Mohican 100 race report

From the Ohio Mountain Bike Championship Series (OMBC) website is the following description of the Mohican 100:

"100 mile loop consisting of 11,000+ feet of climbing along mostly singletrack, doubletrack or dirt roads, spanning 4 counties through some of the most remote and scenic areas in the rolling hills of Mohican Country. Climbs of nearly a mile, with elevation gains of 300+ feet, rock gardens, streams, and more"! And more.

Two words. Epic freaking tough. Seriously. Ohio's Mohican 100 was amazing. MIKEWOODS!! and I arrived in Loudonville, OH. on Friday and camped at the Mohican Adventures campground. At $10.00 a night to camp this place was worth every penny and the race rolls past my campsite (twice) and eventually finishes at the main campground below.

They also have cabins (note the ridgelines in these photos):


At packet pickup we saw the Cannondale rig pulling in front and center to set up their team support circus.

Back to the campsite to fill our drop bags and fuel up:

I set my alarm for 0445 and by 0630 we were spinning on the mile long bke path to downtown Loudonville to line up.

The race rolled out on the main drag and immediately kicked upward to the crest of this huge ass hill. The first rider to the top and finish the race would get a $200.00 preem.
Looking down on the town:

Looking up:

After the initial roll out on country roads the course soon found it's way into the Mohican State park and it turned into a huge group ride negotiating the trecherous singletrack. I was relieved that this portion of the race was in the beginning while the legs and mind were fresh. It was a test of patience waiting in line behind numberous riders and you were always at the ready to make a pass when the rider in front of you faltered.
Refueling at Aid ststion 1:

After aid station 1 (20 miles in) I saw my buddy Mike on the side of the trail fixing a flat. He had what he needed so I kept going. The aid stations were top notch. The volunteers working them were incredible. Colorful characters slinging Hammer products, food, lubing chains and filling bottles. The idea of drop bags is new to me and the thought process that goes into each bag can be daunting and a deal breaker if what you need is not at the right station. At aid station 3 (mile 46) I spotted Steve Kinley's (a fellow 50+ rider) untouched drop bag and I knew he was behind me somewhere and it gave me some much needed motivation to stay ahead of him. Turns out he had a mechanical 20 miles in had to drop out. At the 50 mile mark I was pretty well cooked. I was struggling with the idea of how I was going to find another 50 miles inside of me. We would exit some singletrack and end up on paved or gravel roads that were no easier and offered little recovery. The vertical in this area rivals something closer to West Virginia. We kept ducking into sections of singletrack that felt like mile 2 at Pontiac over and over, and over. At mile 60 the majority of riders were gone, opting to ride the 100K. We found ourselves on an old railbed which was a nice relief and helped get the average speed up for a few miles. Then, more hills. Watch for the arrows:

I marched on. At mile 80 I was basically walking any long hill. I was walking faster than if I were to try to ride and spin. That logic went out the window when I watched Michigan rider Danielle Musto spin away from me up some long ass uphill. I guess she and several other riders missed a turn at some point and found themselves off the trail. Although I thought the course was well marked, I often found myself wondering if I was indeed on the right trail. Huge uphills, followed by huge downhills. I had no idea where I was so I had to keep going. At around 90 miles we entered the Mohican Wilderness area and the singletrack there was actually easy to ride. With decent bench cuts and swooping turns I was feeling pretty good. At the end of this singletrack the trail spit out at the campground and routed the riders through the campground up a few more kick ass climbs before finally making it's way around to the finish. My time was 10:28:11. WOOT!

I was relieved when I saw MIKEWOODS!! roll in about 20 minutes behind me and I knew he was safe and off the course. By the time we had arrived, all the Great Lakes beer had been drunk and they had run out of commerative pint glasses. Darn 60 milers put the hurt on the beer. Still got the T-shirt though. We changed and headed back to the finish area for some Mongolian BBQ.


The timing was old-school which was fine, just don't expect anything on-line for a few weeks:

The awards were cool. Lots of swag. What's up with Tinkers pants?

Jeremiah Bishop retrieving the Mohican tomahawk after it fell off the board it was attached to:


Cycling news article and results.
With 2 Michigan riders (see the Velonews link) in the top 5 it was a fantastic day of riding. Great time!
Velonews story