NUE Mohican 100 Mile & 100K

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Jen Toops

The 21st annual National Ultra Endurance Series Mohican 100k/100m was held on May 21, 2022. Hundreds of racers from around the country gathered in Loudonville, Ohio to tackle this tough course. The return of the mass downtown start added extra mileage and required a few course changes for 2022. With feedback from the 2021 course, race director Ryan O’dell removed the Mohaven singletrack from the 100k race and reduced the Glenmont loop for the 100m racers.

Sunny skies, high humidity, and temps in the upper 80’s made for a difficulty day on the bike. Many racers battled with muscle cramping and heat exhaustion. Aid stations had ice packs and water hoses out cooling riders off. Later in the afternoon, the skies opened up and it poured rain that continuing on and off for the remainder of the race.

One of seven fully stocked aid stations. Photo credit: Butch Phillips

From the downtown start racers are immediately greeted with the first of many punchy climbs. Racers jockey for position on the next 5 miles of road before entering the Mohican State Park singletrack loop. They continue toward the Wilderness singletrack and the all famous rock garden. Locals and media enjoy heckling racers as they try to maneuver this technical mossy rock garden. After the Wilderness aid station, the 100k racers split and head back on more gravel roads toward the finish. The 100 milers continued to complete Mohaven and Glenmont singletrack loops before continuing on to the finish.

Jeff Rupnow & Heidi Coulter heckling riders as they navigate the wilderness rock garden. Photo: Butch Phillips

Being in Ohio, most assume this course is relatively flat. What the race lacks in elevation it makes up for in dozens of steep, punchy climbs strewn throughout the entire distance. 100k racers eventually climb over 8,000 feet and 100m racers climb over 11,000 feet. According to O’dell “Out of a total 453 Registered Racers, 64% of racers completed the 100 mile, 58% completed the 100k, a significant improvement over 2021.”

https://youtu.be/yglBMMZDJ8I

What makes this race special is the amazing group of volunteers that help out with the race. Ryan O’dell stated, “Along with many other local volunteers, New Hope Church, led by Pastor Rob and Bethany Paterson, showed up in force to help out at aid stations and 20 course marshal positions, as well as provide transportation and medical attention. In all, more than 150 local area volunteers working two-hour shifts were here to support the racers.”

Both the 100k and 100 mile races finish at Mohican Adventures campground. Racers are rewarded with a pint glass (100k) or growler (100mile) to fill up with their Great Lakes Brewing beverage of choice and enjoy the post race atmosphere.

NUE Mohican 100 MILE

Women’s Open– Mason gets the 100 mile win

Women’s 100 Mile podium: 1st Britt Mason, 2nd Jen Toops, 3rd Julie Medema, 4th Leila Husain, 5th Hanna Pauline Derby. Photo: Butch Phillips

The 2021 Wilderness 101 women’s winner, Britt Mason (Knobby Side Down) from Ellicott City, MD, won the women’s 100 mile race with a time of 9:14:04.

” The race started hot right out of the gate with climbing as soon as we reached the outskirts of town. I may have gone out a bit hard, as I made some early mistakes with crashes and missed turns in the unfamiliar trails. After the first couple of hours, I settled in to my groove and did my best to manage the heat throughout the day. I never fully cramped but had to govern my heart rate progressively lower to keep the grabby muscles at bay. I consider myself a punchy climber, but the steep hits just kept coming all day! I’ve never walked my bike so much in an NUE, either by choice to prevent cramping or because the trail was too soft, slow, and steep to ride. The strategy worked, as I ran from the front from the start and held off the chasers. Next up for me in the NUE series is Wilderness101.”

The 2021 women’s NUE epic champion and 2021 Mohican 100 mile winner, Jen Toops (Pearl izumi/Pivot), Marion, OH finished second with a time of 9:36:08.

“Mohican 100 is always a favorite of mine since it’s home turf and family/friends come to watch. After racing the new course in 2021 I knew it was going to be a hard day in the saddle, especially with the heat/humidity, and all the strong ladies signed up. This year the course started from downtown Loudonville instead of Mohican Adventures campground. This meant it was going to be a red lined start or risk being stuck in a congo line in the state park loop. Britt and Julie passed me on the 5 mile road start. I let them go and settled in my own pace as I was already feeling overheated. At the end of the state park loop I caught Julie and we came into aid 2 at the same time. It was so incredibly humid and hot. The Wilderness singletrack went smooth and I was sure I could make some time up, since I knew the lines. Wrong….the massive cramps started when I tried to clean a steep climb. Both of my quads seized up and couldn’t move them! I literally laid on the ground screaming and finally had to just get up and start moving. I prolly lost 3-4 min here. I immediately took a CarboRocket RocketLyte and slammed a few Honey Stinger gels and the cramps held off the rest of the race. There were times throughout the day where my body felt cold, extremities tingly and I felt dizzy and lightheaded. I continued to just keep a steady pace and stopped at every aid station to put ice/or water down my back. I kept looking back on the last road section sure Julie would catch me but managed to stay a few minutes a head. About 15 min from the finish the skies opened up and it poured. I was happy to have crossed the line and finished with how bad I felt through out the day. This felt like a day surviving on the bike instead of racing. Thank you to all the aid station workers that helped all day, especially aid 2 with the panty hose ice pack and aid 4 with the water hose! Thanks to all family and friends for the cheers and heckling :) Sponsors: Pivot Cycles, Pearl izumi, SCC chain lube, Lazer Helmets, Ergon, Xpedo, Honey Stinger, CarboRocket, Maxxis.”

Only a couple minutes back from second, Julie Medema (Founders Brewing) from Grand Rapids, MI, finished third with a time of 9:39:54.

“Mass start with the 100k & 100 milers combined made for a hot start to the day. I was in 2nd until mile about 25 then Jen passed me and I was already not feeling great so just settled in for a long, hot day. First 50 miles were TOUGH and SLOW with lots of technical singletrack and some major mud out there. Legs finally felt good at mile 75 🤪Solo mission to try to catch Jen but ended up 3 min behind in a thunderstorm! It was an epic day; equally tough mentally as physically with hot humid temps and endless steep long climbs. Thanks to Founders Racing for the support!”

Taking fourth place was Leila Husain (Sycamore Cycles) out of Brevard, NC with a finish time of 10:40:11. Hanna Pauline Derby from Marquette, MI finished fifth with a time of 11:27:50.

Men’s Open– Collins takes first Mohican win

Men’s 100 Mile podium: 1st Patrick Collins, 2nd Jake Inger, 3rd Brian Schworm, 4th Jimmy Close, 5th Brent Goetz. Photo: Butch Phillips

Taking the win in the men’s open 100 mile, Patrick Collins of Worcester, MA, finishing with a time of 7:36:11.

Patrick Collins. Photo credit: Butch Phillips

“Thanks to Ryan O’Dell and his crew for putting on a great event! This was my first Mohican 100. Once we hit the dirt, a lead group of 5-6 of us set a very hard pace for the first handful of hours. Guys were turning the screws, heat rising, testing each other’s limits, some digging deeper than was sustainable, so guys began to fade. I was climbing better than others. I got a gap on the first climb in the Wilderness, feeling good on the only familiar trails on course, as I did a XC race there last year. Brian Schworm bridged up on the climb after the aid station and we worked well together for a while. I was very glad to have a partner on the road sections. We saw glimpses of Jake “The Diesel” Inger I got a gap on him the super muddy steep climb in the private trails about 5.5 hours in. I think this section was a hike-a-bike for most, but I dug extremely deep and stayed on my bike to power up it. Once alone and no one in sight behind me, I rode a hard tempo, slowly easing the pace as I neared the finish until Jake showed up right behind me with less than a kilometer to go entering Mohican Adventures. It legit scared me! All this work to lose it at the very end, no way! I drilled it as hard as I could and finished ~25 secs ahead. Mind blown… biggest result ever! Huge thanks must go out to my sponsor Assabet River Bicycles, the best bike shop in central Massachusetts, owned by Jerry De Zutter. The legendary Tom Stevens is the head mechanic and he has made sure my bike was ready to rock and roll. Also huge thanks to my parents who have always supported me, especially in the tough times. On the drive back home to MA, I collided with a deer on I-80 in the middle of nowhere PA. I was fine, but my van was toast, so my dad drove through the night to the rescue and brought me home. My next planned NUE races are Wilderness and Shenandoah. I would like to do Marji Gesick as well, but I missed reg. Perhaps if I am in contention for the series win, they’ll let me in? :)”

Jake Inger. Photo credit: Butch Phillips

Less than a minute back, Jake Inger of Yarmouth, ME finished second with a time of 7:36:36.

No stranger to the Mohican 100, Brian Schworm from Morehead, KY took third with a time of 7:37:30.

“The race went very well but I was worried about the heat and concerned about racing so soon after a minor surgery to remove a small skin cancer spot on my forehead (wear your sunscreen!). I was feeling great and riding with the eventual winner Patrick Collins with Jake Inger not far back until the trail section beyond Glenmont at about mile 75. I started cramping and faded a bit. Jake caught up and I was worried there were more behind him. I had to give 100% just to hang with Jake as he was so strong. He pulled me to the finish and took off with a couple miles to go (and almost caught Pat as well) so I was able to hold my third place. I’m very happy with this result especially considering the surgery, heat, and my age 😀. After the race it was great to hang out, catch up with racing buddies, and swap stories of the day. The race turned out very well and, despite the heat and humidity, it was a great day. Already looking forward to next year! Thanks to my bike sponsors Think Green-Bicycle Face Cycling Team for helping to make these races possible along with ESI Grips, Maxxis Tires, absoluteBLACK, and TruckerCo, but the biggest thanks goes to my wife Jennifer Schworm for all the support both during the race and the daily routine required for my training. I couldn’t do it without her!”

Brian Schworm. Photo credit: Butch Phillips

Fourth place went to Jimmy Close of Ellicott City, MD finishing in 7:56:02. Brent Goetz from Canal Winchester, OH took fifth place in 8:09:11.

Singlespeed 100 MILE– Wakeley wins

Singlespeed 100 Mile podium: 1st Jorden Wakeley, 2nd Chaes Caughey, 3rd Joe Fraas, 4th Eli Orth, 5th Thad Paunovich. Photo: Butch Phillips

Finishing 5th overall and riding the last five miles on a flat, Jorden Wakeley of Grayling, MI, won the 100m singlespeed class with a time of 8:05:28.

“Went into the singletrack top ten and got caught behind some slower riders and the lead group got away. I was able to ride with Brian Schworm to the first aid station and he got out quicker than I did. Chased for 15 miles and caught the entire lead group at the second aid station and proceeded to draft off of them on the gravel roads. Dropped 5th and 6th place in the Mohaven section and ended up catching 4th just after Glenmont. We rode together for a while and I got away from him on Valley Stream Road, which put me in fourth overall. Flatted on the last rocky downhill about 5 miles from the finish and tried to repair it with a tube that unfortunately had a hole in it. So, I decided to ride on the rim to the finish and ended up getting caught by the eventual 4th place finisher. 5th overall in the day and 1st singlespeed–I ran a 36-19 gear and I ride for Northbound Outfitters. Tough, hot race as I was cramping at mile 30 and started feeling stronger after the bike path to Glenmont. Loved the course. Next race: Lumberjack 100. “

Leading the 2022 NUE singlespeed series, Chase Caughey of Canton, OH finished with a time of 8:32:32.

“Mohican 100 is one of my favorite races because I grew up riding msp. This year was my first time doing the 100 mile instead of the 100k and first season racing ss. There were a lot of strong single speeders registered and I was excited for the competition. Lining up on the start line I was settling my mind in for second because I knew Jorden’s wheel would be to hard to hold. Got a front row start thanks to my friends Justin Holle and Brian Elander. First half of the race went pretty smooth, riding my pace in second place and happy with the 34×20 choice. About 70 miles in third place rider Joe Fraas passed me on a long flat section holding the wheel of a geared rider out spinning me. I caught back onto him not long after being dropped. We rode together for a while until a good climb where I rode away from him. Finished in second about half an hour behind Jorden Wakeley and only four minutes faster than Joe. Great race! Thanks Evolution Training Cycles for everything”

Just a few minutes back, Joe Fraas from Pittsburgh, PA took third place with at time of 8:36:23.

“I was pretty nervous leading into the race because of the number of good single speeders on the start list and then the heat and torrential rain the day before didn’t help calm the nerves. Making the turn into town is always so cool seeing 500+ racers lined up and ready to go. The road start is a tough one for single speeders, but luckily my teammate, and eventual 100K winner, Anthony Grinnell was on the front. I knew he wanted to pace smart because of the heat, so I was able to stay with the large front group going into the woods. Even with so many riders, I somehow rode most of the 22 miles of singletrack by myself, which was pretty nice because I picked a pace I was comfortable with and focused on staying on top of my hydration and nutrition. I carried three bottles with me, two filled with Flow Formulas Lemon Lime (I used 6 bottles for the day) and one filled with water. Since I was riding the single track by myself, I really had no idea how I was doing until aid station 2 and saw I was only about 10 minutes from the overall leader. Seeing this gave me a huge burst of confidence and some extra freshness in my legs and I really started to pick-up the pace. I continued to ride mainly by myself until the long rails to trails section. This is such a killer section for a single speeder and you just have in your head that if your single speed competitors are working with someone in this section you are going to lose so much time. I just got as aero as I could and was spinning at a comfortable pace, when out of nowhere a geared guy flew past me. I knew this could make a huge difference in my overall time, so I did an all-out 30ish second sprint to get on this guy’s wheel. I looked down at my Garmin and was doing over 500 watts to get his wheel. I got in his draft in the nick of time, because I wasn’t going to be able to hold that effort any longer. I do not know his name, but he had a pink bike and pink kit and he pulled me for three quarters of the rails to trail, which allowed me to get ahead of eventual 2^nd place Chase C. momentarily. If he reads this, thank you again for the pull. Chase eventually caught me on the climb after aid station 4 and he and I talked and rode together for a while. During this time, I found out Eli Orth wasn’t in front of us like I thought and Chase and I were sitting 2/3 behind Jordan. Chase dropped me on the one climb and I rode as hard as I could the last 10 miles or so just hoping to hold onto 3^rd place. It was such a great feeling coming across the line seeing my son, wife, parents, and a couple friends at the line cheering for me. We always have a group that camps at Mohican Adventures for the weekend, which just makes the whole race experience that much nicer. I was running 34*20 wolf tooth ring and cog. Thanks to sponsors Flow Formulas, Pro Bike and Run, McQueen Athletes, Jim Shorkey Auto Group, ESI Grips, and Extreme Nano Lubricants.”

Ohio’s own Eli Orth from Cincinnati took fourth place with a time of 9:07:41. Finishing fifth place was Thad Paunovich from Avonmore, PA finishing in 9:31:27.

Master’s 100 Mile–Magnuson wins

Master’s 100 Mile podium: 1st Eric Magnuson, 2nd Keith Papanicolas, 3rd Amir Matityahu, 4th Bruce Stauffer, 5th Christian Butts. Photo: Butch Phillips

Taking the win in the 100 miles masters division was, Eric Magnuson of Manchester, MA with a time of 8:47:52.

“After blasting out of town, the Mochian 100 splintered on the first climb. The race then unfolded across an array of singletrack, gravel, and roads. During the first four hours, I raced in different groups. Alliances formed. Alliances fractured. At about the midway point, I was on my own—and that’s how things stayed until the finish. Others were in front of me, but I couldn’t see them; others were behind me, but I couldn’t seem them either. I pedaled in isolation, experiencing Ohio’s punchy hills, muddy trails, and escalating heat. I spent most of the day dreaming of dousing myself with something cold. At an aid station, I found a hose. There was joy at the end of it: clear, cold, fast-flowing water. Deep into a race, the mundane can become extraordinary. The Mohican is a stellar event put on by a stellar crew. The volunteers deserve a standing ovation. Signage was superb. Aid stations were excellent.Huge thanks to my family, my riding buddies, Skip’s C.S., Shayne Gaffney, and Riverside Cycle. Next on my calendar: High Cascades 100.”

Just a couple minutes back, Keith Papanicolas from Fairfax Station, VA, finished second with a time of 8:49:2.

Third place went to, Amir Matityahu from Los Altos, CA crossing the line in 8:58:27.

Taking fourth place wes Bruce Stauffer from Rockwell, NC with a time of 9:41:18. Christian Butts out of Plainville, MA took the last podium spot with a time of 9:45:01.

NUE Mohican 100K

Women’s Open 100K– Catale gets back-to-back Mohican wins

Women’s 100K Podium: 1st Kelly Catele, 2nd Bryna Blanchard, 3rd Abigail Snyder, 4th Heather Compton, 5th Jen Tillman. Photo: Butch Phillips

Taking back-to-back wins at the Mohican 100k was, Kelly Catale from Pepperell, MA with a finish time of 5:53:17.

“This was my second year racing the Mohican 100k and I have determined that it will always be a brutal experience. The crazy climbing, muddy doubletrack, and fun singletrack make the course challenging, but it’s the weather that delivers the true pain. Just like in the 2021 edition, the mid-Ohio humidity made the air feel like peanut butter right from the start of the race, which meant I was destined to suffer for the next six hours (this was my first real “humid” day of riding all year). The mass start from downtown Loudonville was a bit hairy, with several guys angling for front positions before diving into the first trail. The only other female in the front pack, Britt Mason, and I exchanged some conversation and marveled at how we had never crossed paths before this race. My goal was to finish the race in under six hours; my race strategy was to go out hard and see how long I could sustain the effort before blowing up. It turns out that 16 miles plus humidity is the blowup point. I slowed down considerably after then and focused on keeping my heart rate and body temperature from skyrocketing. Truthfully, I don’t recall the last time I felt as terrible during a race as I did during this day, and by the time I hit the second aid station at mile 34 I had already quit the sport of cycling at least three times. Luckily, the amazing aid station volunteers had ice-filled pantyhose to offer the overheating participants. I draped one around my neck and into the back of my jersey and within about 5 minutes, I felt slightly frostbitten and almost completely renewed mentally and physically. I even decided to un-quit the sport of cycling! Yes, my race was saved by pantyhose. The remainder of the race was a bit of a blur, as I did my best to keep ahead of dehydration. I finally felt strong at the 5-hour mark and was definitely not on pace to break six hours, but I dug deep and pushed myself hard for the last ten miles and finished with goosebumps–likely from being overheated, but maybe also from ending up in first place after suffering so intensely for so long. I want to extend a huge thanks to Seven Cycles, Voler Apparel, Industry Nine, Vittoria Tires, Flow Formulas, Ride Headquarters, and Gold Medal CBD for enabling me to participate in these events. Thank you also to my husband, Joe, for another fun and successful race weekend, to the race promoters for another fantastic event, and to all of the volunteers who helped make the day survivable.”

Placing second in the women’s 100k was, Bryna Blanchard out of East Greenbush, NY, with a time of 6:19:46.

“Mohican 100k felt like a magic race day for me this year. Despite the 7 AM start time, early morning nerves, and lots of training volume leading up to the race I managed to feel strong for the duration. I managed to avoid the 5 hour energy crash that so often forces me to lose my pace and inevitably get caught in the final miles. After a difficult time in survival mode at the Big Frog 65 it felt amazing and motivating to race hard and enjoy the ride from start to finish. The single track was fast and fun with some rocky slip and slide to keep things interesting. The bits of road in between made for a nice change of pace. With the chaos of mass start and miles of strung out racers on pavement I had no concept of my position in the women’s field. All I could do was ride my race, pace my efforts and work hard to not slow down. I was surprised and grateful to cross the line in 2nd behind world class endurance racer Kelly Catale. Thank you promotors, volunteers, and organizers for putting on a top notch professional event. Thank you Barker Mountain Bikes for all the continued support over the years. I am so grateful for these experiences, friends and bikes.”

Travelling in from Roanoke, VA, Abigail Snyder, took third place with a time of 6:36:58.

” I came into the 2022 Mohican 100k with high hopes after a tight battle for 3rd place at the Big Frog 65 and a surprise 4th place last year, when the 2021 edition of the Mohican 100k was my first ever 100k race. From the start, however, it seems as if my hopes would be dashed. I struggled for the first 2/3 of the race: I missed turns, got bungled up in the congo line through the state park singletrack, had some mechanical issues, and just generally was angry with the world. When I came through Aid 3, the word my friend/crew used to describe my frame of mind was “salty.” Because of the mass start, I had no idea where I was as far as position, but felt like I had to be somewhere between 10-15th place. Still, I didn’t give up. My team name and personal motto is “Ride Fierce,” the meaning of which centers around the image of a cheetah: beautiful and dangerous. I knew I would only be happy at the finish line if I gave it my best on course. So I controlled the only thing I could control: pedaling—and didn’t stop fighting for every possible second until I got to the finish. Even as I crossed the line, I expected to be 15th, so I was shocked to hear that I had finished third! The next NUE event that I am planning to be at is the Wilderness 101, where I will again tackle the 100k distance. Many thanks to Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, Roanoke Outside, RND Coffee, and Cardinal Bicycle for making it possible for me to race this season!”

Coming in fourth place was, Heather Compton from Grayling, MI with a time of 7:06:47. Jen Tillman from Ellicott City, MD takes the fifth spot in 7:25:51.

Men’s Open 100K– Grinnell takes win

Men’s 100K podium: 1st Anthony Grinnell, 2nd Mason Allen, 3rd Robbie Seal, 4th Casey Abston, 5th Luke Hlavenka. Photo: Butch Phillips

Previous 2021 Mohican singlespeed podium finisher, Anthony Grinnell of Harmony, PA, takes the overall 100k win , finishing in 5:10:14.

“I’ve been racing the Mohican 100 since 2014 and still have memories of years past where humidity and creeping temperatures caused racers to drop like flies. With temps expected to surge into the 80’s and very high humidity, I knew a smart pace in the first half of the race would be critical. Sure enough, right around the 2.5hr mark, I started seeing all the guys that went too hard begin to fade and struggle with cramps. I picked off rider and after rider and worked my way up to first place before Aid 3. I stayed strong to the finish and pulled more than a 15 minute gap over 2^nd, finishing with a time of 5 hours 10 minutes. I was extremely happy with the win and am looking forward to my next NUE race at the Wilderness 101. A huge thanks for everyone who supports our Syndicate Cycling team: Shorkey Auto Group, Pro Bike & Run, Flow Formulas, ESI Grips, Extreme Nano Lubricants, and Wolftooth Components to name a few.”

At only seventeen years old, Mason Allen from Crozet, VA took second with a time of 5:25:16.

“This was my first time racing the Mohican 100k, so I was not certain what the course would yield for me. On the starting road, I had some trouble working my way through the crowd, so I entered into the singletrack farther back than I would have preferred. However, I was able to pass by a couple groups on the singletrack. Though I didn’t know it at the time, I did settle into a group with 100k leader Anthony Grinell. We kept steady for a while, but I eventually broke away on the singletrack, which I knew I was strong on. Once the singletrack ended however, I was gradually caught by Anthony Grinell as well as two of the 100k single speeders. I went back and forth with 2nd place single speeder Dahn Pahrs for about an hour, but eventually had to lower my pace. After being dropped, I simply maintained a manageable pace solo till the finish. I didn’t have any idea I was 2nd for the open men category, until somebody informed me between Aid 5 and the finish. Overall, I’m happy to come away with my first NUE podium at Mohican, especially as a junior. The next NUE event I plan to race is the Carrabassett 100k. Big thanks to the race organizers and the volunteers at the aid stations, without whom the race would not be possible, as well as John Petrylak for helping prepare for this event.”

Third place went to Robbie Seal of Richmond, IN with a time of 5:29:48.

Finishing in fourth place, Casey Abston out of Louisville, KY, with a time of 5:46:27. A couple minutes back, Luke Hlavenka of Barrie, ON, takes fifth place with a time of 5:52:40.

Singlespeed 100K- Holle gets SS win

Singlespeed 100k podium: 1st Justin Holle, 2nd Dahn Pahrs, 3rd Peyton Randolph, 4th Acie Hylton, 5th Ryan Craig. Photo: Butch Phillips

2021 NUE Singlespeed epic series champion, Justin Holle out of Aurora, CO finishes in 5:19:04 and taking 2nd overall in the 100k.

Just a few minutes back, Dahn Pahrs from Pittsburgh, PA took second place with a time of 5:22:18.

Peyton Randolph out of Baltimore, OH took third place with a time of 5:47:11.

In fourth place, Acie Hylton coming from Beckley, WV, finishes with a time of 5:53:58. Taking the fifth podium position was, Ryan Craig out of Pittsburg, PA with a time of 6:00:03.

Masters 100K– Suppan on Top Step

Master’s 100K podium: 1st Jason Suppan, 2nd Paul Arlinghaus, 3rd Sean Nicholson-Crotty, 4th Dorel Stoia, 5th Brad Rogers. Photo: Butch Phillips

Winning the master’s 100k division, Jason Suppan from Orrville, OH finished with a time of 5:31:29.

“Grey hair and saggy elbow skin. It’s what I look for when I get passed. Racing the 50 plus category, it’s impossible to know who you’re racing against at times and these guys are fit and fast. My power isn’t there anymore but the bike driving skills are still pretty good, so the goal is always to get to the single track in the front group. I was where I wanted to be until I lost some spokes to a large, tumbling rock a few miles into the single track. Thankfully the wheel held up for the remainder of the race but I was on my own with a wobbly bike. I was glad for the 52 tooth cassette through the Wilderness and onward, but was wondering when SRAM would come out with a 60. Ohio is a tough place to ride. Relentless up and down with almost zero flat cruising and never enough downhill to fully recover. I’ve been trying for years to get a Peace Pipe trophy at the Mohican 100 and finally managed to shake the champagne this year. The course was the best ever and so was my bike. I ride a Giant Anthem full suspension without a dropper and 34×10/52 gearing. Put this race on your schedule! Gorgeous scenery, incredible singletrack, and a very well put together race. Thank you to the volunteers, supporters and sponsors, and Ryan O’dell for putting this together. We are so lucky to have this State park and its single track caretakers, The Mohican Malabar Bike Club. Thank you to Ride On of Wooster for their support and help in getting me on a very capable bike.”

Paul Arlinghaus of Fishers, IN, finished 2nd with a time of 5:46:04.

“My race plan was to get over the Tanny Hill in the lead group, and then ride the Mohican single track somewhat conservatively. I was the last rider in the lead group over the Tanny Hill and the Mohican single track section went well. A big part of my race success was due to the support I got from Heather Arlinghaus at Sags 1, 3 and 5. She made sure I quickly had 2 full bottles leaving each Sag. While it was hard to tell my place in the 50+ 100k mid race, it looks like I was in 3^rd (8 minutes behind Sean Nicholson-Crotty) heading into the Mohican Wilderness. I suspect that Sean was riding the Wilderness for the 1^st time and I had been saving my legs for this part of the race. I cleaned all of the Wilderness with just a couple dabs and made up 6 minutes on Sean. From Sag 3 to 5 it was pretty lonely, but I started to catch sight of Sean up ahead and was slowly reeling him in. I caught Sean just out of Sag 5. I was hoping that he was in the open category so we could just work together on the last 10 miles. But he was 50+, so we still had some racing to do. Sean stood up and pulled away from me on the Valley Stream Rd climb. I knew we had one more big climb coming, so I rode my pace up Valley Stream Rd, and pulled back much of the gap on the descent. On the last climb I caught Sean just before the top and was able to open a small gap on the descent. I spent a lot of time looking over my shoulder but was able to hold a 30 second advantage to the line. I was 4^th at Big Frog and plan to race both Wilderness and Shenandoah. Bike: Trek Supercaliber, Rock Shox, Sram XX1, Slica Chain Lube and Tire Sealant.”

Sean Nicholson-Crotty from Bloomington, IN finished third place with a time of 5:46:37.

““Thanks to the organizers for a great race. The course was fun and the support was fantastic. This was the first of these I have done, but I will definitely be back next year. Hopefully, I’ll remember not to ride the first 20 miles like an XC race so the last 20 won’t hurt so badly. Thanks also to my sponsors, Direct Results Training and Revolution Bike and Bean in Bloomington, IN.”

Taking fourth place was, Dorel Stoia from Medina, OH, finishing in 5:56:50. Fifth place went to, Brad Rogers from OH with a time of 6:18:40.

For full results CLICK HERE

Butch Phillips Photo Gallery: CLICK HERE

NUE Pierre’s Hole Epic

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Shannon Boffeli

Written by: Jen & Anthony Toops

The 2019 Pierres Hole 100 was once again slated to be a great day in the mountains of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. The area doesn’t lack views with the Tetons in sight from most parts of the course. Grand Targhee events manager Andy Williams really puts his heart and soul into this race and it shows. With a great atmosphere and plenty for spectators and racers families to do, the resort really has it dialed.

Racers start at the Grand Targhee Resort and complete 1, 2, or 3, 31 mile laps depending on their distance of choice. The course is almost 100% single track except for a few short sections of double track to connect everything together. This can be a blessing and a curse; The trails are really fun, but they will wear even the toughest riders down.

Racers climb to the top of Grand Targhee and then turn and burn all the way down the 38 switchbacks.

Men’s Open

With the fastest time of the day, Sam Sweetser, wins the NUE men’s open with a time of 8:26:17.

Sam Sweetser leading through the Aid station

Over a half hour back, Jon Rose, pushed hard to hold off third place finishing second in 8:59:20.

“Pierre’s Hole 100 mile (actually 94) mountain bike race is in the books. It was one of the hardest days in the saddle I’ve ever had. The race took 8h59m.
Most of the race was spent between 3rd and 5th place, sometimes as far back as 7th. I finally battled my way up to 2nd place with about 18 miles left. I could see the person who took 3rd at almost every switchback and had to go really deep to hold him off.
Riding and racing bikes has has taught me so many things. One of the biggest lessons is that I can do hard things… on the bike and off the bike.
Thanks to our sponsors Mad Dog Cycles/4Life Race Team Trek Bicycle 4Life Research USA #utahsfavoritebikeshop CarboRocketMad Dog Cycles”

Rose holds off Firth by a few minutes to take 2nd place.

Only a few minutes back, Brandon Firth, hangs on for a 3rd place finish crossing the finish line in 9:02.

“Pierre’s Hole is a very tough 100 miler. I was able to participate last year and landed just off the podium in fifth. So I figured going into this years event that I would take my time and ease into the race.
This years event saw very dry conditions and a hot day, which made it a hard day. I was glad at the midway point that I let the race come to me as the hot dry conditions started to rake a toll. It was obvious that Sam was on a mission and was riding super strong. At the start of Lap two, 2-5 positions were all within 1-2 minutes of each other and Sam had about a 5 min lead.
At that point I liked my strategy and continued pushing on. I had a mistimed feed halfway through lap 2 and dropped off the group by a minute or so. I took a minute for a quick bite and a potty break. And continued on.
At the beginning of lap 3 I was within 1.5 minutes of 2 place, and Sam was completely out of touch. I took a great feed and continued on with my strategy. By the Top of the big climb I was sitting in 3 position and making time on second. At the Bottom of the decent I overtook second position. At the midway point of the 3 and final lap I started to come unglued again and had to slow down and feed. A coke and a Banana later
I was feeling better but lost 2nd position to a rider from behind, but was confident I could bring him back on the last half of the coarse. Sadly I ran out out real estate and ended with 3rd for the day. I could see the rider just ahead of me but couldn’t close. I believe he was 1:38 up on me after 9+ hard hrs of racing. Either way it was nice to be on the podium and to be finished.
I was a tight top five, with the exception of Mr Sweester 2-5 positions were only separated by a few minutes..
As always endurance racing it a long journey and there is always ups and downs in how you feel out there, but you just have to soldier on :)

Most likely my next endurance race will be the Park City P2P, where I will try to build a good strategy and stick to it the best I can. “Sponsor: Rocky Mtn Bikes”

Women’s Open

Toops gets back to back NUE wins

Getting her third NUE epic series win for the 2019 season, 2018 Nue Marathon champion, Jen Toops (Pearl Izumi/Pivot) wins the women’s open with a time of 10:35:54. With this win she is now tied for the overall lead in the women’s NUE epic series.

“After racing Pierre’s Hole marathon last year I knew I needed to stay out of the red zone on the first lap or I’d pay for it later. On the first lap I kept a steady pace up the long climb and had a little fun coming down the 38 special. At the bottom of 38 special I saw second place catching me and tried not to let it get in my head, there was a long race ahead and I didn’t want to blow up. My husband was aiding for me and giving me updates as I came through the aid stations. I was about 4-5 minutes ahead of second coming through the first lap. The climb after the start is tough and requires mental strength but the views are so beautiful. Wildflowers and the Tetons mountains. I decided to run my Pivot mach 4 this year for a little extra cushion equipped with a 32 Rotor Q-ring to keep my cadence higher with all the climbing! I could see Becky at the bottom of the climb on lap two and I continued my own pace, pushing when I felt good and continued putting a larger gap between us. After 70 miles of single track I focused on my nutrition, riding smart and getting through the last lap. When I entered the last meadow I couldn’t see second place and cruised to the finish line ready to run to the taco bar included with race registration! Thanks to our team sponsors (Pivot Cycles, Pearl Izumi, FOX, Ergon, Rotor, Stans, Carborocket, Honey stinger, Xpedo, SCC tech, Kask, and Continental), my husband for the aid and Andy Williams for putting on such a great race!”

About 40 minutes back, Becky Edminston took the second spot with a time of 11:12.

“The first (of 3) laps was so fun! Other than the big climb, it was awesome singletrack trail that really suits my riding style. A couple of guys even commented what a good downhiller I am :) ha! At the end of the first lap I was only 4 minutes behind the lead female and I thought “I either went out too hard, or I’m about to have a great day”. Turns out it was a little bit of both! Starting into the second lap ~mile 35 my body was experiencing some weird pains. My forearms were sore, my triceps started cramping, my shoes were cutting the front of my ankles. And then beginning the climb after 38 Special (long downhill) my left hamstring began to cramp. I never cramp! Fortunately, engaging my quads (i.e. pedaling harder) seemed to keep it from totally locking up. This was a game I would play for the next 60 miles. I was popping salt pills and trying to hold it together. There were lots of riders around from the shorter races and that gave me people to ride with and chase. The third lap saw me really slowing down fighting cramps and nausea (maybe I went out too hard?!). The field had thinned out and I was riding mostly alone but also knew I was “almost” done. As someone who usually runs negative splits I started getting really worried that 3rd place was going to catch me. Fortunately, the 2nd half of the lap was fun and flowy and I had to pedal to keep from cramping! So pedal I did, and I crossed the finish line in 11 hours 12 minutes, holding on to 2nd place female and in the top 15 overall. Did I have fun? You bet! A big thanks to HoneyStinger #HSHIVE for making waffles which were the only solid food I could stomach! Also Orange Peel Bikes #orangepeelbikes and Rock N’ Roll Sports #rocknrollsports for keeping me rolling!”

Becky Edminston finishing the 100 mile race in second place

Taking the third step was, Parker Tyler crossing the line in a time of 11:44:43.

Singlespeed

In the single speed division it was, Andrew Jones, who took the win finishing in 9:14:05. Almost a half hour back was Brent Cannon fighting hard to earn a second place finish at 9:45:30.

Cannon congraulated by race director Andy Williams

Taking third place and still managing to smile at the finish was, Hunter Karnedy, with a time of 9:59:37.

Masters

Smith earns the W and gets 2nd overall

Finishing 2nd overall and taking the win in the masters division, Cary Smith crossed the line in 8:48:16.

Smith with a 2nd overall and winning the masters class

Mike Baughman took second place with a time of 10:12:09. About 50 minutes back on second, Gary Gardiner finished third in a time of 11:01:32.

Click here for full results

Photos by: Ryan O’Dell and Powder Day Photography

NUE Pierre’s Hole Marathon

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Shannon Boffeli

Written by: Jen & Anthony Toops

Men’s Open

Treadwell earns the Win

Dereck Treadwell earns his first NUE win of the season winning the Pierre’s Hole 100k with a time of 5:40:12. With this win he is now moves to second place in the NUE men’s open marathon series.

Even after a flat tire, Joseph Goetti takes second just three minutes back from Treadwell at 5:43:29

“Packing and driving up the day before, I had a great deal of excitement in me as well as some nervousness. This would be my first race on the mountain bike! I’d been thinking about transitioning into marathon mtb racing for the past year as I’ve always had a desire for the longer, more grueling races and getting out on the trails using more technical bike handling skills! After expressing my goals with Scheels, I am super grateful they agreed to sponsor me with an amazing bike, the new 2020 Trek Top Fuel 9.8!

In the 3 weeks that I’d had the bike leading up to this race, I’d put 270 miles on it with a few 4-5 hour rides to prep for this race! I was getting pretty beat up at first in my hands, back, and neck, but that had all worked itself out and I was feeling good and strong coming into the race.

The race consisted of 63.6 miles (100k) with about 7,700ft of elevation gain over 2 laps with 1 long climb and a few other moderate ones. Almost all of the race was on single track besides the first half of the climb on lap 1. This was on a fire road to allow us to get into position going into the single track.

Lining up along side me was other Scheels sponsored riders, Jamen Bennion and Millard Allen, both racing in the single speed category on hard tails (bikes with only 1 gear and no rear suspension (BRUTAL!))

I don’t think any of us got any quality sleep the night before, but that is normal before a big race and having slept well in the previous nights, I was confident I’d feel OK in the race! I woke up at about 5:45 to get my oatmeal in and allow it to settle. We prepared our gear, did a small warm up spin and lined up to take off at 8:10am.

My plan for the race was to be patient for the first lap and get a feel for the lap and how the other riders were doing; however, that plan quickly went out about a minute into the race. I was expecting a bit more of a fight for position on the first portion of the climb, but just getting my heart rate into the 160’s I was putting a gap on the field. I then changed my plan to push a hard, but still reasonable pace sitting in threshold heart rate at about 170bpm to come over the top first so I could take advantage of the new Top Fuels 120mm and 115mm front and rear suspension travel on an open downhill.

The new plan went well and I came over the top with a decent gap and opened it up on the downhill. Pshhhhhhhh, ahhh $#!^…. No more than 2 minutes into the descent and I was getting hit in the face with sealant from my front tire as air spewed out. I had not yet had a flat on my mtb, so I had my Co2 taped to my tire levers and allen wrench in my jersey (not thinking there was much chance I’d need to use them) which took precious time to unwrap. I first tried putting in more Co2 to no avail as it just leaked out. My spare tube was taped under my bikes top tube which took me more time to unwrap, and many riders were now going by. But I tried to stay calm, and was able to get the tube in and tire back on till ahhh $#!^… I didnt have enough c02 left to fill the tire.

HUGE thank you to the man who came by shortly after and lended me an extra canister which filled the tube up the rest of the way and saved my race! Lesson learned: I will have a much better strategy for fixing a flat next race as this one had cost me 8 minutes.

Proceeding down hill, I was riding a bit aggressive making time when I could but now having to deal with trying to pass slower riders. I came by Jamen shortly after getting going again as he had also suffered a front flat and was dealing with traffic as well.

Making my way onto the second climb after the descent, I was putting the power down riding at threshold again and making up places quickly. I was riding a bit higher heart rate then I’d planned on the climbs and in the rolling sections, but with descents take much longer on the mtb than what I’m used to on the road. This means there is good time to recover your cardio system in between climbs, allowing me to push harder where I could.

Joesph Goetti all smiles after a second place finish

I came through the first aid station where Jamen’s family was stationed to help us out, grabbed another spare tube and ditched my bottle for a camelbak and continued to press on.

Coming though the start/finish line at the end of lap 1, I had climbed back into 5th place overall and was about 4:45 down on the lead. I pressed on riding at threshold again up the main climb, passing many of the 100 mile riders who had started at 7:10 to tackle 3 laps of the course (I plan to do that next year if I make it to this race again!) I was keeping my eye out for the yellow ribbons they had all open 100k men tie to their seats, the first of which I saw after descending down from the main climb and reaching the second climb.

He said he was pretty blown when I was passing and cheered me on to catch the leaders! Just being 1 spot away from the top 3 now gave me some extra motivation, and I continued to press on riding up the climbs at threshold.

I came through the final aid station with 15 miles to go with 3 open men still in front of me, exchanged my pack and grabbed another bottle which I used to cool myself. Shortly after this I came around the next open rider to move into 3rd, and then with about 10 miles to go I came around the next to move into second.

My stomach was starting to get a bit upset now. I started the race with a bottle of water, moved to a pack with Hammer Heed in it at aid 1, then grabbed a bottle of scratch at aid 2. At aid 3, I picked up another pack of heed and a bottle of water. Up to this point I’d taken in half a pro bar, a few packs of shot blocks and some maple syrup. I think next time I will switch out the 2nd bottle of scratch for water, and then my final pack may be water and have the bottle be scratch. I think too much liquid nutrition and not enough regular water was upsetting my stomach in the heat.

I backed my heart rate down to low 160’s on the climbs as I was beginning to feel the signs of cramping, but I was continuing to push hard and ride fast. For all I knew, the leader may have been feeling the same way, and I was going to fight all the way to the finish for the chance to catch him!

The remaining miles ticked down, and I ended up coming across the line in 2nd place, 3:16 down from the leader! Although it was a bit disappointing wondering what could have been if I wouldn’t have lost those 8 minutes with the flat, I was extremely happy overall with how I rode in the race! I had paced myself well taking it out hard, and I pushed it the the entire race without fading much at all! And most importantly I had and absolute blast racing my bike on the trails of Grand Targhee! Too focused to see it on the first lap, the view from the top of the main climb is stunning, and I was able to catch a few glimpse of it the second time around, struck in awe as I cruised down the descent. I highly recommend this area for anyone wanting to ride some amazing trails a bit more away from the crowds, and I hope to be back next year in the 100 mile race! My next mtb race will be Park City Point 2 Point on August 31st!

As always, I want to send a huge thanks to everyone supporting me, especially to my girlfriend, Kendra Nelson, who has stood by me though all the years of training, moving to Utah, and transitioning to the mountain bike! I would not have been here doing this if not for her! Also to Scheels for the bike and race, to all my family back home wishing me well! To Jamen’s family for helping us in the feed zones. And to my racing team, Above & Beyond Cancer Cycling p/b Scheels. “

About 8 minutes back, Dan Mahlum took third place at 5:51:18.

Women’s Open

Harvey gets THIRD consecutive win

Women’s Podium: 1st Caedran Harvey, 2nd Ami Stuart, 3rd Ambert Steed, 4th Anne Perry, 5th Rose Kjesbo

Taking the win in the 100k for the third year in a row, Caedran Harvey seems unstoppable finishing with a time of 6:20:11. A little over twenty minutes back was Ami Stuart crossing the finish line in 6:41:14. Taking third in the women’s open was Amber Steed coming in at 6:49:54.

Steed- “This was my first year tackling the Pierre’s Hole course at any distance, and 100 km seemed like a good goal for me. With some real challenges to contend with – elevation, stiff competition, heat, and distance – I felt nervous but excited to enter my first NUE race. I’d been racing for Sportsman and Ski Haus (MT) since 2017, so I felt I was starting to crest the learning curve of this XC racing thing. What could possibly go wrong.

I knew no one in my field of competitors, aside from the name of a prior winner who seemed to top the podium every year she’d entered. Coming from 3,000’ elevation and being a bit riper in age, I worried I might fall short – but, I also knew that anything can happen in racing. So, I focused on my own race and started with high spirits and rested legs.

The 100km course took us through two laps of Grand Targhee’s finest trails – and there was no shortage of seriously fun descending. Knowing there would be relatively few opportunities for easy passing, I worked my way up early during the starting road section. Feeling good, I kept my pace generally steady throughout the first lap, surprised to hear I was only a few minutes off the leader as I started lap 2.

This is about when my hydration and fueling strategy fell short, allowing the elevation and heat to bear down on my body. Despite my best efforts to push my increasingly heavy legs, I couldn’t muster the power to maintain the pace I’d hoped for. Crushingly, I watched as I was passed by another competitor when the course wound back through camp, further dampening my spirits. My goals for the remainder of the race shrank – but remaining on the podium kept the cranks turning and my motivation alive. Climbing those last few miles took more mental power than physical, and I managed to finish in third.

Amber Steed with a third place finish in the 100k

Every race teaches me something, and some lessons are more powerful than others. At Pierre’s, I gained some perspective about the course, how I handle the conditions, and how I can better prepare in the future. But inevitably I’m humbled by my competition, inspired by my own accomplishments, and excited to return another day. While I don’t have another NUE locked into my calendar at the moment, I’m I’ll be showing up to another. Thanks to everyone who make these events possible!”

Singlespeed

McDonald gets SS win

Getting his first NUE SS win and third overall, Will McDonald takes the top step with a time of 5:49:41.

“I raced on a full suspension yeti ASRc with 34-20t gearing. Race was great, started off in 3rd for ss and maybe 8th overall on the first climb, I was able to catch and pass the two singlespeeders ahead of me on the 38 special decent. And caught up with the 4th place overall rider, who I road with with for the rest of the lap, I would pass him on the DH and he would pass me on the up hills. We moved into the 3rd and 4th position halfway through lap 1. Last time I saw him was at the finish of lap 1 and then he took off from me on the long ascent to the top of 38 special and went on to win the race. The climb up to 38 special was pretty rough second lap with the 34-20t gearing, but I was able to grunt up there without cramping or bonking. I caught up to Bart Flinn at the bottom of 38 special, he was in a rough place and seamed to have bonked pretty hard. A few miles later on the decent back to the resort I had some deja vu and passed George Flinn, moving me into 2nd place overall. The rest of the race went pretty well, but with my legs fatiguing I wasn’t able to hold off the rider who ended up second overall, he passed me after the underpass and was able to put some good time on me during the ascents on the 2nd half of lap 2.Overall it was a great race and I wasn’t expecting to do as well as I did with the minimal amount of training I have done this year, not to mention racing for twice as long as my longest ride in the past 2 years. “

McDonald takes the SS win and third overall

About 13 minutes back, Millard Allen took second at 6:03:44.

“Pierre’s Hole is one of my favorite races, although it deceives me every year in how challenging it will be. I chose to run 32-20 gearing because of all the climbing and not thinking I would lose too much time in the descents. I had somewhat of a tough day but was able to finish strong enough to take second. Holden and I rode the first lap together and we were wondering if we would be able to catch Will, who passed us on the first big descent going down 38 Special. It felt like he passed us sitting still. I thought his full suspension bike and taller gear would allow me to catch him eventually, but he was a complete beast.
It ended up being a race for second place. Holden attacked going up Andy’s and Peaks Trails at the beginning of the second lap. He saw I was struggling a bit so he took a chance. I was able to keep him in my sight during the climb while toeing the line of not redlining too much. I was able to overtake him about 2/3s up the climb and hold it together the rest of the race. My nutrition was off and I suffered A LOT the last half of the second lap. Even if I had my nutrition dialed in that day, I am confident Will was just too strong.. plus with the larger gearing he would have been able to ride away from me. Solid race by Will, Holden, Brad Keyes and all the other racers! Amazing event and I look forward to riding True Grit Epic next year, TBD if it will be on a SS.”

Allen with a second place finish in the 100k SS

About 15 minutes back, Holden Anderson pedaled to a third place crossing the line in 6:19:15.

Masters

Saffell on top

In a very close masters race, Bob Saffell, dug deep to take the masters win at 6:27:07.

“I had no idea what the field was going to show for the race. I was just looking forward to 100k of amazing one track. I was expeing Jon Gould to be the one to watch. He rode away on the first climb, confirming my expectation, Brent Peacock was a bit behind him. I settled in for the duration. Soon after feed one I caught Jon and got a small gap on him. I caught and passed Ami Stuart on More Cowbell and we were descending together on Perma-Grin when disaster struck. My shifter fell off my bar. I looked for the bolt for a second, determined i was going to have to drop out, when, hmm, tried a bottle cage bolt, and it worked. I took it easy through the lap, on the Andy’s climb on lap two I started to ramp it up a bit and decided, “what do i have to lose” I caught and passed at least one other 50+ on the climb and kept pushing it. In the Quakie Ridge section I caught glimpses of Brent, so I buried myself a bit and made the pass some where in the last 2 miles on Snow Drift, 40 seconds to spare. Brent had a soft front tire, otherwise it would have been a different finish.”

Less than a minute back, Brent Peacock, took second crossing the line at 6:27:59. Only 26 seconds back from second and taking third was, Kyle Rafford, at 6:28:25.

Photos by: Ryan O’Dell & Powder Day Photography

Click Here for full results

NUE Wilderness 101

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Shannon Boffeli

Written by: Jen Toops

Photos by: Dave Seasholtz

On July 20th, 2019, Shenandoah Mountain Tours held the Wilderness 101 and Marathon races in Coburn, PA. The Wilderness 101 is part of the NUE National Ultra Endurance Race Series and is know for its East coast rocky singletrack, and rolling gravel roads. It was a scorcher with sunny skies and temps reaching almost 100 degrees F. Camping was included with registration in Coburn Park which is also the race start making for an easy race morning and celebration at the finish line

Women’s Open

Toops gets Top Step

2018 NUE Marathon champion, Jen Toops, Pearl Izumi/Pivot MTB race team, takes the top step in a time of 9:13:12.

Women’s Open podium: 1st Jen Toops, 2nd Julia Thumel, 3rd Lindsey Carpenter, 4th Rebecca Lewandowski, 5th Karen Talley

“After an unexpected need to fly back to Ohio (literally booked the flight Wed and flew home Thursday), I found myself racing Wilderness 101 instead of High Cascades. My mom agreed to make the 5 hour journey to Coburn, PA and spend the weekend camping at the race start.

My plan was to keep a steady pace on the first climb knowing it was going to be a long hot day. Julia quickly passed me at the beginning of the climb. I was feeling good so I held her wheel for a bit. About halfway up I felt warmed up and ready to race, so I made my move. I worked hard to latch onto the group ahead by the top of the start climb. Working in a small group we watch some gravel miles tick by. The pace of this group was a wee bit too fast and I found myself off the back.

It soon turned to singletrack and I felt at home. Having raced TSE this spring I felt confident on the PA rocks and kept a steady pace. After a few updates from fellow racers I knew I had a little cushion and focused on pacing, hydration and nutrition. It’s hard to eat when it’s 90F so I stuck with CarboRocket, plain Water, Honey Stinger gels and bananas. I wore a pack for hydration and carried a bottle of water on my bike primarily used to spray on myself to cool down on the long exposed gravel climbs.

Jen Toops trying to navigate the PA rocks

On the NoName descent I made a rookie mistake. I thought I heard someone bombing the descent behind me and I took a quick peek over my shoulder. There was no one there but my front wheel hit a rock weird and I found myself over the bars before I even knew what was happening. My left hand instantly throbbed as I landed on my left palm of my hand. It took everything to finish the last part of the descent holding tight with my right hand and hovering the bars with my left hand. I stopped took some Ibuprofen and thought about a DNF. Then I realized it would most likely take longer or be just as painful to find my way back rather than finishing the last 35 or so miles.

After riding with one hand for about an hour the Ibuprofen kicked in and I could at least hold the bars. On the Still house climb my shifting starting giving me fits and I had to stop and check it a few times but couldn’t find anything wrong. A little more down the trail I was standing and pedaling and my crank stopped completely. Turns out my thru axel was loose and had wiggled halfway out and my wheel was basically falling off. Must of came loose when I crashed. I’m lucky I got it fixed fairly quick and didn’t have a major mechanical or crash.With about 15 miles left I kept a steady/safe pace knowing the cool River was waiting at the finish line!”

Julia Thumel, Race Pace Bicycles, takes second crossing the finish in 9:55:59. With this race she is now in third in the NUE Epic series. Lindsey Carpenter, Salsa Cycles, takes the third spot on the podium 10:18:34.

Men’s Open

Bishop gets first NUE win for 2019

It was a close race in the Men’s Open class. In the end it was Jeremiah Bishop, Canyon Bicycles/Ergon, who took the win in an impressive 7:08:53. This was Bishop’s first NUE win for 2019. Less than a minute back, the 2019 NUE series leader, Dylan Johnson, FBS Racing, finished second in 7:09:37. Only two second back, Matt Acker, Salsa Cycles finished in 7:09:39.

Singlespeed

Klose wins first W101

James Klose, SECT NEMBA/Wayfarer Bicycle gets first W101 win in a time of 7:50:03. Taking second and leading the NUE singlespeed division was, Eli Orth, Team Hungry crossing the line in 8:30:52.

“Wilderness 101 was my 4th NUE epic distance race of the year. Going in I knew it was going to be a tough race with the predicted temps and humidity. The heat index was upwards of 110 degrees! Keeping that in mind i set my own pace early and watched the lead group pull away which also included a couple of my competitors in the single speed class. I went into the day wanting to just stay hydrated and fueled and stay at a consistent good pace. After settling in I decided to pick up the pace a little after aid station 2. Not long after aid 2 I caught Dahn Pahrs. I was up to 2nd place and Dahn let me know first wasn’t too far ahead. While standing at aid 3 drinking coke and grabbing some snacks i turn around to see Dahn roll up. On the gravel climb and through single track Dahn and I were close together with Dahn pulling back ahead again in the single track temporarily until he got a flat. As i roll up and ask if he needs anything he lets me know he’s okay and I roll by picking up the pace even more hoping to gap him enough that i keep him from catching me again. After that I didn’t see Dahn again (later learned he dropped out somewhere after aid 4) and didn’t see any other single speeders the rest of the race. It was a brutal hot day where I felt like i was cooking from inside out. It was especially hard on climbs like Stillhouse where I was grinding up them struggling both physically and mentally. It was great once again to race with Michael Gottfried a good portion towards the end along with Roger Masse. We pushed each other and chatted keeping our sanity on this tough day.Overall I was very happy with the results as Wilderness always has a strong SS field. It was great racing on the rocks in Pa for the second time this year!My gearing of choice for the race was 34×20. Next up is Shenandoah and Marji Gesick. I’d like to thank everyone that has supported and motivated me this year. Especially my wife who has been very supportive to my busy schedule this year. Thanks to my team.. Team Hungry and Absolute Black. Also thanks to Nox Composites for quickly getting me everything i needed for my wheel build in time for Wilderness on short notice.”

Scott Rath, Cadre Racing took the third podium spot in a time of 8:57:25.

“Heading into the Wilderness 101, my only goal was to hopefully take some of the fitness I picked up at The Trans-sylvania Epic and turn that into a sub 9 hour finish. Seeing the forecast, I wasn’t sure that would be possible. The first 30 miles had me burning matches on my 34X20 gearing trying to stay latched on to trains knowing that if I fell off the back, I’d be working twice as hard by myself. During the second half of the race, I started picking off fellow single speeders and when I passed Don Powers walking up the infamous Stillhouse Hollow Rd climb due to not being able to keep food down, he let me know that there were a few more single speeders just up ahead, and that was just the motivation I needed to keep the pedals mashing. Despite the debilitating heat, I worked my way past two single speeders up and over Stillhouse. I kept checking my Garmin and it seemed like a sub 9 hour wasn’t going to be possible but then a super long stretch of gravel had me descending and descending some more. I buzzed past a fresh off Lyme Disease, Matt Ferrari and closer to a possible sub 9 hour finish. I put my head down, grabbed my fork crowns, and pedaled the mostly flat finish always checking over my shoulder. I found my way back to Coburn Park and crossed the line at 8:57and found out I snagged 3rd place. I’m still in disbelief. I’m hoping to get to the Shenandoah 100 if my schedule allows it.”

Masters

Masse celebrates first 2019 NUE win

Roger Masse, Stokesville/SMT/Stans/TREK takes the Masters win with a time of 8:30:42. Second place was, Hank McCullough, Team Trappe Door, finishing in 8:52:07.

“I had big question marks going into this year’s W101 having not been to the race since 2015 and for that matter no NUE events since 2017, only participating in one. The passing years have me moving to the “seasoned” end of the masters 50+ division with little intel on those who have just moved in from the open bracket. Although I have been to W101 three times we just don’t have rocks like this down in SC and my trail work has been limited this year. Fortunately supporting Trappe Door’s road squad through the spring racing season combined with big miles at the Allegheny Mountain Loop 400 bikepacking race in late April had me ready for a long day…which it definitely was with a scorching heat wave upon us.
To be honest my main reason for coming this year was to catch up with NUE masters regulars Mark Drogalis and W101 icon Jim Matthews, whom I have not seen for several year due to moves, and life’s changing priorities. I intentionally set low expectations regarding the race itself with a focus on fun. Ride sensibly and don’t get too far into the red zone and that is how it went. I would like to say I could give a play by play but I can’t remember the names of all the climbs and trails. A measured start had me alone after the first climb but I clawed at least a dozen back on the rolling fire roads including Jed Prentice who was in good form coming from a strong finish at the BC Bike Race. Jed was climbing a bit stronger and definitely making it through the rough stuff quicker, but I sensed that he might be going a bit hard so I just stayed back 200m and settled into my own pace. My strategy paid off after RS 3, as Jed admitted after that he blew before the ending two climbs. I figured Roger Masse, a winner on numerous occasions, was well ahead but if I had pushed a little harder and avoided a few course miscues due to mental fatigue at the end perhaps his winning margin would have been smaller? Cursing Fisherman’s, or really myself for having crappy skills through the boulders, I sensed that a solid finish was at hand, my best NUE result to date and the satisfaction in knowing that even this old goat can still have a good day. ”

Jed Prentice, Team Bike Doctor crossed the finish line at 8:55:45.

“I was happy to make the podium. Let’s just say that 7 days of recovery after the BC Bike Race was not enough! (I finished third in the 50+ GC at BCBR). I thought the Wilderness 101 was a week later on 7/27, until I got the pre-race brief. My race bike was on its way back from BC so I had to prep my son’s bike (an old race bike of mine from a few years ago). I was tired and racing an old bike but hoping things would work out.
I didn’t feel so great on the first climb and was dropped early by Roger and Joe Johnston. I resigned myself to maintaining a steady pace and hoping to catch them later if they cracked. I caught some riders and felt ok until about mile 50, then blew up at mile 60 or so, on the way up to Beautiful Trail. After aid 4, on the way up Stillhouse Hollow, the lights went out and I had to stop and collect myself for a minute while several riders passed me. After struggling up the climb, I passed Joe Johnston as he was cooling off in the creek at the bottom of the descent. Thinking I was maybe in second, I was motivated to salvage something so I suffered to the finish. It turned out that the guy who passed me before aid 5 was also in the Masters race; I could see him on the rail trail near the finish but couldn’t bring him back, so I ended up third. It wasn’t pretty but I survived it.”

Click here for full Wilderness 101 results

Next up on the 2019 NUE Epic series is Pierre’s Hole in Alta, WY August 3rd, 2019

NUE Wilderness Marathon

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Shannon Boffeli

Written by: Jen Toops

Photo credit: Dave Seasholtz

Men’s Open

Schwarm Takes Wilderness Marathon win

Brian Schwarm, Think Green-Bicycle Face p/b Sword, wins the Men’s Open in a time of 5:40:48. With this win Schwarm leads the NUE Marathon series.

“The Wilderness 101K is one of my favorite races for many reasons. That area of Pennsylvania is breathtaking, the trip to get there (through Cumberland, Maryland) is extremely scenic, and of course the race course is marvelous with the big climbs and rocky singletrack. However, the main topic of discussion among all the racers was the heat. It was hot!

The race started as usual heading out of Coburn and up the Siglerville-Millheim gravel climb. Erik Neilson, Josh Kunz (on a singlespeed), and I rode mostly together until the ridge where Josh bid us farewell and Erik and I took off with our gears. We rode the following gravel sections together, often chatting, and enjoying the slight overcast before things started heating up (both figuratively and literally).

Once Erik and I hit the trail sections the effort intensified. This was due to the trail itself but also we were catching some 101 mile racers once the courses linked back up. They provided extra motivation to keep going fast. So Erik and I were catching riders and railing the trails. We continued this until the Stillhouse Hollow Climb just past Aid Station 4 where I was able to slide away on the climb. From that point on I was riding by myself but I was running scared since Erik is such a strong racer. I kept an eye behind but was able to roll in for the win.

Thanks to my amazing wife Jennifer for her continued support. I am very fortunate that she is often willing to travel with me, meet me at aid stations, and take care of me at the finish! In addition, thanks to my team Think Green – Bicycle Face and other sponsors SWORD, ESI grips, Native Eyewear, Maxxis Tires, and Specialized Bikes. Next on the agenda is the Shenandoah 100K over Labor Day weekend for my final stop in the NUE Marathon series.”

Marathon men’s open podium: 1st Brian Schworm, 2nd Erik Nielson, 3rd Thad Paunovich

Taking second place was, Erik Nielson, SouthPaw Cycles, Industry Nine/Giant, finishing in 5:56:54. In third place was, Thad Paunovich, coming in at 7:02:21

Women’s Open

Sheldon gets TOP STEP

Getting her first NUE win of 2019, Elizabeth Sheldon, Cxhairs Devo: Trek, wins the women’s marathon race in, 6:44:12.

“The Wilderness 101 marathon was a real challenge this year! I’ve done the full distance a few times previously, but was hoping to spend a bit less time in the saddle (and a bit less time recovering after!). Race day started great, with cool-ish temperatures, a bit of overcast and even some breeze when the 100-milers started at 7 a.m. The marathon racers roll out at 9, which makes sense for the logistics, but had us nervously waiting as the late-July temps started to creep up. Once we got underway, Bryna Blanchard and I were together for the early road climbing sections, but I was riding by myself or with small groups by the time we were at the first singletrack. At the start of the singletrack, we were sharing the course with the 100-milers after their longer start loop, so there was more company. Aid Station 1 was up to Davidson standards (thanks!).
After the aid station, the humidity went up and my recollection gets a bit foggier. The rocks were much greasier, and the heat kicked up a notch, and by the time I got through the second aid station and on to the Stillhouse Hollow climb I was definitely feeling the effort. The kind souls handing out ice bags at Sand Mountain parking lot saved me and after more pedaling I was ecstatic to see the Stan’s finish arch in Coburn. Many good stories from the finish area (including from my husband, brother-in-law and nephew who all rode that day), but my favorite was from my son Jonah who broke his fork at the top of Stillhouse, rode back down, and then finished the full 100 mile course on a borrowed bike.
Thanks to Chris Scott and all the volunteers for a great day on the bike.”

1st Elizabeth Sheldon, 2nd Bryna Blanchard, 3rd Brittany Spangler

About 7 minutes back, Bryna Blanchard, BMB Racing, finished second in a time of 6:51:37. Brittany Spangler, Sacred Cycle, finished third, 7:34:34.

Singlespeed

In the single speed class, Josh Kunz, Knobby Side Down, takes the win in a time of 7:13:45. Jason Zollinger finished second crossing the line at 9:53:06.

Masters

Getting his first NUE win of the season, Carroll Thumel, LRC, wins the Masters division with a time of 9:13:34. Taking the second step, Dan Mock, finished in 9:29:06.

“The 2019 Wilderness 101k can be summarized in just one word, HOT! The prediction for 93 degree temps, prompted me to create a new, one of a kind, Garmin screen with just two stats, temp and mileage. I could feel my head exploding as I watched the degrees tick higher. The 80 plus mile course does have much needed relief, if you take advantage of a dip in one of the extremely cold creeks, well worth the time penalty. Special thanks to Chris Scott for supplying lots of ice at the aid stations. It may not sound like a big deal, but that ice and the many creeks along the way, kept me going.
My usual Tortoise (that’s me) and the Hare race strategy proved to find me on the podium for third place. I’ll take it! Chris has a way of making them tough, so congratulations to ALL who finished. Surviving the heat, extra distance and hours of climbing, is more than most 50/60 year old’s could ever dream of accomplishing. Next on the bucket list, good times at Shenandoah.”

Coming in third was, Richard Hultstrom, with a time of 9:55:47.

Click Here for full results

Next up on the NUE Marathon series is Pierre’s Hole August 3rd in Alta, WY

NUE Cohutta 100 mile

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Shannon Boffeli

“The 2019 event was hosted by Mountain Goat Adventures, who recently took over promotion of the event from Roost Racing, LLC. Race day weather at the Ocoee Whitewater Center could not have been more perfect with temperatures in the mid 70’s. Similar to prior years, the race was well attended and had sold out by the Monday before the race.

One change we immediately made to the course was to make the final singletrack section nearly all downhill to the finish. I had raced in several past editions of this event in both the 65 and 100, and every time I returned from the gravel road loops, I wished that we could just bomb down to the finish instead of winding around on 8-12 more miles of rolling (and sometimes steep) singletrack. While the gravel road loops of the course remained the same from the 2018 edition, we configured a course that included nearly all of the Tanasi singletrack on the front end, while riders were fresh. After leaving it all out on the course for the gravel road loops of the 65 and 100 mile, riders were treated with a nearly all downhill 4 mile mile run into the finish.

A very close race in the singlespeed class Left Eli Orth 3rd, Center Dan Pahrs 1st, Right Anthony Toops 2nd.
Photo: Ryan Odell

Another change we made was to offer more swag to our event participants. Big payouts are great if you can manage to land on the podium, but that only accounts for a very small percentage of our riders so it is important to me to make sure we are taking care of the other 95% of our participants as well by offering them nice swag, a well-marked course, good support at the aid stations, and overall a great race experience that they will remember. We saw riders from all over the US and Canada, so it was great hearing how much riders from other regions enjoyed the course (albiet a tough one!) While the race overall went very smoothly, we learned a lot in our first year of production that we can take with us moving forward to make this event even better in 2020.” -Lisa Randall (2019 Race Director)

Men’s Open

Johnson gets FOURTH consecutive Cohutta WIN

1st-Dylan Johnson, 2nd-Christian Tanguy, 3rd-Matt Acker, 4th-Spencer Whittier, 5th-Lee Hauber. Photo Credit- Dashing Images LLC

Taking the win in the Men’s Open class for an impressive fourth year in a row was Dylan Johnson, FBS Racing, with a time of 6:57:09. Christian Tanguy, RBS Team, took a close second just two minutes back, coming in at, 6:59:08.

Matt Acker grabbed the third spot with a time of 7:05:15. Sponsors include: Salsa Cycles, Velocity USA, Industry Nine, and Grand Rapids Bicycle Company based out of Michigan.

“The weather was perfect for race day and the pace started out modestly from the whitewater center. As we got out onto the highway roll out there were some attacks and Dylan and Christian got out in front. I settled in behind them with another gentleman. Their gap slowly grew through the first 30 miles of trails and 4th place and myself stayed together. Once we hit the big gravel loop we could no longer see 1 and 2. The 4th place rider pushed a hard pace and rolled ahead of me for quite some time on the gravel loop while i focused on staying true to my pace. About halfway through the event i caught him again and we rolled into the 59 mile aid together to re-supply. They told us that 1 and 2 were almost 5 minutes up the road so it became a race between us. We worked together a bit back and forth until just over 80 miles and when 4th stopped to get bottles and nutrition i kept rolling. I kept the effort smooth but hard until the last singletrack descent and rolled in for 3rd. Great event, awesome volunteers and fun course.”

Women’s Open

Toops gets first NUE Epic Win

1st-Jen Toops, 2nd-Mary Penta, 3rd-Anne Pike, 4th-Laureen Coffelt, 5th-Angela Graziosi.
Photo credit: Dashing Images LLC

Taking the win in the women’s race, 2018 NUE Marathon Champion, Jen Toops, Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles MTB race team, finished in 8:33.41.

“This was my first 100 mile race so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew Penta was a strong gravel rider from her finish at the Barry Roubaix, so I went hard on the first climb and made sure I was ahead of her going into the singletrack. Having some fun on the downhills and pushing the pace a few times uphill, I was able to make a gap before entering into the gravel. My legs were feeling good and I continued to ride my own pace. The changes to the course this year were a pleasant surprise ending the race with so much downhill. I rode my Pivot Les 27.5 and am always reminded how well this bike climbs! My next NUE race will be Mohican 100!”

Jen Toops
Mary Penta
Anne Pike

Taking second was Mary Penta, Think Green/Bicycle Face, crossing the line at 9:17:51. Third place was Anne Pike with a time of 10:03:38.

Singlespeed

Pahrs takes top step

1st-Dahn Pahrs, 2nd-Anthony Toops, 3rd-Eli Orth, 4th-Chris Blakenship, 5th-Joe Worboy
Photo credit: Dashing Images LLC

Winning the singlespeed class was, Dahn Pahrs of UPMC Pro Bike, crossing the line in 7:30:07.

Anthony Toops, 2018 NUE SS Marathon series Champion, racing for Paradise Garage took second place, 7:43:12.

“Cohutta was my first big test of the year so I was ready to get this one in the books. The race started with the usual effort up the road to get to the single track as near the front as possible. Pahrs led the pack up the climb initially until the spring over the top into the trail. I made sure to get into the singletrack as the 1st single speeder so I could hopefully use my full suspension to my advantage. This year 95% of the single track was at the beginning of the race unlike previous years where it was 50/50. I should’ve done more homework here as the full suspension wasn’t really needed due to the course changes.
Pahrs was on my wheel the entire singletrack section and with a few riders ahead, passing was difficult. He eventually passed me and we hit the first road sections together. He started to pull away some on the climbs but I was making up time on the descents. Eventually he got a gap around mile 45 I think that would grow for the rest of the race. I struggled some in the potato patch section of climbs, trying not to lose time because I had a feeling Eli Orth wouldn’t be far behind. Around mile 65 or so Nick Bragg caught up to me and we rode together for a while. Some good conversation made the time pass faster as we kept turning over the pedals. He would pull ahead out of aid 5 and I just kept the power down to bring home 2nd place… only around a minute ahead of Eli Orth!
This was the first race with my Pivot 429sl set up single speed. After some initial setup issues the bike was performing great. My bike selection was overkill for this course, but I kinda knew that going in. Next time will be the hardtail.
Another great event put on by Mountain Goat Adventures. The crew and staff did an amazing job! Looking forward to some more NUE racing coming up! Gearing 34×20″

Taking the third spot was, Eli Orth of Team Hungry, with a time of 7:44:30.

“Cohutta was my first NUE race of the year. The weather for the race couldn’t have been better. It was a little cool in beginning but quickly warmed up with the first long climb. I played it safe in the beginning on the first climb but also made sure i was in top 3 in ss going into the single track. I got into single track with Michael Gottfried and we kept a good pace but got slowed down in several areas by slower traffic. We called for the pass and started to pick up the pace. Once we got into the death march gravel loop I was hoping i was still within striking distance of “Dahn Pahrs” and Anthony Toops. I picked up the pace on the gravel loop trying to make up time if possible. Everything was going great and I still felt great but got a puncture flat on my rear tire at mile 80.. after we joined up with big frog racers. Of all places it was on gravel and i didn’t even see what caused it. I felt the tire going down so i jumped off and grabbed my plug kit from my jersey pocket. I initially put in small plug but it didn’t hold. So i put in big plug and after stans sprayed out for a few seconds it stopped leaking and sealed. A fellow teammate that was racing big frog stopped and gave me one of their co2’s to take just in case i would need it. Fortunately i didn’t need it. Unfortunately though having the plug in there and what seemed to be barely holding i started to race conservative, so i wouldn’t rip the plug out and flat again. I knew i could hang onto 3rd as long as i kept everything together.I was really surprised at the finish to find out Anthony came across the line only a minute ahead of me. Once again it was a close race between us after over 7.5hrs of racing. It was a great race and I look forward to more. I ran 34×19 gear. The gearing made some of the climbs a little tough but overall it was the perfect gearing for me on that course. My next big race will be the TSE 5 day stage race in May followed by Mohican 100 5 days after that. Thanks to my team, team mates, and sponsors Team Hungry and Absolute Black. “

Masters

Hammond gets first Cohutta win

1st-Matt Hammond, 2nd-Zdenek Fiebinger, 3rd-Rodney Reed, 4th-Alan Miner, 5th-Jeff Chalmers. Photo Credit: Dashing Images LLC.

Matt Hammond took the Masters win with a time of 8:11:34.

“My experience with the Cohutta 100 this past Saturday was fantastic! The course was well marked and overall production was great! Could not have asked for better weather and conditions for a bike race.I’m a veteran bike racer but first time winner of a 100 mile race. I will very likely participate in this event again next year. Not sure that I’ll do any more of this years series. I’m not sponsored currently but would entertain any offers!

Taking the second step was, Zdenek Fiebinger of Sonic Cycling, 8:44:16.

“After racing Big Frog few times in the past and recently turning 50, I decided that is time to try the big boys distance. I did many different races around Ocoee and love to return to this area. Plus, mountaingoatadventures.com is always guarantee of perfectly organized race. My race started slower as my old diesel needs little more time to warm up. Once in the single track, I moved up several places and felt good until about mile 30 miles when I had to back of the pace little bit after my lower back started to remind me that as rest of me it is also 50 years old. Few riders came from behind and we formed nicely working group For rest of the race I was yo-yo ing around few younger riders, passing and getting passed. I was happy to see my teammate RJ and was able to ride with him for some distance later in the race. I was hoping to see the finish line sooner but was happy with the result under the circumstances. It was hard but great race. Well organized with many super friendly and helpful volunteers. Cohutta definitely found a permanent place on my race calendar.”

Rodney Reed finished third in a time of 8:50:08.

“This was the 8th time I’ve lined up for the Cohutta 100. The difference this year is it was my first time competing in the masters category. The day couldn’t have started off more perfect weather wise – high 40’s to start and getting up to mid 70’s by the finish. Although the course was similar to last year, there were a few course changes early in the race that left me with some uncertainty but off we went. I felt really good headed into the first bit of single track with good position and good pacing. After the first aid station I began having some stomach issues which would come and go the rest of the day. I had one minor mishap when I miscalculated my bunny hop over the off camber pine on Riverview Loop causing me to go over the bars. I picked myself up and continued. Once onto the gravel section I was caught by a couple guys who were “not racing, just riding” then they dropped me! Probably about 5 1/2 hours in Jen Toops caught up with me and we chatted for a few minutes exchanging positions on the climbs before she took off. After the merge with the Big Frog riders I knew I only had a few moderate climbs left so I gave it all I had to the finish. Very much appreciated the downhill sections after the last aid stations.
A special thank you to my wife Amy and daughter Emma for putting up with my long weekend away and supporting the countless Sunday’s spent gravel grinding in Ohio. Shout out to the Sunday Gravel Church gang – Rick, Matt, Terry, Mike and Benton for pushing me all winter! Special thanks to Rick’s Bicycle Service and HWB Cycling for keeping my Santa Cruz Tallboy in tip top shape year after year for these grueling races. Next up, Mohican 100.”

Click here for full results

What’s up next? Click here to register for the NUE Mohican 100 mile & 100 K in Loudonville, OH.

Written by: Lisa Randall & @Jentoops

NUE Big Frog 65 mile

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Shannon Boffeli

Crowley all smiles after a 1st place Masters finish
Photo credit: Ryan Odell

Men’s Open

Pendlebury takes top step

1st-Jeffrey Pendlebury, 2nd-Brian Schworm, 3rd-Dereck Treadwell, 4th-Chris Tries, 5th-Eric Post. Photo credit: Dashing Images LLC.

Jeffrey Pendlebury from Rideon Wooster took the Men’s Big frog win with a blistering fast time of, 4:39:04. A close second place was, Brian Schworm, Think Green/Bicycle Face crossing the line in 4:43:39.

“Racing the shorter Big Frog was a change for me this year since I’ve entered the Cohutta 100 the last four years or so. My goals for this year have changed with a focus on the shorter marathon and traditional cross-country distances in mind. Anyway, I was not unfamiliar with the Big Frog since I raced it three times many years ago. I knew the similarities and differences between the two races and knew what to expect.

Think Green Team: Left- Nathaniel Cornelius, Middle- Brian Schworm and right-Paul Karle. Photo credit: Ryan Odell

The race started as usual up the paved climb with the typical scramble into the singletrack. Chris Tries lead the way with five more riders, including myself and teammates Nathaniel Cornelius and Paul Karle, separating fairly early. We rode the first portion of singletrack together until Thunder Rock Express and the following gravel climb. On that climb eventual winner Jeff Pendlebury attacked and I was able to respond (although I had to dig deep). From that point we rode together through the rest of the singletrack and most of the gravel section. I think Jeff knew I was struggling a bit as he threw in some attacks and I was able to respond until the last one on the gravel section headed back to the start/finish. Jeff threw down a big attack and I had no response. I tried to keep my pace high to fend off any chasers behind and was able to finish second on the day. It was great to see my teammates, Paul and Nate, finishing close with sixth and seventh positions giving our team three in the top ten.

Of course I need to thank my team Think Green – Bicycle Face for their incredible support and my other sponsors SWORD, ESI grips, Native Eyewear, and Specialized Bikes. An extra special thanks to my wife, Jennifer Schworm, for her daily support. Without her these pursuits would not be possible. Up next is the USA Marathon Nationals in Texas followed soon by the Mohican 100K in Ohio.”

Just four minutes back, Dereck Treadwell, finished third in 4:48:06.

Women’s Open

Schneeberger takes Big Frog win

gig — 1st-Leia Schneeberger, 2nd-Ali Lecraw, 3rd-Kelsey Devereaux, 4th-Naomi Haverlick, 5th-Kimberly Flynn. Photo credit: Dashing Images LLC.

Taking the win in the women’s marathon race was, Leia Schneeberger, Broken Spoke Racing, finishing in 5:50:20.

” I had been informed the race was mostly single track in style with a “portion” of gravel. To my surprise it was the reverse. I am a single track specialist and have never raced gravel before so it was an eye opener. I certainly understand why they call them gravel grinders as this race was certainly a steady grind for me. I made a solid effort to be the first women into the single track portion so that I could create a gap on the rest. I’ve never raced a course this long or with this amount of elevation so I kept my heart rate in the endurance / tempo range all day in effort to avoid bonking. It ended up being enough to get the job done. I currently race for Broken Spoke Bikes in Green Bay Wisconsin and Hammer Nutrition. I will be racing the Marji Gesick 100 this fall.

Ali LeCraw 2nd place women’s open: Photo Ryan Odell

About thirteen minutes back, Ali LeCraw of Peachtree Bikes finished second in 6:03:15. A close third place, Kelsey Devereaux crossed the line in 6:06:16.

Singlespeed

Kunz gets his first NUE win

1st-Josh Kunz, 2nd-Scott Brannon, 3rd-Nathan Grubb, 4th-Forrest Ege, 5th-John Leblanc

Getting his first NUE win, Joshua Kunz of Knobby Side Down finished in 5:14:52. Eleven minutes back, Scott Brannon of Motor Mile Racing crossed the line second in 5:26:11.

Josh Kunz 1st place SS
Photo credit: Ryan Odell

Nathan Grubbs grabbed the third place step in 6:01:10.

“For the first race of the season and only my 4th ride on single track this year, I opted to gear down to a 32-20. It was a pretty slow ratio for the first 10 miles of singletrack, but I managed to finally start passing other riders on the first big climb after the bridge. By aid 3, I had moved up at least 30 positions and was feeling good. By the massive climb on FS 62, 32-20 seemed like a good choice. With a healthy mix of ‘stand-and-mash’ and swearing, the large gravel climbs went by quickly. Into the last 5 miles downhill, geared riders that I had been passing since Aid 4 were starting to catch me. Dylan and Christian blew past on the last few hundred yards of singletrack, and I gave a last big effort to try and get in under 6 hours. I was very happy with third and a 6:01:10 final time. “

Nathan Grubbs 3rd place SS
Photo credit: Ryan Odell

Masters

Crowley WINS Masters

1st-Ariel Crowley, 2nd-Jeff Clayton, 3rd-Jorge Cortez, 4th-Mathew Sexton, 5th-Chris Torrance. Photo credit: Dashing Images LLC.

Making the trek from out west, Ariel Crowley of QQQQ Racing, wins the masters division in 5:23:50.

No stranger to the NUE series, Jeff Clayton of Georgia Neurosurgical Institute took second in 5:25:25.

Jeff Clayton 2nd place masters
Photo credit: Ryan Odell

“I came to the race with much less than ideal training. Just one ride of over 5 hours in the last few months and that was a gravel grinder race. I did a late afternoon pre-ride Friday and found the trails to be in great shape. The start was nice and mellow, giving me a few minutes to get my body ready for the shock of the inevitable surge on the paved climb. I accepted being dropped on the second surge and settled in with a couple other guys entering the singletrack. We caught a group ahead and were caught by a few riders from behind. Things split up again in the roots on old copper rd and the bear paw climb. By the time I got on the gravel road portion of the race I’d left all but one of those racers behind and caught a few more. On the gravel loop I rode mostly solo, catching and riding with a few racers and then dropping them. The last long road section had me feeling my lack of training—cramps! I got dropped by one companion I’d caught and then passed by one other guy. I was able to keep it that way, though I could feel that I was slowing. One racer I caught a glimpse of in the distance on the final climb ended up being Matt Crowley who held me off for the win in 50+. Kudos to Matt for coming from Utah to race and taking the win!”

Finishing third was, Jorge Cortes with a time of 5:37:41.

Click here for full results

What’s up next? Click here to register for the NUE Mohican 100 mile & 100 K in Loudonville, OH.

Written by: Lisa Randall & @Jentoops

NUE Big Bear Grizzly 100k

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Shannon Boffeli

NUE Big Bear Grizzly 100k

Written by @JenToops

The NUE series headed to the San Bernardino mountains in sunny Southern California for the Grizzly 100k, 75k races and Grand Fondo. This was the final NUE race of the 2018 season and determined the NUE overall titles.

Starting around 7000 feet above sea level in Big Bear Lake, CA, racers were challenge to a high altitude course with technical singletrack, loose descents, and the all famous 5 mile Radford climb.

Open Men

Trudeau takes the WIN

Open Men’s Podium: 1st-Kyle Trudeau, 2nd-Bryan Lewis, 3rd-Nic Beechan

Getting his first NUE win of 2018, Kyle Trudeau, CZ Racing takes the win with a time of 4:35:32.

Bryan Lewis finished about a minute behind Trudeau taking second place with a time of 4:36:59. In a battle for the overall NUE series title, it came down to this race for Lewis and Johnson. With this win, Lewis secures the 2018 NUE Epic series title and Johnson, who finished 6th at Big Bear, takes second in the overall standings.

Claiming third was, Nic Beechan, Trek Test Team finishing in 4:41:25.

Open Women

Connors secures the NUE Epic series with her FIFTH win

Women’s Open Podium: 1st-Larissa Connors, 2nd-Hanna Muegee, 3rd: Marjie Bemis

Taking the win in the 100k was Larissa Connors, Sho-Air Cycling Group, coming in at 5:27:29. With this win she takes the overall NUE Epic series with 5 straight wins.

Taking second place was Hanna Muegee crossing the line in 6:26:35.

“I know little to nothing about racing mountain bikes, but after a busy pro road season racing for DNA Pro Cycling Team, I signed up for the Grizzly 100 to throw myself into my next challenge–learning how to mountain bike. Thanks to the encouragement from my boyfriend Chris Cain and my entire family, the steady support from my colleagues at the Monterey Bay Air Resources District, the steady race prep check-ins from team director/team co-owner Lee Whaley, the trust from my friend Steve Jones for letting me borrow his badass bike, and for soaking up some last minute racing tips from cycling legend Micah at Peninsula Bike Works; I hit the road running at the fun yet grueling 100k race at Big Bear, CA. I loved every moment of the race, and quickly realized how much I was out of my elements. But this is how you learn. Racing very conservatively on every technical section of the course, and trying to make up time on every uphill section, I made it across the finishline in 2nd place! There is still a lot to learn for me especially when it comes to proper nutrition for these ultra-endurance races, as well as learning how to handle a mountain bike. My Thule hydration pack filled with Asend Nutrition electrolyte mix were a lifesaver, though I did run out of fluids and food in the critical last 6 miles and bonked terribly hard. Congrats to Larissa Connors on the win and for showing us all how it’s done! Coming into the race without any expectations, a podium finish was definitely a great reward to a wonderful solo roadtrip to Big Bear. I’d like to give a huge shout-out to all the racers and volunteers for showing me what mountain bike racing is all about and a big thank you to Derek Hermon and the Big Bear community for making this one of the most memorable races I have ever done. I will be back!”

Taking the third spot on the podium was, Marjie Bemis, Socal Devo/CCMTB in 6:31:45.

Master’s 50+

Niedringhaus gets the top step

Master’s Podium: 1st- Paul Niedringhaus, 2nd-Jiri Kozesnik, 3rd-Tom Stritzingert

In the Master’s division it was, Paul Niedringhaus of Hammer Nutrition taking the win with a time of 6:04:47. Just about four minutes back was Jiri Kozesnik taking second place with a time of 6:08:17. Tom Stritzinger took third place crossing the line at 6:14:30 and ends up 4th in the 2018 overall standings

Singlespeed

Wadsworth gets 4th NUE Win claiming NUE series

Singlespeed Podium: 1st-Gordon Wadsworth, 2nd-Marc Engelhardt, 3rd-Chad Davies

Crushing the competition and taking his 4th NUE win for 2018 was Gordon Wadsworth, Blue Ridge Cyclery/Pivot Cycles with a time of 5:00:25. With this win Wadsworth takes the 2018 NUE Epic Singlespeed series with a perfect score of 4.

About forty-eight minutes back was, Marc Engelhardt, Tasco-MTB, taking the second step at 5:48:17. Rounding out the podium claiming third place was Chad Davies at 6:16:22.

Full results CLICK HERE

What’s NEXT?!

Click here for the 2019 NUE schedule

Follow the Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles team adventures as we travel and report on cycling around the globe.

Instagram: @pearlizumi_pivotmtb_team, @JenToops, @HanksJen, @shannonboffeli @graciedaze,

NUE Big Bear Grizzly 75K

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Shannon Boffeli

NUE Big Bear Grizzly 75k

Written by @JenToops

Starting around 7000 feet above sea level in Big Bear Lake, CA, racers were challenge to a high altitude course with technical singletrack, loose descents, and the all famous 5 mile Radford climb.

Open Men

Juarez crushes the Men’s Open

Men’s Open Podium: 1st-Tinker Juarez, 2nd Ty Kady, 3rd Romolo Forconi

It was Tinker Juarez of Cannondale/LA mirada who took the win in the Men’s Open with a time of 3:34:13. Just about fifteen minutes back was Ty Kady finishing in second with a time of 3:49:09. Rounding out the Men’s Open podium was, Romolo Forcino, finishing third at 3:52:48.

“The 75 k starts out with a climb that takes approximately 20 minutes and then enters the long technical downhill of the 7 Oak Trail. I entered the 7 Oak Trail in second place about a minute or two down on Tinker Juarez. After the long descent there is a long gradual dirt road climb to the top of the Santa Ana River trail. Ty Kady passed me just before entering the SART and I rode alone until I reached the infamous Radford Road climb. During the hour long Radford Road climb, I came close to reaching Ty in second place, but I was not able to completely close the gap. At the top of Radford, I rode alone on the Skyline single track to the finish of the race.

I was very happy with my day on the bike and am always honored to stand on the podium with Tinker and Ty. The Big Bear Grizzly is an excellent race. Not only does it cover miles of the best single track in California, it’s also a race where you don’t have to worry about your nutritional supplies. You could leave the starting line with one water bottle and there are enough stops along the way to fill up your bottle and get calories so that you don’t have to worry about carrying pounds of water and food with you. The race is a culmination of the dream of Derek Hermon of BearValley Bikes. Bear Valley Bikes also happens to support me and many other riders in Southern California. Through Bear Valley Bikes, our race team also gets support from Cannondale, Oakley and Wren Carbon Components among others.Being a husband and father of 2, I don’t get to travel too far for races, so I am very happy to have this event in our hometown. If you have never done the Grizzly, I highly recommend it. Big Bear Lake is a beautiful part of Southern California where the town’s people really have a lot of passion for all of the different things they do. There is a lot of mountain bike history in Big Bear Lake, and the town really supports the sport.”

Open Women

Toops takes the win and Series title

Women’s Open Podium: 1st-Jen Toops, 2nd-Jen Hanks, 3rd- Bryna Blanchard

It all came down to the Grizzly 75K to determine the NUE women’s marathon series winner for 2018. Taking the win with a time of 4:46:15, Jen Toops of Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles MTB, 2017 NUE marathon series champion, successfully defends the 2018 NUE women’s marathon title.

” This was a big race for me. My husband and I came early and pre-road the singletrack sections. I chose to ride my Pivot Les with all the climbing. If I wanted to defend the series I had to have a strong smart race. The race started fast. Blanchard, Jen Hanks and I were all neck and neck on the first climb fighting for position. My teammate, Jen Hanks, and I made some time on Blanchard on the first super loose downhill and eventually lost sight of her. Hanks pulled away on the first flat dirt road section and I lost sight of her.

I was feeling good on the singletrack and then I hit my handlebar on a tree bombing a downhill. Boom, I was thrown on my back landing on my pack and sliding into a rock that luckily prevented me from sliding down the mountain. Another racer helped me up, made sure I was ok and sent me on my way. My levers were all out of place and I a little shaken up but I had to focus.

Then came the Radford climb. I knew Blanchard was strong on long climbs. I gave it everything I had. By the top of the climb I could see Hanks but surprisingly never saw Blanchard behind me. I had pre-rode the last singletrack section, the skyline trail, and knew what was left in the race. Catching Hanks in the singletrack we exchanged words of encouragement and we pushed to the finish claiming first and second!

The Grizzly course was really fun and fast. Derek put on a great event and hope to make it back next year! Thanks to my sponsors who helped make this race happen: Pearl Izumi, Pivot Cycles, SCC chain lube, Carborocket, Ergon, Xpedo, Continental, Stans, Kask, Rotor and Honeystinger.”

Just over two minutes back was, Jen Hanks of Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles MTB finishing strong at 4:49:00.

Taking the third spot on the podium was, Bryna Blanchard of BMB Racing finishing at 4:52:33. Blanchard finishes second in the 2018 NUE women’s Marathon series with a win at Wilderness, second at Iron Mountain, second at Mohican and a third at Big Bear.

Master’s 50+

Golet gets top step

Master’s Podium

Taking the top step in the Master’s division was, Greg Golet of Team Chico, with a time of 3:54:10. With this placing, Golet takes second in the overall 2018 NUE Marathon series.

“I was fortunate to arrive Friday and had a chance for a preride on the Santa Ana river trail. It was fun, but I took it slow and easy. In contrast, I got to rip it on race day! That section was my favorite, but really the whole course was a blast. The Radford climb seemed smoother than I remembered, maybe because it didn’t rain as much this past winter? Really, the only drawback was that the race ended too soon! When the turn came to head back to town, I really wanted to continue on the 100K course that I did the past couple of years. Riding the ridge line swooping between granite outcrops was hard to say not to, but alas, I needed a fourth finish in the marathon series. As usual the Big Bear team did a great job with the race, and I am thankful to the support of Honey Stinger, CarboRocket, and Wolf Tooth components. For me, one of the best parts of the trip was stopping on the way home to climb a peak in the magnificent High Sierra. Thanks NUE for giving me a reason to keep heading down to SoCal!”

Finishing a couple minutes back with a time of 3:56:21 was Mike Dailey. Dailey finishes the season strong and takes sixth in the 2018 Master’s Marathon series.

Claiming third was, Jeff Peterson, crossing the line at 5:40:16.

Singlespeed

Boffeli claims singlespeed 75k WIN

Taking the win in the singlespeed division was, Shannon Boffeli, Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles MTB, with a time of 4:15:05.

Full results CLICK HERE

What’s NEXT?!

Click here for the 2019 NUE schedule

Follow the Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles team adventures as we travel and report on cycling around the globe.

Instagram: @pearlizumi_pivotmtb_team, @JenToops, @HanksJen, @shannonboffeli @graciedaze,

2019 National Ultra Endurance Series Released

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Shannon Boffeli

Breckenridge Returns for 2019 with Big Bear, California

“Celebrating more than TEN YEARS as the nation’s premier XXC Race Series”

The 13th Annual National Ultra Endurance (NUE) Series www.nuemtb.com announced the 2019 race schedules this week featuring a balanced schedule, east and west.

The NUE Epic Race Series Schedule is comprised of races at or near 100 miles in length. Big Bear Grizzly in California will again host the NUE Series Championship race where all ties are broken. The Breckenridge 100 returns for 2019 bringing the total number of Epic Series races to twelve in this best four of twelve series.

The NUE Marathon Race Series schedule is comprised of races at or near 50 miles to 100k in length. In 2019, The Breckenridge 100k returns bringing the total number of races to 11 in this best four of eleven series.

Photo by Ryan Stephens

“On behalf of The NUE Race Series, I would like to thank all of our sponsors, many who have been with us for up to a decade now, for believing in our vision and supporting NUE. We are proud to promote our NUE sponsors including Kenda Tire, Hammer Nutrition, Sigma Sport of Germany, Darn Tough Socks of Vermont, KMC Chain, Lauf Forks, Voler apparel, Squirt Lube, and Chris Eatough Coaching, for providing training plans for NUE Racers, many tailored to specific NUE race courses based on his success with NUE.” Ryan O’Dell, NUE Race Series Director.

Born in 2006 to fill a need for XXC racers, the NUE Series began with just six races before growing over the last eleven years to now include a total of twenty three races held within twelve different states.

The NUE Marathon Race Series will be made up of eleven well known races including the newest Iron Mountain 100k in Damascus, Virginia. Distances will vary ranging from 50 miles to 100k. Like the NUE Epic 100 Mile Race Series, the NUE MARATHON Race Series will be governed by the same rules and will require the same number of races (BEST 4) to become eligible for series awards and recognition. It is important to note that the NUE Epic and NUE Marathon are two separate race series. Points will not transfer between the Epic 100 Mile and Marathon Race Series. Marathon Series finishers will receive a national ranking and qualify for series awards, Custom Voler NUE Champion Jersey or discounted NUE finisher jersey plus prize packages for ALL NUE Race Series Finishers.

To claim the NUE Race Series Epic 100 Mile title, racers best four finishes will count. NUE requires a minimum of four races to receive a national ranking. ALL racers who complete four of the NUE 100 Mile distance races will receive a national ranking and qualify for series awards, Custom Voler NUE Champion Jersey or discounted NUE Finisher Jersey plus prize packages for ALL NUE Race Series finishers.

Additional Travel awards for NUE Division leaders include an NUE Epic Series Champion travel package to compete in The LaRuta de los Conquistadores, a three day stage race across Costa Rica recognized as one of the toughest races on the planet. Details will be announced publicly soon.

All Epic and Marathon series ties will be broken at the Big Bear Grizzly in California. An attractive feature of the NUE Series is that there is NO LICENSE REQUIRED in order to participate. Everyone is welcome to compete on a level playing field alongside top Pro’s. ALL finishing racers receive a score based on their race finishes with a “lowest points wins” formula. The best possible score is 4.

Nearly ALL NUE Race Series events sold out again in 2018, some within mere minutes. The Marji Gesick 100, the first race to open registration has already sold out. True Grit, High Cascades and Mohican have recently opened registration and are also expected to sell out.

NUE is currently soliciting the support of additional partners interested in promoting products and services that racers can use. Potential sponsors can receive more information by contacting Ryan O’Dell at nolimit@mohican.net

What’s on tap for each event for 2019?

Both, the NUE Epic Series and Marathon Series will roll out on March 9 in the southwest at the True Grit Epic and True Grit Epic 50 in sunny Santa Clara, Utah. According to Race Director Cimarron Chacon, “The True Grit Epic is long, tough, and technical. The first twenty miles are along rocky and steep terrain that requires excellent bike handling skills and upper body strength. This course is a roller coaster of desert riding with over 70% of the 89 miles on single track and slightly over 13,000 feet of elevation gain. We are adding a 15 mile challenge ride this year to include those who may not have trained enough to take on a series course but would like to experience a little bit of True Grit. True Grit Registration is already open and nearing capacity.”

On April 27, NUE returns to Ducktown, Tennessee for the Cohutta 100 and Cohutta Big Frog 65 under the new direction of Lisa Randall at Mountain Goat Adventures, who also produces the Fool’s Gold 100. The course has reverted back to the original Cohutta 100 course from a decade ago, using the singletrack section of Brush Creek and the Tanasi trail systems, and an intense gravel loop known as “The Death March”. Staging for the race takes place along the banks of the beautiful Ocoee River — site for the 1996 Olympic White Water Events. The 100 miles of race course traverses the mountain terrain by world class single track and fire roads. The single track is fast and flowing, but can get tight and technical in spots. The fire roads are demanding but rewarding with long ascents, fast descents, and spectacular mountain views.

Out of the gate, the race makes about a three mile climb on pavement up highway 64. This warm-up serves as a good field displacer and pole position before entering into the fast and flowy single track for the next twenty miles. Next is a challenging loop on beautiful mountain fire-roads. Road texture alternates between hard-pack gravel and smooth moist dirt. Expect tenacious climbs (over 12,000’ of elevation gain overall), hundreds of curves, and peaceful mountain streams. Upon return, racers will re-enter the single track for about nine final miles of the best trails in these mountains.

The weather in Southeastern Tennessee in late April ranges in expression. Expect a chilly morning for sure on race day, but a quick warming up in the early miles. Six Aid Stations provide supplemental support throughout the course and a delicious meal and coveted “Finisher” mug await finishers at the Finish Line.

Next up is the 18^th Annual Mohican 100 and Mohican 100k on June 1 that hosted nearly 600 racers in 2018. Like the Leadville 100, Mohican features a downtown start in Loudonville with plans to continue the neutral start that started in 2018. From there, the course covers several miles of double track before treating racers to a recently recognized IMBA Epic trail of pristine, flowing single track within the 5000 acre Mohican State Forest along a single loop spanning three of the counties that make up what is known as “Mohican Country”. Due to tremendous growth, The Mohican 100 mile and 100k imposed a limit of 600 racers. This race may sell out quickly so it is recommended to register soon. 100 Mile Race finishers receive a custom Mohican finisher growler to be filled and refilled with a truckload of microbrew provided by award winning Great Lakes Brewing of Cleveland.

From the Buckeye State, racers will head north into the Great Lakes State of Michigan for the Lumberjack 100, on June 15. Located deep within the Manistee forest in Wellston, Michigan, The Lumberjack will cap off the spring portion of the series. If you like fast flowing, mostly non-technical single track, and Founders Brewing, this is your race. Perhaps that is why this event always sells out early, sometimes within minutes.

One June 24, Iron Mountain 100k, located in Damascus, Virginia returns to the NUE Marathon Race Schedule. Damascus is called “Trail Town” because the Appalachian Trail and the Creeper Trail pass right through the historic downtown. Bicycle advocates are also creating a Great Eastern Trail Bicycle Route that passes through Damascus too. This route is under development and utilizes the Iron Mountain Trail and the Highlands Horse Trail in the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area. The GET Bicycle Route links to the New River Trail and onto Blacksburg where it gets back on singletrack and joins the existing GET at the southern end of the Shenandoah Mountain Trail.

As summer arrives, The NUE Race Series returns to the Black Hills of Sturgis, South Dakota on July 6 for the Tatanka Epic and Tatanka Marathon. The Tatanka introduced a brand-new course and format in 2018. Starting and finishing on the legendary Sturgis Main Street, in the middle of downtown in the “City of Riders”, racers will duke it out as they race through town between unique loops in a clover-leaf format. The new course covers dozens of miles of newly constructed trail and keeps the best trail from past events. The Tatanka Marathon will share its main loop with the Epic and represents many hardcore locals favorite “BIG ride”.

One week later, on July 13, NUE Marathon Series heads northeast to Maine. The Carrabassett 100k located in the Carrabassett Valley adds some northeast flavor to the NUE Series. Carrabassett, located near Sugarloaf Ski Area, has spent approximately $500,000 building mountain bike trails in the Carrabassett Region. The goal is to construct an iconic mountain bike trail network that is on everybody’s “must-ride” list. To date there is approximately 100 miles of riding for all abilities. This includes miles of super flowy, machine-built singletrack and old-school style trails that have been carved out with hand tools and sweat. The Carrabassett Backcountry Cycle Challenge (CBCC) is your chance to experience some of this outstanding riding in a true point-to-point style race through the western mountains of Maine! Profits from the race go towards construction and maintenance of new trails.

Also on July 13, The Breckenridge 100 mile and 100k races return to the NUE Series Schedule. The Breckenridge 100 mile and 100k in Colorado can take your breath away, literally, as it begins at an altitude of 9000 feet before crossing the continental divide three times, eliciting jaw dropping views throughout in a three loop Clover shaped race originating from Carter Park in downtown Breckenridge.

2018 NUE series marathon champion Jen Toops (Pearl Izumi/Pivot)

On July 20, think Big Foot and Volcano’s as Mudslinger Events hosts The High Cascades 100 in Bend returning for its tenth year to represent the state of Oregon. The Trails around Mt. Bachelor are truly epic and racers are treated to quality craft brews from Deschutes Brewing. With just 350 spots available, racers are encouraged to register as soon as possible.

Also on July 20, The Wilderness 101 and the Wilderness 101k, directed by Chris Scott, is located in the Rothrock and Bald Eagle State Forests just outside of State College, Pennsylvania, home of the Penn State Nittany Lions. If you enjoy technical backcountry single track and hair raising downhill thrills, nothing rocks quite like PA! W101 was one of just six races included in the inaugural NUE Race Series.

The final four races will occur within a two month period and, as usual, has a tendency to create some chaos in the series standings before the final tie breaking event.

First up is the 11^th Annual Pierre’s Hole 100 and Pierre’s Hole 100k located near Alta, Wyoming on August 3. Pierre’s Hole, a mountain valley tucked up to the Wyoming border on the western side of the Tetons, was once known as the strategic center for fur trade in the Northern Rockies. Today it is known as the strategic gathering place to ski unfathomable deep powder and ride some of the best known single track in the nation.

According to race director Andy Williams, “The Pierre’s Hole 100 and Pierre’s Hole 100k at Grand Targhee Resort newest course layout adds even more new single track without the nasty climb down to the ranch from the early years of the race that many old timers may recall. The 2019 course will take racers through fields of wild flowers, aspen trees and old growth forest right in the shadows of the Tetons.” The “Grand Loop” which is all a part of the Pierre’s race course was recently named as an IMBA Epic trail!”

The next day, on September 1 over Labor Day Weekend in the USA, the 22nd Annual Shenandoah Mountain 100 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, will send up to 650 racers into the George Washington National Forest. Shenandoah is the grand-daddy of them all, and the largest strictly 100 mile race in the NUE Race Series! Shenandoah not only has a great reputation for amazing trails but is also well known for the outstanding support of volunteers and aid stations that many racers would agree sets the bar for excellence.

One September 21, NUE shifts north to the upper peninsula of Michigan to Ishpeming for the Marji Gesick 100 and 50 mile races. 100 miles and 13,000 vertical feet armored with rocks, roots, drops, jump lines, flow trails, grueling climbs, dangerous technical descents and a final fifteen miles designed to push riders to their mental and physical limits. This year’s Marji Gesick with a limit of 666 already sold out, in a single day!

Pierre’s Hole Alta, WY

Over its twelve year history, the NUE Race Series has alternated the Championship race from east to west several times in an effort to keep the playing field level for racers. In 2019, the final NUE race will break most ties and determine the new NUE Champions on the west coast of California at the Big Bear Grizzly 100 and Grizzly 75k in Big Bear Lake. Big Bear has attracted racers from nine countries and eighteen states!

Directed by Derek Hermon, racers familiar with the 100k Grand Fondo course will be treated to an extended portion of trail along a ridgeline with amazing views and an altitude beginning at 7000′ and reaching 8500′ with enough single track racers will beg for a fire road.

The NUE series schedule subject to change as race organizers are still in the usual process of procuring forest service permits and other logistical race planning details. Stay tuned here for upcoming information about NUE Series Sponsors, Prize Money, Potential travel awards, and other race details. www.nuemtb.com.

2019 NUE Epic 100 Mile Race Series

Race	Date	Location	Limit	Reg. Open
True Grit Epic	March 9	Santa Clara, UT	700	November 11
Cohutta 100	April 27	Ducktown, TN	275	December 1
Mohican 100	June 1	Loudonville, OH	700	November 15
Lumberjack 100	June 15	Wellston, MI	430	January 5
Tatanka 100	July 6	Sturgis, SD	300	January 1
Breckenridge 100	July 13	Breckenridge, CO	500	January 15
High Cascades 100	July 20	Bend, OR	350	November 24
Wilderness 101	July 20	State College, PA	400	December 1
Pierre’s Hole 100	August 3	Alta, WY	550	February 1
Shenandoah 100	September 1	Harrisonburg, VA	650	December 1
Marji Gesick	September 21	Ishpeming, MI	666	October 13
Big Bear Grizzly 100	September 28	Big Bear Lake, CA	500	January 1

2019 NUE Marathon Race Series

Race	Date	Location	Limit	Reg. Open
True Grit 50	March 9	Santa Clara, UT	700	November 11
Cohutta Big Frog 65	April 27	Ducktown, TN	275	December 1
Mohican 100k	June 1	Loudonville, OH	700	November 15
Iron Mountain 100k	June 23	Damascus, VA	250	December 1
Tatanka 50	July 6	Sturgis, SD	300	January 1
Carrabassett 100k	July 13	Carrabassett, ME	600	February 1
Breckenridge 100k	July 13	Breckenridge, CO	500	January 15
Wilderness 101k	July 20	State College, PA	400	December 1
Pierre’s Hole 100k	August 3	Alta, WY	550	February 1
Marji Gesick 50	September 21	Ishpeming, MI	666	October 13
Big Bear Grizzly 75k	September 28	Big Bear Lake, CA	500	January 1

NUE Marji Gesick 50

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Shannon Boffeli

NUE Series

Written by: @JenToops

September 22, 2018

The Marji Gesick is a point-to-point endurance race located on the upper peninsula of Michigan. It starts in Marquette and ends in downtown Ishpeming. The one-hundred mile and fifty mile mountain bike races are part of the National Ultra Endurance Series. There is also a one-hundred mile and fifty mile run option. It’s quickly gaining popularity as one of the toughest endurance races in the United States. In 2018 it sold out in less than twenty-four hours with eight-hundred mountain bikers and seventy runners registered. This GPS required race is self supported, and racers are required to collect poker chips at random checkpoints along the course.

The Marquette Ski Hill climb at the start of the 50 mile.

The course was designed to push riders to their absolute limits. The one-hundred milers having around twelve-thousand vertical feet of climbing, and the fifty milers around seven-thousand. In both courses, racers have to navigate through sand, roots, rocks, off camber climbs, drops, jump lines and technical descents, all while saving enough energy to get through the grueling last fifteen miles.

Racers in the one-hundred mile course finishing under twelve hours for mountain biking, and under thirty hours for runners, will earn the coveted belt buckle handmade by blacksmith Gordon Gearhart. For 2018: three-hundred-thirty-one mountain bikers started the one-hundred mile course, two-hundred-eighteen finished and only nineteen claimed a buckle. For the one-hundred mile runners: twenty-seven started, twelve finished, and only nine buckles were handed out.

Men’s Open

Tries takes the win and leads NUE series

Chris Tries takes the win in the Marji Gesick Marathon race, finishing with a time of 5:38:05. With this win Tries is now leading the NUE Marathon Series. “I came into the Marji 50 not really knowing what to expect. I had seen the videos and heard the horror story’s of endless relenting single track. My only race plan was making the lead group and see how things shook out from their since I hadn’t ridden any of the course. I went hard at the first climb and got a gap and never saw anyone the rest of the day. I felt that I was riding well and had good legs all day but still heard footsteps the whole time. Lucky I had no mechanicals and was able to take the win. The Marji was my favorite race of the year and hope to make it back again. Thank you to my sponsor Bike Shop for your support.Matt Myers takes second place finishing at 6:33:25. “Still in disbelief that I actually stood on the podium at Marji. Hands down toughest 50 miles I’ve ever endured. I was with Eli Orth most of the race, he won the SS division and finished second overall. Anyways my best story from the race was when Eli and I came up on two riders and we got stuck behind them for a while. Finally on a decent climb Eli went for the pass, moved slightly off the trail, told the guy he was gonna pass, he didnt move over, Eli ended up hitting a dead pine tree that fell over and nearly took the guy out, Eli made the pass and just crushed. I call him Paul Bunyon, that guy is strong! Eli and I came into the final aid station together, but I never saw him again. Those last 15 miles are as much of a mental grind as a physical one. But crossing the finish line never felt so good. Amazing race, Todd and Danny are sick cats.”

Claiming third, Scott Wolfson finished in 6:50:01. “Never had I gone over my handlebars three times during a race until I met Marji. The climbing was extensive and the start straight up a ski hill a little comical, but it was a beautiful day, the trails were dialed, and for the first 30 miles I was thoroughly enjoying myself.

Then I got tied up between a couple trees and went OHB relatively slowly and uneventfully. A mile or so later I went flying over the handlebars on a fast descent after hitting a piece of fencing that was in the middle of the trail. I hit the ground very hard, but, other than a headache, I and the bike were okay. The fall a mile later sucked all the fun out of the day – it was a fast and technical descent but this time I flew onto a rock field and one squarely hit my right knee, gashing it and swelling it to the size of a softball. And my derailleur was bent two ways – I started riding again, but my chain came off four times until I figured out I could not use my two easiest gears. By that time, I got passed by at least five racers while I was repeatedly prying my chain out of my spokes. I pulled in to the 39 mile checkpoint a wreck, hoping and fully expecting my nurse wife Katie to suggest that I DNF — I planned to reluctantly agree. Instead she gave me some food and said, “Get going, you’re still in the top ten!”

A short time later on the luge hill climb I started cramping, especially when I had to get off my bike to walk it on some of the insane rock climbs. I fought like heck to make every hill from then on. With a couple miles left, spectators kept yelling that a group of racers was only 30 seconds to a minute ahead of me. But I didn’t care. I just wanted to finish. I eventually caught them and passed them up the last few climbs to finish a grateful and unexpected third.

The next NUE race I plan on is the Lumberjack 100. Thank you to KLM Bike & Fitness, Cold Stone Creamery, and my Bike Babe Katie Wolfson!”

Women’s Open

Toops gets back-to-back wins at Marji Gesick

Women’s Podium: 1st-Jen Toops, 2nd: Lisa Randall, 3rd-Ronnie Wick

Defending NUE Marathon Champion, Jen Toops (Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles), wins Marji Gesick 50 with a time of 7:17:17. She now leads NUE Marathon Series going into the final race at Big Bear, CA next weekend.

“This was my second time racing the Marji Gesick 50 mile and I felt prepared. I just finished a training block and had previous knowledge of the course. I was ready to race and chose to race my Pivot Mach 4 with Continental Cross Kings.

The race starts out on the Marquette ski hill and positions are sorted out early. It was much colder than last year and the conditions were perfect. On the first downhill I dropped my 100% speedcraft glasses, but I wasn’t about to stop and get them. I kept going and tried to stay on pace winding through the singletrack and at one point washing out on some loose sand.

Jen Toops crossing the finish line. Photo by Ryan Stephens

About an hour or two into the race a group of guys caught me and were going at a fast pace. I tried my best to hang on for the ride up the bike path, knowing that any energy saved here would greatly benefit later in the race. Eventually most of the guys took off and fellow Ohioan, Chuck Boyle and I decided to work together for a while.

Chuck and I rode over half the race together and helped each other navigate and keep each other sane. The second half of the Marji 50 is by far the hardest. Any matches burned at the beginning of the race will catch up here. I continued a moderate pace playing it safe on the downhills and pushing the pace on the uphills. The end of the race has a lot of climbing and I saved enough energy to move up a quite a few placings and ride into the finish taking the win in women’s open.

The Marji Gesick is a race not like any other. The trails are fun, technical and challenging and that’s why I keep coming back. It’s an adventure and I can’t wait to see what shenanigans Todd and Danny have waiting for next year.”

Photo by Ryan Stephens

Taking second, Lisa Randall crosses the line with a time of 7:54:02. “I did the 100 in 2016 when I was actually in pretty good shape but I’ve had a hard time the past 2 years with my health/personal life so haven’t been able to really train/race again, nor really get back to even what “normal” fitness was. I love this race though, and wanted to just come up and ride the trails because I really enjoy this type of riding. I didn’t want to push too hard for fear of melting down, however just keeping moving this year was tough for me. I’m hoping I can get my health in order so that I can come back and do the 100 again.”

Just a few minutes back from Randall, Ronnie Wick places third in 7:59:59. “I’ve only been riding bike for 3 years but long enough to have heard about the Marji Gesick. After checking out the website and watching a few videos, I wanted to ride it. And I say ride it because other than what I’d seen on social media, I had no idea what to expect. My goal was to finish it – intact.

Ronnie Wick takes third place

I thought the 50mi was a great course. I rode conservatively all day, unsure of what lay ahead. I had heard a lot of different stories. I dig most terrains to ride and was happy the Marji had a bit of everything.

I’ll be back next year for sure! Being familiar with the course, I’ll be in race mode and leave it all out there! I’m sure, it being the 5th year anniversary, there’ll be some fun challenges!

I don’t have any sponsors. I’m married with three kids. I work shift work in an Emergency room as an RN. I ride my bike whenever I’m able; it makes me smile.”

Master’s 50+

Lundsten takes the win in Master’s

Lundsten wins the Master’s race.

Roger Lundsten gets the top step in the Master’s category and finished with a time of 7:39:08. Almost an hour back was Paul Tepp taking second in 8:22:39. Rounding out the Master’s podium was Robert Zimmermann with a time of 8:47:43.

Singlespeed

Orth takes the WIN and gets second overall!

Singlespeed Podium: 1st-Eli Orth, 2nd-Joshua Blum, 3rd-Yianni Pimenidis

Eli Orth gets back-to-back wins at the Marji 50 mile and takes second place overall with a time of 6:17:43.

“With Marji Gesick being my last NUE race of the season and one of my favorites i was really looking forward to race day. With cool temps i knew there was a good chance of improving on my time from last year. Up the first fire road climb i was surprised to find myself all alone up front with only Chris Tries catching up and passing me before the single track. During the race a wrong turn was made a few times but i quickly realized it and was able to catch those that had got in front of me.

During one of those passes a very memorable moment was when i was going for a pass on the right and my handlebars clipped a tree. I stayed up and kept going but the tree came crashing down next to us..narrowly missing me and at least one other rider!

The majority of the race i spent it just enjoying the trails and the perfect weather and staying consistent.

At the finish i was actually surprised i was 2nd overall on my single speed.. just like we started the race. My goal going in was sub 6:30 with last years time being a 6:50. I easily got it with a 6:17.

This is my last NUE race this year and this off season I’ll decide if I’m going to race the 100 milers or 100k’s next year. More than likely I’ll definitely be doing 100 mile at Marji Gesick next year no matter what.My bike in the race was a Pivot Les with 32×19 gearing using an Absolute Black oval. It was a little changeup from my normal gearing but it worked out good.

About twenty minutes back, Joshua Blum took second place with a time of 6:37:38. “Ah the Marji Gesick, perhaps the most feared race in the galaxy, or at least the Upper Midwest. How the race took shape for the Half Marji. Metallica was playing at the start, the National Anthem was belted out via Electric Guitar, and we were off up a steep hill (which is fitting). Eli Orth sprinted his SS to the top of Marquette Mtn. We all then descended and settled in. Knowing the course from 2017, I was reluctant to do anything but ride my own pace in fear of the final 15 miles… (Note, staying redlined in the first 40 miles isn’t wise). Unlike 2017, the weather was perfect. Once stopping at the unofficial aid station (Jackson Park, around mile 40) I was greeted by an awesome group of volunteers, known as the “Suffer Crew” they helped refill water, and then I was off for the final 15. At this point I felt great, and knew I was in position to race the final 15 instead of survive the final 15. Upon leaving the Unofficial Aid Station, I was told that I was in 7th place overall for the Half Marji. Awesome! Time to pedal and push the bike. I was able to pass 3 more people in the final 15, and cross the finish line. Crossing the finish line at the Marji might be the best feeling one can have period. My goals for this race were a top 10 finish, and no mechanicals. Both were accomplished, the bonus was a 4th overall, and 2nd in SS. The gearing that was chosen for this race was a Wolftooth Oval 32 tooth ring, and Wolftooth Stainless 20 tooth cog.Thank You’s go out to my wife Rachel for taking care of our kids while I’m gone, Smith’s Bike Shop in La Crosse WI, NOX Composites for building very durable carbon hoops, and having an awesome crew from La Crosse to travel to this race with.

My next planned NUE race is likely the Marji Gesick in 2019. Time just doesn’t allow for more NUE races, as most of my free time away from my job is spent as a volunteer, building & maintaining local trails, and hanging out with my wife & 2 young daughters. At some point I would like to venture east to do another NUE race, as this style of racing is becoming more appealing than the standard XCO type of racing.”

Taking third was Yianni Pimenidis with a time of 7:24:03.

For full results: Click Here

Want to register for 2019 Marji Gesick? Registration opened Oct 13th and sold out in under a few hours. Don’t worry plenty of people back out so Click here to get on the wait list. Danny and Todd are looking to get more women racing. Any women on the wait list get moved into the race automatically! So get registered for 2019!

What’s NEXT?!

On September 29, the NUE Series heads to California for the NUE Championship race at the Grizzly 100k and 75k in Big Bear, California.

Follow the Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles team adventures as we travel and report on cycling around the globe.

Instagram: @pearlizumi_pivotmtb_team, @JenToops, @HanksJen, @shannonboffeli @graciedaze,

NUE Marji Gesick 100

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Shannon Boffeli

NUE Series

Written by: @JenToops

September 22, 2018

100 mile bikers starting the 1/2 mile run to their bikes. Photo Ryan Stephens

Racers trying to stay warm at the cold race start. Photo by Ryan Stephens

Men’s Open

Jeremiah Bishop goes sub ten and takes the WIN!

Men’s 100 Podium: 1st: Jeremiah Bishop, 2nd: Matt Acker, 3rd: Tinker Juarez

The first racer go sub ten hours and take the win in the 100 mile was, Jeremiah Bishop, coming in at an impressive time of 9:57:05.

“Marji ate my lunch last year, this year I came loaded for Bear. I had a much smoother race and made all the selections early on, Matt Aker drove the pace. I put in a dig after clearing the most technical climb of the day and got clear. Legs ached but they answered the call. I nailed the last hour and took back my pride.

It was a honor to take down my last NUE 100 Win on Canyon Topeak Factory Racing.

It’s been a killer season.”

Photo by Ryan Stephens

Following second place finishes in 2016 and 2017, Matt Acker of Salsa Cycles, took second place coming in at 10:06:54.

“I’ve done Marji Gesick since the first year and have good knowledge of the trails so I used that to my advantage to stay on the front and keep the pace quick through the first 40 miles. Our group dwindled shortly after the first aid station and after a well placed attack there were only 4 of us going into the biggest climb of the day. Around mile 50 it was down to just myself, Jeremiah and Tinker. We rode together into mile 65 aid station where i stopped to refuel and the other two got out quickly. Chased them down and the three of us continued to roll until around mile 85 where Jeremiah made a move on a technical climb that Tinker and I got gapped on. We chased into the last aid station at mile 87 where he held about a minute gap. I was the last one out again, and all three of us rolled the last 15 miles solo until i caught Tinker with a mile or so to go at the last climb. Great race with some fast guys, always a pleasure racing against some legends!”

Finishing less than a minute back was, Tinker Juarez, claming third in a time of 10:07:10.

: Photo by Ryan Stephens

: Photo by Ryan Stephens

: Photo by Ryan Stephens

Women’s Open

Williams gets her first win at Marji Gesick!

Defending NUE Series Champion, Carla Williams, takes the top step with a record time of 12:25:51.

“It was around mile 50 when I knew that my best effort was not going to be good enough. I asked the guy riding next to me through the sand what our chances were to break 12 hours and he shook his head. “Maybe if you gun it through the next 50 miles, you might have a chance.” I knew that it was going to be near impossible to “gun it” through the tight, twisty technical singletrack that lay ahead, and I also knew that the 2nd half of the race was going to be harder and only slower than the 1st half.

I had prepared as best I possibly could for this race. I had read about every blog post out there. I had talked to as many people as I could who had done this race before for advice. I knew that I had to go out hard at the start and hammer every easy trail because I needed to bank time for all the technical slow trail in between. My mom flew out from New Hampshire to spend the weekend with me and run support. She met me at miles 30, 50, 64 and 87 with food and water so I could minimize time stopping. I had the course loaded onto my wahoo, I had a back up charger for the wahoo, I had lights, I had food, I had tools and tubes for all the possible mechanicals that I knew how to fix. I guess it is fair to say that even the best preparation doesn’t really prepare you for this race.

Photo by Ryan Stephens

I didn’t reach my goal of 12 hours, but I am still really happy with my ride. I felt like I pushed the entire way, my legs felt strong, I never mentally broke down or entered a dark place, even when I got lost. I actually had a lot of fun working my way through the trails and was pretty happy with how I rode a lot of the technical stuff. It was awesome having my mom out there, and I kept looking forward to reaching the next spot out on course where I knew she would be. I think that if you accomplish all of your goals in a season, that means you are setting the bar too low. So I am ok with setting myself up for the challenge, giving it my best shot, but coming up 25 minutes short. It was an incredible backcountry adventure and a great end to my 2018 NUE season.

Taking second place, Chelsea Strate, finished in 15:07:30.

“Some of the recurring advice that I heard from past competitors that stuck with me was how it was very important not to get caught up in the fast start of the race, so I took it easy during the LeMans start, and even forgot where I put my bike. I just stood there for a few moments, wondering where the heck my bike was, when finally, my red grips caught my eye. I had actually forgotten I put red grips on, and thought my bike was all black. Oops! I hopped on, pushed myself a little bit, but I didn’t get caught up in where the other women were. There was still 100 miles of racing to go!

All day, I kept thinking to myself, “is killing this uphill or catching that person ahead of me worth burning a match over?” The answer most frequently was a solid “nope.” My matches are a precious commodity. I kept a solid pace, and just tried to keep moving. I hiked my bike up a lot of hills, and didn’t clear all of the technical sections that I probably could have on a shorter ride, but I was in a good headspace, and really enjoyed the constant challenges. By mile 40 I was probably in 5th or 6th place, but by the end I had secured 2nd. I was just a bike throw (2 1/2 hours) behind Carla, the 1st place finisher, with Heidi on my tail (45 min behind), so it sure was a close race! (But in all seriousness, this is why we need to work on getting more women out!) Thanks to Teravail Tires and my friends for the race support!

Rounding out the podium and taking third was, Heidi Coulter in 15:53:35.

“Last year I signed up for the Marji Gesick 50, I was in the running for placing 2nd overall in the NUE Marathon Series. All I had to do was have a good race. That slowly slipped away when I got lost, went without water for 3 hours, ate apples from a tree on a long lost farm and finally found my way back to the finish. It was the first and only DNF of my life. It didn’t sit well with me, so much so that this year I put on my big girl pants and signed up for five 100 mile races!

The day started with the National Anthem played Jimi Hendrix style by the Grim Reaper, fireworks signaled the start of the race and then we were led out by a princess riding a unicorn. Seriously how could the day get any better!? I’ll tell you, it actually was incredible until it wasn’t and then it was amazing and then it was painful, gut wrenching and then It was the best day ever all over again. The day went in waves like that and continued into the night. The last 18 miles I ended up riding and sometimes walking like a zombie with my friend James Knott. I hadn’t seen him all day and by some sort of unicorn magic he saved the day with his spare light when mine died and helped keep me on course since my Garmin and phone had both been dead for about half the race. Finishing was a huge accomplishment and getting third was a great way to finish my season. Will I be back? Yep. I’ve landed on my head a lot lately so it’s hard for me to think clearly! The Marji Gesick 100 is truly what dreams and nightmares are made of.”

Master’s 50+

McFadden takes the top step

Todd McFadden wins Master’s 50+

Winning the Master’s division was Todd McFadden with a time of 13:04:35. Taking second, Greg Gentle crossed the line at 13:27:47.

“In 2017 the heat kept me well off the buckle pace with a 14+ hour finish. My friends that know me were confident I could buckle if I could keep a strong pace, follow a solid nutrition plan and keep the demons off. Honestly this race isn’t so much about the terrain, but keeping your PMA and mindset in-check. I made some smart choices starting dropping 5 pounds off my ride by going with a Canyon Lux CF 9.0 instead of the Ibis Ripley I rode last year. I was on pace and things were humming well until I left Ishpeming. I could feel the wheels start to come off at about mile 80. Todd McFadden caught me just before we got back to Negaunee. I was happy to see him doing well this year. By the time I started the last section back to Negaunee I realized my buckle aspirations were gone so I decided to finish the race with my buddy Jason Kunisher. Once I took the pressure off I could simply enjoy the ride and have fun. Thanks to my bro Jay Henderson from Hollywood Cycles and my Team Hollywood Cycles (THC!) mates for the support throughout the year. I look forward to crushing that 12 hour limit in 2019. As for other NUE plans. I raced the Tatanka in 2016 and plan a return to the Black Hills for an early season prep for the Marji. ”

Just a minute back from second place, Tom Stritzinger finished third with a time of 13:28:22.

“Marji Gesick is one of my favorite races. This year the conditions were perfect and I was hoping to have a shot at a belt buckle. As fate would have it, around mile 48, my seat broke off on a rocky descent. At first I thought my race was over, however, I was able to fix the seat back on but there was only 1 rail to hold it. That lasted until mile 55 where the second rail broke off and I was left with no way to secure my seat to the seat post. I began walking off the course with the seat in my hand, dreading the “quitter” text I would need to send to the race promoters. A number of racers passed me, saw the seat in my hand, and expressed their encouragement and disappointment to me. A racer named Justin Michels saw me carrying my seat, stopped and asked me if I wanted his seat so I could finish the race. He said he really wasn’t feeling it. We took his seat off and fixed it to my post. It wasn’t perfect so we had to use some tape to make it fit better. Finally, I had a seat, thanked Justin profusely and set off to finish the race. The seat came loose about 10x over the last 45 miles but I was able to finish and somehow managed a 3^rd place finish. I feel like I still have unfinished business at Marji Gesick and will be back next year to take care of it. I did 8 NUE races this year and Marji Gesick is both the most fun and most difficult of them all. I want to again thank Justin Michels for lending me his seat to finish the race!”

Singlespeed

Fuhrmann takes fifth overall and WINS Singlespeed

Brian Fuhrmann takes fifth overall and wins the Singlespeed division with a time of 10:49:21.

“After several years of not competing on bicycles I decided to drag my lazy carcass off the couch to try out a race called the Marji Gesick 100. Since I was unfamiliar with the trails and the area I relied on past race results, reports, and word-of-mouth for how to plan my training and bicycle build. The pre-race consensus was that the last 35 miles were not for the faint of heart and I would need to treat that as the true halfway point. As such, I adopted the mantra “smooth & steady” for the race and routinely mouthed the words to myself to keep from going too hard early on.

Following the LeMans start, I was sitting around 10^th place overall and stayed there for the first 25 miles before latching onto the wheel of Chris Lowry from LaCrosse, WI. Chris and I were both riding smooth and we helped each other to keep an eye out for the trail markings. When we got to the trail magic station at mile 40, I realized we were already 30 minutes ahead of schedule for my goal of getting a belt buckle… decent! Chris and I trucked on together until a few miles before the 65ish mile drop bag location when I stopped for some electrolytes and let him continue on with his gears and derailleur. At mile 65 I reloaded my food reserves and got a quick bite to eat before learning about what the last 35 miles was going to deliver.Much to my surprise, these trails were very similar to my local stash of trails in Decorah. Where other people were struggling, I found that I was able to thrive. The trails were tight and less flowy such that I had to be a scavenger of momentum. Around mile 80, I once again met up with Chris along with another chap he was riding with at that time. I think they both realized I was enjoying my time on these trails and let me by. I pulled through Jackson Park for the last time at mile 85 and did a quick fill-and-go with the bottles. The last 15 miles contained many climbs that forced me off the bike, but I continued to think about staying smooth and steady, especially since I was buckle-bound unless something catastrophic was to happen. Somewhere in these trails, I passed a couple more MG100 racers before making my way to the finish line.

My bike setup was a Trek Stache Carbon 29+ singlespeed with rigid fork. Gearing was 34:20 with a 29×3.0 tire.Thanks to Route 66 Bicycles in Rolla, MO for help with bike setup, Oneota River Cycles in Decorah, IA for 11^th hour wheel building, and my wife Melissa for encouragement, race support, and keeping me from stepping in another racer’s vomit at Jackson Park.”

Joe Worboy finished second with a time of 13:07:48.

“The day started with a Unicorn and the National Anthem. We started with a Lemans start which I paced myself, I was prepared to start the day at a slower pace than my usual NUE starts. Marji is a long day and the last 30 miles of this race is tough. The day started out with the perfect temperature and I quickly settled into a nice 10 mph pace, as planned. The course is fun at this point and it is the perfect day to be on the bike. The first 40 miles of the race has plenty of challenge but rewards you will some flow sections. I split the day into small goals, this helped maintain a positive mental attitude versus thinking about the finish line. Nutrition was spot on, I use infinite which always gets me through long days in the saddle.

Everything was going great, and then boom! I hit the ground hard. It was techy descend after the ski slope climb. This is where I lost focus for a split second and I went straight over the bars in a techy downhill rock garden. It felt like I just got hit by Connor McGregor. This is for real, I am not sponsored in any way by Oakley. The Oakley Jawbreakers saved the day, without that protection I am pretty sure my day would have been over. They took the majority of the blow versus my face and cheek bones. However, I did have some cuts around my eye from the frame impact that caused bleeding and my hand took a big hit, later to find out it is only a deep bruise. I asked a passing rider if the cuts looked ok and if he thinks the bleeding will stop, he said, “Can’t see the bone so you should be good, but I am not a doctor.” This was refreshing to hear…. So I kept going, I must have looked like Rocky after fighting Apollo because there were a lot of comments. I knew to complete the day I must stay focused and push through. I was still riding but at a much slower pace trying to actively recover on the bike, this is not easy at the marji and hit the ground a few more times because I was not riding my usual speed.

Finally I made it to the Aide at mile 65 about one hour off my pace goal. One of the volunteer nurses cleaned me up, thank God for her. I am very appreciative of this because she confirmed my hand was ok and cleaned up my cuts. Mentally I was back to 100% and feeling strong again. I also saw my son, Mikey Worboy. This was awesome! We had a waffle, peanut butter, whip cream sandwich together. Totally coincidental, he just happened to be coming through the same aid for the 2^nd time to complete the 50 miler. It was so cool to see him and knowing he is doing well was refreshing.

My energy was really good now, I was back on pace and caught up to single speeder, Joe Stroz, my NUE rival this year. We chatted for a minute to compare battle stories then separated. To his defense, he had some bike issues with that caused him some time and riding on a broken saddle is not easy. He would of never let me leave his sight otherwise.

I finished the day in 2^nd overall in Men’s Open SS on my Pivot Les 34:21. I will be back in 2019 for my third attempt for the Buckle. I would like to thank friends and family that supported all the my training efforts. Especially my wife, Nicolette. So hon, doing this one again! She is so supportive, big thanks to her. Warp Speed Training coach, Steve Clement, Wheelie Fun Bike Shop, Trailer Park Racing Team, North High Brewing, Grandview Pro Fitness, Hatfied RV that provided support.”

Taking third was, Regis Ricketts, finishing at 13:17:44.

: Photo by Ryan Stephens

: Photo by Ryan Stephens

: Photo by Ryan Stephens

: Photo by Ryan Stephens

: Photo by Ryan Stephens

: Photo by Ryan Stephens

For full results: Click Here

What’s NEXT?!

On September 29, the NUE Series heads to California for the NUE Championship race at the Grizzly 100k and 75k in Big Bear, California.

Follow the Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles team adventures as we travel and report on cycling around the globe.

Instagram: @pearlizumi_pivotmtb_team, @JenToops, @HanksJen, @shannonboffeli @graciedaze,

NUE Tatanka Epic

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Shannon Boffeli

Written by: Jen Toops

Tatanka Epic stop #5 on the 2018 NUE Race Series

On July 7, 2018, NUE racers headed to Sturgis, SD for the NUE Epic and Marathon races. Previously a point-to-point race, the new 2018 course consisted of a loop format that started and finished in downtown Sturgis.

The start, finish and neutral aid station. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

The new course was made up of loops A, B, and C. Epic riders started at 7AM and completed all three loops, 90 miles and 12,000 feet of climbing. Marathon racers completed B and C loops, 40 miles and around 5,000 ft of climbing. There was also a Sprint loop that only completed the C loop. The neutral aid station on Main Street also served as the start and finish for all races. The volunteers helped make sure racers were safe and directed traffic at all intersections.

Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

Sturgis is located in western South Dakota and is home of the world’s largest motorcycle rally. This area is also quickly becoming popular with mountain bikers. Racers rode on parts of the Centennial trail, which is located in the Black Hills mountain range.

Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

Trails winded through both prairies, cow pastures, and rocky forest single-track. Race day conditions had temperatures pushing 100 degrees, exposed sunny climbs, fast flowing downhills, sand pits, steep switchbacks, and stunning mountainous views. Racers were also challenged with dodging the occasional fresh cow patty. There was a 50% DNF rate in the Epic race.

: Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: The Canyon road climb. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: Exposed climbs. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: Cooling off. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: Post race entertainment: Band-Pert Near Sandstone

: The welcome kit.

Men’s Open

David Krimstock WINS Epic men’s open

Men’s open podium: 1st David Krimstock, 2nd Josh Tostado, 3rd Dylan Johnson

After a long scorching hot day, David Krimstock takes the win in the men’s epic open with a time of 7:19:16.

“I was anxious and excited to race against Dylan and Josh at Tatanka. The two things on my mind going into the race were the high temps forecast and the foreign terrain. I usually get a solid preview of the course, but this time only managed to ride the final loop. I had confidence that my nutrition, namely First Endurance EFS Pro and my Pivot 429 SL would be advantages for me during the race.

Settling in as a group of two with Mark Kransz behind Dylan and Josh, we kept them in sight until we decided to work together to bring them back. Once we caught them, we rode as a group of 4 until Dylan and Josh missed a sharp left turn onto the Centennial trail. I yelled down to them, and when I saw Dylan register this, we waited for him to climb back up the road. He was unable to get Josh’s attention, so we decided to carry on.

: Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: Photo credit: Ryan O’dell

: Photo credit: Ryan O’dell

On the single track, I felt really good following Dylan on the trail that he had ridden in the past versions of the race. After about 20 minutes, I decided I felt good enough to pick up the pace and took over the lead. Creating a gap, I felt good about my legs on the day, and my reading of the trail. As the day went on, the heat became overbearing and I was taking a refill of my 1.5 liter Camelbak vest and concentrated bottle of EFS pro, along with drinking a bottle or two of water at each aid. Climbing the pavement road at the start of lap 2, it must have been over 100 degrees. I started to unravel a bit, but carried on to the aid station at the top of a long descent. Refueling there, I started to feel the light at the end of the tunnel and the relief that always gives me in an NUE race. I focused on riding smooth, but as fast as possible- thinking mostly about the cold, air conditioned hotel room that awaited me after finishing. The final loop was an out of body experience of sorts- taking 20 minutes less than my pre ride the day before, but with the climbs seemingly dragging on forever. Crossing the finish line in first was a great feeling, but I still had a lot of concern for all the folks grinding out in the heat. It was certainly an epic day out there!

Josh Tostado. Photo Credit: Randy Ericksen

Even after a wrong turn, Josh Tostado comes in second in the men’s epic open with a time of 7:41:56. After almost taking a DNF due to heat exhaustion, 2017 NUE epic champion, Dylan Johnson takes the third position with a time of 7:50:17.

Dylan Johnson. Photo Credit: Randy Ericksen

Women’s Open

Conners takes second NUE win

Women’s Open podium: 1st Larissa Conners, 2nd Carey Lowery, 3rd Sonia Pond

Coming off a win at the Firecracker 50 just a couple days prior, Larissa Connors gets her second NUE win of the season coming in at 8:50:30. With this win it puts her in the lead for the series.

“That was one of the hardest days I’ve ever faced on the bike, just finishing felt like a huge victory. My body was still wrecked from racing the Firecracker 50 in Breck 2 days earlier, and the heat/humidity was a nice curve ball I did not expect even a little bit.

Photo Credit: Randy Ericksen

For the first time in my ultra endurance career I let the men ride away right from the start and focused all my energy on pacing myself. Despite my best efforts to ride conservative, drink an absurd amount of GQ6 and water, and slam Clif gels every half hour I fell apart before the first lap was over and had serious doubts that I would even finish right around that strange and beautiful ravine filled with cows making birthing sounds.

On the B loop, after that damned road climb brought me to my knees, literally in that spring on the side of the road, there was a point where, convinced I had missed a turn, I stopped to play a solo game of Marco-Polo in hopes that someone would hear me and help me find the correct route. But like most of the race, my solitude rang loud and lonely in the black hills, forcing me to dig out my phone and pull up the map. Yep, all that lost elevation was correct, and just as I dreaded, I would have to climb out of this hole. Fortunately the descents on the second half of each lap were rippin’ fun, and the volunteers at the aid station on Veteran’s hill with the ice towels were like angels on both laps, taking care of my nutrition needs and helping me get my core temp back down to normal-ish.

Photo Credit: Ryan O’dell

A front flat on the final descent of the B loop had me secretly stoked that I would get to drop out (from lack of carrying a tube, like an idiot), but with a shot of C02 the Orange Seal had me rolling again and I had no excuses to NOT start the C loop. It took literally every ounce of brainpower to get me through that last 13 miles, and I stopped more than once just to stand there in the shade of a glorious fir tree contemplating the meaning of life, if I was actually still living, and how I was going to get to the end of the race. Days later I’m still shocked I finished that race at all, but also kinda proud that despite the insane amount of pain in every corner of my body, the Felt Doctrine and I somehow stuck it out and made it to the finish, in first place of all things!”

With a time of 10:12:56, Carey Lowery rides away with second place in women’s epic.

“When I lined up at the start and the temperature was already 82 degrees, I knew I was going to be in for a beat down on the bike. After the neutral roll out, I let many a racer by on the first big climb of the day. “Slow is fast” is my mantra. Over the next 5 hours, I worked my way around the A loop. The Centennial Trail had just enough tech to keep me happy and with the beautiful vistas, I had a permagrin. After fishing out a rock that had wedged itself between my frame and chainring, I began the long arduous climb up to the BullDog aid station. At this point, I was holding second place and not knowing where third was, I did not stop to picnic. With a quick refill of my CamelBak, I was off for the blistering descent back into town. As I dropped in elevation, I felt the temperature rise; by the time I hit the hotter than Hades Gasline Trail climb, it was a real scorcher. I loved the rewarding descents of Peacekeeper and Main back into town. I stopped at my little mini oasis to wrap an ice filled pantyhose around my neck and down my jersey. I had sucked my CamelBak dry once again.

Photo Credit: Randy Ericksen

The second lap, albeit shorter, was brutal. The exposed climb up Volnacker Canyon had me seeing stars. Had it not been for the melting ice in my pantyhose, I may have blown a gasket. Then onto more heinous climbing up Unnamed #1 and Unnamed #2 trails, which I quickly named Little Focker and Mother Focker. The Horse Trail was fresh 1/2 track and had it not been for the previous 60 miles, might have been a hoot to ride. Today was more like a death march: tight, off-camber, rocky, and pitchy, It took every ounce of my being to keep pushing forward. The climb up to BullDog the second time had me crying for my Mommy. I made it though, and repeated the process when I came through 3 1/2 hours ago. Heading down the steep rocky descent, I flatted. For once, I had a NASCAR-like fix and was back on the bike in 2 minutes. I went into autopilot for the remainder of this lap.

Photo Credit: Ryan O’dell

Repeating my mini oasis stop, I was hoping that the race would be called after the second loop and I would not have to go out for the third loop. That was not the case. Having been in these low moments before, I knew it would soon pass. As I headed out for my final loop, I knew that I could not chase down Larissa; she is a beast! Not knowing where third was kept me pushing the pedals as hard as I could. As I was climbing up the Centennial Trail to the ridge, my driveside pedal was all wonky. Upon closer inspection, the aluminum insert into the carbon crankarm had come loose. Worried that I might completely lose the pedal, I babied it for the remainder of the 13 mile loop. Fortunately it held up under the stress and I was able to finish on the bike as opposed to running it in or go 1-legged.

With no expectations to finish on the podium, I was stoked with second! That was brutally fun! Sponsors: Rescue Racing, Scott’s Bike Shop, Chamois Butt’r, Christopher Bean Coffee, Industry 9.

After winning the Tatanka Epic in 2017, Sonia Pond comes in third place with a time of 11:12:27.

“This was my 3rd Tatanka Epic, though with the course change and heat I knew 2018 would be about finishing, ranking as my longest bike race of any discipline in addition to the massive course elevation. The heat was already starting to build as I rolled up to the start. The first climbs I forced myself to take it easy, allowing much of the field to pass and drop me, including many women. I was thrilled when Chris and I settled into a rhythm together, making a few new friends during the gravel sections. The temps were already sweltering and my mind was already wandering towards “will I be able to ride in this for 90 miles?” A good moment to practice positive self-talk as I continued on.

Chris and I eventually parted ways around mile 35. I saw a few MN friends again as I reached the Bulldog aide station! The volunteers gave us encouraging words, cool drinks, and a chilled cloth for my neck. I had been looking forward to ripping down Bulldog, and set off in pretty good spirits. The next few hours were pretty uneventful, as I just kept moving, eating, and drinking.

Coming into town after the A-loop, I had a really hard time emotionally. I was hot and my body was already hurting. Perry Jewett and other friends gave me encouraging words as I cooled off, and I knew I had more in me despite wanting to stop. Christina Spencer (a friend from MN who absolutely crushes all things bike, including a SS on this course!!) was setting off for the B-loop at the same time, so we were able to roll together. I had no idea what was ahead. As a part-time roadie in the summer, I thought “road section, oh yea, I can do that.” The climb started just out of town, and did not let up for several miles. My garmin blinked 107 degrees. I tried to keep my heart rate in zone 3 as Christina moved ahead. Several other cyclists had turned back and were flying back towards town, and I so wanted to join them. My body and head felt like it had a fireball attached to it. We finally made it to singletrack, but the sun, heat, and climbing continued. Still no cramping so I just focused on breathing and positive self-talk. If I could just make it to the Bulldog aide station…and I did! The volunteers here were so, so uplifting (again!). I took the time to sit down and cool off in the shade. This was the point when I knew I could finish.

Photo Credit: Ryan O’dell

I set off for Bulldog #2, and clouds moved over to block the sun. I leap-frogged with a few other racers once we crossed the highway. A few cool raindrops fell and improved my spirits. Rolling into town, all the volunteers clapped and smiled, and a huge party cheered as I came in! They checked over my bike, filled up my water and food. 13 miles…I could do this. I was set off with more cheers and an update that I had somehow moved up to 3rd place. I had serious doubts this was fact, but figured I better get moving just in case. I saw a few more racers in here as the miles ticked by. I resorted to pushing my bike up several climbs, but then the final 5 miles were surprisingly enjoyable. My mind and body felt good, and I so looked forward to sharing a beer with Chris and friends! Rolling across the finish was a thrill, perhaps my greatest cycling achievement yet. All in all this event was top-notch. The volunteers make Tatanka what it is, and even after all the suffering and tears, we will probably be back for more. Next year looking forward to putting Lumberjack and Mohican on the calendar.”

Singlespeed

Shaklee repeats at Tatanka

Men’s Singlespeed: 1st Ben Shaklee, 2nd Trevor Rockwell, 3rd Kip Biese

Ben Shaklee wins the Tatanka single-speed epic for the second year in a row, coming in at 8:08:54.

“I lined up with only 2 other Single-Speeders in the Epic race; Kip Biese and Trevor Rockwell. I recognized Kip’s name from many past NUE top results, and knew this was Trevor’s home turf with a win in 2016. With the limited SS field I was also looking for good placement in the overall. Trevor and I were each on 34×20 gearing, while Kip was running 34×19.

Photo Credit: Ryan O’dell

After the neutral roll out I settled into 5th place through the doubletrack climbing and was later passed by 2 geared riders on the flat & downhill gravel roads. At Aid 1 I was in 8th, with a quick stop to fill bottles. I blew the L hand turn into the singletrack, adding a couple minutes off course, at which point Trevor and a few other riders jumped ahead. I passed them back in the singletrack and creek crossings before making the climb to Aid 2. I passed a number of riders in the climb to Aid 2, but they were mostly Marathon racers. Trevor caught me at Aid 2 and we left together, but I dropped him in the long singletrack descent and never saw him (or Kip) again. I rode very conservatively the rest of the race to avoid overheating, not getting passed, and not really knowing who was ahead of me. I finished in just under 8:09, good for 1st SS and 5th O/A.

Next NUE race for me is High Cascades 100. Sponsors: Jack’s Bicycle (Bellingham, WA) p/b Pivot Cycles & Stan’s NoTubes.”

With a Tatanka singlespeed win in 2016, Trevor Rockwell takes second place, coming in at 8:51:53.

Photo Credit: Randy Ericksen

“Overall the race was a scorcher. Temps hovered around 103. First 20 Miles felt great climbing out of Sturgis on open roads with a breeze to keep you cool. Dropping into the Centennial Trail the heat really picked up and so did the climbing. The first aid station saw about 10 of us trying to cool down in anyway possible. After the aid at the top of Veteren’s Peak it was a blast rocking the down the Three Sisters and Bulldog descents. The open section on the BLM land was very fast but also one of the hottest spots on course as we were exposed to the sun the entire day. I was able to ride with Ben Shaklee the eventual winner of the single speed class for most of the first lap. He open some space coming into town and I never saw him again.

Photo Credit: Randy Ericksen

I suffered up the road climb with the eventual Women’s Champion, weaving all over the roadway from shoulder to shoulder just trying to get up and out of the heat!! At this point in the race, I wrestled with the same demons that pretty much all of us did in trying to figure out weather to pull the plug of keep going. going through was seemed like the longest 13 or so miles I have ever ridden, I was able to fill my jersey with ice, bottles to and head back into town. By the time I hit town the second time, my legs had returned and off on lap 3 I went. I was hoping to just finish at this point but coming up to the last climb, I saw Kip B. who had passed me earlier during the long Aid stop in the middle of lap 2. I thought I might have a chance to catch him for 2nd so I rode as hard as I could up the last climb and once we hit the pavement I could see that Kip was right there. Immediately when I put a push to catch up he stood up and a boom cramps hit and it was game over for him less than a mile away from the finish. I was lucky enough to walk away with 2nd SS and 11th Overall. This course is never easy and always something to make it one of the hardest races on the NUE circuit. Running the 34×20 gear ration was exactly right and only wished to have a little harder gear on the open fire road and gravel road sections. Will always be back to the Black Hills for the awesome races put on out there, no matter what the forecast is, even the heat that is far to common.”

Kip Biese, gets the third podium position, missing second place by less than a minute, 8:52:48.

Photo Credit: Ryan O’dell

Master’s

Smith dominates the Master’s class

Master’s podium: 1st Carey Smith, 2nd Russell Spaulding, 3rd Tom Stritzinger

Cary Smith dominates the master’s class, winning with a time of 7:57:32, and taking the fourth overall position.

About an hour and a half back, Russell Spaulding takes second place, with a time of 9:27:12.

Photo Credit: Ryan O’dell

Rounding out the master’s podium, Tom Stritzinger, came in third with a time of 9:58:54.

Photo Credit: Ryan O’dell

Final results click here

What’s next on the NUE series? Click here to register for the Epic series High Cascades 100 in Bend, OR.

NUE Tatanka Marathon

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Shannon Boffeli

Written by: Jen Toops

Tatanka Marathon stop #5 on the 2018 NUE Race Series

The start, finish and neutral aid station. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

Trails winded through both prairies, cow pastures, and rocky forest single-track. Race day conditions had temperatures pushing 100 degrees, exposed sunny climbs, fast flowy downhills, sand pits, steep switchbacks, and stunning mountainous views. Racers were also challenged with dodging the occasional fresh cow patty. There was a 50% DNF rate in the Epic race.

: Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: The Canyon road climb. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: Exposed climbs. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: Cooling off. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

: Post race entertainment: Band-Pert Near Sandstone

: The welcome kit.

Men’s Open

Easton win’s men’s open

Men’s open podium: 1st Ian Easton, 2nd Ryan Aakre, 3rd Jasper Klein

Winning by only a couple minutes, Ian Easton takes the men’s open win in 3:45:34.

“The crew in Sturgis really knows what they are doing. They pretty much have everything dialed from the new course to the volunteers. Who spent all day in the scorching heat stopping traffic at every intersection and getting riders whatever they needed. Thanks to everyone who had a hand in putting on this killer event.

Sponsors: Burleigh County Bicycle Cult, Dakota Cyclery and Larsons Cyclery”

Ian Easton. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

In a close race, Ryan Aakre, hung on for second place with a time of 3:47:22. Another four minutes back, Jasper Klein came in third coming in at 3:51:22.

Jasper Klein. photo credit: Randy Ericksen

Women’s Open

Walter’s takes her first NUE win

Women’s open podium: 1st Erin Walter, 2nd Jen Toops, 3rd Michelle Stampe

Local rider, Erin Walter, won the women’s open race coming in at 4:04:14.

“First, I want to thank Cranky’s Bike Shop, located in downtown Rapid City. They always hook me up and make sure my bike is dialed and ready to go, even when I procrastinate and bring it in a half hour before they close the night before a race!

I love riding and racing in the Black Hills. We have a fun and supportive bike community, which was much needed this last weekend during the Tatanka race. With temperatures nearly 100 degrees, the conditions were brutal, but I fed off the energy of all our volunteers at aid stations and spectators along the course. THANK YOU, volunteers and race directors for the high-fives, cheering, and buckets of ice to keep us going!

Erin Walter. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

The first loop of the Marathon (loop B) follows some of my favorite sections of the Centennial Trail. I was smiling from ear to ear flying down Bulldog! Thanks to the Wednesday Night Series in Sturgis, put on by Xtreme Dakota Bicycles, I didn’t have any surprises for trail conditions or steep climbs on our second lap (Loop C). This lap was straight survival-mode for me, my goal was to keep my heart rate down and just keep pedaling! After finishing the last climb, I was just so stoked to stay on my bike and to finish the race!

Great job Epic riders! You’re all animals! Maybe I’ll join you someday…”

The 2017 NUE marathon champion, Jen Toops, came in just four minutes back at 4:08:06.

“This is my second year racing Tatanka but the race course was completely new this year. The temps were scorching again and I knew it was going to be a hot day. The marathon race started at 8 and it was already hot! A motorcycle escort took us out of town and then we were let loose on the canyon climb.
Erin and I stayed together for most of the 17 min climb out of town. Having pre-rode a bit, I knew there was more single-track climbing ahead and I slowed the pace so I didn’t burn all my matches on the first climb. On the first downhill the trail was extremely dry and loose. Before I knew it, my front end washed out on a downhill switchback and I lost sight of Erin.
Relieved when I came up on the first aid station, I filled some water and got some ice around my neck. I knew I shouldn’t be stopping at all but I needed to get my temp down. It was scorching and I didn’t dare run out of water here.

Jen Toops. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

I spent the next few hours trying to ride smooth on my Pivot Les and make up some time. Around 2.5 hrs in I started feeling great, hot, but my legs felt good. At the end of B loop I grabbed my pack from the cooler filled with ice cold CarboRocket and a few Honey Stinger gels and set out for C loop.
The beginning of C loop was exposed prairie. I focused on reeling in the next rider I could see across the prairie grass in hopes of catching the Erin. I pushed the pace on the climbs and had fun dodging cow patties and trying to stay upright in the sand mines. The last climb was unexpectedly steep. The finish line finally came and was rewarded with a ice cold misting machine to cool down.

Thanks to my sponsors: Pearl Izumi, Pivot cycles, Rotor, Xpedo, Ergon, Stans, Continental, Honey Stinger, Carborocket, Kasks helmets.”

About forty minutes back, Michelle Stampe, finished third in 4:48:59.

“Sponsors: Two Wheeler Dealer Cycle and Fitness in Spearfish, SD, and am a Black Hills Ridge Rider.

It was my first time riding the Centennial trail and it was ripping good fun! It’s one of the most sustained downhills in the area, and it doesn’t disappoint. I’m pretty sure race director Kevin Forrester designed and built most of the trail we rode on Saturday, and he seriously knows how to build flow trail. The Centennial takes riders up high for some amazing views and gravel/sand/dirt riding, and then descents through classic Black Hills pine forests with fast turns and well designed water bars to give riders a little lift;). Loop C took us through the prairie, and boasted an incredible view of Bear Butte. The riding on this loop was a little more technical, but the entire course was 100% ridable, which makes for an outstanding 40 miler course. I was really impressed by the riding in Sturgis.

The aid stations were staffed with amazing volunteers–everyone was quick to offer up some ice and fill up bottles. Their was even a mister at the aid station in downtown Sturgis, which was ohhhhhhsogooood. I will absolutely be back to ride the Tatanka next year, despite the weather.”

Michelle Stampe. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

Singlespeed

Toops makes it two in a row

Singlespeed podium: 1st Anthony Toops, 2nd Josh Kunz, 3rd Bob Callaway

Coming off a win at the NUE Iron Mountain, Anthony Toops takes another NUE win with a time of 3:54:43. With this win, Toops and Kunz are tied for the NUE overall singlespeed division.

“Tatanka has proven to be one of the toughest races on the calendar for me and this year wasn’t any different! The extreme temperatures made for a tough day.

Again it was an Ohio single speed showdown! On the initial road climb Josh took the front and set a tough to follow pace. I decided to go at my own pace and was about 30sec or so back going into the first single track. Josh and I came back together on the climb up before the first major downhill and we ended up riding together into the B loop aid. On the downhill out of the aid station I got a rear flat and had to pull over to do some repairs. Josh kept going and was out of sight. I managed to pump a little air into the tire and get back on the trail (Initially I thought the tire burped but after the race I found a cut in the tread)

Anthony Toops. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

At this point I was worried I’d never see his wheel again but I decided to squash the negative talk and push on as hard as I could. On the downhill to I90 I made contact with him again which was a huge relief. We rode together again until the climbing started at the FT Meade trails. Josh stopped for some water just before the climb but I didn’t need to so I went on. This was where the race started to break up a little although I never let my guard down.

Across the finish line of loop B I grabbed two bottles and asked about a pump. My tire was really low (13psi confirmed post race) and I was worried it would de-bead in some of the fast corners. No pump was convenient so I made the call to risk it and ride on. I knew Josh wasn’t too far behind because I saw him on my way out as he was coming in to the aid station. At this point it was all or nothing; ride fast and don’t blow that tire! Luck was on my side and I was able to cross the line first!

Sponsors: Paradise Garage in Columbus, Ohio

Josh Kunz. Photo credit: Randy Ericksen

Finishing about ten minutes back, Josh Kunz took second in 4:05:38. Bob Callaway took the third step in 4:28:25.

Master’s

Llinares takes the top step

Master’s Podium: 1st Mark Llinares, 2nd Mike Young, 3rd Eddy Reimer

In a close race in the master’s division, Mark Llinares beats Mike Young by about three minutes, coming in at 3:50:05. Mike Young took second at 3:53:16.

“I am from Denmark, and we were visiting our family in Denver, Colorado. I wanted to do the Tatanka race, as it looked like a challenge and fitted our plans for the holiday.

From Denmark, I am used to doing mountain bike races in forests. But we have no mountains, and no rocky descents, so I was a bit apprehensive. We also never have it as hot as over here!

So the strategy was: Take it easy, drink a lot and survive! As it happens I found a good group at the front on the first climb, and managed the first descent pretty well. But towards the end of the first loop I was really feeling the heat and started losing time, especially on the descents. The second loop I went into survival mode. And what’s this with the last climb? I didn’t expect that, and I had to ride in my ‘granny’ gear.

Mentally I had this mantra going in my head on the last scorcher of a climb: “Stay on the bike, and don’t even think about walking”.

Brilliant race! I am heading back to Denmark now, where my focus is the local Hot Cup mountain bike series near Copenhagen, Denmark. Thanks to the organizers, and all you good people here in the US for this race experience!

Sponsors: Holte Mountainbike Klub, Denmark”

Eddy Reimer, rounded out the podium and took third with a time of 4:14:10.

Final results click here

What’s next on the NUE Marathon series? click here to register for the Wilderness 101k in Coburn, PA

NUE Mohican 100K

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Shannon Boffeli

Andrew Dillman and Lara Richards win Mohican 100K

Written by: Jen Toops & Ryan O’Dell

The Mayor of Loudonville, Steve Strickland, welcomed racers to Loudonville before the start of the 16th Annual Mohican MTB100 at 7am sharp. With the downtown blocked off by the LPD, The Kenda Mohican 100 released nearly 600 racers along some of the most popular single track trails Ohio has to offer on a grand single loop, 100 mile and 100k, that spans three of the four counties that make up what is locally known as “Mohican Country”. New Hope Church added 200 volunteers to the nearly 250 volunteers that managed the many course marshal and aid station positions.

Pastor Paterson of New Hope Church, offered a prayer for the safety of racers who left on a slow neutral start this year due to bridge construction on Main Street that presented just one lane across the Black Fork of the Mohican River. The Ashland Sherriff’s Department sounded the siren that would signal the start of the race near the city limits at Maple Heights, traditionally the spot where racers competed for a $200 Prime. Kent Cycle and Spin Bikes were among a team of seasoned professional mechanics that covered all six aid station this year. The Ohio State Patrol offered assistance to racers at a dangerous crossing on SR97 and Great Lakes Brewing http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com offered 22 kegs of refreshment to finishing riders.

A neutral start due to a bridge out near the start. Photo Butch Phillips

A muddy start! Photo Butch Phillips

Men’s Open

Dillman wins back to back at Mohican!

1st-Andrew Dillman (Think Green) 2nd-Jeffrey Pendlebury (Ride On Wooster) 3rd-Chris Shannon (Think Green-Bicycle Face) 4th-Chris Tries (The Bike Shop) 5th-Andy Scott (Riverside Racing) Photo Butch Phillips

Coming off a win at the 2018 NUE Big Frog 65, Andrew Dillman (Think Green) wins the 2018 Mohican 100K with a time of 4:43:20. This makes back to back wins for Dillman at Mohican! Second place was Jeffrey Pendlebury (Ride On Wooster) at 4:50:22.

Just thirteen seconds back from second place, was Chris Shannon (Think Green-Bicycle Face) rounding out the podium with a time of 4:50:35.

“My goal for the race was to be the first to enter the single track and ride a consistent and manageable pace. The trails were a bit slick in places, but still a blast to ride. About mile 30 or so I had to make a pit stop and lost touch with the lead pack. The next 20 miles were spent in time trial mode until finally catching Chris Tries and Jeff Pendelbury around mile 50. Jeff and I attacked on a steep climb to establish a decent gap around mile 55. We yo-yo’d back and forth until we entered the final road to the finish side-by-side. He was able to put in a solid effort on the final road to the finish and establish a 12 second gap. I ended up finishing third behind team mate Andrew Dillman who has been on fire all season and Jeff Pendlebury who was able to dig so deep in the final miles. Kudos to the race organizers on another successful Mohican 100. The next stop will be Wilderness 101 followed by Marji Gesik. Sponsors: Think Green-Bicycle Face p/b SWORD, Green Guru Gear, Heine Brothers’ Coffee”

Women’s Open

Richards gets her first Mohican 100K win!

1st-Lara Richards (Little Fire Cycles) 2nd-Bryna Blanchard (Barker Mountain Bikes) 3rd Jen Toops (Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles) 4th-Megan Doerr (McLain’s Race Team) 5th-Erin Necko (J.A. King) Photo Butch Phillips

After a 2nd place finish at the NUE 2018 Big Frog 65, Lara Richards (Little Fire Cycles), takes the women’s open class with a time of 5:44.

” The reputation of this race precedes it. I have some friends who have made the 11 hour trek from Georgia to race this race. But this was the first year I have ever raced the Mohican, and it did not disappoint. It was a great mix of rooty single trek, gravel and some grueling hike-a-bike. It rained the Wednesday before which made the MTB trail ideally tacky with a few slick roots, however the rain made the horse trail a sticky mess. Other than that, you could not ask for a better day on the bike. I really enjoyed the feel of the single trek – super fun. On fun trails like this I do not mind using a little extra energy to zip around corners and pop over rocks. It keeps me motivated. I have to say I even I enjoyed the down hill section of the horse trail. The railroad tressels were a fun obstacle to have in the middle of the course. The route went from trail to gravel then back trail, I liked the mix, it never kept us too long on just road. The day left me a little bloody and tired but definitely all smiles. I went into this race thinking’ with a pool of 56 awesome female athletes signed up that there was no way I could pull off better then 10th but some how I managed the win. I still feel new to this style of EPIC races and To me this is probably the biggest win I have had in my MTB career. I do hope to race more NUE races in the future. I’ll cross my fingers for more podiums but know it will be tough with such amazing competition. My sponsors are Little Fire Cycles wheels, Adventure Cycles of spout springs GA, Rhinohead, and Muc-off. Many thanks to all who made this race possible.”

Bryna and Lara battle for position near the start of the race.

After winning the Mohican 100K in 2014, Bryna Blanchard (Barker Mountain Bikes) beats her previous 2014 winning time by six minutes to take second place this year at 5:48:38.

“Sometimes everything comes together in a way that makes me reflect on a race and feel satisfied that I did my best. With the 9 hour drive under our belts the day before the race and an early 7 AM start I wasn’t sure how my body would feel for the Mohican 100K, my longest race to date this season. I was strategizing to try and get a fast start remembering the long ribbon of tight, flowy fast single track that followed the initial few miles of rolling pavement. The first plan came together and I ended up entering the single track with a group of 8-10 fellow riders, including another woman in my category, setting a pace that felt comfortable and efficient. My legs felt good but the early start and short sleep left me with a bit of a brain fog. I kept my focus, rode clean and even managed to get by a few people on the trail. Once out of the woods and back on the open road, some spectators reported I was riding in 4th, then I got passed by Lara as if I was out for a Sunday recovery ride. I quickly decided against attempting to chase with more than half the kilometers looming ahead of me. At that point I also realized I needed to catch up on hydration and nutrition that I had ignored in the single track. Within half an hour I started feeling really good, legs strong, mind awake, calm and confident, the kilometers and hours passed by. Stopping at a mid point aid station for a refill from the tremendous volunteers, I encountered a few other women heading out as I was pulling in. Jen, who I had expected would be in front of me, and Chase who was racing the full on 100 crazy miles. Jen pulled away quickly while Chase and I rode together on the pavement for many miles until the next section of delicious single track. Even with the majority of her race ahead of her, Chase put in a massive effort on the hilly road, motivating me to push myself harder than I would have alone. We managed to catch and pass Jen which gave me another boost of motivation. I entered the single track and tried to keep the pace high but metered, taking advantage of feeling strong. Enjoying the challenge of slightly slick rocks and roots I was able to make a few more passes on the men in the woods and continue to ride clean until a particularly washed out steepish decent sent me off my line and over the right handle bar. Unable to remount in the baby heads I ran down the rest of the rocks and realized I was beginning to feel the hours setting in. The final road sections consisted of steeper longer climbs, at least that was my perception at the time. Long steady climbs seem to be a strength for me so I settled in and kept reminding myself that this is a race and it is supposed to feel hard. Past the aid station where the 100K and 100 mile courses split I knew I had a good chance of maintaining 2nd, I also knew I wanted to finish strong with nothing left in the tank and try to catch the leader. I was fortunate to share ride company with some of the single speeders along the way who offered encouragement and entertainment. After riding with one single speed man on the final road he politely asked to enter the last single track first to which I replied please do, I’m exhausted. In survival mode I entered the trail which quickly turned my fatigue into joy at the superb quality of track, the bike floated along up the switch backs and around the corners. I managed to make a few more passes on the men, entered the camp ground and felt myself return to race mode as one guy pushed to pass me back. I surged ahead and found the finish line in 2nd place where Lara was celebrating her win. After a few frustrating races this season with mechanicals, it was extra sweet to have a great experience at Mohican. Thanks as always to Barker Mountain Bikes for their amazing support and friendship. Thanks to the race promoters, volunteers, sponsors and vendors for a most memorable day on the bike.”

Coming off a win at the 2018 NUE Big Frog 65, OMBC Race Series Champion & NUE Marathon Series Champion, Jen Toops (Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles) comes in 3rd at 5:53:51.

” This year I made sure to get a spot up front since the bridge was out. My plan was to start fast and get a good position into the singletrack after getting in a congo line the previous year. I was first going into the first singletrack for women 100k and to my surprise rode most of the singletrack loop by myself. My first mistake was listening to my GPS yelling “off course” and back tracking a wee bit thinking I’d missed the hike a bike turn off. Finally a few other riders were coming through and I knew I should have kept going. This is where Lara caught up and we rode together until the hike-a-bike. After 2 years of racing La Ruta, I think I’m starting to get this hike-a-bike thing down. I managed to put a small gap on Lara and caught up to the women’s 100 mile leader Chase. We worked together on the roads leading up to Aid 2 but Lara put it in beast mode and powered up to us! We all rode into Aid 2 together and I was out of water and fighting off leg cramps. The volunteers did a great job and had my pack ready to switch out. I went to grab a shot of coke and some pickles and noticed Lara rode right on through the aid station. I never saw her again. As I was leaving Aid 2, I saw Bryna was coming in and I wasn’t sure if any other 100k women were with her.

The wilderness was a dark place for me. I knew I had to eat more but I was so nauseated. I tried slamming a gel and started dry heaving. Then the full on calf and hamstring cramps paid a visit. I was behind on my nutrition plan. I kept pedaling knowing stopping wouldn’t fix anything. The cramps finally subsided and I managed to get through wilderness. Once on the roads I was just in survival mode. Mentally I wanted to race but the power and my legs just weren’t there. All I wanted to do was stop, lay in the gravel and throw up! At this point I was wondering if I had a stomach bug and debated taking a DNF. Then Bryna and Chase (100 mile leader) were working together and made a pass on the roads. There was nothing left in the tank to challenge and I rode it on in to the finish.

Some races are good some are bad. Unfortunately the Mohican 100k didn’t go as planned, but I somehow managed to keep it together enough to hang on to a 3rd place finish! Thanks to all my sponsors, fellow racers/volunteers trying to encourage and motivate me, Anthony Toops for getting the Pivot Les on point, and my parents for coming to cheer me on!”

Masters 50+

Clayton Wins Masters 50+

1st-Jeff Clayton (Georgia Neurosurgical Institute) 2nd-Scott Burrill (Bikeman.com) 3rd-John Lorson (River Day Racing) 4th-Gregory Cimmino (Class Cycle) 5th-Tom Weaver (KSD/Summit Freewheelers) Photo Butch Phillips

Winning the Masters 50+ Mohican was Jeff Clayton (Georgia Neurosurgical Institute) 5:18:22.

“I think the neutral start led to the heavy hitters not punching it quite as hard, so the field stayed together for a while. I was able to hang with the lead group on the road and into the first singletrack, albeit at the back end of a long string of riders. Things were pretty good until I caught a root wrong with my front wheel and I ended up with the wheel jammed in between two roots and my bar twisted pretty good from the sudden stop. Of course being early in the race probably 10 riders went by…never good for the confidence! After getting going again, I pulled back a notch and focused on being efficient. I started to reel riders in, but there was a good sized group that seemed to be holding steady behind and a couple guys right on my wheel. As it turned out, one of those was Devin DeBoer who ended up winning the 100 mile M50+ category. I eventually caught up to a guy who was moving through the technical parts well, so I decided to follow him figuring I would make it through the rough stuff better that way. We chatted a bit and it turned out it was Scott Burrill who had placed 2^nd in the Big Frog 65 to me a month ago. After riding together awhile, I slowly gapped Scott on the gravel road rollers and got in with a small group of single speeders, including my old race buddy Ross Anderson, and one geared rider. After the course split at aid 3, I was on my own and was very happy to see the gravel rollers that come so much sooner than they do in the 100 mile race…the end was near! As I got into the last singletrack, Anthony Toops caught up to me with another singlespeeder chasing hard for their 3^rd podium spot. It was great to use them to keep me charging hard, especially as I didn’t know how far back Scott was or even if there was any other 50+ racers ahead I might catch. I took the 50+ win, but Scott kept me honest just a few minutes back. I’ll be racing the Iron Mountain 100k next.”

Clayton wins the masters 50+ 100k

Scott Burrill (Bikeman.com) took the second place spot in 2017 and repeats in 2018 with the same exact time of 5:23:11!

Taking the third podium position was John Lorson (River Day Racing) with a time of 5:52:35.

“After winning the single-speed 100K at Mohican in 2008, 2009 and 2011 (in 2010, I took a wrong turn with 4 miles to go and handed the win to my teammate) I’ve moved further down the ranks and even off the podium in the ensuing 6 years in my past few attempts. The class was getting younger and faster and I was not. Finally, at age 54, I decided to “race my age” and entered the Masters 50+ category. Still, having ridden a single-speed exclusively for the past 10 years (even winning the OMBC Masters 45+ Championship in 2011 and 2012 against geared bikes) I knew what bike I’d be on: my 8-year-old Gary Fisher Superfly Single-Speed, running a 36×20 with my trusty Niner rigid carbon fork up front. (You’ve “gotta dance with who brung ya’,” right?)

I’ve go to admit I was a little worried at the “neutral roll-out” plan for the start. I envisioned a lane-wide flesh pile as four lanes choked to one, but it turned out fine and actually a bit to my advantage because I wasn’t spinning like a hamster trying to keep up as we started into the hill. The problem with the starting route now, as opposed to the course from a few years back, is several miles of road riding before we hit singletrack. It’s a long spin for a single-speed and it sucks the life out of me being passed by tons of geared bikes I had just aced on that first climb.

This year I really let that get into my head and I was convinced I was having another off year until I hit Aid 2 at Buckhaven. There, the I applied the lifesaving elixirs of Coca Cola and watermelon and underwent an on-bike metamorphosis. After leaving the Buckhaven single-track I was overtaken by a pace-line of geared guys just before the infamous Township Road 344 which my buddies and I have dubbed the “Arc of the Moon” climb, because it looms on the horizon like a giant moon with tiny suffering cyclists crawling along its profile. Every one of the pace-liners passed me before the turn toward the climb, including a rider that I knew was in my class. I resolved to attack it as hard as I could up the hill and passed all but two of those guys, which I caught and then pipped on the way up the next roller. It had taken me right around 40 miles to get my grove on.

I ran up on a bunch of bikes in the bottom rock garden of Mohican Wilderness and the scene was like something from a horror film. One of the many “living dead”, I stumbled and struggled through the sweaty rocks like I had learned to ride bike just moments before. This was easily the toughest part of the race for me, but nothing that couldn’t be healed with a few shots of Coke and a handful of watermelon at Aid 3.

Two of my non-racing buddies, Scream and Cappy, were watching the carnage atop the Valley Stream climb and shouted that they thought I might be among the first Masters to come through. That was literally the first moment that I figured I had any shot at a podium finish. I turned myself inside out the rest of the way home, making sure to keep my place. As I crossed the line Ryan O’Dell announced me as “somewhere in the top 5 Masters” and I was blown away to find that I was, in fact, 3^rd!

My Masters gamble had paid off and I hadn’t forsaken my single-speed soul in the process. It was another fine day at Mohican, even if I finally had to admit I had somehow finally become an old guy!”

Singlespeed

James Litzinger gets the win and sets new SS course record!

1st-James Litzinger (Syndicate Cycling pwrd by Pro Bike+Run) 2nd-Josh Kunz (KSD) 3rd-Anthony Toops (Paradise Garage Racing 4th-Eli Orth (Queen City Wheels) 5th-David Mrkonja (Silverback Racing) Photo Butch Phillips

Setting a new SS 100k record and crushing the SS Division was James Litzinger (Syndicate Cycling pwrd by Pro Bike +Run), 4:53:13.

“Wow, the Mohican 100k is an awesome race! With a great mix of trails and gravel it made for a great day on the bike. The anticipation of 600 plus riders at the start line and trying to navigate through a one lane bridge is a very exciting way to start off the morning!

I was really torn this year if I was going to race the Pivot Les as a Single Speed or the Specialized Epic FS which I have grown to love over the spring months. I was kind of persuaded into racing the SS since the majority of the riders in the cabin the night before were riding single speed. After getting all of my race prep and nutrition in line for the next day we enjoyed some time hanging out. I have felt really good this year since starting to use some GNC products. My top favorites have been the GNC Mega Men Sport daily vitamins, GNC Turmeric Curcumin 1000mg, and the GNC AMP Pure Isolate protein.

It was a very Single Speed friendly start this year with the controlled start until the bottom of the opening climb out of town. I was up in the front row churning the pedals pretty casually and since there was no cash money for being the first rider out of town this year the pace was very manageable. From the top of the first climb to the woods can be a nightmare for SSer’s with the rolling hills and very high speeds. On that road section though, I was able to link up with John Haddock, of JA King Racing, the 2017 and 2018 100 mile SS winner. John is a very smart and strong riders. He and I had a great time racing in the past at various NUE events. When you have a buddy to ride with it makes the day go so much better!

Once getting into the woods in the top 20 or so we quickly learned that the prior week of rain and humidity were making the trails a little greasy. I always have the utmost confidence in my Schwalbe Racing Ralphs! They are truly the jack of all trades! John and I made our way through the single track picking off only a few riders this year since we had a pretty good start on the road. We were even able to pick up another riders for the party, Alex Hashem of Shenandoah Mountain Touring. The three of us had a great time working together! Alex would give us some help on the roads while John and I would pace the single track and climbs. It made for the perfect combination!

Getting into aid 3, John and Alex hit the road for the 100 mile loop while I cut off to finish the 100k. After doing the 100 mile in previous years it was very lifting both physically and mentally to have less than an hour to go. I held a steady spin along the flat stream road trying to conserve a little energy for the steep Valley Stream road climb. This year my goal was to clear the entire climb on my Wolf Tooth 30×17 gearing. The climb seemed to go much faster this year and I felt good the whole way. After cutting down through the woods and making my way along the stream for the last road section of the day I went through the last aid station right into the final miles of single track. Once cutting up into the single track it was motivating to see Bubba standing along the trail taking a picture or video. From there it was party time to the finish! Having fun in all of the single track back to the finish I looked up to find that I caught a geared 100k rider. Continuing and pushing on down through the campground is a great ending to a fun day with friend new and old on the bike.

Thanks to my Team, Syndicate Cycling, sponsors, and family for their continued support! My wife Jenn and 3 boys, Garrett, Cameron, and Mason. Pro Bike+Run, Legacy Medical, Schwalbe Tires, Voler, Specialized Bikes, GNC, and Cenacolo all make me feel so fortunate to do something that I love so much.”

Coming in twenty-three minutes back was Josh Kunz (KSD) with a time of 5:16:02. Taking the third podium position was Anthony Toops (Paradise Garage), coming in at 5:18:25.

“All the usual suspects were in attendance this year for the single speed 100k so I knew it was going to be a tough day. The race started pretty hard up the the first road climb with most of the SS’ers still together. My goal was to get into the single track as near the front as possible so some huge efforts were required for the first 20min of the race. This plan worked well and I had a good position behind Josh Kunz and David Mrkonja. We were riding at XC pace the entire single track section with none of us letting up. They would make a pass and then I would make the same pass to stay on their wheels. Eventually I got around David and Josh and tried to up the pace a little more through some technical sections to break up the group. This seemed to work and it was just Josh and I hitting the road sections. About this time I looked down and realized I had lost a bottle somewhere. Thankfully I carried three to get me to aid 2 but this was going to put me behind on nutrition, which wasn’t ideal. Josh is a super strong climber and started to drop me on the initial road sections before aid 2 and losing that bottle was starting to take its toll. I just tried to hang onto third for the rest of the race and hope some power would come back so maybe I could catch him.

Through aid 3 and heading towards the finish my right cleat started to loosen up. I had to stop and tighten it at about mile 48 and this is when Eli Orth passed me. I quickly hopped back on and made sure to catch him asap. When I had his wheel I realized my left cleat was now loose but at this point I didn’t have the option to stop. We rode together until the last single track section and I made sure to take the lead going into the woods. Somehow I managed to find some legs and hold off Eli until the end to take third. It was another tough Mohican 100k with close racing all day! My next NUE Marathon Series race will be Iron Mountain in Damascus, VA.”

Click here for full results

What’s Next?

NUE Marathon Series: June 24, 2018 in Damascus, VA Iron Mountain

NUE Epic Series: June 16, 2018 in Manistee, Michigan (sold out) Lumberjack 100

Cohutta 100: NUE #2

Posted on May 6, 2018 by Shannon Boffeli

On April 28, 2018 Roost Racing, LLC held the Cohutta 100 (NUE Epic Series), Big Frog 65 (NUE Marathon Series), and Old Copper 20 in Ducktown, TN. This was stop number two on the 2018 National Ultra Endurance Series (NUE) race schedule. These races were held at the Ocoee Whitewater center, a venue that hosted the kayak/canoe slalom competitions at the 1996 Olympic games. Nestled within the Cherokee National Forest racers traversed through sections of Brush Creek, the Tanasi Trail Systems and miles of fire roads.

The Cohutta 100 had over 12,000 feet of climbing and included a huge gravel loop that was cut out last minute the previous year. Rain the previous day had some racers worried, but the trails were in prime condition. It was a little chilly at the start but the sun peaked out and warmed up to mid 60’s for most of the race. Couldn’t have asked for better racing weather!

Men’s Open

Dylan Johnson makes it a Three-Peat at NUE Cohutta 100

1st- Dylan Johnson (Leska MTB Racing) 2nd-Christian Tanguy (RBS Cycling Team) 3rd- Brian Schworm (Think Green-Bicycle Face p/b SWORD) 4th-John Wiygul (High Point-Rock/Creek-Trek Chatt) 5th-Alex Hashem (Stokesville/Shenandoah mountain touring)

Defending NUE Epic Champion Dylan Johnson (Leska MTB Racing) wins the Men’s Open with a time of 6:43:38.

“My goal for this year was to be as conservative as possible. I knew that I had the edge in the single track over the main players and the course finishes up with 10 miles of single track. If I could stay in the lead group until then I knew that my odds would be good. We finished the first single track with a decent sized group but it wasn’t long at all before Christian Tanguy pulled away. I quickly bridged the gap and the two of us rode together for the majority of the day. Tanguy was fine to do most of the pulling which was fine with me. When we got to the final single track I got to the front and pushed the pace enough to get a gap between me and Tanguy to take the win.”

Christian Tanguy (RBS Cycling Team) comes in second just three minutes back at 6:46:34.

Third place was Brian Schworm (Think Green-Bicycle Face p/b SWORD) coming in at 6:54:40.

“I arrived at the Ocoee Whitewater Center on Friday to beautiful weather. It can sometimes be a bit unpredictable down there with many past races taking place in downpours but this year things looked great. It had rained the previous day but my teammates and I found most of the course to be in primo condition during our preride with the exception of the Old Copper Trail which is always at least a little bit wet. Anyway, we had a great preride, checked in at registration, and parted with our drop bags for the next day’s festivities.

On race morning it was quite chilly but things heated up quickly once the race was underway. We rolled up the opening climb at a modest pace with a mad scramble to the beginning of the singletrack. I found myself in third position which was perfect for this beginning trail section. Once we raced for approximately 90 minutes we popped out at the first aid station and started the 68 mile “Death March” gravel loop. There were approximately 8 or 9 riders together as we started our journey around this loop including Christian Tanguay, Dylan Johnson, John Wiygul, Alex Hashem, Lee Hauber, single-speeder John Haddock, my teammate Nathaniel Cornelius, and myself.

During a “moment of inattention” the paced quickened and I found myself off the back of the group and scrambling to catch back up. I caught the main group but Christian and Dylan were gone. My teammate Nathaniel helped to pace me for a while but then I was on my own to chase them down. With all my might I chased but made no progress whatsoever. After a bit of discouragement and a “bad patch”, John and Alex joined me and we worked together through most of the remaining gravel loop section and we were hearing time gaps of nearly 20 minutes to the leading duo.

Once we joined the Big Froggers on their 65 mile journey I hammered the last couple of gravel climbs and the following singletrack to the finish. I was able to decrease the gap to the leaders somewhat but it was too little too late. I finished third with John and Alex not far behind finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

Moving forward I am now looking ahead to Marathon Nationals in Arkansas this weekend and then a nice break until the Mohican 100 for another NUE battle. Thanks to my team Think Green – Bicycle Face and my sponsors SWORD, Native Eyewear, Specialized Bicycles, ESI Grips, Schwalbe Tires, and TruckerCo for making this all possible; and a special thanks to my wife Jennifer Schworm for her continued support and sacrifice in my pursuit of endurance MTB racing.”

Women’s Open

Cantwell gets her first Cohutta 100 win!

1st- Lauren Cantwell (Moonstompers/Stokesville Lodge) 2nd-Britt Mason (The Bike Lane) 3rd-Heidi Coulter (Paradise Garage Racing)

Lauren Cantwell (Moonstompers/Stokesville Lodge) wins the Cohutta 100 women’s open with a time of 8:04:58.

“First time at Cohutta for me was a great one. First 18 miles of singletrack was a blast! Smooth, flowy, and the dawn mist made for a beautiful way to start the ride. The Death March became a grind towards the end but the views off of the high mountains into the valley were spectacular. I hadn’t examined the route very closely before and was surprised in the best way possible when I found myself on recognized terrain from a bikepacking trip I did last fall with a couple friends. Especially because race day was about 45 degrees warmer and no snow! Finishing the race on more miles of singletrack was an awesome end to the race!”

Second place was Britt Mason (The Bike Lane) 8:46:41.

Taking the third podium spot was Heidi Coulter (Paradise Garage Racing) 9:33:45.

“It was a beautiful day riding through the enchanted Cherokee National Forest. After getting DFL at True Grit in Utah, it felt great to finish strong and step up on the podium. Not too shabby for a grandma!”

Singlespeed

Haddock repeats Cohutta singlespeed

1st-John Haddock (J.A. King) 2nd-Kenny Kocarek (Kobby Side Down) 3rd-Joseph Stroz (Stroz Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab)

Winning the singlespeed division by an astounding 35 minutes was John Haddock (J.A. King) coming in at 7:22:02.

Kenny Kocarek (Kobby Side Down) took the second step with a time of 7:57:31.

“At the start line I was so grateful for cooler temps compared to the heat wave of last year. The countdown to the start came and the neutral car rolled out and as I stood to sprint out of the gate and spin my singlespeed like a hamster through the parking lot then I nearly ran into the row in front of me! The start seemed very relaxed even some conversations were going on up the initial road ascent. I stuck with fellow Ohio SS’r Peyton Randolph and we creeped up toward the middle of the main group and then the first roller hit and we we’re stuck spinning and tucking and as the lead group revved their quads up they put us in our place at the back.

We entered the singletrack slightly behind the main group to a relatively open trail in now we know was 2nd and 3rd in SS. We kept a good pace until Peyton endoed and flew off the trail like an 1980s metal tipped lawn dart. I saw him bounce up and say he was ok and kept rolling onto the “river” trail and hooked up with another Ohio rider Michael Gottfried. His huge legs parted all the water puddles for me and pulled me all the way to aid one where it seemed like we were a little behind the main group. I was looking forward to having a partner for the massive gravel roads ahead however on the first descent I see Michael pull off the road and starts putting his chain back on his bike (geared bike problems) with all the road I figured his gears would catch up soon enough and I continued on. Little did I know since this was the first time on this course that I would be climbing for the next 20 miles!! It was fun until about mile 45. I started to fall behind on nutrition and slowing up the pace of my grind luckily the drop bag station 3 came up and I reloaded and got my groove back. From there on I was solo until merging into the big frog course and had carrots to chase. I got to the last aid station and they informed me I was top fifteen. Adrenaline kicked in on the singletrack and I enjoyed the ride till thunder chicken and since I did not see anyone pursuing and throttled down because I knew I was in a good spot and did not want a flat tire to ruin it! At the gravel I was at 750 something and decided sub 8 would be good regardless what position I was in so I pushed it for a finish time of 7:57 and found out 2nd place which is a huge improvement on my 13th place the prior year!

Huge Thanks to Knobbysidedown for putting up with me and all our sponsors Schwalbe Tires, HandUp gloves, Infinit Nutrition, Dumonde Tech Lubricants, Portman Mechanical and Swiftwick socks”

Third place was Joseph Stroz (Stroz Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab) 8:08:09.

Master’s 50+

1st-Brad Cobb (Motor Mile Racing) 2nd-Roger Masse (Stokesville/Shenandoah Mountain Touring) 3rd-Russell Spaulding (TFM Racing) 4th- Tom Stritzinger 5th-Alan Miner (Rescue Racing-Banks Bikes Canada)

Winning the Master’s 50+ Cohutta was Brad Cobb (Motor Mile Racing) 7:20:21.

“Just entering the masters category was a bitter sweet transition as I loved racing the different categories and two distances of Roost Racing Ocoee event. I showed up for the packet pickup and was greeted by the legend Roger Masse, and immediately knew I was in for a lot of work to try to stand on the top step. At the line up Saturday morning, I was so impressed with the awesome field and really glad to see the perfect 100 mile weather (as my very first mountain bike I ever raced was the inaugural race when New Leaf Adventures has it….and it rained the whole time). At the gun, here was a pretty chill start to the single track and I went in the woods in 14th place. I was pretty sure Roger was in front of me, but I also knew that if I went too hard early on, I would never be able to climb back out of the campground on the way home so I settled into my comfortable speed and kept peddling. Even with all the rain, the course was hero dirt, and I started picking a racer every few miles. I blew through the first aid stating with a smile and a thank you to Charles, and made a left for the next 66 miles of fire road. I had ridden this part of the course a couple of weeks before, so I really knew I needed to pace well, eat and drink occasionally and not try to latch onto anyone that came up on me. Unfortunately, I had to race this whole loop by myself, and as a guy who likes to chat, it was pretty damn boring and totally uneventful. My Trek Procaliber was incredible on this course and Scott’s Bikes got it totally dialed in. As we hit the long road near Jack’s River Campground, I started to pick up some of the Big Frog racers which made the race more enjoyable. With many pleasantries, “good jobs”, and smiles, I continued to push hard and try not to get caught and catch the next guy in front of me. I was pretty sure I was rolling in behind Roger, but there was not much more I could do to catch him, and I didn’t want to blow up. Entering the awesome single track was the best part of the day. First, you know you are close to home, and the way Justin rolls the course, it feels like a lot more down than up. While still passing some Big Frog racers, I had a huge smile on my face, leg’s that only felt half dead, and a stomach that only rejected food once, so for a hundred miler, it was pretty damn good. Rolling in at 7:20 felt pretty good, and when Ryan came over and told me that Roger had not come in yet, it felt really good. I was honored to be able to edge him out, and felt petty good about sixth overall also. In a hundred miler, you never really know how far ahead or behind you are, but when I saw that I was 15 minutes behind the guy in front of me, and only 2 minutes ahead of John Haddock (who was right behind me, you realize how close (and not so close these things can be.Great race, and onto the next.”

Following a second place finish at Cohutta in 2017, Roger Masse (Stokesville/Shenandoah Mountain Touring) finished second again in 2018 in 7:51:48.

The third spot went to Russell Spaulding (TFM Racing) 8:05:04.

“What a beautiful day! Not your typical “Cohutta” weather of past years. This race flew by for me, and I enjoyed it a bit too much! I spent a good amount of the race riding with two talented riders. Lauren Cantwell (1st women’s open), and Joseph Stroz (3rd single speed). Congratulations to Bradd Cobb (1st masters), and Roger Massee (2nd masters). Brad really laid down a blistering pace during this race. I really appreciate Justin and Amy Mace of Roost Racing for putting on a great race. I know that last year’s foretry service approval process was really frustrating for them, and well beyond their control. I am so glad they didn’t give up and stuck with it! Also a special thanks to Josh at “Tried & True” for keeping my 2014 Superfly patched up this year. I’m pretty sure the bike has more miles on it than my old orange truck. Nex up, we”ll be heading to Ohio where it’s FLAT. Well….except for Loudonville!”

Photo credit: Gretta Spaulding

For full results click here

The next NUE race is Mohican MTB 100 on June 2, 2018 in Loudonville, Ohio. Hope to see you there!

Written by: Jen Toops

Big Frog 65: NUE Marathon Series #2

Posted on May 6, 2018 by Shannon Boffeli

On April 28, 2018 Roost Racing, LLC held the Cohutta 100 (NUE Epic Series) , Big Frog 65 (NUE Marathon Series), and Old Copper 20 in Ducktown, TN. This was stop number two on the 2018 National Ultra Endurance Series (NUE) race schedule. These races were held at the Ocoee Whitewater center, a venue that hosted the kayak/canoe slalom competitions at the 1996 Olympic games. Nestled within the Cherokee National Forest racers traversed through sections of Brush Creek, the Tanasi Trail Systems and miles of scenic fire roads.

The Big Frog 65 packed over 8000 feet of climbing in just 65 miles. Rain the previous day had some racers worried, but the trails were in prime condition. It was a little chilly at the start but the sun peaked out and warmed up to mid 60’s for most of the race. Couldn’t have asked for better racing weather!

Women’s Open

1st-Jen Toops (Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles) 2nd-Lara Richards (Little Fire Cycles) 3rd-Danielle Slaton

Toops gets her second consecutive NUE Big Frog 65 Win!

The 2017 NUE Marathon winner Jen Toops (Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles) wins the women’s open in 2018 with a time of 5:23:24.

“This was my second time racing the Big Frog 65. The weather was perfect for the race in the Mid 60’s, much better than last years humidity. From racing the previous year, I knew starting position and powering up that first road climb could make or break the race. Going into the singletrack I was second, making sure I had the leader in sight. The group I was with quickly became a congo line as we all rode each others wheels having no where to pass. In hindsight this probably gave my legs the warmup they needed. It also allowed some time to get used to my new Pivot Les 27.5 as we just finalized the build two days prior. As we entered the first gravel climb I was now leading and worked hard on the ups and downs to maintain that lead. I worked with several other racers through out the day and had a 40 minute PR from last year!” Next NUE race will be Mohican!

Finishing second was Lara Richards (Little Fire Cycles) 5:32:01.

“I have raced the Big frog 65 for past two years. Both years I really enjoyed the race and thought the race officials did a great job. This year the weather was perfect and condition of the trail was mostly good with an exception to trail by the river which was muddy and wet. Tanasi trail system offers some great rooty single trek. And the graveI flows good with some steep climbs and pretty views. My goal was to get 5th or better and was not expecting to get 2nd at all. I beat my previous years time by more then an hour.

I think preriding, fitness and my new bike contributed to my improvement from the previous year. I had no significant mechanicals and only wrecked once with no injury. I started the race fast but feel like I did slow down to a steady pace during the second half. All the racers were friendly and made the race even more enjoyable. Even though it was a grind, it was still just overall just a great raceday!”

Just a couple minutes back from second was Danielle Slaton 5:33:54.

“I stayed in the second group on the road climb and went into the singletrack as the 3rd female behind Jen and Mary. I was by myself which was unusual and wasn’t pushing too hard since I knew it was a long race. Lara and Hallie caught me and the 3 of us rode together though the end of the first singletrack and across the bridge. I stayed in 5th place for the Bear Paw climb and Riverview singletrack, conserving energy where I could and staying behind Hallie (we could still see Lara about 10 seconds up). Once we hit the forest roads, I managed to pass Hallie but could no longer see Lara. Eventually, I caught Mary and rode with her until she flatted on the big frog loop. That put me in 3rd with only Lara and Jen ahead. I kept riding hard since I didn’t know how long it’d take Mary to fix the flat. The result was better than I’d expected, after training for only 14 weeks with Jeremiah Bishop. I was hoping for at least a top 5 and exceeded my expectations! My best result in this race previously was 9th in 2016 and I cut 20 minutes off my time!

Sponsors: My education and full time job, haha :) And my husband who’s the best mechanic in the world! I’m a Vanderkitten VIP too.”

Next NUE Race: None, doing BC Bike Race in July!

Men’s Open

1st-Andrew Dillman (Think Green) 2nd-Elliott Baring (Pivot Cycles/Baring Performance) 3rd-Chris Tries (The Bike Shop) 4th-Thomas Turner (Jamis Factory Team) 5th-Chris Shannon (Think Green-Bicycle Face)

Andrew Dillman wins NUE Big Frog 65!

After a second place finish in 2017, Andrew Dillman (Think Green) wins the Men’s open in 4:16:56.

Thirteen minutes later, last years winner, Elliott Baring (Pivot Cycles/Baring Performance) took second in 4:30:41.

Chris Tries (The Bike Shop) finished third in 4:32:16.

“I race for The Bike Shop in Johnson City and Industry Nine. I ended up 3rd in the open men Big Frog after having a slow start. At the start I got popped of the front group and was 15th or so going into the first singletrack. As I sat in the back of the group watching the leaders roll away from me, with nothing I could do because the singletrack was too tight for passing; I accepted I was not making a podium today. In that group I made my way to the front on the first climb and got away from eveyone on the first decent. After that I was solo for while until John and Spencer caught me in the big frog loop. This gave me some rest and allowed me to attack the big climb coming back and start my bridge to the guy in 4th who I thought was a world away until other racers coming the opposite direction started saying ” you can catch him”. I started seeing the 4th place alone and up from him 2nd and 3rd midway from aide station 3 to aide 4 and thought “shit I am back in the game!” but did not make contact until the finial 5 to 10 miles of singletack where I came through 4th and 3rd place.I plan on making it up to the Mohican 100k after MTB marathon nationals this week where I hope to defend my 35-39 title from last year.”

Singlespeed

Crawford takes the win in singlespeed

1st-Matt Crawford (UPMC/PRO Bike+Run) 2nd-Josh Kunz (Knobby Side Down) 3rd Anthony Toops (Paradise Garage Racing)

Matt Crawford (UPMC/PRO Bike+Run) wins Big Frog singlespeed in 4:56:40.

“My recent move to Asheville made this race an easy trip from my new home soil. I’ve raced the Cohutta 100 the past couple of years so the course was very familiar. I decided to start off fast this year vs pacing the single-track in the 100-mile version. Entering the woods in top 20 really allows for a fast and flowy ride. Once the single-track opened up to gravel roads the race was on. I put in a coupled digs up the beautiful TN gravel. To my surprise, 1^st place was in sight after the first summit. We continued to ride together for the next 10 or so miles. I would create a gap during all the climbs but Josh quickly made up ground on the flats. My trusty 34×20 gearing was once again a good choice as the miles added up. However, the legs began to fatigue around mile 50 heading into the last 10 miles of punchy single-track. I put one last effort into the big climb up to Aid #1. The gap to 2^nd place was about 30 seconds into the single track. I kept looking back for any sign of life behind me. I didn’t see anyone for the last 10 miles. Making the turn and entering the Whitewater center was a pleasant feeling.

This was my first NUE win after a couple 2^nd and 3^rdfinishes last year. Heading to PMBAR and Pisgah 111k this month. Time to get gnarly! Big thanks for Pro Bike +Run for dialing in my SS each year.”

Even with a broken chain, Josh Kunz (Knobby Side Down) finished second in 5:03:39.

“My bike setup for the big frog was rigid single speed with a gearing of 32×19. As the race started I found myself within the top 20 of the field ducking into the single track. I was in 3rd until we came up on a longer hill and got a pass on Jeremy Waldron and Matt Crawford. I rode in first until 1/4 of the way into the bcak lollipop. Matt Crawford caught me. We yo yo’d until we passed the last aid startion. As we entered the last bit of single track I stoold up to apply a little heat to the situation. Snap chain broke knee sent my garmin flying and I was crushed. I remained calm fixed the chain and was able to hold onto second. Shout out to my team KnobbySideDown and evolution training cycles.”

Josh Kunz (2nd single speed) and Anthony Toops (3rd singleseed) congratulate each other at the finish.

Just a few minutes back Anthony Toops (Paradise Garage) finished in 5:05:07

“This was my first ever single speed endurance race and it was tough! My 32×19 gearing seemed a good balance for the day.

The day started out with some big efforts jockeying for position up the road climb. I managed to just get ahead of Eli Orth and into 3rd place just before the first single track. At the time I thought I was at least 2nd but I didn’t see Josh Kunz sneak past in the pack up the road climb. Apparently he was pulling on the front like a beast!

Most of the day I was racing by myself (around geared racers) until midway through the “lollipop” area of the course. Eli had closed in and was looking strong so I made sure to at least stay on his wheel, which wasn’t an easy task. Eventually I was able to get a gap on the gravel downhills and maintain it through the flat section and all the way until the finish line. It was a tough day and I’m pumped to end up on the podium! Thanks to Paradise Garage for the support!

Looking forward to Mohican 100k SS!”

Masters 50+

Clayton gets the top step in Masters 50+

Jeff Clayton (left) wins Big Frog 65 in Master’s divison. Race director Justin Mace (Center). Roger Masse (right) placed 2nd in Cohutta Master’s

Coming in first, 2016 NUE Master’s champion, Jeff Clayton (Georgia Neurosurgical Institute) in a time of 4:57:46.

“With a lot of rain forecast Thursday before the race I was expecting muddy trails and roads. So, I was pleasantly surprised when taking a hike with my wife on a trail from Thunder Rock campground Friday that the trails and roads were in great shape. A short pre-ride of some of the course later confirmed that. I had an ok start to the race, sticking with the second group heading into the first trail. Unfortunately about 10 minutes in I clipped a pedal and crashed pretty hard. Several racers went by, and more importantly my rhythm/confidence was shaken and knee bruised. By the time I got through the only messy part of the course on the old copper road trail a few more racers had come around. Things started to improve for me and by the time I exited the trails onto the gravel I was feeling better. From there on, I started catching racers consistently. Passing Jorge Cortez gave me a boost as he is a strong Masters racer. I traded some strong pull on the flats/downhills with Jesus Galindez up to the 3^rd aid station and from there summoned my reserves to catch a few more racers on the road up, up ,up to the return of the trails. Feeling pretty strong as I entered the singletrack I relished the fact that I wasn’t in the 100 mile race this year and could really enjoy the trails! I figured Matt Hammond was still ahead in the Masters category, and I wasn’t sure about anybody else including Scott Burrill, who won Masters in 2017, so I gave everything I had all the way to the finish line. It turns out Matt had gone off course on the gravel, so was behind me and I’d already passed Scott so I was chasing a ghost! I really enjoyed returning to the Big Frog race after three years of surviving the Cohutta. The race was very well run and who could ask for a more beautiful day in a more beautiful setting!”

About twelve minutes back was Scott Burrill (Bikeman.com) coming in second at 5:10:20. Rounding out the top three was Matt Hammond in 5:14:01

“Was leading the race more than halfway through and took a wrong turn that cost me about 20 minutes. This occured on the lollipop portion between sag 2 and 3. It would have helped tremendously to have a marshall at this area. I was just following blue tape like we were told to do…. It was my first attempt at this race and it was well attended with may recognizable faces in the cycling community. All in all, I enjoyed the day 😊”

For complete results click here

The next NUE race is Mohican MTB 100 on June 2, 2018 in Loudonville, Ohio. Hope to see you there!

Written by: Jen Toops

MTB Race News

Tag Archives: NUE series

NUE Mohican 100 Mile & 100K

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2019 National Ultra Endurance Series Released

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Cohutta 100: NUE #2

Big Frog 65: NUE Marathon Series #2