinking gap, which had both men smiling through the climb. Brian Matter (Gear Grinder-Hyundai; 1:41:20) of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, finished third.

In the women's race, Jenna Zander (Sobe Cannondale; 1:29:47) of Mankato, Minnesota, rode away from the rest of the field. Despite trailing by a mere 10 seconds after the first lap, WORS series leader Abigail Strigel (Polska FDL Cyclery; 1:33:11) did not hold Zander's blistering pace and finished second, ahead of Kyia Anderson (Ekho/Cannondale; 1:34:42) of St. Cloud, Minnesota

The Border Battle was the ninth race in the 2008 Wisconsin Off Road Series. For complete results see wors.org. The next WORS event will be held September 7 in Rhinelander.