Mohican 100

Ah, Mohican! This race, part of the National Ultra Endurance Series, was a test to see if I had enough gas in the tank to take on some bigger races that were coming up: Stoopid 50, Hilly Billy Roubaix, Michaux, Cheat Mountain Ultra- the possibilities are endless for the month of June. But really this is all in preparation for Shenandoah 100. My one huge goal of the year. Just to finish that race.

Mohican begins with a  MASSIVE start. The 100k and 100m riders both line the street in downtown Loudonville, Ohio. It really is a sight to see. This being my first time, I didn’t really understand the importance of getting a position at the start, until I saw 600 people lined up. I tried to scoot up as far as I could, but also wanted to avoid being sandwiched in with other riders. I’m not that great at riding within close proximity with other people, and I didn’t want to begin this race with a wreck. I had a lot of miles to ride.

The start is straight out of town and up a nice, steep climb. I went off the line quickly enough that I warmed up fast, but not so fast that I was going to regret it later. With 600 riders out there, my goal was just to get in the woods unscathed. Once I made it there, I knew I would be in my element. The reality, however, is that once I got to the woods there was a lot of standing around, waiting to clear bottlenecks,  and riding a slow congo line. I quickly realized that it was going to be a long day.

About an hour in, we were finally starting to move consistently on some singletrack. As I made a right turn on a switchback, I was almost knocked off my bike by some rider that cut in from behind. It was my friend Chrissy, and she yells back “this is a race where you have to be aggressive with passing.” That lit a fire inside, and I start passing rider after rider. I think that by the time we exited the first 20ish miles of singletrack, I had passed 27 riders. I had a lot more to go, but I was feeling much better just being able to ride somewhat near my race pace. If I do this race next year, I will know to get at the start line super early.

I played the rabbit game for the next 5 hours, passing where I could. If I can pinpoint one major mistake I made, it was at aid station 2. This was right around the halfway point, and  I was being overly cautious about taking in enough food and fluids. A few weeks ago, I suffered a nasty quad cramp that I couldn’t shake at 6 hours of Brady’s Run. I didn’t want a repeat of that episode. Plus it was a pretty hot and sunny day. Anyway, as I was chowing down on watermelon and leisurely sipping coke, I quickly realized that 5 other women had blown in and out of the aid station. I had no idea what race they were in, the 100k or 100m. All I knew was that they were now in front of me, and I had to work even harder to regain my spot. Over the course of the next 30-some miles, I ended up passing 3 of them. I never saw the other 2 again.

As far as the terrain, Mohican is crazy fun. It has steep ups and downs, flow/pump track, rocks, roots, and sketchy downhills. It has the perfect split of trail and road. And my Giant Lust was the perfect bike for this terrain. For the first time this year, I really used the suspension to my advantage. On the gravel roads, I locked out and just rocketed up the hills. Especially toward the end of the day. I was amazed at how easily I passed other riders with minimal effort. This bike just wants to GO. And the full suspension just ate up the singletrack.

Performance wise, I was pretty happy with how I raced. I learned so much about how to prepare and operate during a course of this distance and with this many people. From prepping drop bags, positioning myself at the start line, pacing, passing, nutrition, etc.. You just have to get out there and do it. There were certainly times where I had some pain – the hike-a-bikes were physically draining,  and I had some neck cramps, 3 bee stings, and relentless arm pump. But overall, I actually felt really good. The 100k course had 8,300 feet of elevation gain, and I ended up taking 6^th /24  women open, and finishing in 7 hours (6:40 moving).

6 hours of Brady's Run

* written by myself and Amy Alton- my teammate and partner for this race

The story of this race starts with a simple fact – Amy races Enduros, Jamie races Endurance...only a few letters difference but with drastically different race constructs. Amy had scheduled to pre-ride an upcoming 5-stage Enduro course on Sunday and figured it would be cool to link up with new fellow teammate Jamie, perhaps even for a chill Saturday ride, as she passed through. Before she knew it, Amy found herself part of a female duo that was to race the 6 Hours of Brady's in Beaver Falls, PA, affectionately coined The Beast! Endurance racers can be very persuasive.

The Beast was a multi-lap event with the objective of completing as many laps as possible in 6 hours. The course was approximately 8 miles of mostly single track with long climbs, steep and rocky downhills, log crossings, loose off-camber switch-backs, and rock gardens. Both riders had switched tires to a more aggressive tread on their Lust Advanced rigs. And good thing, as conditions degraded over the course of race day from sunny to drizzle to downpour equalling muddy slick trails – Laps 5 and 6 were a downright mudbath. Mother nature did offer some amazing delights throughout The Beast which included intermittent ground cover of blossoming wildflowers – white trillium, spring beauties, violets, etc.

Jamie and Amy gelled well as a team, as both went at a quick pace with smooth transitions. They were in a strong 2^nd place throughout the race and, in hopes of making a play for 1^st, the duo decided to have Jamie – the stronger endurance rider - take a back-to-back lap in enough time for Amy to get out for the final lap in time for the additional lap allowance. The strategy was sound but the conditions proved daunting and as such Jamie took on the majority of The Beast mud.

The Beast was a challenge in both terrain and riding experience but the well organized race and equally well marked course made it a fun and enjoyable event. In the end, Jamie and Amy gladly stepped up onto the podium in 2^nd place having conquered The Beast.