Mens Open class podium:
Womens Open class podium:
Singlespeed Class podium:
Masters Class podium:
I am going backwards in posting this well beyond the event. Now that I look back, this "race" remains a muddy blur etched in my psyche. It had been consistently rainy in the week leading up to the event. I caravaned down to Loudenville, OH. with teammates Chris Roper and MIKEWOODS!! Upon arrival to Mohican Adventures as if on queue the sky opened up and it started to pour. Crazy. We went next door and scarfed on some killer pizza while the first part of the storm passed through. We then set up camp and headed down to the registration area. While there another storm blew through and we waited it out watching the rain blowing sideways and the lights flickering.
We returned to the campsite and discovered the campsite strewn about and the EZ-up bent over. The weather cleared a bit and we re-grouped. Some teammates arrived and we threw together some food while preparing for the next days ride. Amazingly, I slept pretty well and before I knew it it was 5AM and time to get going. A big bowl of oatmeal and we were off to the start line.
Little did we know that the pavement leading to the start line was going to be the driest part of our day. We gathered, waited and rolled out through main street up the mile long climb out of town. Once we hit the singletrack it was easy to see that conditions were a sloppy, muddy mess. Deep, soft, squishy soil pulled at the wheels making every pedal stroke feel slow while the wet roots and off cambered sections placed added demands on your technical skill handling.
In a nutshell, the first 24 miles of technical singletrack were a bitch. It took over 3 hours to reach aid station #1 and I grabbed a few items and went to refill my Camelbac to discover there was no water. What? The worker told me with a smile, "it's just another 14 miles to the next aid station". So I pushed on. The rest is a blur and I set my sights to reach aid station #2 and the power wash. My drive train was coated with a thick mix of clay and slop and shifting was getting tough. After what seemed like forever, I reached aid 2 and refilled my bottles and Camelbac. They were out of Heed. Crap! It was like I was following a swarm of locusts consuming everything in their path. I cleaned off the bike and headed out. Blur, blur. I finally reached Aid 3 and was greeted my a smiling MIKEWOODS!! He was out with a mechanical and was offering his services at the aid stations. I was 6.5 hours in and only to mile 47! I was done. My first DNF ever! I hung out a bit and headed back on the road to the campground. Midway on the road it started to pour. I pushed on through the deluge although I was having difficulty breathing with the water on the face. It was surreal although it cleaned me off somewhat. I ended my day with 57 miles in 7 hours.
I cleaned up and headed back to the finish area and relaxed. The Great Lakes and Belles beer was flowing and there was plenty of Mongolian BBQ to consume. We waited a long time to see the other riders from our group trickle in.
The major win of the day for our group was Roper and Big Orca coming across the finish line together after 13 hours out there. Such a great accomplishment for those two under such difficult circumstances.
Looking back I should/could have done a few things differently.
1. Lowered my seat a bit in the technical singletrack.
2. Taken more air out of the tires.
3. Carried an extra bottle of fluid.
4. Screw the camping in the rain! Rent a room or cabin.
I told MIKEWOODS!! to remind me about this day when I start talking about doing this race again in the middle of February 2011. At this point I'm not so sure I want to put myself through it again. Who knows?
Results and report:
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