Tag Archives: NUE

Big Bear Grizzly 100 Race Report

Posted on by

Nic Beechan and Brenda Simril Roar to the Finish at Big Bear

By Ryan O’Dell

On yet another calm cool morning in the San Bernardino mountains of Southern California, nearly twice as many racers lined up for the second annual NUE Big Bear Grizzly 100. The course received its inspiration from the infamous Terrible 10,000, a ride the local endurance hammerheads have been doing for years. This year’s race featured several shorter distances and some non-competitive rides in addition to the NUE Grizzly 100.

The race kicked off a week-long cycling festival organized by Bear Valley Bikes. Located at 7000 feet above sea level, the charming tourist town of Big Bear has long had a solid reputation as a cycling destination, attracting visitors from the LA Valley and hosting some of the largest national events over many years. Nearby ski resorts offer lifts for cyclists during the summer months accessing the newly developed Skyliner Trail. This year’s race doubled in size with participants coming from 11 different states and several countries including Mexico, Brazil, Hong Kong, Slovenia, Canada, and France.

Specialized Bikes and Lauf Forks offered demo’s throughout the day with live music on the main stage that drew downtown visitors to the race and into an expo area where they could view racers as they finished along a fast paved decent. New Belgium Brewing offered several variety’s of draft brews throughout the day in the beer garden welcoming weary racers and fans with malty, hoppy goodness.

Grizzly 100 start

Grizzly 100 start

Women’s Open

Simril Wins Again!

Defending NUE Race Series Champion, Brenda Simril, Motor Mile Racing, won again this year in her childhood hometown of Big Bear, cheered on by family and friends. Her 6:04:56 finish was nearly a half hour faster than last year. With three straight wins, including the Bailey Hundo and Tatanka, Simril leads the NUE Race Series, needing only one more win to achieve a perfect score and control her destiny in this best four of fourteen race series. Simril also placed third at the season opener True Grit and second at Mohican MTB100.

The only possible hurdle in route to her first NUE Series title will be if another racer can get four wins. If that occurs, The Fool’s Gold 100 in September would serve as a tie breaker to determine the 2015 NUE Series Champion.

Just three minutes behind the defending champion, Marlee Dixon, MTBRaceNews.com/Pivot Bikes, claimed second in 6:07:50. Dixon is currently ranked second overall in the NUE point standings.

Amanda Nauman, SDG-Bellwether/PB Krema Peanut Butter, took third in 6:41:03. In a close race for fourth and fifth, Nikki Peterson, Bear Valley Bikes, edged out Chase Edwards, Flagstaff Bike Revolution, by just thirty three seconds. Peterson finished 6:44:13. “The Grizzly 100 was a fun, epic, incredibly challenging race. I just started racing mountain bikes in January and have been focusing on cross country so my races are typically 20-25 miles long. In fact, last week I competed in Cat 1 Short Track and Cross Country races in Mammoth, CA where I placed sixth and second, respectively!

I did a few 30-40 mile training rides throughout the season but had not done a ride that long. Knowing this, I made sure to go out conservatively so that I could maintain my pace throughout the race. I had issues with my bike the first thirty miles so I used quite a bit more energy than planned. Luckily, I was able to fix my bike with a minor adjustment at the top of Radford and started catching up immediately.

By the time we looped back around to the aid station I had caught Chase. At the time I didn’t realize it and I thought that the sixth place woman had caught me. I led her until mile forty where I started bonking. She passed me and was quickly out of my view! The next five miles I did my best to eat and drink so that I could come back to life.

After making it down Cabin 89 safely I made the U-turn to head up Pineknot and realized that I actually was feeling good! I passed three riders going up and started turning it over as soon as I got to the fire road. On the finally descent I was out of the saddle. I came around a corner and saw the woman I had been with ten miles earlier! I went by her and kept charging as hard as I could. I went by one more rider before crossing the finish line and learned that I ended up fourth!

All in all, the Grizzly 100 was a great time! I had the pleasure of helping behind the scenes in the weeks before AND competing in the race. I am a very lucky girl! The aid stations were great, the riders were encouraging, and the stuffed animal bears are the cutest. I am very thankful that I was able to be a part of such a wonderful event and am already looking forward to next year!”

Edwards finished fifth in 6:44:46 “The Grizzly 100 was an awesome race for three BIG reasons: the flowy, fun single track, the long climbs, and the number of ladies–fast ladies–who showed up to race! My favorite part was racing a fast lady through the stellar Skyline trail.

This trail is so good! It’s a fantastic reward for pushing through the grueling nine-mile Radford hill climb, and it brought a giant smile to my face. In the longer races I do in Arizona, sometimes, I will go the entire race without seeing another woman, so racing this fun descent against another lady made it even more memorable. The finish, which is several miles of fast descending, was also pretty exciting for me. I thought I had pulled far away from Nikki, and then she came out of nowhere, and with the finish line in site, she left me in the dust. It was humbling and awesome!”

At the age of fifteen, she was the final finisher last year, and not long after becoming the 2014 NICA California State Champion. This year, the now 16 year-old Madeline Beamis, Bear Valley Bikes, moved up to sixth place, finishing in 6:57:47 to join the sub-seven hour women. The future of women’s racing is rising fast.

Men's winner Nic Beechan

Men’s winner Nic Beechan

Men’s Open

Beechan gets the win by less than three minutes!

In his first NUE Ultra Endurance race, 24 year old Nic Beechan, Z Racing, from Idyllwild, CA achieved victory in just 5:03:24. “The race began with 10-15 racers bunched at the front. When we hit the first single track descent, the lead pack whittled down to six through various crashes or mechanical problems. Josh Tostado gained a small lead. At the bottom we began the Front Line fire road climb and I closed in on Tostado having five guys at the lead while riding along the Santa Ana River trail.

We played cat and mouse up a small pavement climb section heading into the converse feed station. At the feed station the group stopped, and I saw the opportunity to take the lead on the Radford Road climb. I pulled away and felt strong for the next ten miles, but with fifteen miles yet to go, I began regretting my decision to skip the converse feed station as I began to bonk. I reached the last feed station, filled my bottles, forced down some nutrition, and slowly began feeling better. I continued pushing forward, feeling my competitors closing in. It wasn’t till the top of the Pineknot Trail that I began seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, figuratively, and felt I could retain my lead on the final descent into the finish line.

Racing an ultra-endurance event is something I wanted to try. The Grizzly 100, though a last minute decision, was a must, as it was only a couple hours from my house. I enjoyed the long race, but I would still like to focus on Olympic duration mountain bike races. I have been riding my bike on weekends for the last year and a half, but really only focused on mountain biking during the last couple months. Before then, my focus was running NCAA D1 cross country and track, as a walk-on athlete, while attending University of California Riverside. At this time I have no sponsors, but I really enjoy riding my mountain bike and would love the opportunity to not only get on a supportive team but ultimately work less and ride more.”

The strongman from Colorado, Josh Tostado, Santa Cruz//Swiftwick, lead early in the race until the Radford Climb, finishing just three minutes behind Beechan to place second in 5:06:14. Heading into the race, Tostado was ranked second overall in the NUE point standings with second place finishes at both the High Cascades 100 and the Bailey Hundo. His next appearance at the Pierre’s Hole 100 on August 15 will be critical toward his effort to become the NUE Race Series leader.

Seconds behind Tostado, 28 year-old Brian Scarbrough, Spy/Baghouse, from Lakeside, CA claimed third in 5:06:37. Eric Bostrom, Ridebiker/Cannondale, was in the pack of five throughout much of the race finishing four minutes behind Scarbrough in 5:10:03 to place fourth. Three minutes later, Dana Weber, Stage 21, placed fifth in 5:13:38.

Last year’s race winner, Julien Bourdevaire, Team Black Star Racing, a native of France, finished in 15th place this year at 5:43:32, well off last year’s winning time of 5:00:43 where he edged out two-time US Olympian and Hall of Fame racer, Tinker Juarez, Ridebiker Alliance, by seconds in the Grizzly 100 NUE debut.

 

Single Speed Open

LaFramboise crushes the SS Again!

Allan “The Rasberry” LaFramboise, Don’s Bikes/Bike for Bender, crushed the SS field once again with a commanding victory in 5:33:58, twenty minutes faster than last year! “Once again, the Big Bear Grizzly 100 did not disappoint! This year’s course stacked up some of the best riders and single track trails in all of SoCal. It included two full sections of the SART (Santa Ana River Trail) and the entire length of the freshly built Skyline Trail. These trails are packed with flowing single track love, twisty turns and incredible 7000+ft views.

Right out of the gates the Seven Oaks trail took some riders out of the equation. This was a steep, single track descent that you had to be on your game for. And yes, once again we had to climb the dreaded Radford Jeep Trail to get out of the valley – a 9%, 45 minute incline that left some riders on their knees. Thankfully the aid stations were packed with goodies to help us all keep our hydration and electrolyte levels high.

In the end, I actually had a pretty good race. I battled with the leaders for as long as I could and managed to land the SS win. And just in case you were wondering, I ran a fully rigid Intense Hard Eddie with the easiest gearing I’ve ever used, 34:22, so I was hating life on the fire roads but cruising with ease up the climbs. If you ride SS, then you know what I’m talking about. If I had to do it again however, I would probably choose the same setup, minus the rigid fork. Don’t miss out next year as this event is growing fast and the trails in SoCal are to just getting better!”

Driz Cook, Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation, was next finishing 5:57:41 for second place. Eighteen minutes behind Cook, Chas Beam, Team Ninja, from San Diego took third in 6:15:58.

Lee and Brenda Simril

Lee and Brenda Simril

Masters 50+ Open

Andrews is BACK to BACK at Grizzly!

54-year-old Doug “The Hulk” Andrews, Rock N’ Road Cyclery, coming off a second place finish at the Tatanka 100, made a triumphant return at the Grizzly to capture his first victory in the NUE Series this season. Andrews, the 2011 NUE Series Masters Champion, nicknamed the Hulk for a habit of crushing the field by as much as two hours, held a full twenty-one minute lead over second place to finish 5:44:10. Last year, Andrews won following successful surgery and weeks of recovery after suffering from a twisted small intestine earlier in the season that threatened his life.

The former champion indicated that he is still considering a run at the NUE title but faces next to impossible odds against NUE Defending Champion, Roger Masse, Rare Disease Cycling, who just earned a perfect score by claiming his fourth straight win at the Wilderness 101 in PA. Andrews indicated that his path to victory may include a trip to compete at the Rincon Challenge in Costa Rica where he will face Masse, then two straight weeks of racing at Shenandoah and Fool’s Gold 100. “It’s great to see an NUE event in Southern California. For those of you wondering, this course is on par with many of the other great NUE courses and worth the trip out.”

Following his first ever NUE win at Tatanka, 50 year-old Coach Lee Simril, Motor Mile Racing, placed second finishing 6:05:04, further improving his standing in the NUE Point Series. “Big Bear CA is an amazing place with amazing people. Dede, Derek, Tom, and the rest of the staff and volunteers do a professional job of putting on the Grizzly races.

During last year’s race Brenda dropped me going up the Radford Road climb and I finished the rest of the race with my sad face on. This year would be a different story, right? I would be super fit and Radford would be no problem, right? Well, this year I hung in on Radford, but it was a problem!

For me the best part of the course is the 7 Oaks descent, because it is so unique. It is steep, narrow, loose and always close to the edge. I love this descent. Last year we got caught in traffic and inched our way to the bottom; this year we agreed on riding a little harder to the top in order to have a cleaner run on the downhill. Our plan worked well until about two thirds of the way down when I caught up to Brenda who was slowed by a couple of riders in front of her. This plan of a faster start may or may not have helped our overall race, but it sure made 7 Oaks more fun and is that not what this mountain bike crap is all about?

I gave away years of my life to hang onto B during this year’s race, but I knew we were riding fast and this would help me in my placing in the 50 plus category. As it turns out it did help, but there was no dealing with Doug Andrews on this day. I said hello to Doug at the start and at the finish and that was it. He was on fire like that girl with the bow and arrow.

The Race Director, Derek, changed the 100k course this year and I believe he nailed it. The new course moved the Radford climb from the end of the course to the middle and added miles of amazing singletrack to the end.

Being in Big Bear is good for me. I am not sure what it is about this place but I always want to extend our rides in Big Bear. The weather always seems to be nice and the trails are so convenient to town. We leave B’s parent’s cabin and are on sweet trails within fifteen minutes of neighborhood road riding.

This is a family trip for B as her family lives in SoCal. The day after the race we were able to go for a nice hike with B’s two sisters and her niece and even got to SUP on Big Bear Lake as the sun set. Big Bear is a special place and in my opinion a great place for an NUE race. Come out next year and bring the sunscreen.”

One minute behind Simril, 56 year-old Ken Winston, UC Cyclery/JW Floors, from San Diego claimed the third podium spot finishing 6:06:41.

Twenty minutes behind Winston, 51 year-old David Strauch, Team Chill Mountain, took fourth in 6:26:51. Six minutes later, 56 year-old David Jolin, Stark Velo, from Belleville, Ohio claimed the fifth and final spot on the podium to finish 6:32:23.

NEXT:

NUE Race Series #10, Pierre’s Hole 100 in Alta, Wyoming on August 15

NUE Race Series #11, Hampshire 100 in Greenfield, New Hampshire on August 16

 

Results

Open Men

1, Nic Beechan Z-Racing 5.03.24
2, Josh Tostado Santa Cruz/Swiftwick 5.06.14
3, Brian Scarbrough Spy/Baghouse 5.06.37
4, Eric Bostrom Ridebiker Alliance 5.10.03
5, Dana Weber Stage 21 5.13.38
6, Tim Eaton Nations Interbanc 5.17.27
7, John Nobil Bear Valley Bikes 5.22.18
8, Ryan Steers Pedalers Fork 5.23.09
9, Daniel Munoz Baghouse/Rock n Road 5.25.27
10, Ryan Clark Stage 21 5.26.14
11, Greg Gibson TruckerCo/Bear Valley Bikes 5.32.23
12, Jesse Kelly Toasted Head 5.38.47
13, Romolo Forcino Chains Required 5.38.47
14, Phil Kelly All Pro Bicycles 5.38.55
15, Stuart Gonzalez Bear Valley Bikes 5.39.51
16, Julien Bourdevaire Team Blackstar Racing 5.43.32
17, Alfred Pacheco Novatec 5.47.53
18, Chad Barlett Monster Media Racing 5.51.06

Open Women

1, Brenda Simril Motor Mile Racing 6.04.56
2, Marlee Dixon Pivot/Epic Brewing 6.07.50
3, Amanda Nauman SDG/Bellweather 6.41.03
4, Nikki Peterson Bear Valley Bikes 6.44.13
5, Chase Edwards Flagstaff Bike Revolution 6.44.46
6, Madeline Bemis Bear Valley Bikes 6.57.47
7, Holly Breck Incycle 7.15.14
8, Erin Machan Wattie Ink 7.44.38
9, Timari Pruis Kenda/Pivot Cycles 7.58.43
10, Catherine Wolff Full Circle 8.47.13
11, Debra McCurdy Rokform 8.47.41
12, Catherine Hinton 9.08.55

 

High Cascades 100 – Full Results & Report

Posted on by

Barry Wicks Sprints for the Win at High Cascades as Serena Gordon Rules the Women’s Field

By Ryan O’Dell

 The Seventh Annual High Cascades 100 marked the midway point of the 14 race National Ultra Endurance MTB Race Series with yet another sold out NUE event. The HC100 begins at Bachelor Village, near Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon. Bend has become a well-known mountain bike destination with hundreds of miles of singletrack trails connecting nearby towns.

Deschutes Brewery, one of the top rated micro brewerys in the US, was onsite at the finish line serving up draft brews including Twilight Ale and newly developed Pinedrops IPA. Sagebrush Cycles of Bend, in addition to offering mechanical services on the race course, also offered racers a place to ship their bikes that included getting the bike race ready and inspected before the race.

Serena Gordon stays focused while out front - Photo by Alan Brandt Photography

Serena Gordon stays focused while out front – Photo by Alan Brandt Photography

Women’s Open

Gordon Crushes HC100!

Serena Bishop Gordon, LIV/Giant Co-Factory Team, crushed the field by nearly an hour to finish 8:32:42. “Mike Ripley and the Mudslinger Events out-did themselves once again with great course design, amazing volunteers, and an after-party that made racers and their families want to hang out for hours.

Recent rains made for ideal trail conditions and I was excited for a long day of racing when we rolled out of the Athletic Club of Bend at 5:35am on Saturday. I tucked into the large group and drafted until we turned onto the dirt and started to climb. My goal was to ride within myself all day, keep to my fueling and hydration plan and to arrive at each aid station before any of my female competitors. Once we started climbing, I never saw another woman, and I never looked over my shoulder. Instead, I looked forward and tried to pick off the men in front of me, working to catch them one at a time.

I felt really strong on the climbs and tried to relax and recover on the descents. Breaking the race up into sections made all the difference; looking at the race as a whole would have been too overwhelming. It wasn’t until the Edison aid station (mile 80) that I started to feel the fatigue of a long day in the saddle. At this point, I just stayed focused and position – and set mini-goals.

I had told my coach, Brig Brandt, I wanted to finish in a time of 8:30. When I crossed the finish line and stopped my Garmin, it read 8:29. The official clock was at 8:32 – pretty darn close!”

Coming off a third place finish at the Mohican MTB100 in Ohio and fourth place at the Bailey Hundo in Colorado, Marlee Dixon, Pivot/Epic Brewing, took second to finish 9:21:33. Dixon is currently ranked fourth in the NUE point standings.

Julie Browning, CyclePath Racing, of Portland placed third at 9:31:45, winning the HC100 Vet 40+ Women’s Cat in the process. “This was my second 100 mile mountain bike race, my first one being HC100 the previous year. That first race was more about seeing whether I could finish in one piece. I finished just a hair under 10 hours and missed the Masters podium by a few seconds and thought, OK, I can do this again.

This year, I knew what I was getting myself into and was ready both mentally and physically to race, not just finish and made a few changes to my training and to my bike: dropper seat post, Racing Ralph Tires with snakeskin sidewalls (2.35 on the front and 2.25 on the rear) along with a Garmin to better gauge the time to the aid stations and the length of the climbs.

I started off conservatively, making the most of the flats and the downhills, but riding steady on any up hills. By aid station 3 (56 miles), I was feeling great and knew that there was a downhill section to look forward to. I was descending well (thanks to the dropper post and tires) and pushed it for over an hour on the swooping fun descent that took you right up to the next aid station at mile 70 before a tough climb.

My teammates had warned me about the Lava Lakes climb and I had built it up in my head as something that was totally un-rideable so I was pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t a sustained climb, but rather a stair stepped climb. It was still tough and required some walking though! I hit a few of the lava rocks a little hard and was so thankful my tires held up. Afterwards I heard that a bunch of riders weren’t so lucky and hobbled into aid station 5 with shredded tires.

After that final aid station at mile 80, I didn’t see anyone for quite some time which made me wonder if I was still on course! Then I caught up to another rider who told me he thought I was in third place overall. I had no idea! From there it was a race to the finish to hold onto that third place, which I did, crossing the finish line in 9:31:45. I loved the course and it suited me well. I’m amazed at how fast time flies when you are so focused (and having fun).

What made the race even more special was to have my family there supporting me in the aid stations and also a bunch of my Cyclepath team mates there racing and supporting. Everyone on the team had some personal victories that day. Good times and huge thanks to Mike and his crew for putting on such a great event and big thanks to the awesome mechanics at Cyclepath for keeping my bike running.”

Rebecca Rusch, Niner/Red Bull, placed fourth in 9:38:10. Rusch, known as “The Queen of Pain” among many recently published a book titled “Rusch to Glory” that features her exploits in the world of endurance racing. Her book is now available for just $20 at www.rebeccarusch.com.

The youngest woman to ever finish an NUE race at the age of 16, Susannah Hart, Hapi-Go, now 18, completed the race in11:26:09. “Susannah emerged from the race saying once again that her favorite part was the climb out of Lava Lake. According to her father, Brian Hart, “Favorite” was strangely absent from the choice words I heard from many of the other racers when we served them at the Edison aid station.”

Overall in the NUE Race Series point standings, Defending NUE Champion, Brenda Simril, Motor Mile Racing, leads the Women’s Open with back to back wins at Tatanka 100 and Bailey Hundo plus second place at the Mohican MTB100 and a third place at True Grit Epic.

Barry Wicks is shadowed by Josh Tostado - Photo by Alan Brandt Photography

Barry Wicks is shadowed by Josh Tostado – Photo by Alan Brandt Photography

 

Men’s Open

Wick’s wins in a sprint finish

Barry Wicks, Kona, finished first in a close race that came down to a sprint finish with the strong man from Colorado. Wick’s finished in 7:50:50, just seconds ahead of NUE contender Josh Tostado, Santa Cruz/Swiftwick, who rolled in six seconds back with dust flying at 7:50:56.

According to Tostado, “I just had a great race and enough at the end to catch Barry and ride strong for the last hour. It was fun to sprint it out at the end.” Next for Tostado are the Big Bear Grizzly 100 and the Pierrie’s Hole 100. Josh Oppenheimer, TruWhip Cycling, came in just five minutes behind Tostado for third place at 7:55:55.

Fifteen minutes later, Brent Pontius, Roosters/Biker’s Edge, took fourth at 8:10:54. Two minutes separated fourth and fifth place with Christopher Jones, United Healthcare Pro Cycling, finishing 8:17:11 ahead of Matt Woodruff, Kuhl/Salsa Cycles, at 8:19:50.

The youngest NUE race finisher ever at the age of just thirteen, Brian Hart Jr., Hapi-Go, now 15 years old improved his finish time by more than three hours in the Men’s open at 9:54:35. The future of NUE has arrived! Hart says he may also enter the Mohican MTB100 in 2016.

Overall in the NUE Race Series point standings, Keck Baker, Champsys/Cannondale P/b Battley, leads the Men’s Open Division with four completed races, including a win at True Grit Epic and second place at the Mohican MTB100.

 

Single Speed Open

Shaklee gets a decisive win at High Cascades!

Ben Shaklee, Jack’s Bicycle Center/Homegrown Racing, stepped up his game and had sixteen minutes to spare when it was all said and done finishing the race in 8:18:21, good enough for seventh overall. Last year, Shaklee finished third behind NUE’s top contender AJ Linnell, Fitzgerald’s Bicycle, and Jace Ives.

31 year old Jace Ives, Bear Creek Bicycle/Syntace/SQ Lab, from Ashland, OR who earned his first win at the HC100 last year with six minutes to spare finished 8:34:18. “I knew coming into this year’s race I was lacking fitness. Even though I crammed pretty well during June, taking April and May mostly off would no doubt slow my pace. Early on, before racers turned onto the first dirt road, I position myself in the front (planning to avoid the dust, which there was little to none this year). I maintained in a front group of ten for a bit, then began to slip off the back. Soon, Ben Shaklee said hello while passing, then bridged up to the front group. Two other SS riders came by. I came through Aid 1 shortly after the three SS riders, but could not catch up to them. At this point my legs began to feel like they would at mile eighty, sore and tense.

I continued on slowly, frustrated at slight inclines, and happy when I could coast. I thought it strange to feel this level of fatigue early on; I thought I was in a bit better shape. From Swampy to the top of Swede Ridge I was pretty much by myself. After riding through the masticated, debris strewn dirt road climb, I tuned onto the trail and felt my legs slowly release themselves of the icky heavy feeling. I caught up to two other SS riders and several geared riders while climbing to Dutchman. I passed a few more on Metolius Windigo before the aid near Lava Lake. My legs where feeling crazy better, but by that time I was already beginning to become overall quite tired.

Climbing up Edison Lava trail, after passing a couple guys, I pulled over for a whizz, and to my surprise I saw another rider pushing a hard pace up the steep loose terrain. It was Serena Bishop Gordon! I got going again and caught up, but I could hardly keep up with her on the climbs and descents. She is one helluva good descender. I made it through the lava rocks without injury or shredding a tire. While negotiating the loose rocky terrain, I remembered back to last year’s race, when, after finishing, I suggested to Race Director Mike Ripley to bring the loop back around Mt. Bachelor, the lava section. Well here it is back in the race, the lava. Fun, yes? What the hell was I thinking?!

I overcame Serena and another rider before Tiddlywinks trail. I proceeded down the more Funner than Funner trail at an efficient pace, floating some of the tables and doubles. I came out on the road by myself and continued for a few miles spinning alone. I saw Serena and a male rider were coming up fast. Great, I thought, I can jump in with them. I hear them coming, so I increase my pace, and check back, but before I could react I see the guy passing me, standing up and sprinting, dropping Serena and not even giving me a chance to catch on. That was selfish I thought (even though, I selfishly wanted a pull). Somehow, after ninety three miles of dusty, twisty, rocky, and rooty trail, these final miles on a nearly flat road seemed the most annoying and difficult for me. I work hard to pass peeps up and down the trail, then get dropped on a long flat road. Suck it up ya dope, I told myself, you chose this archaic bike.

I finished a couple minutes after the racers who passed on the road, but a long time after Ben Shaklee. He hammered. Even if I did not miss two months of training in the spring, I think keeping up with his pace would be uncomfortable and difficult. Overall, I was surprised how horrible my legs felt for the first third of the track and surprised that I caught back up to finish in second place. Once again, I was just stoked to play bikes in Bend for a hundred miles!”

Twenty minutes behind Ives, Tom Flynn, Pro Leisure, finished 8:54:07. Four minutes behind Flynn, Cole Anderson took the fifth spot at 8:58:00.

Overall in the NUE Race Series point standings, Peat Henry, Team Noah Foundation, leads the SS Class with 21 points over five completed races.

 

Masters 50+ Open

Tonning refuses to settle for second place in 2015!

Following a second place finish at the HC100 last year, Wayne Tonning, Multnomah Athletic Club, from Lake Oswego, OR managed to outlast last year’s winner to settle the score at 8:38:50.

Just four minutes behind Tonning, last year’s race winner and NUE Race Series Contender, 52-year-old Greg Golet, Team Chico, from Chico, CA finished in 8:42:30. After the race, Golet commented that he felt he really needed this win to contend for the NUE title and is now re-evaluating whether it is still possible for him to win the series. Golet gained his first victory this year at the Bailey Hundo but also has a second place finish at True Grit Epic.

2013 NUE Master’s Champion, Marland Whaley, Hammer Nutrition/Red Barn Bicycles, rolled in six minutes behind Golet to take third on the day at 8:48:58. “I’ve been somewhat scarce due to an injury to my left arm that forced me to pull from True Grit and Cohutta 100.  I went to Bailey and really enjoyed the race, but the last minute course change caused me to miscalculate my aid station support and left me running on fumes and getting my second camelback with only seven miles to go.

The HC 100 went somewhat better after dealing with some mechanical issues in the first thirty miles and a really big crash at speed just before Lava Lake that I thought, at first, was ending my day. After pulling branches out of my front wheel, I got back in pursuit moving up twenty places from Swampy to Lava. Coming into Lava, I made my last final mistake thinking I had enough in my camelback to get to Edison. There was a small crowd at the aid station so I decided to go for it. Much to my dismay, I took my last suck of fuel and hydration just 200 yards past the aid station.

Half way up the Lava Lakes climb, Greg Golet passed me back for second place when I was just trying to hang on and make it to Edison. After Edison, it took about two miles to get revived again and I was able to make a fast trip back to Bend.

This is the only other NUE race I will be doing this year because I’m off to Leadville next month. On a whim, I used a chance to visit my Dad and show my wife the Grand Canyon as an excuse to go to do the Barn Burner 104 qualifier. I didn’t expect much since it would be my third ultra-distance race in as many weeks but thought it would be fun. To my surprise, it was a day winning my class and earning a gold tier starting position with my finishing time. With this possibly being a once in a lifetime starting position for me, I decided to go for it.

So far, Bailey Hundo and the HC 100 have been training races without taper for me to prepare for Leadville. I’ve come into both races very fit but not really fast from building fatigue. I will taper for Leadville in two weeks and hopefully it will all come together as planned. Regardless of the outcome, it’s hard to watch some of my favorite races go by and I will be back soon.”

It was a close race for the four and five spots but Robert Wilson took fourth place by just six seconds at 9:38:05 ahead of David Caplan, Webcyclery, who finished in 9:38:11.

 

Next up for the NUE Race Series: Two unique races east and west.

EAST: Rock Solid-The rocky goodness of the Wilderness 101 in State College, PA.

WEST: The Big Bear Grizzly 100 in Big Bear, CA.

Click Here for full results from all categories

 

Tatanka 100 – NUE #6

Posted on by

Jamie Lamb and Brenda Simril Take the Open Titles in South Dakota

By Ryan O’Dell

On Saturday, July 11, The Kenda NUE Series headed to Sturgis, South Dakota, home of the world’s largest motorcycle rally. This year, Tatanka also became the first point to point race in the NUE Series with the start line located within the shadow of USA National Landmark Mount Rushmore.

Beneath the magnificence of mammoth rock sculptures representing four of our nation’s greatest presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, NUE racer’s made their way down the Centennial Trail along a mix of gnarly single track and fast, smooth cruising trail all the way to Sturgis, nestled at the base of the northern Black Hills in extreme western South Dakota. Due to the added difficulty of this year’s race course, Race Director Kevin Forrester opted to shorten the race distance from 100 miles to 80 miles.

Due to an unusual amount of rainfall leading up to race day, some small portions of the trail were rerouted. Temperatures this year reached an unseasonable high of 93 degrees but were tempered by low humidity and strong breezes throughout the day.

Riders line up for the start with open men's winner Jamie Bush (#73) on the front - photo by John Bush

Riders line up for the start with open men’s winner Jamie Bush (#73) on the front – photo by John Bush

Women’s Open

Simril makes it two straight at Tatanka, and leads the NUE Series!

Following her most recent win at the Bailey Hundo in Colorado, defending NUE Race Series Champion, Brenda Simril, Motor Mile Racing, notched her second straight win at Tatanka by a large margin to finish 8:53:19. Simril now leads the NUE Series this year with back to back wins plus a second place finish at the Mohican 100 in Ohio and a third place finish at True Grit Epic in Utah.

Following her third place finish at the Lumberjack 100 in Michigan, Jill Martindale, Grand Rapids Bicycle Co., finished second at Tatanka in 10:47:36. Martindale has also moved into second place overall in the NUE Race Series. “I knew going into the race that the course was going to be hilly, a lot rockier than I had ever experienced, and really hot. Since there were a lot of unknowns during this race, my top priority was to just finish!

I knew if I crashed in the beginning it would hurt me for the long haul, so I rode within my limits and safely through the rocks at the start of the race. I entered the single track a decent ways back from Brenda and didn’t actually think I’d see her again, knowing she was used to the heat and the terrain. Before the first aid station, on a rocky downhill, I was passed by Beverly from Hammer Nutrition. It looked like the rocks were giving her as hard of a time as they were giving me, and I tried to stick close behind her, but also paid attention to my body and let back on the gas when I felt like the heat was getting too intense. The last thing I wanted was to overheat and to burn all my matches!

Once I hit the midpoint of the race, I knew I had a decent amount of energy left and was able to pass some racers who had burned out at the beginning of the race. When I passed a friend who had gone out too hard at the start of the race, he tried to shout that I was in second place, but I didn’t hear him. So I actually kept chasing Beverly, hoping to catch her! It probably lucked out in my favor, having a rabbit to chase, because it kept me focused. Beverly had taken a wrong turn and wound up coming through the finish a little while after me. The heat didn’t get to me as bad as some other racers I passed. I made sure to stay extra hydrated and drank a lot. If I started feeling exhausted, I just took it back a notch until I felt better. I paced myself really well for this race.

The highlights of the race for me were the shuttled start to Mount Rushmore, the free-roaming cattle (riding over the cattle guards was so much fun!), and all of the incredible views! The course was absolutely beautiful and the downhills made the climbing entirely worth it. I’m pretty sure every race should have river crossings. On the second crossing I dunked my entire head, helmet and all, into the river. IT WAS AWESOME! I had a really great attitude the entire race, thoroughly enjoyed every part of it, and will definitely be back!

I saw a lot of people out there with flats and was so happy to be riding with my Velocity Blunt SS wheels and tires with a durable sidewall.”

Beverly Enslow, Team Hammer Nutrition, took the third spot on the podium at 11:48:30. Former NUE Race Series Champion, Amanda Carey, Luna Sunscreen, was registered to race but an unresolved bike issue reportedly prevented her from being ready for Tatanka. Carey, who won the Cohutta 100 and placed second at True Grit Epic earlier this season, is expected to defend last years win at the High Cascades 100 in Bend, OR next weekend.

Riders stop to take in a truly unique experience at the base of Mount Rushmore - Photo by John Bush

Riders stop to take in a truly unique experience at the base of Mount Rushmore – Photo by John Bush

 

Men’s Open

Lamb gets his first NUE win at Tatanka!

Jamie Lamb, Bicisport Calgary, started strong and finished strong gaining his first win in the NUE Series at 7:11:13. Early in the race, Lamb stuck to the wheel of Kelly Magelky, Honey Stinger, breaking away from the pack to build a significant lead. Late in the race, the heat would take its toll on Magelky who dropped out at Aid four.

Jesse Kelly, Toasted Head Racing, moved up to place second at 7:51:53. Six minutes later, Nathan Collier, Pedal Pushers Racing, worked hard to take the three spot in 7:57:56.

The next several racers jockeyed for position throughout the race but in the end it was Rob Batey, Feedback Sports, claiming fourth at 8:22:55. Just five seconds separated fifth and sixth place with Kevin Campbell, Spokes-n-Skis, arriving at 8:26:20 and Tim Lutz, 92Fifty Cyclery, finishing sixth at 8:26:25. Two minutes later, Brian Roggeveen, Momentum Racing, took the seventh and final spot in 8:28:51.

Two-time Tatanka winner and local favorite, James Meyer, Quark/SRAM, from nearby Spearfish, SD placed thirteenth at 9:02:21. Two-time US Olympian and Hall of Fame racer Tinker Juarez, who placed second overall in the NUE Series last year, was on the start list but sidelined following a bad crash at a recent race in Mexico suffering a cracked pelvis. Juarez is improving now but expected to be out for at least five weeks. He was scheduled to compete at the upcoming High Cascades 100 and Big Bear Grizzly 100.

 

Single-Speed

Trent earns his first NUE win at Tatanka!

Richie Trent took a decisive victory in the SS, finishing in 8:01:45, placing fourth overall! “After leaving Mt. Rushmore, the short “climb” that was more of a false flat, that led into the first section of trail almost immediately, did little to spread the field out. Almost immediately there would be deep mud pits which had most riders getting off of their bikes. This would be the theme of the day, an adventure mountain bike race at its best. No watered down flow trail here.

I worked my way up in the first 5-10 miles to try and get some clear air. The first hour was mostly heinous, rocky, hike-a-bikes. On and off the bike constantly, I rode into aid one with Jesse Kelly. We had no idea what position we were in. After aid one I was caught by a few others on the flats that had the benefit of gears! Once the climbing started back up, I was quickly back and onto Jesse Kelly’s wheel again. We rode together for some number of miles, at one point blowing past a turn in the trail, which led us into a meadow and up a big hike-a-bike. At the top the trail fizzled out and we saw no course markings, so were forced to double back, losing around ten minutes.

Once we were back on the trail, I passed Kelly and spent the next hour regaining a few lost positions. At aid two, I was told the next guy was only a minute or so ahead. It was Nathan Collier, and I would find and pass him within a few miles. Reaching aid three I was really beginning to feel the heat. Water was a hot commodity at this point, and I was depleting my reserves much quicker than usual. I was told Magelky was only a few minutes ahead, which really surprised me.

Collier caught me at aid three and took off before me, but I was back on his wheel and passed within a mile or so. I could tell that he was focused and intent on making this a race. The middle 30-40 miles of the course involved a lot of fast double track and mud! With so many mud-pits and water, I was really enjoying the adventure aspect of this race. Unfortunately, at around hour five (mile 55), I began to really feel the heat and was out of water for a solid hour. Coming into aid four there were at least four knee-deep stream crossings. Completely out of gas and overheated, I was loving walking through the cool water.  At the last stream crossing, Jesse Kelly caught me and said Collier was close behind. We reached aid four together and were told we were in 2nd and 3rd.  I had no idea we were that far up.

Jesse took off and had way more steam than me. From this point the trail mostly pointed down. Miles and miles of super fun, sometimes flowy, sometimes steep and rocky and fairly technical singletrack, the entire way back to Sturgis. I had been running on fumes and dealing with massive leg and body cramps for hours at this point, and with about three miles to the finish, Collier caught me to take back third place. After not having raced in a year, I was super excited to take 1st SS and fourth overall. The Tatanka course was one-of-a-kind and a phenomenal experience.”

Thirty-six minutes later, Pete Henry, Team Noah Foundation, claimed second place dedicating his finish to two-time Tatanka winner and NUE Race Series contender, A.J. Linnell, Fitzgerald’s Bicycles/Pivot Cycles, of Victor, ID who died tragically earlier this year in a plane crash. Henry finished the race in 8:37:25, moving into first place in the NUE Race Series point standings.

Thirteen minutes behind Henry, Tyler Huber, BCBC/Larson’s Cyclery, took third in 8:50:09. Thirty minutes later, Ernesto Marenchin, Pivot Cycles, Twin 6, WAS Labs, took fourth at 9:20:21 moving up to fourth place overall in the NUE Race Series point standings.

“Last year’s race course was nothing but spikes in elevation with very little flat spots. This year’s course had approximately 10,000 feet of vertical according to my profile. After a short transport from Sturgis, we arrived at Rushmore. It was awesome having the entire Mount Rushmore monument open just for our start as it was not open for visitors at the early time of day. There were a few rollers on the road before we hit the single track and the first and highest climb of the day was roughly around 5800 feet.

I ended up running a 35×20 based off of last year’s profile and was soon debating if I had picked the right gear. It had some hike and bike on the first climbs but the temps were cool and it was early, so I hoped the steepness would back off a little and it did. I started to pick off a few riders here and there and soon I was riding alone starting around mile 25 or so. I would ride with riders not for very long as either the descent was too fast for me to keep their pace or the steepness was too great and I had to keep the pace rolling.

The views on course were awesome and coming from the Ohio area and not getting to see these areas often, I have to admit I slowed my pace to take in the view on more than one occasion. Soon, the heat started bumping up and I slowed my pace a bit to avoid getting overheated as it rose to just over 90 degrees. Four deep and cool water crossings had me feeling awesome again coming into aid station three sitting in third place. I ended up taking a wrong turn, but got back on track right about the time the heat hit me pretty hard. I would end up fourth on the day, a tough and epic day!”

Singlespeed finisher Jason Zoll may have missed the podium by a few spots on Saturday but was fortunate to be chosen as the winner of a new Lauf Fork. Lauf is offering a fork to one lucky singlespeed winner at each NUE race this season. Weighing in at just 4.3lbs, Lauf Forks have been ridden to victory by five-time NUE SS Champion Gerry Pflug and NUE Series contender A.J. Linnell.

 

Lee Simril reaches into his back pocket in the shadows of Mount Rushmore - Photo by Jennifer Bush

Lee Simril reaches into his back pocket in the shadows of Mount Rushmore – Photo by Jennifer Bush

Master’s 50+

Simril gets his first NUE Race win!

50 year old Lee Simril, Motor Mile Racing, husband and coach of defending Women’s Champion Brenda Simril, took his turn in the spotlight by earning his first ever win in the NUE Race Series at Tatanka at 8:53:23. With his win at Tatanka, Simril has moved into third place overall in the NUE Race Series point standings.

“If you like mountain biking on rugged single track this race is for you. I have come to somewhat loath the term “flowing singletrack”. Do not concern yourself that you will OD on flowy singletrack on this course, you will not. On the other hand if you like physical, rocky, technical trails, this course is for you. The course requires you to concentrate the whole race. You will have little to no time to sit up, stretch your back and eat. Brenda and I are lucky that this is the type of riding that we love, because we accidentally “trained” for this course by going out and having fun on the weekends.

This would be our third Tatanka 100. From the comfort of my couch this year’s revised course looked amazing. The new course would have basically no pavement or gravel! Before the race I wondered about time cutoffs and whether or not it was even possible to ride 100 miles of singletrack before the sun sets. I did learn that the course would be more like 85 miles, which seemed reasonable because of the amount of singletrack.

The idea still sounded great, but I knew it would be hard. I also knew it would be hard to eat and drink. Brenda and I tend to eat “normal” food during races. Stuff like PBJs, crackers, etc. This type of food makes my stomach and brain happy, but it was a real challenge to eat on this all singletrack course.

The race start was typical; it always seems so damn fast. We all fight for seconds during the first hour but give up minutes like they are meaningless in the last hours. Before the race I knew the last few hours of the new race course could make or break your day. It is one thing to lock into survival mode on a rail / trail but it is another thing to just ride along in survival mode on singletrack. I knew that if we could charge during the last few hours of the race we would have a good day.

Brenda and I have each been participating in endurance sports for the last 30 years and the NUE series for the last 7 years. If we have not learned a thing or two we would not be very smart. We now have a pretty good idea of what we need to do during the fall, winter, and then spring to be best prepared for an NUE season. That said this season has been different. I will not bore you with the details because we all have issues of one type or another. I will just say this year has been one of starts and stops.

Before the 2015 Tatanka I felt like we were pretty well good to go. We had strung together a few good weeks of riding and combined that with a couple of hard races. This combination of riding and racing is what we feel like is the best prep for a race like Tatanka. All of this said I still honestly am scared of NUE racing and always just hope to survive the day. The races are so damn hard I never feel capable of racing the course. Maybe it is just my way of dealing with what I know will be a hard day.

As Brenda manages to get faster through the year it pushes me to get fitter. We could just strike a deal and agree to ride an hour or two slower, but she does not seem interested in such a deal. This is my first year in the 50 plus category. The new category does bring a fun element to the year, but my biggest goal is still to hang on to Brenda for the whole race. I do not yet know all of the guys in my new category, so this year has been fun meeting and trying to ride with them. The 50 plus category is fast. I still do not know what Roger Masse looks like in his race kit, he is always showered and in his loafers by the time I finish.”

Former NUE Masters Champion, 54 year old Doug “The Hulk” Andrews, Rock N’ Road Cyclery, had a commanding lead early and throughout much of the race before making a wrong turn between aid 3 and 4 that cost him precious time. Andrews, nicknamed the Hulk for repeatedly crushing the masters field at many NUE races by as much as two hours, dropped back into the three spot. It wasn’t until sometime after aid four that Andrews made a late pass on John George to move up to second place at 9:21:21. Andrews plans to compete at the upcoming Big Bear Grizzly 100 July 25.

Just two minutes behind Andrews, 60 year old John George, Mountain Wave, hung on for third place at 9:23:44. 23 minutes later, 50 year old Alan Minor, Banks Bikes-Outdoor Gear Canada, took fourth in 9:56:01 and now sits in fourth place overall in the NUE Point standings behind Simril.

NEXT: The KENDA NUE Race Series heads due west for The High Cascades 100 near Bend, Oregon on Saturday, July 18. Like most of the NUE Races this season, The HC100 is sold out but racers can get on a waiting list to enter. http://nuemtb.com/series/high-cascades-100-ultra-endurance-mountainbike-race

Click Here for full results from all categories

 

Lumberjack 100 – Manistee, MI

Posted on by

Schworm and Stickle Get the Axe at the Lumberjack 100

The 2015 Founders Brewing Lumberjack 100 welcomed 450 racers under brilliant sunshine on an unseasonably cold Michigan morning. The pre-race buzz was filled with chatter and excitement about the legend, Two Time US Olympian, Tinker Juarez and world class ultra-endurance mountain bike racer Sonya Looney who were both competing in this year’s race. Unfortunately, just two days before the race, Sonya crashed leaving her with a wrist injury that reluctantly forced her to pull the plug on racing.

The Lumberjack racecourse is located within the Manistee National forest which is just under a million acres of solid hardwood forest. The 33-mile loop is 90% singletrack with hard-packed, sandy soil and rolling hills that challenge racers with close to 3,000 feet of climbing per lap.

Many hundred-milers start slow, not at the Lumberjack however. Photo by Jack Kunnen

Many hundred-milers start slow, not at the Lumberjack however. Photo by Jack Kunnen

Even with the crisp morning temps it didn’t take long for things to heat up as Juarez (Ridebiker Alliance), Mike Simonson, and Brian Schworm (Green’s Toyota) kicked it up off the line with speeds pushing the upper 20’s for the mile and a half roll out to the trail.

The lead group pushed a pace of 16.5 mph for the first lap and came through the start finish with a selection of 14 racers clustered together at 2:12. Christian Tanguy attacked on the second lap and tore a hole in the lead group whittling the leaders down to six racers.

As they crossed the mat finishing lap two it was Tanguy, Juarez, Wakeley, Schworm, Vanias and Baker that were the sole survivors of the attack. Lap three saw more attacks on the hills leaving just Tanguy, Wakeley, Juarez and Schworm intact at the mid lap aid station.

Mike Simonson grinds his way up the Fire Tower Hill. Photo by Jack Kunnen

Mike Simonson grinds his way up the Fire Tower Hill. Photo by Jack Kunnen

 

With less than ten miles to go it was Brian Schworm who attacked, dropping Juarez and Wakeley, and continued to apply the pressure until he shook off Tanguy and cruised across the finish line at 6:27:39 (1:13 ahead of second place).

The women’s open field saw Rhonda Stickle (Bike Zone Racing) decide to push the field apart on lap one and she came through the lap with a lead of over two minutes on second place Jill Martindale (Grand Rapids Bicycle Co.) and more than four minute lead on third place Mari Chandler (Dart Nuun/Tecnu Racing).

During lap two Chandler reeled in Stickle and they started the third lap only thirteen seconds apart and almost six minutes ahead of Martindale. It was Mari Chandler who caught Stickle early on lap three and rode her fastest lap finishing in 7:59:03 as the 2015 Women’s Open Winner.

Sonya Looney with injured wrist goofs around with Lumberjack veteran Danielle Musto. Photo by Jack Kunnen

Sonya Looney with injured wrist goofs around with Lumberjack veteran Danielle Musto. Photo by Jack Kunnen

The men’s singlespeed class saw Gordon Wadsworth (Blue Ridge Cyclery/Pivot Cycles) pin it from the start and was in the overall men’s lead group through lap one with a time of 2:12:56. Second place Jan Roubal (Velorution) had a three and a half minute deficit and third place Aaron Fader came through the first lap almost ten minutes down on Wadsworth. In the end it was Wadsworth who had the legs and handily took the top spot with a time of 6:48:32

The women’s singlespeed category saw Emily Korsch (Team Noah Foundation) build up an almost half hour lead through one lap on second place Lisa Thompson (LCR) and in the end it was Korsch in first place 9:26:52 and Thompson at 10:04:59

The men’s master category saw Jeff Wittbrodt (Specialized) and NUE defending champion Roger Masse (Rare Disease Cycling) battling it out on lap one hitting the lap mat just ten seconds apart with over three minutes on third place Jeff Clayton (Georgia Neurosurgical Institute). They pulled away from the rest of the master’s group when they came through after one lap with times of 2:22:32 and 2:22:42 respectively. Masse passed Wittbrodt on the lap and never looked back as he finished with a time of 7:19:23 for the 2015 men’s masters title.

Click Here for full results from all categories

Bailey Hundo – Bailey, CO

Posted on by

Zach Guy and Brenda Simril Win a Flood Damaged Bailey Hundo

Written by: Marlee Dixon

This was the year of the Double-Dito! The Bailey Hundo, in it’s 6th year, for the first time was forced to change course due to heaving flooding on part of the original Hundo route. The race is a fundraiser that supports local non-profits and is Colorado’s only NUE event. It consists of a 100-mile course – the Hundo and a 50-mile course- the Hundito. This year, two days before race day, race director Austin Smart was told that some sections of singletrack on the traditional Hundo course was a no go.   Luckily he was able to work with the US Forest Services who granted an exception to let riders on the Buffalo Creek trail system longer than the 12PM cutoff. This meantt the race didn’t have to be canceled and ended up being a blessing in disguise for racers. With the new route, the amount of singletrack was dramatically increased as a huge road section was cut out, changing the course to two 30+mile laps on the Buffalo Creek Trail system.

Race morning starts early at 6AM and with a forecast of sunny, 84 degrees, and little wind, it was nice to start while it was still cool out. Although waking up at 4AM in the dark is always tough. The course begins in downtown Bailey where all racers start together at the sound of a shotgun. It’s a road ride for the first eight miles with several large climbs. From the road it’s left onto the Colorado Trail and down into the Buffalo Creek trail system. After riding in Buff creek for ~30 miles it’s back on to a dirt road climb up steep hills back to the Colorado Trail for the second round of the Hundito route.

The course hits some of the best riding in Buffalo Creek including Charlie’s Cut off & Homestead, The Colorado Trail and Sandy Wash. It also tests riders’ endurance and strength with over 10,000 feet of elevation gain in 85 miles.

For the Pro men, Zach Guy won the Hundo in 6:14:59 with Josh Tostado in second place with a time of 6:16:11 and David Krimstock in third with a time of 6:20:19.

Tostado was ahead for the first lap but when his drop bag wasn’t at the final aid station on the first lap, he said he had to ride the second half of the race without his nutrition and stopping to fill up with water at the aid stations. Zach Guy pulled ahead at the final aid station of the first lap and Tostado rejoined Guy at the end of Shingle Mill but Guy pulled away again on the final road climb.

For the Pro women, Amanda Carey and Marlee Dixon battled the beginning eight-mile road section onto the Colorado Trail. At the start of the Colorado Trail, Dixon could tell Carey didn’t seem to be riding as strong as usual and was able to overtake her on one of the early climbs.

Dixon stayed in the lead, seeing only one of the Hundito women until Liz Carrington started to reel her in around mile 70.

Dixon reported that she had been feeling amazing the entire first lap and into the second, but hit a wall on the second Gashouse climb and “just couldn’t push through.”

Dixon had been having stomach issues before the race even started and was forcing herself to drink CarboRocket endurance mix and gels but on the second lap she felt like throwing up and was barely able to stomach anything.

The last road climbs out of Buffalo Creek were dark for the race leader who said she felt like she was spinning backwards as Liz Carrington, Brenda Simril and her husband and Amanda Carey passed by.

Defending NUE champion Simril was riding very strong and passed Carrington on the road to take the win with a time of 7:36:58.

Carrington came in second place 7:40:07 with Amanda Carey third with a time of 7:43:27 and Dixon finished fourth at 7:48.

Dixon was disappointed to lose her strength at the end of the race but it had been a great day on the bike and as always a learning experience. At the finish the Pivot/Epic Brewing rider had this to say about her experience.

“The Double-Dito course was epic. The entire first lap and most of the second lap until we hit the Gashouse climb and I bonked, I was singing to my iPod, smiling and loving the long, flowy-fast descents. We are so lucky to have such great trail systems in Bailey and this race is a great way to help fund the local youth initiatives as well as the trail building work of the Colorado Mountain Biking Association.”

Preliminary Results

Open Men

1, Zach Guy 6.14.59
2, Josh Tostado Swiftwick/Santa Cruz 6.16.15
3, David Krimstock 6.20.19
4, Scott Leonard 6.22.07
5, Brian Jensen 6.25.11
6, Mark Currie 6.38.16
7, Nathan Collier 6.58.56
8, Jonathan Modig 7.07.51
9, Scott Engstrom 7.16.20
10, Adam Lieferman 7.31.55

 

Open Women

1, Brenda Simril Motor Mile Racing 7.36.58
2, Liz Carrington 7.40.07
3, Amanda Carey 7.43.27
4, Marlee Dixon Pivot/Epic Brewing 7.48.00

 

Singlespeed

1, Jason Hilgers 6.43.42
2, Vince Anderson 6.58.06
3, Jeffrey Carter 7.14.35
4, Alex Clayden 7.32.45
5, Kelly Leinen 7.35.18

Mohican 100 (NUE) – Full Report & Results

Posted on by

Christian Tanguy and Linda Shin Win in Loudonville

Written by: Marlee Dixon

The Mohican 100 is the third NUE (National Ultra Endurance) race in the series. Driving 22 hours from Breckenridge, I was excited when we finally arrived in the rural town of Loudonville, Ohio, for the race. It’s a beautiful little town full of rolling green fields, farms, and a small friendly town center. The race venue is a large campground filled with campsites, cabins, a pond and lake, a swimming pool and everything that would remind you of being at summer camp. We arrived Thursday evening to a quiet campground filled with humid air, hazy green rolling hills and abundant green vegetation. The quietness was short-lived and by the next day the campground had filled with some of the 700+ racers making it feel like summer camp for bike racers.

The Mohican 100 starts at 7:00am from downtown Loudonville. The course consists of over 60% singletrack and less than 40% road/double track. At the start, all 700+ racers in the 100-mile race and 100K race start together. It’s an immediate hill climb out of town that helps to spread out the racers then a few miles of road before the singletrack starts.

The first 20 miles or so are mostly all one track up and down through large forests. It’s fun, gorgeous riding unlike any riding I’ve done in the West; pedaling through spacious old forests with tall trees, ferns, and so much moisture in the air. The singletrack ascends and descends quickly with very few flat areas, crossing roads briefly only to connect with more singletrack. After aid station 1, there are some short road sections, up and down hills, past old white farms with bright green pastures. The course continues through private property single and double track, on to rolling back-roads until about mile 55 when you reach the 10-12 mile railroad-grade road. Then it’s back on a mixture of singletrack, roads and dirt double track.

For the men’s Open field 153 men lined up for the 100-mile event. The winner, Christian Tanguy (Rare Disease Cycling), said it was a larger pack of men out in the front throughout the race. By about mile 76, humidity/heat and other factors had left the front pack down to around five men. Not long after Tanguy made a push to break away up a steep climb, saw no one was with him and went for it. At one point he looked back and saw someone was fast approaching him from behind. It was Keck Baker (ChampsSys/Cannondale). Keck caught him but Tanguy was able to gain the lead again on one of the final singletrack ascents and claim his second win in a row at the Mohican 100.

For the women’s 100-mile race there were 20 women at the start. I had the lead from the start and remained in the lead until aid station 4 at mile 76 where I saw Brenda Simril (Motormile Racing) come in right behind me. I tried to push it to keep my lead but I had been struggling for a while at that point. Around mile 80, Linda Shin (Blacksmith Cycles) caught up to me and from there we rode together for a few miles. I was able to keep up with Linda, who was riding strong at that point, but I took a bad crash while trying to gain time on a loose descent and Linda pulled ahead. At that point I felt like I was in complete survival mode, knowing that Brenda was close behind. Less than a mile out of the finish, I had another bad crash, tearing up my shorts and getting a hematoma on my thigh, at which point, Brenda passed me. At this stage in the race, I was just so incredibly relieved to be finished. The Mohican 100 is a hard race full of short ascents and descents, some technical singletrack, steep climbs, and over 10,000 feet of climbing.

But on the long drive home, all I could think about was how to train to be faster and more prepared for next year. The race venue- a mini mountain bikers summer camp – was beautiful and convenient, the town and people were welcoming and friendly, the racecourse was one huge challenging loop full of awesome singletrack and beautiful back roads, the aid stations were fully stocked with well prepared and helpful volunteers and the after party was just what every race should be – a fun atmosphere with good food, great beer, laughter, and friendly company.

The Mohican 100 is part of the National Ultra Endurance Race Series. The NUE Series is dedicated to providing a level playing field for ALL, Professionals and Amateurs alike and consists of fourteen races across the US and one in Costa Rica. The winner in the men’s and women’s Open, men’s Single Speed and men’s Masters 50+ receive a final cash payout, free entry into the following year’s NUE races and an all-expense paid trip to race the  LaRuta de los Conquistadores stage race in November.

Results

Open Women

1 Linda Shin Blacksmith Cycle 8:59:35
2 brenda simril Motor Mile Racing 9:01:06
3 Marlee Dixon  Pivot/Epic Brewing 9:01:15
4 Simona Vincenciova Hammer Nutrition 9:34:01
5 Kathleen Lysakowski Cycle Lodge 10:02:34
6 Jennifer Malik Lady Gnar Shredders 10:03:42
7 Emily Korsch Team Noah Foundation 10:12:19
8 Jennifer Tillman Joe’s Bike Shop Racing Team 10:13:17
9 Christin Reuter Family Bike 10:24:53
10 Vickie Monahan Team ERRACE p/b DSO Manufacturing 10:41:11
11 Jill Martindale Grand Rapids Bicycle Co. 11:12:08
12 Jessica Tomazic Team Bicycle Hub 11:23:13
13 Kathleen Sheehan Joe’s Bike Shop Racing Team 11:30:30
14 Sarah Temby RBS Cycling Team 11:37:47
15 Heidi Coulter Lady Gnar Shedders 12:16:42
16 Dana Meske RBS Cycling Team/Vanderkitten 12:52:00
17 Anne Gray Pop-a-cap 12:57:55
18 Kathy Judson Joes’s bike shop racing team/gmsv 13:12:45

Open Men

1 Christian Tanguy Rare Disease Cycling 7:10:03
2 Keck Baker ChampSys/Cannondale p/b Battley Harley 7:11:05
3 Brian Schworm Think Green-Pedal the Planet p/b SWORD 7:13:40
4 Dylan Johnson Scott Pro mtb team 7:16:13
5 Anthony Grinnell Specialized Bicycles & Components, DirtyHarrys.net, Highland Training, SWORD Hydration 7:39:40
6 Dereck Treadwell Dr Naylor-PBMracing 7:42:49
7 Ronald Catlin RBS TREK CYClING 7:43:32
8 josh tostado santa cruz, swiftwick, shimano 7:48:18
9 John Petrylak Bike Factory Elite/Ergon/Industry Nine 7:50:03
10 Shawn Hall Piney Flats Bikes and Fitness 7:50:45
11 Jorden Wakeley Quiring Cycles 7:51:14
12 Michael Danish 8:01:39
13 Gordon Wadsworth Blue Ridge Cyclery 8:16:06
14 Joe Johnston 8:16:28
15 Dan Kotwicki RBS Cycling Team 8:17:11
16 Tim Carleton The 11 Inc / Pearl Izumi 8:18:08
17 Nathaniel Cornelius Think Green-Pedal the Planet 8:19:06
18 Brian Roggeveen Momentum Racing 8:20:29
19 Kelly Sugg RBS Cycling Team 8:20:52
20 Stewart Staton Plum Grove Cyclery 8:21:59
21 Scott Morman Stark Velo 8:23:14
22 Ian Stanford Ally’s Bar// Habitat 8:26:32
23 Andy Rhodes North mountain woodworks/ black dog bikes 8:31:51
24 A. Zane Wenzel Horst Engineering Cycling Team 8:36:50
25 Joe Fraas West Liberty Cycles/ Maxxis Tires 8:38:23
26 Tony Mellott Backroom Coffee Roasters/ Trek Store of Columbus 8:42:22
27 Joshua Martin Cliff Bar, Rotor USA, Podium Performace Training 8:43:37
28 Ryan Heerschap Cycle Craft/Bulldogs 8:44:12
29 John Proppe Lake Effect Racing 8:45:02
30 Cory Rimmer Nox Composites / Kona Bikes / Provision Sports 8:47:38
31 Chris Lane Joe’s Bike Shop Racing Team 8:49:57
32 brian mountjoy Think green Toyota sword pedal planet 8:50:26
33 Joe McDaniel Team Lake Effect 8:52:30
34 Lorenzo Serra Pawling Cycle & Sport 8:52:49
35 Ed Serrat Cycletherapy Racing 8:57:10
36 Emilio Brenes Jimenez Rincon de La Vieja Challenge Mixuac Team 8:57:47
37 scott warren Bicycle Depot 8:59:50
38 Robert Koblinsky Bspoke Athletics 9:04:45
39 Austin Francescone Trek Store Columbus 9:06:01
40 Tyler Trask Transition Rack/Mavic/Zeal Optics 9:07:38
41 Christopher Brechbill Got Chocolate Milk? 9:08:02
42 Tom Stritzinger 9:09:12
43 Ryan Burnette 9:11:28
44 Kevin Campbell Spokes-n-Skis 9:13:08
45 Evan Huff BikeReg.com 9:13:19
46 Colin Reuter crossresults.com 9:16:14
47 Greg Whitney Arrow Racing 9:17:23
48 Michael Gottfried Trek Store Cincinnati 9:18:49
49 Cary Fridrich JRA CYCLES 9:19:49
50 Jamie Knowlton 9:22:30
51 Matthew Kesecker CAMBO/Wolf Tooth Components/Hammer Nutrition/Blue Ridge Cyclery p/b Reynolds GM/Subaru 9:22:45
52 Michael Banks The Edge Outdoors 9:28:47
53 Thomas Novitsky RACING GREYHOUNDS 9:29:05
54 Jason Rassi Little Ades Team Goose Island 312 9:29:41
55 Bradley Smith Ride On Cycling Team 9:29:45
56 Keith Tarter 9:30:11
57 Brad Hawk Hammer Nutrition / Twin 6 / Bikenetic 9:32:42
58 Ken Krebs 9:33:32
59 Andrew Lysaght B2C2 p/b Boloco 9:34:46
60 Jack Iacoboni Jr LTD4 Life/ No Teeth 9:39:31
61 Charles Moore Orange Krush Cycling Club/ Cycletherapy 9:41:11
62 Dan Marshall XCMarathon.com 9:42:05
63 Mathieu Sertorio Triatlo Jovent 79 9:42:58
64 Jonathan Kloppenburg Spidermonkey Cycling 9:56:25
65 Christopher R. Chartier BikeFix 9:58:02
66 Jerico Slavin FAMBE 10:00:16
67 Chris Bryce Wolfpack/ Dark Horse 10:01:27
68 Alex Hashem 10:02:48
69 SAMUEL GEZAHEGN 10:02:51
70 Christopher Arndt Paradise Garage Racing 10:09:06
71 peyton randolph 10:09:40
72 Peter Bradshaw MAD ALCHEMY / VERGE RIDER COOPERATIVE 10:10:44
73 Philip Schiller Team E.R.P. 10:18:29
74 christopher seeley off camber cycling/ River’s Bend Cycles 10:19:38
75 Shane Pasley Rare Disease Cycling 10:20:03
76 Tyler Keuning Grand Rapids Bicycle Co. 10:24:19
77 Rob Hillyard Southtowns Line & Wiquor 10:24:41
78 Mike Loranty 10:24:42
79 Hunter Stoneking Portage Cyclery/Patriot Phoenix Foundation 10:26:09
80 Alex Tenelshof Village Bike & Fitness 10:28:11
81 Tres Riley Adventures for the Cure 10:28:29
82 Jason Sparks RACING GREYHOUNDS 10:32:20
83 Rodney Reed AOA 10:35:03
84 Mathieu Desrosiers 10:37:23
85 Todd Bowden Trek Cyclocross Collective, Aetna Expowheelmen 10:41:12
86 Ryan Sarka 10:44:51
87 Jon Nable Hup United 10:50:30
88 Grant Cunningham KCV Cycling – Racing for Riley 10:57:18
89 Ron Scherff Fat Head’s Brewery 11:04:01
90 Felbert Edrada J&R ski and cycle 11:05:47
91 Jay Morrison Grand Rapids Bicylce Company & Twin Six 11:11:53
92 Rob Mitzel Team E.R.P. 11:15:46
93 Allen Loy Paradise Garage Racing 11:16:56
94 paul karle Montgomery Cyclery/queen city wheels 11:17:21
95 Mike Tobin Ride 2 Recovery 11:18:07
96 Christopher Davis Stanky Creek Cycling 11:24:21
97 Brandon Render 11:50:18
98 Chris Karpowicz 765 Racing/ Hammer Nutrition 12:05:11
99 John Percassi J+D 12:22:44
100 Christopher Barkow Cheese Sammich 12:23:18
101 Lee Wittekind Marietta adventure company 12:23:49
102 Jason Ottinger Guardian Automotive 12:26:05
103 Mark Edwards Wheel Team 6 12:27:00
104 Brian Wahl Team Bicycle Hub 12:28:10
105 jeff mozer 12:41:01
106 Christopher Crofford 4-Play 12:41:43
107 Jaroslaw Kowal 12:52:37
108 Jim Gianoglio 12:55:27
109 Jason Clipse Wheel Team 6 12:55:34
110 Matt Simpson Wheel Team 6 12:55:34
111 Dennis Kavish Mountain Goat 12:57:17
112 Mark Shellhamer 13:15:40
113 chad doellman 13:25:54
114 Kurt Molter 13:26:35
115 shawn duffy Base TriFitness 14:04:08
116 Donald Wieburg Little Ade’s Team Goose Island 312 14:24:53
117 Scott Lang 14:25:18

Singlespeed

1 Bob Moss Farnsworth Bicycles/Crank Arm Brewing/Torrenti Cycles 8:07:49
2 peat henry Team Noah Foundation, 8:11:53
3 Will Crissman B2C2 p/b Boloco 8:14:41
4 Merwin Davis pathfinder of wv 8:24:30
5 James Litzinger Specialized Bicyles & Components, DirtyHarrys.net, Highland Training, SWORD Hydration. 8:25:16
6 Brian Patton US Military Endurance Sports 8:27:48
7 jason pruitt Peoples Brewing, Hodson Bay, CRC, LAS 8:28:55
8 trevor grant bicycle depot 8:39:52
9 Donald Powers Pro Bikes 8:42:50
10 Ernesto Marenchin Pivot Cycles, Twin 6, WAS Labs 8:44:08
11 Mike Bernhard Twin Six METAL 8:46:06
12 Igor Danko 8:54:18
13 Trever Kingsbury NCCS Derailed CoOp-Crankbrothers-Lazer-First Endurance-ProGold-DeFeet 8:59:35
14 Bob Sowga Paradise Garage Racing 9:01:22
15 Mike Cordaro Dirty Harry’s / Answer Products 9:05:55
16 Tim Anderson Faster Mustache 9:29:03
17 Joseph Stroz Stroz Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab, P.C. 9:43:38
18 Duncan Sinclair Trestle Bridge Racing 9:50:03
19 Jon Dub-Nine Twin Six/ESI Grips/Carborocket/Tiremaniacs/TOGS 9:50:29
20 matthew hellmers Joe’s Bike Shop Racing Team 9:58:11
21 Chris Hays Toasted Head Racing 10:01:25
22 Stanley Skotnicki 10:24:40
23 Jeff Wass Team Dayton Cycling 12:03:05
24 Scott Dennis Pop-a-cap 12:18:56
25 David Spurlock Roll: 12:35:04

Master’s 50+ Men

1 Roger Masse Rare Disease Cycling 8:17:12
2 Jeff Clayton Super Sport Athletic Wear 8:28:28
3 Dave Jolin Stark Velo 8:37:28
4 Mark Donakowski RACING GREYHOUNDS 8:47:38
5 Tom Kruse Cycle Craft/Bulldogs 8:57:45
6 lee simril Motor Mile Racing 9:01:10
7 Chris Torrance RACING GREYHOUNDS 9:14:16
8 Terry Blanchet NAV – North American Velo 9:29:00
9 Alan Miner Banks Bikes 9:33:36
10 Jim Miller Kelly Benefits Strategies / LSV 9:36:45
11 anthony hergert Rescue Racing p/b Reality Bikes 9:42:53
12 Alain Simard 9:53:26
13 Roman Urbina La Ruta LandRover 10:22:44
14 Brent Harlos Peoples Brewery 10:23:04
15 David Grauer orthopro, Boulder Bone and Joint 10:50:11
16 Donald Newman 11:02:23
17 Tony Papandrea Team Truth 11:21:49
18 Rich Doubledee RedBike 11:50:18
19 Brian Parr TMR 11:58:42
20 Don Rice CCB Racing 11:59:44
21 Jeff Wrataric 13:02:48
22 Mark Sullivan Joe’s Bike Shop Race Team 13:12:45
23 Ralph Keller 13:33:04
24 Fernando Gurdièu Astuis 13:33:04
25 Mark Jones Orrville Cycling Club 14:02:47

Cohutta 100 Full Report

Posted on by

Cohutta 100 Race Report

Ryan O’Dell

The KENDA (NUE) National Ultra Endurance Race Series #2 rolled out Saturday from the Ocoee whitewater center near Ducktown, Tennessee, host of the 1996 Olympic whitewater competition. The race course features more than 14,000 feet of vertical elevation within the Cherokee National Forest, including much of the Tanasi trail system, recently rated best in the state of Tennessee by singletracks.com.

The buzz before Saturday’s race centered on the weather forecast calling for severe thunderstorms. As expected, the rains moved in after midnight with a drenching downpour in fifty degree temperatures just before the 7am race start. However, not long afterward, skies cleared with more comfortable temperatures, a gentle breeze, and pleasantly mild weather conditions.

NUE Women’s Open

Carey gets the “W” in a tight Women’s field

Following her second place finish the True Grit Epic, four-time NUE Series Champion, Amanda Carey, Luca Sunscreen, earned her first win of the season at Cohutta finishing 8:49:46.

Less than six minutes later, Carla Williams, Joe’s Bike Shop Racing Team, finished second at 8:55:24. “The first two hours were tough: muddy single track in pouring rain. I came out of the woods in third place but not too far behind Linda who was in second. We were right together at aid station 4 and we rode the entire loop from aid station 4 to 5 trading off who was in front and talking about all our past races and mountain biking stories. It was really awesome getting to know her!

At aid station 5, we heard that Amanda was only a few minutes ahead of us. We pulled out and decided to try to catch her. At least it would give us motivation for a strong finish. We blew through aid stations 6 and 7. Around mile 85, we saw Amanda ahead of us on one of the hills. We were excited we had her in sight. I was a little ways ahead of Linda on the climb and she told me to go catch her. So I rode up alongside Amanda and then rode past her for a few minutes. I knew I would never be able to match her speed in the last nine miles of single track before the finish so I figured if I wanted to catch her, this was my chance! It only took a few minutes before Amanda turned up the power and passed me back. I stayed with her for a bit but I didn’t have the energy to match hers, and she got a gap before entering the last single track. My main concern for the last nine miles was holding off Linda who I knew was right behind me and also stronger on the technical trails. It worked though and I finished second. It was awesome racing with Amanda and Linda and I am super excited to try out my new Lauf fork.”

Twenty-six seconds later, Linda Shinn, Blacksmith Cycle, rolled into third place at 8:56:00. “ After racing in the rain all day in 2013, I was excited to come back to Cohutta to ride in better conditions until the I saw the forecast calling for 20-30mm of rain! After driving 16 hours from Toronto, there was no way I wasn’t going to start. At least the temperatures were warmer than in 2013 so I wasn’t too dismayed about warm rain.

It was pouring driving to the start but let up a bit as the race started. Amanda cruised by me on the start road climb as did Carla but I jumped on the back of Carla’s wheel and we entered into the single track together. The trails were in great shape despite all the rain and the rain stopped an hour in. I wanted to just go into the single track and try to shake Carla off but I had to keep reminding myself that it’s a long day, don’t blow up and pace yourself.

We were riding with a couple of other guys and they set a good pace so we stuck with them for a bit. Once we got on the fire roads, Carla and I were going back and forth, cruising into the aid stations together. We were kind of testing each other out but also setting a great pace. I had never ridden with another girl during an NUE race before, so it was pretty awesome that we rode together all day, especially between aids 4 and 5 where it could have been a death march riding solo with 30 miles of fire roads.

We settled into a good pace and when we got to aid 6, we were told that Amanda had just left and she was really close so we were motivated to catch her! We worked together on the Big Frog loop to try to reel her in and it was so much fun passing other riders as a two-woman train! With about 13 miles to go, we saw her and were pretty stoked. I didn’t have that extra push but I told her to go and get her. She sped away and jumped on Amanda’s wheel and I could see that it was going to be a good battle for first.

As I came into the last single track section, I saw Brenda & Lee Simril. They told me that Carla was right there, so I kicked it up to try to reel her in for the last six miles. She was within sight with three miles to go and I put the hammer down. When we got out onto the road I just put my head down and hammered as fast as I could. I knew I didn’t have enough time but was super happy to have finished 35 seconds behind her and 7 minutes back from Amanda.

I was super happy to be able to ride and keep up with Carla, she is such a strong rider. This was my best NUE finish yet and probably the most fun I’ve had since the women’s race was so close. The new course was awesome, conditions were perfect, and Blacksmith Cycle provided me with the perfect race rig, 27.5 Scapin Murdock. I really want to commend the race organizers for putting on a top-notch event, amazing volunteers and support at the aid stations and it’s so great that there is equal payout and prizes are really awesome! I will definitely be back next year!”

Carey2015_4_25_SKP_0199LR

Simona Vincenciova, Hammer Nutrition, finished fourth at 9:28:22 “This was my second year racing the Cohutta 100 and my first race of the 2015 NUE series. The new course was a welcome change as it eliminated one of the longest brutal climbs. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain at the start of the race so I decided to stay out of the rain as long as possible. I delayed lining up with a quick warm up ride and got to the start line five minutes before the count down and, as expected, the front was already full of racers so I lined up towards the back.

I rode a few fast wheels and made most of my passes along the first hill climb and settled into the first single track section. It was in surprisingly good shape given it had been raining all night. By the time we got to the first aid station, about 22 miles in, it had stopped raining and the clouds were clearing away bringing in the humidity. About half way through my race the sun started peeking out of the clouds and my legs were feeling good. Sometime between aid stations 4 or 5, I was able to catch up to Danielle Musto on the gravel road climbs moving into fourth place. The very last single track section was tough but I needed to HAMMER through since I knew Danielle was on my heels. I was super stoked to improve my time from last year by over an hour.

Since I raced it last year I had an idea about the terrain and conditions of the trails, so I decided to swap out my front suspension fork with my new Lauf Fork. This turned out to be a perfect choice since the course mostly offered gravel and fire roads with some smooth single track. The Lauf Fork performed great enabling a fast and smooth ride.”

Danielle Musto, Grand Rapids Bicycle Company/Salsa, finished fifth at 9:44:44 with the former Ohio OMBC Race Series Champion, Shannon Tenwalde, Paradise Garage Racing, coming in twelve minutes later at 9:56:00.

NUE defending Champion and last year’s Cohutta Race Winner, Brenda Simril, Motor Mile Racing, was at this year’s race cheering racers but withdrew from competition following a recent rollover accident that broke six of her ribs. Simril plans to return to defend her NUE Series title beginning with the Mohican MTB100 May 30.

NUE Men’s Open

Schworm earns his first NUE WIN at Cohutta!

Following up on an impressive third place finish behind Tinker Juarez and Jeremiah Bishop at last year’s Fool’s Gold NUE Championship race, Brian Schworm blew through the finish line right on the wheel of SS Winner Gordon Wadsworth, achieving his first NUE win to finish 6:55:53.

“Before the race, I was sitting in the car dreading what was about to come. 100 miles in the rain with the possibility of serve storms did not sound very appealing.  Regardless, we all lined up and the race was off with a steady rain on our shoulders.  The pace was moderate up the first climb but things got a bit dicey when everyone juggled for position into the singletrack.  We all made it in safely and found a very wet, but solid, trail. The pace was again moderate and steady.

Wadsworth2015_4_25_SKP_0124LR

Once we popped out onto the forest service roads, the lead group included eight racers.  Previous NUE race winners Christian Tanguy, Michael Simonson, and NUE #1 True Grit Epic winner, Keck Baker, singlespeed specialist Gordon Wadsworth, a couple of young fellows Dylan Johnson and my teammate Drew Dillman, and Wes Richards and I were in the group.  We rode together for most of the roads although Simonson was “puttin’ it down” on a few of the sections.  During the early part of this time I was extremely concerned since I could not stop shivering.  The rain had zapped all of my body heat, and even after it stopped raining, I could not warm up.  Fortunately, the sun popped out and I finally warmed up.

A decisive move came around 70 miles. Keck attacked hard at the base of a climb with Dylan and I chasing.  It was at this exact moment I realized I had a small leak in my rear tire.  It could not have happened at a more inopportune time!  I rode it for a minute but needed to stop and take care of the situation.  I stopped and noticed there was a small tear on the sidewall so I just aired up the tire with my co2, rotated the tire so the sealant could do its job, and was back riding.  I didn’t take more than a couple minutes but now I was behind the others with the stepped up pace from the attacks. I figured I could at least maintain my 8th position if I didn’t have any more tire trouble, but I chased hard! 

One by one I was able to catch riders and, just beyond aid station 5 and before a significant climb, I caught Gordon, Keck, and Wes.  I didn’t let up and hammered up that climb.  Gordon came with me and we were left with just one rider ahead, Dylan.  We worked hard and passed Dylan near the top of the climb.  After that we powered the ridge and following descent to try and open the gap.  I was so pumped with adrenaline at this time with the prospect of winning a NUE Series race that the miles were just ticking off.

Gordon and I hit the final singletrack section together.  We found the trail much different than earlier; it was now thick and slippery!  We held it upright and blasted the final descent, Thunder Rock Express, with just a two mile road section remaining.  We rode in steady and, basically, crossed the line together, Gordon winning the singlespeed and me the open division.  I was just elated!  I could not believe I just won a NUE Series race! 

Of course this would not have been possible without my incredible sponsor, Team Green – Pedal the Planet p/b Sword (we had three racers in the top ten, Andrew Dillman was sixth and Nathanial Cornelius was tenth) and my incredibly supportive wife, Jennifer!  Thanks guys!!!

About four minutes behind SS Wadsworth and Schworm, former NUE Series Champion, Christian Tanguy, Rare Disease Cycling, placed second in the Men’s Open at 7:00:19 in his first race of the 2015 NUE season.

Just over four minutes later, 20 year old Dylan Johnson, Scott Pro Mountain Bike Team, took third in 7:04:41. It was just two years ago at Cohutta when, at age 18, Johnson hung on with the lead pack of racers before suffering an early crash that sent him to the ER. Todays finish was a triumph for the young NUE Race Series hopeful. Four minutes later, Westley Richards, Clemmons Bicycle, claimed fourth place in 7:08:26.

Keck Baker, Cannondale/Carytown Bikes pb Battley Harley, who achieved his first win of the season at the True Grit Epic, took fifth at 7:10:44. “Dylan Johnson set the pace up the first climb out the gate and I jumped at the top and drilled it on the downside to ensure the holeshot into the woods. I had planned on racing conservatively but that changed when I woke up to the downpour and knew that getting into the woods first might be a good idea.  I lead for the first part of the single track. We were going fast but a “safe” fast.  When we exited the first portion of single track, someone jumped around to lead and did so until the root section beside the river.  I had more momentum so we traded spots again and I lead through the creek, over the bridge and going into the next portion of single track which seemed to climb more than anything.  After breaking through this section, the selection had been started pretty well.  I think, at first, it was about 8 of us and we started riding along pretty well together.  All but Brian Schworm and a few others were unwilling to put in any work. So, all in all, the group did a good job at moving forward to keep the gap established after exiting the single track.  Tanguy said that he had not been training much but he was more than willing to ride the front to keep the speed up. I can’t recall exactly when but I decided to attack simply because the race was becoming boring and this had me straying yet again from my pre-race strategy. However, I like racing my bike and it just seemed that we had been riding along casually for too long so I attacked and Dylan Johnson answered and bridged up to me as we started to roll up a climb. 

I looked back and saw the group had shattered and there was a group in chase.  I told Dylan I thought we had to far to go to try and keep this up and thought we should join the three behind us who were bridging up and all five of us worked together but, as I sat up, he kept moving forward.  I dropped back and now the group four just started rotating at a nice even pace.  I was wondering where Tanguy and Schworm were. Schworm had to shoot air in his tire and Tanguy appeared to be playing it smart, trying not to burn a match. 

As we were rolling, I started to feel worse and worse. I had not felt good all day after starting to cramp 20 miles into the race. I’m not sure whether it was the cold or the lack of riding for the past couple of weeks due to work, but I was starting to have difficulty keeping our pace. At this point Schworm had caught up and decided to peg it. Gordon followed and I just kept riding the pace I could hold which was not fast enough. Very soon after, Tanguy came by and Wes Richards tried to follow. I just kept riding my own pace.  I rode for a while and then, surprisingly, caught Wes and was able to pass him. Then I was able to catch Dylan who was paying now for his effort out front.  We rode together and hit the single track to bring it home. 

I could tell from the start that my tire was low since, in the first section, I was hitting my rim here and there. I was hoping that it would hold and I could manage it so I tried to ride away from Dylan in the upper section. I was able to get a nice gap and knew and I was hoping that the tire would hold out but it did not. After stopping and trying to shoot some air in it real quick, I could not get my co2 to work.  After getting help from a few of the 65 milers with no luck, I was walking down the trail at which point Dylan passed and there shortly after Wes passed. I finally was able to get air in my tire and make it down to the finish for 5th, thankful that I was able to get it fixed and at least hold onto something but extremely disappointed as I had really hoped to at least finish in the top three to remain the hunt for the early season prime, an all-expense paid trip to Costa Rica to compete in NUE #12, The Rincon Challenge. Oh well, that’s racing and note to self, when you purchase a new tire inflation product, test it out and learn how to use it.  Oh yes, and another thing, lightweight valve stems can be problematic.”

Seven minutes later, 21 year old, Andrew Dillman, Think Green Toyota of Lexington, took sixth place to finish in 7:17:30.53. 2013 Mohican MTB100 winner, Michael Simonson, finished seventh just three minutes later at 7:20:54.  

NUE Singlespeed Open

“Wadsworth gets back to back wins at Cohutta!”

NUE Defending SS Champion, Gordon Wadsworth, Blue Ridge Cyclery p/b Reynolds GM Subaru, put the hammer down to finish in 6:55:53, the best overall time. This marks his second straight win at Cohutta and his second straight win of the 2015 race season in the NUE Series following his victory at the True Grit Epic.

Brian Patton, Eastern Panhandle Bicycles/Military Endurance Cycling, took second in 7:51:19. Three minutes later, Daniel Rapp, Team Noah Foundation, took third in 7:54:56.44 with teammate, Peat Henry, nine minutes back to finish 8:03:31.

Five minutes later, Ernesto Marenchin, Pivot Cycles, Twin 6, WAS Labs, took fifth in 8:07:13. “I ran a 34×19 gear, full rigid.

The race was a bit hot going up the first climb and I lost contact with the main group and got caught up in some traffic in the first single track.  I made it around traffic right before the single track ended and held off the geared riders on the downhill road before the next trail section before the creek crossing. 

I made it through that section pretty solid, passed quite a few geared riders, across the stream and onto the bridge and then made contact with the second and third placed single speed riders – Gordon was well away at that point.

I chased for about 5-10 miles about 20-30 feet between me and the next two single speed riders and then the elastic snapped and they got away from me. 

Brian Patton was behind me the whole time and went cruising by me running what looked to be a bigger gear.  From the looks of his efforts, he was all in very early in the race and putting forth a lot of effort.  I honestly didn’t think he would last, but still tried to catch him.  He eluded my efforts and surged on to end up second on the day.

I didn’t see another single speed rider for about 30 miles or so when I caught up to Peat, just as my second wind was kicking in.  I kept the power on and he kept up with my efforts.  What made it more impressive was the fact that he only had his rear brake working and was skidding around the corners faster than I was going with two brakes.

Around mile 75’ish, a climb came up and Peat lost contact with me.  I kept the pressure on as I was feeling good and I had hopes to catch a few more single speed riders.

Around mile 80 or so, I caught a glimpse of the third place single speed rider on the road, Dan Rapp.  I put my head down and dug deep and was soon about 15-20 feet off his rear wheel five miles later. Dan caught a glimpse of me and not five seconds later I heard a snap of some sort – two pedal strokes later and my chain had snapped. 

I made quick efforts to fix my chain, but my chain tool and efforts were failing – but I eventually got it fixed.  I lost approximately 7-10 minutes by my guess.

I proceeded to get back on and ride steady to the end – having been passed by Peat about five minutes before my successful chain fix, I was sitting in fifth where I would finish the race. Next race up is Mohican!”

NUE Masters 50+

Clayton Takes NUE #2

Jeff Clayton, Super Sport Athletic Wear, posted his first NUE win on Saturday at 8:11:46. “From what I’ve heard, this event is about 50/50 on beautiful weather/trail conditions or rainy weather/miserable trail conditions. I’ve raced the Big Frog three times and this year was my first Cohutta 100, and the 50/50 odds have been my experience, with a cold/wet 2013 race and then the rainy mess that greeted us this year. I was making clothing choices right up to five minutes before the start, and eventually went with a layering approach, figuring I’d be able to shed some stuff as the day wore on…but I didn’t realize how warm it would get.

The start was fast and furious, as I expected, and by the top of the first rise on the pavement climb I was gapped by the lead group. I was pretty sure last year’s masters NUE champion, Roger Masse, wasn’t in that group and I found a nice single speeder (I think it was Pete Henry) to pace me up the rest of the climb. The singletrack was messy but manageable. I think the fact that it was raining pretty hard kept the trail from becoming the energy sapping peanut butter mud. As would become a theme of my day, I ended up in a string of mostly single speeders. Most of the time we’d climb at about the same rate, the steeper stuff they would pull away, the shallower stuff I’d gear up (I like to grind too) and pull away. If there was pedaling involved on the descent I’d pull away there too.

I started to get hot as the rain stopped and the sun peaked out. Quickly shedding the arm warmers, vest and skull cap, but really couldn’t do anything about the wool base layer, tights and wool gloves—my hypothermic experience of 2013 made me dress too conservatively and I would pay for that later. I was still rolling along with my singlespeed buddies (hopefully keeping them happy by trying to do pulls on the descents) when reaching aid station 4…then things got real. Brian Patton scooted out of the feed without Dan Rapp and Peat Henry and the chase was on! I eventually settled in, although at a bit higher pace than really felt right, with Dan and another geared racer (maybe Zane Wenzel). I stuck with them until about mile 50 when the heat started to take its toll on me. I figured out that I’d better ease up or I’d run out of hydration and energy as this was a 33-ish mile leg between aid stations.

Several minutes later Ross Anderson rolled by me and I jumped on his wheel right as he started a descent. He’s a pretty big guy and was riding using a power meter, so he was a perfect pacer for me, keeping me from going too hard on the (seemingly endless) climbs, and powering down the descents in his draft. It helped that he was great at cornering on the gravel too. I didn’t do a lick of work for him, but he was really cool about me sticking with him.

Finally about mile 70, two singlespeeders caught us and Ross added a few more squirrels to the power output and I capitulated. From there on it was time to do the endurance racing survival thing. At 80 miles my rear shifter, which had already been giving me warning signs, seized up entirely, leaving me as a two-speed (thank goodness I haven’t made the swap to single ring). I figure that I am a closet singlespeeder at heart anyway, so what the heck. It sure did make some of the steeper pitches on the long road back a bear—I probably was down to 30 rpm cadence in places! I started to do a lot of checking over my shoulder (please don’t catch me Roger!). The singletrack was still nasty, surprisingly so I thought. My dreams of a sub-8 hour vanished as I slowly struggled through the quartz loop (again), quartz bypass (again) and chestnut trails. I decided to take the Thunder rock descent slowly…if Roger caught me there then I’d just try to duke it out on the last bit of pavement. My last foray with my single speed buddies flying down TR and I happily yielded the trail to them, and then one last pavement push to the finish. A tough day, but I was happy to finish first in the 50+ and looking forward to the rest of the series!”

Coming off a win at the True Grit Epic, NUE defending Champion, Roger Masse, Rare Disease Cycling, finished second at Cohutta coming in at 8:28:37, three minutes faster than last year. “Despite a solid warm-up the day before the race, I really felt weak at the start and pretty quickly started dropping behind the fairly large front group up the first climb. I latched onto the chasing group for a while but was really hurting and, as a result, my position in the single track was not so good.

I stuck to my slotted in position though the single track toward Aid 1, trying to regroup. I soon found myself riding in a small group that included fellow Masters rider, Tom Kruse. The group was passed by Blackwater Bikes rider Daniel McPeake and I latched on leaving Kruse behind. I rode with McPeake through Aid 4 until we encountered Andy Rhodes. They started attacking each other on the climbs. I didn’t want to and really couldn’t match those efforts for long so I let them go.

I crossed the line at 8:28 and was surprised to find that Super Sport Athletic Wear rider Jeff Clayton had won the category in an impressive 8:11.  Hat’s off to him. I admit not knowing who he was until after it was over or that there were any Masters racers in front of me, but that’s the beauty of Masters… new freshman every year can be a surprise. I certainly know who he is now!”

Four minutes later, Tom Kruse, took the third podium spot at 8:32:58. Twelve minutes later, David Jolin, Stark Velo, finished fourth at 8:44:38 with Alan Miner, Banks Bikes, rounding out the top five at 8:52:57.

NEXT UP: The KENDA NUE Race Series heads deep into the backcountry of the Mohican State Forest in Ohio for the 13th

 Annual Mohican Mountain Bike 100, a single loop 100 mile and 100k race spanning four counties. For more information or to register, visit www.mohican.net

Results Below:

 

Screen Shot 2015-04-30 at 2.45.50 PM Screen Shot 2015-04-30 at 2.46.39 PM

Screen Shot 2015-04-30 at 2.46.04 PM

True Grit Epic (NUE#1) – St. George, Utah

Posted on by

Keck Baker and Sonya Looney Dominate in the Desert

Great Day for the New-Look True Grit Epic

With a new start venue and key course redesigns the 2015 True Grit Epic provided a first-rate race experience to go along with the high-powered course appropriate for the 374 racers gathered to take the start.

The field included riders from all across the U.S. including many National Ultra Endurance regulars like Keck Baker (Cannondale/Carytown Bicycle), Gordon Wadsworth (Blue Ridge Cyclery), Josh Tostado (Swiftwick), Amanda Carey (Luca Sunscreen), and 2014 series champ Brenda Simril (Motor Mile).

Ultimately it was a rider from Virginia that made the biggest impact in the desert of St. George. Keck Baker showed amazing early-season fitness despite enduring a brutal winter on the east coast. Riding smart and clean throughout the race he managed his efforts in the most difficult technical sections and gave full gas on the climbs and open desert singletrack to cut down his rivals.

Baker had never ridden in southern Utah and due to shipping problems the Cannondale rider’s bike didn’t even arrive until Friday before the race. “My plan was to follow some of the local guys in the technical stuff the first lap” the eventual race winner said, “but I got stopped once on the Zen Trail and when I got back on the guys I was with were gone.”

IMG_0858

Josh Tostado cooling down after the finish – photo by Shannon Boffeli

Josh Tostado and Cary Smith (The Hub), both veterans of the True Grit Epic, had gotten out front in the slickrock gardens of Zen Trail and worked hard to keep their advantage but with just over half of the first lap gone by Baker had worked his way back to the front and took control of the race.

The second pass through the Zen Trail went much better for Baker sacrificing some time on the ledges and jarring downhills but not enough to let second placed rider Cary Smith make contact.

After Zen the remainder of the race went by in a flash as Baker took his first NUE win over 5 minutes up on Smith at the finish as Tostado finished in third.

Taylor Lideen (92Fifty) turned in a strong performance at his first True Grit experience taking fourth followed by North Carolina’s Barnabas Froystad.

The women’s race was a showdown between multi-time NUE series champion Amanda Carey, ultra-endurance superstar Sonya Looney, defending NUE champ Brenda Simril, and newcomer Marlee Dixon (Pivot/Epic Brewing).

Having just returned from the 6-stage Andalucia Bike Race, Sonya Looney wasn’t sure how her legs would respond. It didn’t take long for her to find out as she moved to the front in the opening miles and never looked back.

After a mechanical tanked her 2014 True Grit Epic Looney was determined to improve her 2015 result. Indeed it seemed her Andalucia effort only strengthened her fitness as she was simply unstoppable throughout the 90 miles of desert riding.

Amanda Carey settled happily into second place enjoying the warm weather and opportunity to put miles under her wheels both of which have been hard to come by in her home just outside Jackson, Wyoming.

Marlee Dixon followed Carey throughout the first 45-mile lap. Halfway through lap two the 80-degree heat started to catch up with the snowbound Breckenridge racer. After suffering through a second trip around Zen Trail with an uncooperative stomach Simril overtook the Pivot rider to move into third.

Riders stayed in this order until the finish.

Sonya Looney was elated with her win and enjoyed her time riding the challenging True Grit course.

At the finish riders were treated to live music and food as they cheered in the remaining riders on course.

Results 

Open Men

1, Keck Baker Cannondal/Carytown Bicycle 6.52.57
2, Cary Smith The Hub 6.58.12
3, Josh Tostado Swiftwick/Santa Cruz 7.16.45
4, Taylor Lideen 7.23.10
5, Barnabas Froystad 7.32.11
6, Brent Pontius Rooster’s/Bikers Edge 7.33.43
7, Ryan Steers Pedalers Fork 7.34.08
8, Scott Leonard Mountain Flyer Magazine 7.37.03
9, Matt Woodruff Kuhl/Salsa Cycles 7.41.12
10, Chris Alstrin 7.52.10
11, Kelly Phil AllProBicycles 7.59.56
12, Clifford Clermont Trek San Diego 8.34.23
13, Tom Kavanaugh Cascade Bicycles 8.57.25
14, Shawn Mitchell Team Rhino Rush 9.12.51
15, Eric Zubick Crank Benders 9.48.00

Open Women

1, Sonya Looney Freak Show/Defeet 8.12.36
2, Amanda Carey Luca Sunscreen 8.24.22
3, Brenda Simril Motor Mile Racing 9.16.42

Singlespeed

1, Gordon Wadsworth Blue Ridge Cyclery 7.14.07
2, AJ Linnell Fitzgerald’s Bicycles/Pivot 7.29.59
3, Mike Montalbano Toasted Head Racing 7.34.16
4, Daniel Rapp Team Noah Foundation 8.14.21
5, Cole Anderson 8.37.52

Open Men – 50 Mile

1, Justin Lindine Competitive Cyclist 3.15.25
2, Jason Sager Competitive Cyclist 3.20.20
3, Nick Fisher Destination Homes/Togs 3.25.08
4, Drew Free Revolution 3.27.02
5, John Osguthorpe Team Endurance 360 3.28.57

Open Women – 50 Mile

1, Joey Lythgoe Kuhl 3.52.17
2, Karen Jarchow BH/Castelli 4.01.02
3, KC Holley Kuhl 4.07.33
4, Wendy Lyall YetiBeti 4.14.37
5, Tracy Thelen ProCycling 4.26.16

Singlespeed – 50 Mile

1, Quin Bingham Rooster’s/Bikers Edge 3.49.35
2, Shannon Boffeli Pivot/Epic Brewing 3.59.09
3, Danny Christensen Red Rock Bicycle 4.12.03
4, Kenny Jones Flying Monkeys 4.17.24
5, Shane Horton UMB 4.19.47