Yet again, it looks like a showdown between two of Michigan’s most prolific mountain bikers, this time at Mid Michigan Community College’s CPS race. 

After winning the spring version of this event, Jorden Wakeley has gone on to take a slew of victories across the state. Coming in ahead of NCCS’s Chad Wells in April, he’ll be up against Freewheeler’s Matt Acker in what seems like an almost weekly showdown. Both will be six days removed from their efforts at the Lumberjack 100, where Wakeley was second behind Christian Tanguy. Still, both should be somewhat safely ahead of the rest when things heat up, and the duel could be extremely interesting to watch.

Acker has more than proven himself a consistent challenger, and as his bike-handling skills have improved, he’s become a serious contender in every race he enters. The most intriguing edition of the Wakeley/Acker saga had to be at Mud, Sweat and Beers, where Wakeley drove away late to take the win ahead of Acker, with Einstein Racing’s Ryan Kennedy slotting in third on the day.

For the rest of the Elite field, success may be measured in how long they can keep the lead duo in sight. Jeff Adamcik could be the dark horse, with Einstein’s Cody Sovis looking to avoid last place in a stacked field. There’ still time to register, and it wouldn’t be too much of a shock to see the four man field double before the gun goes off Saturday at 10am.

The race is a fundraiser for Mid Michigan Community College and takes place on its expertly built trail network. One of the most technical races around, it’s a great target for the CPS riders looking to pick-up some points heading into much hillier events like the Boyne Challenge in July.

At the moment, there are zero Elite women signed up, so by simply registering and finishing, one lucky lady could be in the money.