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High Cascades 100 – Bend, Oregon

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Local Superstars Serena Bishop-Gordon and Christopher Jones Win High Cascades Presented by Hammer Nutrition

By Ryan O’Dell

At 5:30AM, Racer’s gathered at Bachelor Village, near Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon in anticipation of one of the most popular races in the NUE Race Series. The town of Bend is a growing destination for mountain bikers thanks to hundreds of miles of primo singletrack trails that can be accessed directly from downtown connecting to other nearby towns including the town of Sisters.

The Eighth Annual High Cascades 100 marked the midway point of the fourteen race National Ultra Endurance MTB Race Series where NUE series hopefuls had just one final opportunity to lead their respective divisions earning a mid-season travel award to compete in NUE #12, Rincon Challenge, the first NUE race held outside of the USA near Liberia, Costa Rica.

Deschutes Brewery, www.deschutesbrewery.com, one of the top rated craft breweries in the US, was on site at the finish line serving up draft brews including Pinedrops IPA and Hopslice, a new refreshing seasonal session IPA. Sagebrush Cycles of Bend, www.sagebrushcycles.net, in addition to offering mechanical services on the race course at every aid station, also offered racers a place to ship their bikes that included getting the bikes race ready and inspected before the race.

Race winner Serena Bishop-Gordon. Photo by: Michael Anderson Images

Race winner Serena Bishop-Gordon. Photo by: Michael Anderson Images

Women’s Open

Gordon makes it two in a row at HC100!

Serena Bishop Gordon, LIV|Giant Co-Factory Team, the local favorite from Bend, crushed the field for a second straight year by nearly an hour to finish 9:08:14.

Jennifer Shultz, Balance Point Racing/TREK/Fresh Air, from Kelowna, BC was next at 10:07:21. Five minutes later, Emily Kachorek, Squid, from Sacremento took third at 10:12:21. Twenty-three minutes later, Amber Bethe, 9:ZERO:7, rolled into fourth.

The youngest woman to ever finish an NUE race at the age of 16, Susannah Hart, Hapi-Go, now 19, moved up to fifth at10:54:14, more than a half hour faster than last year. Susannah’s favorite part of the race course is the climb out of Lava Lake, one of the most difficult climbs in the race.

Overall in the NUE Race Series point standings, Becky Edmiston, Crazy Pedaler Bicycles, leads all women.

Men’s Open

Jones gets his first HC100 win!

With a winning time of 7:53:44, Christopher Jones, the local favorite from Bend, achieved his first win at HC100 with a time that was less than three minutes short of the record set by Barry Wicks, Kona, in 2016. “Winning the High Cascade 100 was a pleasant surprise. I’m a roadie to the core, including my dismal dirt handling skills, but, as luck would have it, sand and my cyclocross skills made the difference on Saturday. The two riders I was with dismounted on a sandy climb about twenty miles into the HC100. I was able to remount quickly and ride away, a move I learned from racing cyclocross in the dunes of Kokjside.

From there it was a six hour ride enjoying some of the best trails my home town, Bend, has to offer. The local trail building organization, COTA, has done a fantastic job building and maintaining the local trails including the new Catch and Release trail that was included in the HC100 for the first time. Thanks to the Mike the Mudslinger, and NUE crews, for putting on such a great race.”

Fastest man on course Chris Jones rallies at High Cascades. Photo by: Michael Anderson Images

Fastest man on course Chris Jones rallies at High Cascades. Photo by: Michael Anderson Images

Less than four minutes behind the leader, a multi time winner of the HC100, Cary Smith, The Hub/VFuel, from Jackson, WY came in at 7:57:23 placing second.

Clint Muhlfield, Sportsman Ski Haus Cycling Team, from Whitefish, Montana was third at 8:22:46. “The High Cascade 100 is by far my favorite 100-mile MTB race. It’s a super fun point-to-point course that has it all: fast and flowy single-track, technical rocky (lava) zones, steep climbs, and power sections.

I’ve done this race several times, and it requires steady pace and not going out super hard at the beginning, saving some gas in the tank for the last thirty miles. Also, it gets hot out there and it’s a long time in the saddle, often in no man’s land, so I tried to focus on the moment, concentrating on the next corner ahead, and keeping the pace high. I had a good race with no technical issues, and, for a Dad with a demanding job, I’m very happy with my podium finish at a national event.”

Less than five minutes later, Erik Bee, The Bike Hub Spokane/For The Veterans of the U.S., from claimed fourth in 8:27:09. Seven minutes later, John ShalekBriski, US Military Endurance Sports, also from Spokane, WA claimed the fifth spot at 8:34:01.

Overall in the NUE Race Series point standings, Anthony Grinnell, Napleton Elite Cycling pwrd by Dirty Harrys, leads the Men’s Open Division.

Single Speed Open

Mills gets his first NUE win at High Cascades!

Steven Mills from Redding, CA held on to get this first win of the season following a third place finish at True Grit Epic and a sixth place finish at the Bailey Hundo. Mills winning time was 8:27:56. “Pedal, Pedal, Pedal the High Cascade 100 was a fun day on the bike. The race started off good. “Just Ride” is what Mike Ripley said and that’s all you can do or else it’s no fun so I stuck with it on race morning. Don’t try racing, just ride at your own pace and you will do well, so I just started pedaling down the trail.

I had decided to wear a camel back for the whole race so I had everything that I needed, water, a bunch of GU, and stuff to repair the bike if it breaks down. I also thought it would be easier to drink water hands free and focus on riding the trail. It worked great and saved my back when I crashed after clipping a log, flying and landing on my back. What I didn’t realize, until I had to refill, was that the lid had broken into pieces and was leaking. I thought wow, so I asked for some duct tape to tape the plastic lid back together so I wouldn’t lose water down the trail. Then, a dude had an extra camel pack so I took the lid off it. He said “What are you waiting for, GO!” so off I went.

For the majority of the race, I was riding back and forth with the fourth place finisher, Ricketts. We had a great time shredding the trails, trying to reel in the next racer, but I ended up alone toward the finish down the road. The 34-19 gearing is not too quick for the road so my legs where spinning. I got dizzy spinning and just rode to the finish line thinking what a great day at the High Cascade 100. I can’t wait to go ride the grizzly 100 in a few weeks! YeeHaaaw!”

2016 HC100 winner, Ben Shaklee, Jack’s Bicycle Center/Homegrown Racing, from Bellingham, WA arrived ten minutes later to finish second at 8:37:14. “I entered the first fire road climb with two other SS riders, Steven and Mark, and a few geared guys. I wasn’t exactly sure on the position of our group, but estimated we were in the top 10-15. I was the first of our group into Tiddlywinks singletrack just before Aid 1 and put maybe thirty seconds on the others but stopped to relieve myself and they passed.

I jumped back on with Steven and Mark ahead; passed Mark in the rocks and never saw him again (he was running 32×18). I bypassed Aid 1 and was spinning my 34×19 well on the fire roads, maybe a little more smoothly than Steven Mills (34×19).  I caught Steven and a couple geared guys, including Jay ShaleBriski. Jay and I worked together, gapped off the others, and wound up riding with or near each other for much of the day.

Jay blew through Aid 2 but I stopped for water. I passed him back as he was stopped trailside on the singletrack loop between Aid 2 and 3. A fast feed stop at Aid 3 and I was into the techie stuff descending to Lava Lake. At Aid 4 (mile 70) I was told I was in fourth overall and four minutes behind the leaders – I was pumped and resolved to ride steadily and smart for a linear effort to the finish.

This fell apart when I took a wrong turn crossing the fire road just above Aid 4, rather than climb over a log into the Edison Lava trail. I went out and back about 6 miles total and was off course for just over twenty minutes. Jay, who came through Aid 4 about one minute behind me, made the same mistake and we met on the fire road before getting back on course. I kept discouragement at bay and, once back on course, I passed back a few of the places I lost, but had no intel on where any SS riders were.

I crossed the line at 8:37:15 for second SS and ninth overall, about ten minutes behind Steven Mills. I was hoping to beat my 2015 time of 8:21 on this same course, and was on track to do so before my 20-minute detour despite slower course conditions this year. I felt good the entire ride and am pleased with the results. I thank, race director, Mike Ripley and his crew for another great HC100, and extend congratulations to Steve Mills for a great ride!”

Nine minutes later, Mark Schafer, Team Eastside, from Boise, ID took third at 8:56:34. Regis Ricketts, Iron City Bikes/Super Relax, was seven minutes back of Schafer for fourth at 9:03:34.

Seven minutes later, Kip Biese, KJBikeCoaching/Big Wheel Racing/Old Town Bike Shop, from Colorado Springs placed fifth at 9:10:35. Biese leads the NUE Race Series in the SS division with six finishes, including three second place finishes.

Masters 50+ Open

Golet crushes the field, getting his third straight NUE win!

Following wins at the True Grit Epic and Bailey Hundo, Greg Golet, Team Chico, was the only sub nine in the Masters division getting the win in just 8:42:59. Golet is undefeated this season and leads the NUE Race Series.

“At High Cascades the course has endless cornering, mostly around trees through the woods. In many sections you can’t see very far ahead, have to really focus, and be ready to react quickly. Constantly changing lighting, as you ride in and out of the shade, adds to the challenge. The trail surface is mostly smooth dirt and sand close to town, interspersed with occasional roots and rocks. Farther out, where the trail sees less traffic, it is more encroached with manzanita, and there’s a lot of loose and welded lava rock.

All this means you’re not going to do well unless you can ride varied singletrack really smoothly and efficiently. This point was really driven home for me last year. Even with 10,000 feet of overall vertical elevation, there just isn’t enough sustained climbing to do well simply by crushing the climbs. I tried that and it didn’t work. Also, unless you are a ripping descender, ideally with local knowledge of the trails (like my main competitor), you’re not going to gain much on anyone by saving energy until the second half of the race—my usual strategy.

So my plan was to eek the most out of every section of trail and get a big lead by Dutchman (mile 57), before the descent to lava lake. When I rode through there I was feeling pretty good, but didn’t really know my standing in the race. I knew I was ahead of Wayne Tonning (2015 Masters champ), who I passed early on, but definitely wasn’t ready to relax, knowing that there was a lot of race left. As it turned out, I was leading at that point, but only about two minutes ahead of Wayne!

Not wanting to flat, I rode pretty conservatively through the lava, checking my speed through blind corners, but still trying to push it where I could. I didn’t have any crashes or mechanicals there or anywhere else all day, and my nutrition was fine. I had energy to push hard through the last steeps and my decent to town was nicely uneventful. After finishing, I was feeling glad about my new “smarter” race strategy, but then I learned that my time was only twelve seconds ahead of last year, when I felt like I had played it all wrong!”

Wayne Tonning, Trinity Bikes, from Lake Oswego, OR placed second at 9:18:45. “Greg Golet, the winner, is a stud. I beat Greg last year and he took it to me this year. I tried to stay with Greg out of the gate, immediately red-lined, and still could not go with him. I ended up paying the price by riding sloppy; going over my handle bars twice, and had nothing the last twenty miles. I also flatted twice and had to run the bike into an aid for a new tire (sidewall cut) but persevered to finish and held onto second. That is what 100 milers are all about – digging deep and not quitting. What an incredibly competitive race, so many studs, and yet, really nice people. Gotta love the mountain bike community.”

Nine minutes later, Tim Phillips, Broken Spoke, from Eagle, ID rolled in to take the third podium spot at 9:27:34. “I got a better than expected start and, soon after hitting dirt, Golet went by with authority, followed by Tonning at a bit slower pace. Both pulled away as I expected.

The race went as planned and I felt pretty good through the Skyliner Aid Station #2 at mile 42. The climb to Dutchman Aid #3 (mile 58) seemed to go on forever. I believe it is the hardest section of this course. I rode smooth and safe on the downhill from Dutchman to Aid #4 Lava Lake. This section has tire gashing lava, numerous rock drops, and has been known to ruin many a racer’s day. I pegged my anticipated split times within a couple of minutes all the way to Lava Lake. However, the climb out of Lava put me under.

I came into Aid #4 at Edison (mile 78) but my legs were somewhere else and the usual cramping culprit wasn’t to blame. In addition, this course tests your upper body like no other. Starting at about mile fifty, the back of my left arm was screaming with every corner and pull of the brake lever. Volunteers at Edison mentioned that I was five minutes behind another 50+ racer. That’s when the mind games kicked in, who is in front?

The final 22 miles were brutal as my upper body, legs, and feet were all toast. The super fun DH sections on Tiddlywinks and Storm King that I rode the day before weren’t quite the same. Despite turning the cranks as best I could, I ended up fifteen minutes off my projected split on the final thirty miles. I ran into Wayne Tonning at the finish to find out he had double flatted.

An inventory of the water and calories consumed revealed I took in about 65% of what I should have, the likely the cause of my demise. I always say these races come down to fitness, mental toughness, and refueling. I failed at the latter. Despite finishing more than forty minutes behind Golet and nine minutes back of Tonning, what a thrill to be standing on the podium with these guys at one of the best races in the country!”

Twenty-two minutes later, Sten Hertsens, Muleterro, from Bozeman, MT took fourth at 9:49:14. Fourteen minutes later, James Coats took fifth in a packed Masters field.

Next: NUE Race Series #8, Wilderness 101 in State College, PA on July 23

Click here for full results from High Cascades 100

Tatanka 100 (NUE) – Sturgis, South Dakota

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Jamie Lamb and Carla Williams Conquer the Heat in South Dakota

By Ryan O’Dell

The Kenda NUE Series headed to Sturgis, South Dakota, home of the world’s largest motorcycle rally. Tatanka, the Lakota word for Buffalo, is the only point to point race in the NUE Series. At 6am, racers began gathering beneath 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 rolled out at 6:45, down a short section of pavement connecting them to the Centennial Trail along an 85 mile course that includes gnarly single track and fast, smooth cruising trail winding all the way to Sturgis. The town of Sturgis is nestled at the base of the northern Black Hills in extreme western South Dakota.

Temperatures this year reached an unseasonable high of 97 degrees, tempered by low humidity and, at times and in places, strong breezes throughout the day. In addition to the 85 mile race, this year’s Tatanka included a 50k Marathon distance that is part of the new NUE Marathon Race Series. There was also a 15 mile Sprint distance for first timers that included many kids.

Quarq, a division of SRAM, located locally in Spearfish, offered race fans live online tracking for the first time this year and Strider Bikes, located in nearby Rapid City, set up a skills park, offering kids as young as 2-3 years old an opportunity to test their bike skills. In addition to crafts and a variety of food and beverage stands, racers were treated to local craft brews courtesy of Crow Peak Brewing and The Knuckle Brewpub.

100-mile winner Carla Williams cools off at the feed zone. Photo by John Bush

100-mile winner Carla Williams cools off at the feed zone. Photo by John Bush

Women’s Open

Williams gets her second NUE win this season

Following her first big win at the NUE Cohutta 100 in April, Carla Williams, Joe’s Bike Shop Racing Team, achieved her second NUE win finishing 9:08:52, fourteenth overall. “I really had no idea what to expect at Tatanka. I had heard the course was rocky and technical (not exactly my favorite) with a lot of climbing (ok, I might stand a chance of doing well). I was most excited about starting under Mount Rushmore and having the chance to see the famous national monument!

The first 10-12 miles of the course was pretty brutal: lots of rocky steep climbs, lots of hiking, very hard to find any sort of rhythm. Luckily, after aid one, the trails were smoother and I felt I could actually ride my bike. It was my first race on a full suspension, and I loved it! I felt more and more confident on it as the race went on.

Since I had no idea what was around the next corner, I just focused on staying as strong and as consistent as I could. I surprised myself on some of the rocky stuff I was able to ride, disappointed myself in other sections, and really couldn’t quite believe I was leading the women’s field especially since there were so many other really strong women racing. Thanks so much to all the volunteers out on the course and to the race director who did a superb job with course markings. My next race will be WT101, but I definitely hope to be back riding in the black hills at some point.”

Abelyn Broughton, Fitzgerald’s Bicycles, was next capturing second in 9:29:30. Eleven minutes later, Christy Olsen, Crazy Pedaler Fat Fish, crossed the line at 9:40:51. “My race did not go well. I don’t think I was hydrated enough coming into this one. I felt okay for the first twenty miles but really succumbed to the heat after that. It was a really challenging course with some great competition. I wish I had a better performance, but it was good just to finish this one.” Olsen’s next race will be the Pierre’s Hole 100 on August 6.

Kaarin Tae, Bike Monkey Cycling, was next, sixteen minutes behind Olsen for fourth place at 9:56:18. Six minutes later, Mari Chandler, Team Adventure Medical Kits, placed fifth at 10:02:02. A top NUE Contender, Chandler also placed second at Cohutta and third at Lumberjack this year.

Jamie Lamb prevailed at the Tatanka 100. Photo by John Bush

Jamie Lamb prevailed at the Tatanka 100. Photo by John Bush

Men’s Open

Lamb gets his second straight win Tatanka!

Jamie Lamb, Bicisport Calgary, made it two in a row in Sturgis getting the win in 7:20:24. “Walking out of my hotel into 80-degree heat at 4:00 AM, I was worried about both the trio of Johnson, Lideen, and Tostado, and the chance that I’d wither in the day’s 97 degree high.  Once the climbing/rock scrambling started the four of us went clear with me pleased to have made the selection and focusing on hydration for the heat to come.

Unfortunately Lideen went down hard and cut his wrist on a rock, and about 10 miles later, Josh flatted leaving Dylan and me to sort it out.  We kept it mostly on cruise to the climbs on the motorized access portion of the Centennial trail, and with 30 miles to go I leaned on the throttle, happy to create a gap but cautious about melting down, dumping full bottles on myself at Aid 4.

I kept up my shoulder checking at each switchback but the heat must have got to Dylan as I was able to roll into Sturgis stoked to get an NUE win there for the second time. Thanks to race director, Kevin Forrester and his crew for putting on another great event. Next for me will be the Canadian XCM Nationals followed by NUE #10, Pierre’s Hole 100.”

Following big spring season wins at Cohutta 100 and the Mohican MTB100, 21 year old Dylan Johnson, Giant Co-Factory Northeast, arrived just nine minutes later to take second at Tatanka, finishing 7:29:14.

After suffering two flat tires that separated him from the leaders, Josh Tostado, Santa Cruz, Shimano, Maxxis, rode solo holding on for third at 7:55:17. “My race was going great. I was having fun riding with Jamie, Taylor, and Dylan. The pace was really slow off the start but I was in no hurry. About ten miles in, Taylor crashed out then the rest of us rode together until about twenty miles in and I got the first of my two flats so I rode by myself until I got my second flat. Daniel passed me while I was changing it then I passed him at the next aid and tried to push hard to the finish. The heat was really tough and I haven’t really raced in much more than low 80’s this year but, besides the flats, I was very happy with the riding and how I felt.”

Four minutes later, Daniel Matheney, COS Racing p/b Matheny Endurance, claimed fourth at 07:59:43. Two-time Tatanka winner and local favorite, James Meyer, Quark/SRAM, from nearby Spearfish, SD placed fifth this year at 8:13:02, forty-one minutes faster than last year!

Josh Tostado leads Lamb and Johnson on the flume trail. Photo by John Bush

Josh Tostado leads Lamb and Johnson on the flume trail. Photo by John Bush

Taylor Lideen, who placed first at the NUE opener True Grit Epic and eighth at Bailey Hundo, crashed out just ten miles into the race, injuring his wrist. “The race started with Josh, Dylan, Jamie and I up front having a blast on the super raw and technical trail. The Centennial Trail did not disappoint and already has me thinking about racing on it again next year. A little over an hour in, on what seemed to be the smoothest single track so far, I reached to grab a drink from my Camelbak and clipped my left pedal on a stump hidden beneath the overgrown grass.

Dylan Johnson traveled west to experience the Tatanka 100 and came away with a second-place finish for his efforts. Photo by John Bush

Dylan Johnson traveled west to experience the Tatanka 100 and came away with a second-place finish for his efforts. Photo by John Bush

The crash happened so quickly and, before I knew it, Dylan was staring down at me checking to see if I was okay. Luckily, I was really close to a road crossing and waited there until someone from aid station one came and picked me up. After meeting up with my fiancé, we drove to the hospital in Rapid City to get everything checked out. The doctor brought the x-Ray result in and I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I was told there were no breaks.

After a generous scrub and a few stitches later, I was released and headed down to the finish to watch the leaders come through. At the moment, my wrist and palm area are feeling better and I should be good as new and ready to race at Big Bear in a couple weeks.

I want to thank all the riders who checked on me on-course as well as after the race. Even though this was a really unfortunate (and frustrating) crash, I am so grateful for this community and the sport we all love.”

Trevor Rockwell cranks his way through to a SS win. Photo by John Bush

Trevor Rockwell cranks his way through to a SS win. Photo by John Bush

Single-Speed

Rockwell gets his first NUE Win

Trevor Rockwell put it down to get his first NUE SS win this season, finishing in 8:15:43. “Tatanka100 was an awesome race! I came in with high hopes to ride for A.J. Linnell and try to come away with the Single Speed victory! The race was interesting from the get-go as the lead pack of eleven or so guys missed a turn about one mile into the race that put us behind a long line of folks. Once we sorted through the line, it was game on from there. I was able to keep up with Kip and Jeff Kerkove until Aid 1. They got out a little quicker from the Aid station so I was relegated to chasing.

For the rest of the race I thought I was hunting down Kip and trying to get myself back into the lead. Later, I learned that he took a wrong turn before Aid 2 that put me unknowingly into the lead. For the rest of the race as the heat took its toll, I settled in, trying to close a gap that was actually behind me. I pushed as hard as my body would let me. Throughout the second half of the race there were many times I thought I should pull the plug as I was overheating pretty badly but thinking of the name on the back of my jersey kept me pushing on.

In the end it was a hot and a little emotional day on the bike since it was my first race back after taking a year and a half hiatus from racing and pretty much riding my bike at all! If I had to do it again I may drop a gear as my 36×20 was a little steep, but I also know that the heat played quite the role. Next up for me is the Pierre’s Hole 100! It will be great to get back out to the Teton’s and hopefully come away with another victory!”

Kip Biese, KJBike Coaching/Old Town Bike Shop, took second at 8:40:24, twenty-five minutes behind Rockwell. With four finishes already under his belt, Kip Biese leads the NUE Race Series including second place finishes at both Cohutta and Bailey Hundo, a third place finish at Mohican, sixth at True Grit Epic. “I felt good and rode back and forth with Trevor to Aid 1.

After Aid 1, I felt confident and went ahead but twice managed to miss left turns on fast downhills and went off course both times a good ways before turning around and climbing back onto course. I believe by Aid Two, I wasn’t too far back but Trevor is really strong and I knew I had a tough fight to even try and get within sight of him. I went hard climbing out of Aid two but had a mishap descending while dodging ATVs, and, as of today, it’s confirmed I broke a bone in my left foot. Important side note; the ATV riders were cool and they all tried to get off trail as I descended towards them but the last rider slipped off trail trying to give me space. After all that fun, I just rode it out trying to find a way to pedal that didn’t hurt.”

 

Master’s 50+

Brothers gets his first NUE Race win!

Brian Brothers, Hammer Nutrition, earned his first ever NUE victory, first across the line at 9:24:30. “There was the section about seven miles in where it was hike-a-bike, playing to my strength since I do that kind of stuff all the time, I passed several riders there and soon found myself riding alone for the next forty miles. I had no idea where I was in the overall or in my ‘old man’s’ category.

From there it was another awesome section of singletrack and fire roads leading to aid station two. When I got there, I asked where all the other masters men were, thinking they were in front of me. NUE series director Ryan O’Dell, who was following the race answered that I was the first one. Dumbfounded, I couldn’t believe it. I thought for sure that someone made the cut in front with the faster riders.

Knowing I was in the lead, I headed out on the third section of trail towards aid three with renewed energy and promptly started cramping. The thing about cramping and me is that I don’t stop, I grit and bear it and pedal on through softly. It’s always worked for me and within minutes my legs had loosened up and I was cruising again, alone. Within a few miles of aid three at the 50 mile mark, I was caught and passed by a singlespeeder and the eventual women’s winner. No longer alone, I was able to finally have someone to pace with.

When I got to the aid, I proceeded to pour ice cold water over me as I had been cooking out there in the heat. That was the precise moment when the second place Masters Rider, Marland Whaley, would show up, grab two water bottles from his support crew, and head out. I was a bit relieved to finally have someone else in front and worried because I was really suffering and he looked really fresh. I took off after him with Ryan taking photos of us as we headed into the next 17 mile section. I cramped as we headed up the first climb out and backed off the pace to recover. In my mind I knew the two things I had going for me was I had been hydrating all day whenever I wanted due to my hydration pack vs his two small bottle setup and his hardtail bike would have cost him time competing against me on my full suspension Salsa Spearfish.

On the next road descent, I couldn’t believe my luck as he almost overshot a turn onto the singletrack. I was on his wheel as we entered the climb and it was apparent that something was wrong as his speed was much slower than I expected. We both pulled off the trail for a couple faster riders in the shorter race. I deferred to him to go as he was in front and he said “no you go”. Was this a trick I thought?

I decided with approximately two miles of climbing before a big descent to burn my matches and almost doubled the pace to see what his reaction would be. Several minutes later I was all alone with no one in sight. I bombed down the descent throwing caution to the wind as I drifted through switchbacks. I ended up crashing at speed as I slid on the pine needle covered trail and went over some rocks. Only some scrapes, I got up and charged down the descent again, and again the pine needles had their way but it was only a slow speed fall and I was quickly riding again as the trail straightened out. I had my GPS with course overlay showing the elevation profile and distance to the next stop and hammered it out to the aid station. I didn’t waste any time and was quickly back on my bike with the final 15 miles remaining in a mostly downhill trending profile.

I kept on the gas as best I could, feeling much better than I did during the middle half of the race. As I crossed into Ft Meade recreation area, I knew, short of a race ending crash, nobody was going to catch me. I eased off the pace to be focused on the final few downhills as I had crashed here 24 hours earlier. Even then I still struck a boulder with my pedal that sent me in the air. Luckily I landed in control and, with three miles remaining; I relaxed entirely to enjoy my first individual win in a long time. It was surreal as I crossed the line. Ryan was there to congratulate me on a great race. DirtWireTV even did an interview with me. I was like, wow.  Now where’s the beer?

Later, talking to Marland, I found out that when I went by him he was suffering through cramps and had stopped to stretch. Furthermore, he probably hit the same rock I did but was not so lucky as evidence of the blood on his arms and legs. It was such a great course; I can’t wait to do it next year.”

NUE Series contender, Marland Whaley, Red Barn Bicycles/Hammer Nutrition, was back and forth with Brothers through much of the race before finishing 9:39:35. “After racing the Tatanka 100 in 2013, I couldn’t wait to get back to the Black Hills again. This year, once again, it was a very well organized race with incredible volunteers at the aid stations.

I had been fighting an illness for two weeks prior to this, but was so “all in” to race well that I never backed off like I should have to get well. It was such a mistake that, within the first hour, I’m not sure how I’m getting back to Sturgis. All I could do is press on the pedals enough to go forward. As the temps rose toward 100, I became light headed and sicker.

To top off a really rough day, three miles from the finish at speed, I buried my right pedal into a rock, launching me down the hill, breaking my helmet, and having to retrieve my bike thirty yards down the hill. Limping my way to the finish, I was just glad to bring a day to an end that I was so much looking forward to. Congrats to newcomer Brian on his NUE win. I’m sure you will be seeing more of him in the future.”

Roger Clark finished third at 10:56:18.

 

NEXT: The KENDA NUE Race Series heads due west for The High Cascades 100 near Bend, Oregon on Saturday, July 16. Like all NUE Races so far this season, The HC100 is sold out. However, racers can get on a waiting list to enter. Visit http://nuemtb.com/series/high-cascades-100-ultra-endurance-mountainbike-race for more information and stay tuned here for the latest news, results, and photos.

Click Here for full results from Tatanka 100 & Marathon

Lumberjack 100 – Michigan

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LumberJack 100: National Ultra Endurance Series presented by KENDA

Written by: Scott Tencate

Photos by: Jack Kunnen

The 2016 Founders Lumberjack 100 racers were greeted by cool morning temps in the 50’s and brilliant sunshine as the 413 racers toed the starting line for the for the 12th annual race through the Big M trail. The racers knew that the first 33 mile lap would be the most comfortable as temps were expected to reach close to 90 and the humidity would make it feel like a tropical rainforest by noon.  The race directors designed a new start that removed some of the roll out pavement and replaced it with two track and single track that allowed more jockeying and racing from the start.  After 4 miles of positioning the field came through the pits and finish area to cheers and cowbells as they made their way towards the first separator the “Bullwacker” climb.  It was two new faces to the Lumberjack race Dan Yankus ( Team OAM) and Brad White ( United Health Care) that lead the charge with familiar LJ 100 race faces; Mens open champion Brian Schworm (Think Green VO2), Vanias ( Team OAM), Quiring ( Quiring Cycles), Jan Roubal (Velorution), Mike Simonson (The Bike & Tri Shop) Golas, Gross and Catlin looking to make the selection. The women’s open field of  37 was lead by Chase Edwards (Flagstaff Bikes)  and on her wheel was LJ 100 first timer Kaitlyn Patterson ( Team OAM) and last years women’s champion; Mari Chandler ( Team Adventure)

Terry Blanchet Nav-North American Velo 2d place masters 50+

Terry Blanchet Nav-North American Velo 2d place masters 50+

 

The Lumberjack race course is in 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.

Even with the crisp morning temps it didn’t take long for things to heat up as Scott Quiring pushed a red line pace on the front for most of the first lap with nine others staying in contact. As the leaders made their way into the support area (16 mph avg. speed) it was Yankus, White, Simonson stopping in first with seven others within a minute. Most riders stopped 5 – 10 seconds to reload with food and hydration but it was road pro racer White who never slowed and grabbed his fuel mussette style and  was the first on the trail starting the second lap. Things got testy as Quiring, Yankus, Simonson and White attacked trying to shake off anyone from the top 9 lead group. Half way through the second lap Quiring and Roubal  dropped off having pushed too hard and Mike Simonson caught a bad break with his tubular tire going flat. The second lap leaders were down to four with Vanias, White, Yankus and Schworm a minute ahead of  Catlin and Gross.  Just after the half way point of the third lap, Schworm decided it was time to make a move and not allow White or Vanias a chance to attack on the two track section with 8 miles to go. Brian Schworm finished four minutes ahead of Vanias and five on White as he tore up the last five miles of the Big M tail finishing just off a race record at 6:30:09 for back to back Lumberjack 100 championships.

The women’s open race saw Patterson and Edwards battling back and forth for the first lap with  Patterson hitting the support area at 2:27 just 30 seconds ahead of Edwards. Last years Women’s open Champion, Mari Chandler couldn’t hold on to the pace and found herself over 10 minutes back after the first lap.  The second lap Patterson decided to push the pace and never looked back as she peddled through the second lap pits with nearly a two minute lead over Patterson and held that gap to finish her first Lumberjack 100 as the Women’s Open Champion at 7:27:27 followed by Edwards 7:29:51 and Chandler 7:51:58.

Chase Edwards Flagstaff Bike Revolutions 2d place womens open

Chase Edwards Flagstaff Bike Revolutions 2d place womens open

The Single Speed race got off to a fast start with everyone going hard trying to get to the fast and flowing single track and first big climb ahead of as many racers as possible.  James Litzinger ( Napleton Elite) in his second LJ 100 appearance saw his last single speed competitior shortly after the “Bullwacker” climb and latched on to a group of geared riders including teammate Joe Fraas and Master’s winner Jeff Clayton pushing a steady pace on laps one and two. Litzinger said ” Joe and Jeff worked like semi trucks pulling on the road and I kept us rolling on the single track while grinning ear to ear!  It was so much fun riding and working with those guys!  I felt like The Lumberjack 100 was a TEAM effort!”  Litzinger got his first NUE series win with an impressive time of 7:13.  The real single speed race was between Alexander Steinhoff ( Treefort Bikes) and Mike Bernhard ( Founders Racing) who was fresh off his single speed win and 13th overall finish at Dirty Kanza. These two spent the day duking it out and exchanging position until the end of lap two when Steinhoff gaped Bernhard and held on to second place by less than a minute.

Brain Schworm Think Green-Vo2 Multisport P/b Sword mens open winner

Brain Schworm Think Green-Vo2 Multisport P/b Sword mens open winner

Lastly the Master division race saw Georgia native, Jeff Clayton ( Georgia Neurosurgical Institute) work with Single Speed winner James Litzinger and Joe Frass to set a blistering pace from the start creating a large gap over competitors Terry Blanchet and Mark Donakowski.  Clayton never faded and ended up finishing in just over his goal time of 7 hours with a time of 7:04 followed by Blanchet 7:44 and Donakowski 7:50.

All results for the 2016 Lumberjack 100 can be viewed here:

http://www.newtontiming.com/results2016.html

Mohican 100 Results and Photos

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Full report to come…

Hundreds of racers charge off the start line and through Loudonville, Ohio, at the start of the Mohican 100. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Hundreds of racers charge off the start line and through Loudonville, Ohio, at the start of the Mohican 100. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Christian Tanguy powers through the water early on in this 100 mile challenge. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Christian Tanguy powers through the water early on in this 100 mile challenge. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Women's 100k winner Sally Price gets wet. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Women’s 100k winner Sally Price gets wet. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Linda Shin makes her way through the dense forests of Ohio on her way to a race win. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Linda Shin makes her way through the dense forests of Ohio on her way to a race win. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Mud and slippery conditions created some carnage on course. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Mud and slippery conditions created some carnage on course. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Slick conditions caused many falls during the Mohican 100 an conditions would get worse as rain started falling later in the day. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Slick conditions caused many falls during the Mohican 100 an conditions would get worse as rain started falling later in the day. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

100-mile race winner Dylan Johnson successfully navigates a long suspension bridge. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

100-mile race winner Dylan Johnson successfully navigates a long suspension bridge. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Ben Michelis hammered out the 100k event on a rigid SS coming in 10th. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Ben Michelis hammered out the 100k event on a rigid SS coming in 10th. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Dylan Johnson strikes a triumphant pose as he takes another NUE win for 2016. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Dylan Johnson strikes a triumphant pose as he takes another NUE win for 2016. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Gaps were exceptionally tight at the 2016 Mohican 100. Here Federico Ramarez crosses the line just seconds in front of Christian Tanguy. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Gaps were exceptionally tight at the 2016 Mohican 100. Here Federico Ramarez crosses the line just seconds in front of Christian Tanguy. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Ramarez just after the finish. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Ramarez just after the finish. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Gregory Jancaitis celebrates his new growler and an 11th-place finish. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Gregory Jancaitis celebrates his new growler and an 11th-place finish. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

100-mile women's podium. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

100-mile women’s podium. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

100-mile open men's podium. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

100-mile open men’s podium. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Click Here for full results from all categories

Grand Junction Off-Road: Photos and Results

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Most racers were too focused to take in the amazing scenery in Grand Junction. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Most racers were too focused to take in the amazing scenery in Grand Junction. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Rose Grant (Pivot/NoTubes) dominated from start to finish in Grand Junction. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Rose Grant (Pivot/NoTubes) dominated from start to finish in Grand Junction. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Ben Sonntag (Clif Bar) puts the finishing touches on Butterknife trail with Cole House (Door County) close behind. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Ben Sonntag (Clif Bar) puts the finishing touches on Butterknife trail with Cole House (Door County) close behind. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Courtenay McFadden (American Classic) keeps Mical Dyck (NoTubes) in her sights late in the race. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Courtenay McFadden (American Classic) keeps Mical Dyck (NoTubes) in her sights late in the race. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Brian Matter (Team Wisconsin) rides in fourth at the end of Butterknife trail. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Brian Matter (Team Wisconsin) rides in fourth at the end of Butterknife trail. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Alexis Skarda (NoTubes Elite) put together an impressive second-place finish. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Alexis Skarda (NoTubes Elite) put together an impressive second-place finish. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

George or Bart Flynn (Hoback Sports) powers through the difficult riding on tap at the Grand Junction Off-Road. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

George or Bart Flynn (Hoback Sports) powers through the difficult riding on tap at the Grand Junction Off-Road. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Jen Hanks (Pivot/DNA Cycling) stays focused in the rocks. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Jen Hanks (Pivot/DNA Cycling) stays focused in the rocks. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Andy's Loop winds it's way down canyon toward Grand Junction. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Andy’s Loop winds it’s way down canyon toward Grand Junction. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Isnaraissa Moir (MRP, Ergon, Pivot) used some local knowledge and massive tires to put together a strong seventh-place finish. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Isnaraissa Moir (MRP, Ergon, Pivot) used some local knowledge and massive tires to put together a strong seventh-place finish. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

The chase group does it's best to catch a solo Todd Wells (Scott/SRAM). Photo by Shannon Boffeli

The chase group does it’s best to catch a solo Todd Wells (Scott/SRAM). Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Mical Dyck (NoTubes) drops in on Andy's Loop. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Mical Dyck (NoTubes) drops in on Andy’s Loop. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Levi Kurlander (Ride Biker) weaves through the rocks at Grand Junction Off-Road. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Levi Kurlander (Ride Biker) weaves through the rocks at Grand Junction Off-Road. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Marlee Dixon (Pivot/DNA Cycling) takes a drop on Andy's Loop. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Marlee Dixon (Pivot/DNA Cycling) takes a drop on Andy’s Loop. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

George Flynn (Hoback Sports) puts on a show for the spectators. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

George Flynn (Hoback Sports) puts on a show for the spectators. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Sofia Gomez Villafane (Competitive Cyclist) rode near the front all day finally taking sixth on the day

Sofia Gomez Villafane (Competitive Cyclist) rode near the front all day finally taking sixth on the day

 

Jen Hanks (Pivot/DNA Cycling) gets busy in Andy's Loop. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Jen Hanks (Pivot/DNA Cycling) gets busy in Andy’s Loop. Photo by Shannon Boffeli

Click Here for Results from the Grand Junction Off-Road 40 Grand

Click Here for Results from the Grand Junction Off-Road Crit 

Soldier Hollow – I-Cup #4

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The 2016 Intermountain Cup has officially returned to northern Utah with round 4 at Midway, Utah, Soldier Hollow Sports Park.

After hosting the first 3 races of this season in St. George, and Moab the I-Cup traveled north for Saturday’s event and it appeared northern Utah’s late winter wasn’t about to cooperate. Forecasts were gloomy at best and down right freezing depending where you looked right up to the start of this weekend’s race.

Seth Bradley airs it out during Saturday's race. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Seth Bradley airs it out during Saturday’s race. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

The bummer forecasts didn’t keep everyone at home as a few hundred motivated racers made their way to Soldier Hollow and were rewarded with dry trails and moderate temperatures throughout the event.

The 2016 Soldier Hollow course included a bit more singletrack per lap but maintained every bit of climbing the venue is known for. Riders climbed over 1,000 quad-burning feet per 6-mile lap. The elite men’s field raced 4 full laps as the women tackled 3 circuits.

Well over 20 riders took the start in the men’s elite race but Justin Lindine (Hyperthreads) quickly stamped out any notions that he would be challenged for the race win. Lindine has won two of the three I-Cup races this season and rode away with this one. His biggest challenge of the day would be staying motivated with such a big lead in hand.

Justin Lindine kept the hammer down despite being on his own most of the day. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Justin Lindine kept the hammer down despite being on his own most of the day. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

He stayed clear of the field taking his I-Cup win total to three of four for 2016.

The race for runner up was much closer with Drew Free (Kuhl) and Anders Johnson (Whole Athlete) taking shots at each other all race long. After shedding other contenders in lap one Free and Johnson threw attacks at each other with neither getting an advantage until Johnson made a final attack less than a mile from the finish. The 18-year-old was able to put just enough space between himself and Free to take second with Free rolling in third.

Drew Free battled Anders Johnson for the runner-up spot. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Drew Free battled Anders Johnson for the runner-up spot. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Bryson Perry (Canyons) and Jeff Bender (Kuhl) rounded out the podium in 4th and 5th respectively.

The women’s race was a much closer affair as most of Utah’s fastest women toed the line. Any of the top-6 women had a legitimate chance to win at any I-Cup event. Included in that group were round #1 winner Jen Hanks (Pivot/DNA Cycling) and the winner of race #2 Erica Tingey (Jamis).

Jen Hanks gets focused on the log crossing at Soldier Hollow. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Jen Hanks gets focused on the log crossing at Soldier Hollow. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Off the start though a three-way race started to take shape between Sarah Kaufmann (NoTubes Elite), Nicole Tittensor (Scott), and Rachel Anders (Competitive Cyclist).

Kaufmann lead after lap one but crossed the start/finish just seconds in front of Tittensor and Anders.

Now it was Tittensor’s chance to take control of the race as she climbed clear of the lead group on lap two. her acceleration was enough to drop Kaufmann back but Anders never lost sight of the race leader and as the climbing began again on lap three 18-year-old Anders bridged the gap and jumped into the lead.

Rachel Anders took the lead on the last lap at Saturday's race. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Rachel Anders took the lead on the last lap at Saturday’s race. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Once out front the youngster stayed focused as she drove to the finish line taking her first I-Cup win of this year.

Tittensor stayed close but couldn’t close the gap eventually rolling in second. Kaufmann kept a steady pace and held on to third place.

Hanks and Meghan Sheridan (Bingham’s Cyclery) finished off the podium.

Nicole Tittensor led most the day in Soldier Hollow. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Nicole Tittensor led most the day in Soldier Hollow. Photo by: Angie Harker/Selective Vision

Once everyone had finished and podium photos had been shot the skies finally opened up and fulfilled their ominous predictions by dumping sheets of freezing rain on Soldier Hollow.

Next up on the I-Cup schedule is the Stan Crane Memorial in Draper, Utah, May 30th. Check in with MTB Race News for full coverage from this and every Intermountain Cup race in 2016.

Click Here for full results from all categories

Peak2Peak MTB Race – Michigan

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Jorden Wakeley and Kaitlyn Patterson Welcome Fall with Peak2Peak Wins

Written by: Michael Simonson

It’s officially fall in Michigan, which means mountain bike racing is at it’s peak with everyone getting ready for some of the biggest events of the year.

This past weekend saw a great venue at Crystal Mountain nestled right in Thompsonville, Michigan. The Peak2Peak, promoted by Endoman Promotions, is in it’s 10th year and going strong. The promoter has this event dialed in and it runs super smooth. The venue is beautiful, and there’s more to do than just mountain biking. Big payouts for both the elite men and women draw top talent from the Midwest and this year was no exception.

It’s a fast course, and this year, it was particularly dialed in. The moisture leading up to the event was just the perfect blend to make the top soily/sandy course set up nice and tacky and the slug fest up the ski hill at the end of every lap was sure break up the pack.

For the elite men, there were multiple past winners and podium finishers present. After a fast start, and a blazing fast first lap, it settled into a 5 man group, Cole House, Jorden Wakeley, Alex Vanias, Nathan Guerra, and Michael Simonson. The singletrack sections saw multiple attacks from all, but when the course opened to the 2 track sections, the racing neutralized.

Attacks at the end of each lap saw Simonson dangling, but he would recover and chase back onto the group. It all came down to the final ascent and decent of the ski hill on the last lap. It was Wakely first to the top and into the downhill shoot followed by the others with Simonson getting gapped off the back.

A mad dash to the finish saw Wakeley come in for the win, followed by Cole House in 2nd, Nathan Guerra 3rd, Vanias 4th, and Simonson 5th.

The elite Women saw a changing of the guard with a tight battle between multiple past winners Mackenzie Woodring and Kaitlyn Patterson. In the end it was Patterson who pulled out the win.

Overall this race is a sure winner and I would highly recommend anyone who is interested in seeing what Michigan Mountain Biking is all about to attend.

Click Here for full results from all categories

Moab Rocks – Stage 3

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Pepper Harlton Makes it Two in a Row While Brent Pontius Takes His First Stage Win; Chris and KC Holley Crowned Moab Rocks Champions

Written by: Shannon Boffeli

 

The final stage of the Moab Rocks mountain bike stage race is usually the favorite for most of the racers. Not just because it’s the last stage of a grueling three days of riding but it also features some of the best riding Moab has to offer.

Located in the Magnificent 7 trail area, stage 3 features an abundance of singletrack – including the only long stretches of buffed-out dirt trail in Moab sprinkled throughout techy slickrock and long, high-speed descents.

Photo by : Raven Eye Photography

Photo by : Raven Eye Photography

But before the fun starts, riders have to conquer a 5-mile section of road that features the two toughest climbs of the day.

With that in mind the racers got off to a mellow start slowly ramping up the pace before the first of two road climbs.

Overall race leader Chris Holley (Kuhl) settled into the lead group, seeming content to follow some wheels and be ready if he needed to defend against attacks.

His closest competitors, Brent Pontius (Rooster’s/Bikers Edge), Jason Sager (Competitive Cyclist), and Jeff Kerkove (Topeak/Ergon), also occupied the lead group but no one felt the urge to take an early flyer and attempt to unseat Holley from the top spot.

Photo by : Raven Eye Photography

Photo by : Raven Eye Photography

Sager, who was riding a long-travel bike for the first time looked as though he might give Holley a run later in the stage when the descending started but his plans were foiled early on when mechanical troubles prevented him from finishing the stage.

This left Pontius and Holley alone for much of the race with each rider feeling the effects of three days in the saddle and not pushing the pace too hard.

When the descending finally started, the leaders settled into a reasonable pace on the 9-mile descent back to Gemini Bridges road. On the descent Jeff Kerkove and Alaskan Jeff Ellis regained contact with the lead group.

Ellis, who finished 6th in stages 1 and 2, was in the midst of making a move on Bobby Brown (Bicycle Outfitters) and it was paying off as he stayed with the leaders until the final climb to the finish where Brent Pontius started driving the pace at the front.

Pontius moved clear of the group but Holley kept the Rooster’s/Biker’s Edge rider close as they crested the final climb, and Holley regained his wheel as they descended to the finish.

Pontius would ultimately take the stage win but Holley claimed the title of 2015 Moab Rocks champion.

Jeff Ellis finished off his impressive ride in 3rd place with enough time in hand to leapfrog Bobby Brown in the GC and claim 4th.

Yesterday’s stage winner, Jeff Kerkove rolled in 4th on the day and moved into 3rd overall claiming what was previously Jason Sager’s spot.

Bobby Brown finished 5th on the day and would occupy the same spot in the GC.

The women’s race started off with even more excitement as stage 1 winner Karen Jarchow, who crashed in stage 2, was unable to start the final day of the race.

Originally Jarchow thought her crash the previous day left her with nothing more than bruising and some road rash but a dented helmet and some lingering dizziness made her concerned about a more serious concussion. With that in mind she decided to not take the start.

That meant overnight race leader KC Holley (Kuhl) would have to keep Kaysee Armstrong (Kona/TVBRace) and stage 2 winner Pepper Harlton (Devon Bicycle Association) close enough to hold onto her GC lead.

At the start of the day Holley had roughly 10 minutes on Harlton who sat in second overall.

Holley was nervous at the start, worried about the upcoming 5 miles of road that separated her from the singletrack.

As the race got rolling her fears appeared sadly justified as she faded back into 4th losing sight of Armstrong and Harlton.

Finally on trail, Holley started picking off riders beginning with Kata Skaggs (Adventure Bicycle Association), then Armstrong toward the end of the lap.

“I was pretty worried because we were back on the road [just 4 miles from the finish] and I hadn’t caught Pepper and had no idea how far ahead she was,” Holley said after the race.

Concerned that she might have given up too much time the race leader was happily surprised to be told on the final climb that Harlton was just a minute or two in front of her.

Pepper Harlton had given her all trying to claw back the time she lost on stage 1 ultimately coming up just short.

Pepper Harlton descends toward another stage win. Photo by : Raven Eye Photography

Pepper Harlton descends toward another stage win. Photo by : Raven Eye Photography

Harlton crossed the line for her second stage win in as many days but only getting back 2 of the 10 minutes she needed to unseat Holley from the race lead.

A relieved KC Holley crossed the line for second on the day but fastest combined time after 3 days of racing. She would join her husband Chris as 2015 Moab Rocks champion.

Kaysee Armstrong rolled in third on the stage followed by Kata Skaggs and Sandra Hardy.

At the finish riders congregated sharing their stories of the past three days of racing and enjoying the camaraderie that seems to make all mountain bike racers immediate friends.

All riders on hand would agree that after three days of magnificent weather, outstanding trail riding, friendly and helpful event staff, and plenty of free beer the 2015 Moab Rocks will forever be a highlight of their racing careers.

Photo by : Raven Eye Photography

Photo by : Raven Eye Photography

Click Here for full results from stage 3

Click Here for full GC results from Moab Rocks

Click Here for full timed descent results from stage 3

Photo Gallery

Moab Rocks – Stage 2

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Jeff Kerkove and Pepper Harlton Win at Klondike Bluffs; Husband and Wife Chris and KC Holley Control Leader’s Jerseys After Stage 2

Written by: Shannon Boffeli

Another idyllic morning greeted racers for stage 2 of the Moab Rocks mountain bike stage race. It was a stark contrast to last year when gusting winds up to 40mph battered riders throughout the day.

Conditions were so perfect in fact that race leader Chris Holley (Kuhl) had this to say, “I think this was the calmest morning I have every seen in Moab.” Moab is an area known for harsh conditions especially wind that has carved the thousands of arches and depressions seen in this area out of solid rock.

Today’s stage would have none of that as warm temperatures and sun-splashed red rock welcomed riders to the Klondike Bluffs trailhead.

Stage 2 started with a 4-mile drag race down a twisting dirt road stretching out the racers before hitting the singletrack.

Jason Sager leads the front group. Photo by: Raven Eye Photo

Jason Sager leads the front group. Photo by: Raven Eye Photo

The pace off the start was high as riders battled for position before entering the trail.

Once on the combination of slickrock and desert hardpack that make up Klondike Bluffs a lead group of Chris Holley, Jason Sager (Competitive Cyclist), and Brent Pontius (Rooster’s/Biker’s Edge) surged off the front.

“Jason is so good at riding that stuff,” Holley shared after the race. “He’s so smooth I was totally happy just sitting in behind him for most of the day.”

Throughout the 32-mile stage Sager and Holley would open small gaps on their breakaway companion Pontius but Brent was always able to close it back down.

The trio put down fast times throughout the entire course with no one in the group gaining a significant advantage.

Eventually a close sprint finish would decide their final order with Jason Sager crossing the line just in front of overnight race leader Holley and Brent Pontius a few seconds behind them.

Photo by: Raven Eye Photo

Photo by: Raven Eye Photo

After the finish the lead group started to get the feeling that something might be wrong as they waited longer and longer for the next riders to come in.

Finally, Jeff Kerkove (Topeak/Ergon) came into sight over 15 minutes behind the lead trio.

After some discussion it was determined that the leaders had missed a turn cutting out checkpoint #1 and giving them an advantage on course.

The race jury met and decided they would assess the top three riders with a time penalty of 22 minutes and 25 seconds.

In the end, Kerkove was named stage winner with a time of 2:05:20 followed by Bobby Brown (Bicycle Outfitter) just over a minute behind.

The time penalty moved Sager back to third place on the day followed by Holley and Pontius finishing off the podium.

Chris Holley will enjoy at least one more night in the leader’s jersey losing just over a second to Jason Sager who sits third overall.

Stage 2 for the women was equally exciting as the ladies produced some major shake ups of their own.

Photo by: Raven Eye Photo

Photo by: Raven Eye Photo

After a fast start on the road the women dove into the rocky, technical riding of the Klondike system. Early on, overnight race leader Karen Jarchow (BH/Castelli) cut a tire and sacrificed precious time fixing it.

Luckily for Jarchow her nearest GC threat, KC Holley (Kuhl), had struggled on the opening road section and sat in 5th place at the start of the singletrack.

The tire repair didn’t go quickly enough as Holley passed by while the GC leader was still stuck on the side of the trail.

By this time Holley was starting to move up through the pack but her slow start had given Pepper Harlton (Devon Bicycle Association) a big cushion and the hardtail-riding Canadian was not about to slow down despite the rugged terrain.

This is Harlton’s second effort at Moab Rocks and she was careful not to miss any turns as she did in 2014 when a wrong turn dropped her from 2nd to 4th. This time around, Harlton stayed on course and showcased her well-honed riding skills to stay well in front of the pack and take her first Moab Rocks stage win.

KC Holley turned in some impressively skilled riding of her own moving from 5th into 2nd at the finish line. Her technical skills helped her recover from a slow start finally putting over four minutes on third-placed finisher Kaysee Armstrong (Kona/TVBRace).

Kata Skaggs (Adventure Bicycle Company) came home in fourth.

Karen Jarchow rallies to make up time after her flat tire. Photo by: Raven Eye Photo

Karen Jarchow rallies to make up time after her flat tire. Photo by: Raven Eye Photo

Stage 1 winner Karen Jarchow took fifth on the day losing her overall lead to KC Holley as her struggles continued following the flat tire. After finishing her repair, Jarchow remounted and pushed herself hard to make up time. The BH/Castelli rider was taking risks to get time back from her competitors until a heavy crash had her off the bike again. Ultimately, she toughed it out to finish the stage and now will need to shift her focus to regaining her GC lead.

When asked if she was nervous about starting with the leader’s jersey tomorrow KC Holley said, “Yes, I am really nervous. The stage starts with another road section and I heard we have to ride back on it too.”

Holley will need to limit her losses on the road tomorrow and use the technical aspects of the Mag 7 trail system to her advantage to stay in front of her closest challengers.

The final stage features another hearty helping of singletrack as riders contest 30 miles on the Magnificent 7 trail system. Riders can expect more ledges, rocks, and bumps with 3,500 feet of climbing mixed in.

Click Here for full XC results from stage 2

Click Here for full timed descent results from stage 2

Race Notes

  • Each stage of Moab Rocks features a timed descent with today’s honors going to Bobby Brown for the fastest men’s time and Kaysee Armstrong clocking the fastest time for the women

Freetown 50

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Noah Tautfest and Karen Potter Conquer the Freetown 50

 

Perfect late summer weather for the Eastern Fat Tire Mountain bike series finale at Freetown State forest.  Early morning threatening a light shower but the sun came out at the day wore on and course conditions were near perfect.

Mountain Bike legend Tinker Juarez toed the line among top New Englander racers.  The Freetown 50, in its third year running, boasted some course changes to help eliminate some paved road and dirt road sections.  This simply meant more boney, technical, rocky singletrack and slower race times then previous years.  Although race promoters made it quite clear that the course could be even harder if they chose to make it so.

Racers had to face the toughest 8 miles of the 25 mile lap right from the start.  Rock gardens were plentiful.  Choosing good lines and maintaining momentum were key to staying on the bike and riding a fast lap. The middle of the course was where racers could gain some time and relax a bit more on the bike handling skills with some smoother trails and dirt road sections.  Around mile 15, the rough singletrack started up again for several miles ending on some bone rattling rock gardens before finishing out the lap on dirt road.

Riders enjoy the singletrack at Freetown 50. Photo by Deb Levesque

Riders enjoy the singletrack at Freetown 50. Photo by Deb Levesque

In the Elite/Open men’s field, Noah Tautfest (Bicycle Express), Billy Melone (ATA Cycles) Tinker Juarez (RideBiker Alliance/ShowAir), Neal Burton (ERRACE) and Matt Boobar all took off fast and hot.  Boobar faded off the pace first and Burton backed off about half-way through the first lap realizing the need to pace himself to finish the full two laps.  Melone, Tautfest and Juarez stayed together until early in the second lap Melone sliced his tire and had to abandon the race.  After that Tautfest rode clean and slowly opened up a gap on Juarez that held for the win in 4:12;  Juarez finished in 2nd 3 minutes back.  Burton rounded out the podium for 3rd in 4:33.

Tinker Juarez chose a super technical and rock garden laden course for his first race back after an injury sidelined him earlier this season.  He admitted it was more technical than he thought it would be thinking his “local” friends were exaggerating as to the toughness of the course.  He quickly found out differently but enjoyed the course nonetheless.

Karen Potter on her way to a Freetown 50 win. Photo by Deb Levesque

Karen Potter on her way to a Freetown 50 win. Photo by Deb Levesque

In the Elite/Open women’s field, Karen Potter (Pivot/Epic Brewing) took the early lead showing her strong rock riding technical skills and maintained it for the win coming in 4:59.  Alicia Faustini (Laurel Bike Club) followed up in 2nd in 5:29.  Pamela Fielding rounded out the podium in third.

For full results of the 50 miler, 25 mile and beginner race see here:  http://www.barttiming.com/lt/livetiming.htm

KENDA NUE Finals – Georgia

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Fool’s Gold 100

Carla Williams Repeats at Fool’s Gold and Keck Baker Locks Up NUE Title

Dahlonega, Georgia

Written by: Ryan O’Dell

The Fool’s Gold 100, the final stop of the Kenda National Ultra Endurance Series, became pivotal for many racers taking this final opportunity to improve their national ranking.

In addition to race day awards, the top five NUE Division winners, top 10 in the larger Men’s Open division, will receive a share of the $12,000 cash purse. Each of the four division winners will also be rewarded with complimentary entry into All NUE races in 2016, a custom made NUE Champions Jersey by Voler, along with an all-expense paid trip, including airfare, to Costa Rica to represent NUE at the La Ruta del los Conquistadores November 5-7, http://www.adventurerace.com/ . La Ruta is a UCI sanctioned three day stage race that stretches across Costa Rica from the Pacific to the Caribbean along an amazing course that includes two volcanoes, two oceans, Jungles and high-mountain passes.

2015 was the first year that all divisions were decided before the championship race. Three of the four NUE Race Series Champions successfully defended their titles this year. For racer’s who had already completed three NUE races this season, needing just one more finish to become ranked and eligible for prizes, Fool’s Gold marked the final opportunity to meet the four race series minimum. All NUE Series finishers, who do not receive cash awards, receive prize packages from NUE Series sponsors.

Brenda Simril on her way to another NUE series title - photo by H&H Multimedia

Brenda Simril on her way to another NUE series title – photo by H&H Multimedia

Women’s Open

And the winner is, Carla Williams!

Carla Williams, Joe’s Bike Shop Racing Team, took top honors for a second straight year at the Fool’s Gold 100 finishing 8:55:55 moving her into second place overall in the NUE Series rankings, “I love the Fool’s Gold course. It was great to be back this year and the trails were even more fun and fast than I remembered. The course was a bit longer this year. We climbed Cooper’s Gap twice which was challenging but I like the ups and tried to set a strong pace from the start. I will definitely be back to do the NUE series next year. See you at Cohutta!”

Brenda Simril, Motor Mile Racing, finished second on the day at 9:20:45. Simril completed eight of nine races this season including first place finishes at the Bailey Hundo, Tatanka 100, and Big Bear Grizzly 100. Over many years now, Simril has completed more than 50 NUE Races and successfully defended her NUE Race Series title this year.

“This season started out very different for me due to illnesses and injuries but finally got kicked into full gear by Bailey. To repeat as the NUE Champion this year is a huge honor and something I’m extremely proud of. The women who competed in each race are super strong and competitive. It’s great to meet new folks as well as build on the friendships over the years.

Fool’s Gold is a great way to cap off the season and (race director) Lisa does a fantastic job pulling everything together. We had incredible weather and the trails were in great condition for a fast course. This year was fun because (husband) Lee is competing in the Master’s category so I had inspiration to ride hard with him even though the series overall was wrapped up for me.

Carla is incredibly strong so I knew it would take superhuman effort to beat her, which I obviously didn’t have :) Kudos to her and the great season she’s had as well.

As for La Ruta, Lee and I are absolutely thrilled to be going back. What a fantastic adventure it was last year! (race director) Roman and his staff put on an amazing event so I couldn’t be more excited to return. I can’t think of a better way to end the season.”

Fourteen minutes behind the defending champion, Liz Carrington, CRC Janitorial-Cannondale p/b Hassle Free Sports, took the third spot on the podium at 9:34:39.

Keck Baker took the open men's race and the series title in Georgia. Photo by H&H Multimedia

Keck Baker took the open men’s race and the series title in Georgia. Photo by H&H Multimedia

 

Men’s Open

Baker gets the win and the NUE Race Series title!

Keck Baker, Cannondale/ChampSys pb Harley Davidson, was the first to cross the line at Fool’s Gold in 7:32:41 earning a perfect score of four in the NUE Race Series that also included wins at the True Grit Epic, Wilderness 101, and the Hampshire 100. Baker earned his first ever NUE Race Series title and will travel to Costa Rica to join the three other NUE Champions who successfully defended their titles.

“I was excited to be able to toe up to the line this year healthy. With the beautiful weather, perfect trail conditions, and a stacked field there was no question that this would be a very fast and demanding race, and a perfect end to the NUE season. I showed up fully prepared to fight for a win so I could end the season proving to myself that I really deserved that NUE overall title of which I had already been crowned.

As usual, the race started when Bryan Lewis attacked at the start of the first big climb which was right after a neutral roll out. I decided to answer just for fun and, afterwards, was questioning why I did that. The field answered very quickly and the tone of the race had been set right from the start.
Up and over the top we had a modest group and then we screamed down the backside to arrive at some super-fast and, what I consider, extremely buff single track. I was able to gain the hole shot and just had a really good time carving through the forest. All day we pushed the single track about as fast as our tires would allow, especially when Bryan Lewis decided to get on the front and smash it for a good hour. We only let off the pace while out on the dirt roads that followed each section of single track.

At the start of the second lap our group was now down to just three riders, Dylan Johnson, Bryan Lewis, and me. Brian Schworm had suffered a flat into lap one dropping him and his teammate out of our group. Up the start of the big gravel road climb (second time up) we settled into a very welcoming casual pace where we were able to relax and take in some much needed calories preparing ourselves for the single track to follow. As we crested the top we were joined again by Gordon Wadsworth who was mashing a huge gear in single speed fashion.

We stopped at aid 5 to refill our bottles and I was hoping to be able to pull a few rocks out of my shoes when, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Brian Schworm flew by us going at least 25mph.  One of the best and most chilling memories of the whole ride was him looking over smiling and giving us a cheerful, “hey guys” as he blew past. I just turned to everyone and said, “I told you so”, finished my bottle fill, and then rocketed off after Bryan Lewis who was already in hot pursuit of Schworm.

Bryan and I were able to make contact with Schworm again shortly into the next single track section. Schworm was riding like a man on a mission and was hard on the throttle. The race was getting very interesting. Gordon and Dylan were not so quick through the feed zone and were never able to make contact again due to the pace setting by Schworm. I would say a little over midway through the second lap, Lewis suffered a flat at which point Schworm took the pace up one more click. He was a man determined to win and, at the least, get the second place finish he needed to move up in the NUE overall standings. He knew what he had to do and he was doing it. I was just along for the ride.

I pulled a little here and there but, deep down; I really wanted Lewis to make contact with us again for a few reasons. He is young and has the possibility for a profitable future in the sport so I would have been really happy to see him take the win. But, although he said he only messed with his flat for about a minute, the blistering pace that Schworm had decided to set was just a little too fast so I started focusing on how I might be able to best Schworm.

I had a plan in place and decided to stick with it until I sensed that Schworm needed to recover from the previous pace. I figured that my plan must change so, sensing the opportunity; I attacked on some double track rollers and was able to get clear.  It was earlier than I wanted to start an attempt at a solo march due to the nature of the course but I set off on a move that proved to be the right one.

I had a great day of racing.  I luckily suffered no flats thanks to the protection tires I was running and, while they are heavier than others, nothing can slow you down like a flat. Kudos to Conti for making a tire that is a great compromise in regards to performance and protection and another  big thanks to Cannondale for crafting the scalpel which slices through the trail with precision as its name suggests, and cliff nutrition for keeping the tank full. All of this put together by the Championsystem/Cannondale mtb team, my local shop Carytown Bicycle CO and one of my faithful sponsors of many years, Battley Harley Davidson. I am very aware that none of this might have been possible without having such great sponsors/products.

Now that I will be representing the NUE series at La Ruta, a new challenge awaits, one of adventure and suffering like I have never experienced. I had best stop typing as typing is not training and, from the looks of the event, I have no time to waste. Adventure awaits!”

Less than four minutes behind Baker, Brian Schworm, Think Green Pedal the Planet p/b Sword, finished second at 7:36:34. Schworm led the NUE Race Series through the first five races, winning both the Cohutta 100 and the Lumberjack 100 and, as a result, earning an all-expense paid trip to NUE’s newest race, The Rincon Challenge near Liberia, Costa Rica where he finished in the top fifteen.

“At the start of the race I knew I had to get second in order to secure second place in the NUE Series (Keck had a lock on first place in the overall standing) otherwise I would have been, at best, fourth place. The race started off well, we had a nice group of about seven or eight and we were going at a nice moderate pace.

Once we got to Bull Mountain I had a few issues. First, I noticed my front tire was a little low so I stopped to air it up. Complications with my CO2 inflator caused that to take longer than I expected. Secondly, on the decent I was trying to catch back on and was probably pushing it too hard because I hit a rock and completely flatted. My hopes for second were completely dashed but I wanted to continue on anyway.

After I got going, I was in tenth place and six minutes behind the leaders. I pressed on and caught two riders at the bottom of the descent and two more in the singletrack before starting lap two. Once I got to the big gravel climb, I caught Chris who was initially in the top five. That gave me a second wind because I thought the remaining four might not be too far ahead. I hammered that climb and actually caught them at the very top. From there Keck, Bryan (Lewis) and I were riding well until Bryan also flatted. I was trying to keep the pace high since it was now looking good for a second place finish in the NUE series.

Keck attacked up Bull Mountain and I was unable to respond. Fortunately, I was able to maintain a good pace to secure a second place finish in the race and second place overall in the NUE Series. I am very pleased with my second place finish in the NUE Series. I couldn’t have done it without a great team (especially my teammate Nate Cornelius), my amazing sponsors, and most importantly, my wife. I’m really looking forward to the 2016 NUE Series and giving it another go.” Four minutes behind Schworm, Bryan Lewis hung on to finish third at 7:40:42.

One of the youngest ever NUE contenders, Twenty-year-old Dylan Johnson, Scott Pro Mountain Bike Team, finished just four minutes later at 7:44:18 to place fourth. In doing so, Johnson improved his score in this “lowest point’s wins race series” to fourteen, moving his series standing up to fifth place overall in the NUE Race Series.

Ten minutes behind Johnson, defending NUE Race Series SS Champion, Gordon Wadsworth, Blue Ridge Cyclery Pivot Cycles/i9, having already successfully defended his NUE SS title, registered in the Open division riding his singlespeed Pivot, to place fifth in 7:55:43. With this finish, Wadsworth also completed four races in the Men’s Open, garnering eighth place overall in the Men’s Open Division. “

Singlespeed

Moss First at FG100, second overall in the NUE Race Series!

Following big wins at the Mohican MTB100 and Wilderness 101 earlier this season, Bob Moss, Farnsworth Bikes/Crank Arm Brewery, put it down at the final race to finish in 8:07:53! With this victory, Moss finished the NUE Race Series second overall including second place finishes at both the Hampshire 100 and Shenandoah 100 in addition to his three wins.

Next was Peat Henry, Team Noah Foundation/Dogfish, placing second in 8:46:19. Henry’s finish moved him up to third overall in the NUE SS Series Standings following second place finishes at both the Mohican MTB100 and Tatanka 100.

Jonathan Hicks took the third spot on the podium finishing 10:10:53.

 

Masters 50+

Clayton puts an exclamation point on an amazing race season!

50-year-old Jeff Clayton, Super Sport Athletic Wear, smashed the competition by fifty minutes to finish in 8:03:21. Clayton, when adding this win to his wins at the Cohutta 100 and Shenandoah 100, plus his second place finish at the Mohican MTB100, moved up to second place overall in the NUE Race Series.

Although Clayton had twice gotten the best of the defending NUE Race Series Champion, Roger Masse, Rare Disease Cycling, Masse was able to successfully defend his title with a perfect score of four points that included early season wins at True Grit Epic, Mohican MTB100, Lumberjack 100, and Wilderness 101. As a result, Masse will once again represent the NUE Race Series at the LaRuta de los Conquistadores in Costa Rica.

“While I was disappointed that Masters 50+ leader (winner) Roger Masse would miss the race, I was still very motivated.  I’d done the Fool’s Gold five or six times in years past, so I knew the course well. I raced well at the Shenandoah 100 and felt like I had a good idea of how to pace myself now and proper nutrition after having done a few hundies. I didn’t think I would stay with the lead group long at all up the initial long Coopers gap gravel climb but, since I wasn’t suffering too badly, I managed a good twenty minutes or so before easing up and watching the ten or so in the lead pack pull away.  From there it was a matter of coalescing with a few guys who also fell off the pace. Most of my first lap was spent back and forth with Bob Moss, he being quicker on the descents and me slightly faster on the steeper climbs.

After the first loop of the course I was feeling pretty good and led Bob and Nick Bragg up much of the second Coopers gap climb. They were busy chatting away so I guess I made a pretty nice pace for them!  We eventually caught up with Jesse Kelly and Nick decided it was time to fly and left us in his dust.  Jesse turned up the pace a little and Bob came off. We passed a couple of other “first group” guys and were making good time along the ridgeline road mostly thanks to Jesse. Jesse and I (both being older guys) descend at about the same level of sanity which helped keep us together.  I gapped him on most of the Bull mountain climb, but he fought back and caught me right at the top of the tricky Bare Hare portion.

After descending Bull Mountain together, we entered the flowy Jake mountain section and I mentioned that Bob Moss was just coming into the double aid station as we left…basically I was saying/thinking, “I don’t want that damn single speeder beating me!” so, summoning whatever I had left in my legs, I shifted up as high as I could to take on every climb and pulled away from Jesse. The last twelve miles or so were a solo ride though Jesse stayed strong and I only beat him by a couple of minutes, and held off Bob too.  I missed you Roger Masse!”

59-year-old Greg Turner, Cartecay Bikes, was next to cross the finish line at 8:53:36. “The course conditions were excellent.  The single track was fantastic.  I knew I could not ride with Jeff Clayton, so I just kept it steady. It was a long day.”

51-year-old Anthony Hergert, Rescue Racing, took third in 9:16:12. Hergert finished five out of seven NUE races this season, ending his season strong with his best finish of the year!

Four minutes later, Lee Simril, Motor Mile Racing, completed the course in 9:20:48 in fourth place. Simril had the best season of his ultra-racing career, completing eight of ten NUE races, the most of any Masters racer this season! Simril also posted his first every NUE win at the Tatanka 100 and finished in the top six at every race he completed. As a result, Simril ranks fourth overall in the NUE Series, just behind Greg Golet, Team Chico, who placed third overall.

Sixteen minutes behind Simril, David Jolin, Stark Velo, ended his season strong to finish fifth at 9:36:01 in a Masters field that has become increasingly talented and competitive since the NUE Series began in 2005. Overall, Jolin finished seven of the eight NUE Races he entered, dropping out of Hampshire only after missing a turn and getting off course. As a result, he finished the NUE Race Season in the top five overall. “Today was a perfect day for racing at Fools Gold. The course was in great shape and well-marked. I had a great start to the race with pretty much the majority of the master’s racers. Jeff Clayton, over the past few races, has been at a another level than the rest of the field (hats off). As for me, all was going well until about mile 65 when some digestive issues plagued my efforts costing me about three places and slipping to 5th place for the day.  Hat’s off to all that completed the two laps of the course. Right now, I just wanna sit back, de train and enjoy the fall season of riding at a recreation pace. The NUE series continues to be a great set of venues to go and ride mountain bikes with upwards of 600 friends. I have nothing but total respect for the winners of their respective divisions this year. Congratulations to all!”

Just one minute behind Jolin, sixth place went to 53-year-old Mark Drogalis, Toasted Head Racing, in 9:37:26, his best finish this season.

WHATS NEXT: For the last two years, NUE Champions have a perfect record of first place finishes at LaRuta. Can they maintain such a high standard against some of the best stage racing ultra-competitors in the world?! Stay tuned right here for the complete overall standings and follow the Kenda NUE Series Champions as they compete with racers from all over the world at the LaRuta this November! www.nuemtb.com

Click Here for full results of the 2015 Fool’s Gold 100

Reforestation Ramble – WORS

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Tight Race For Both Men and Women At the Reforestation Ramble
Suamico, WI

The Trek sponsored Wisconsin Off Road Series (WORS) returned from a two week break with back to back race weekends. Last week, in Waukesha Wisconsin, Leia Schneeberger (Vision Cycling) dominated the course for the Women’s race while Cole House (Unnattached) tried to chase down Nathan Guerra (Vision Cycling) but fell short with second. This week House came back for the win while Schneeberger and Cooper Dendel(Quick Stop Bike Shop) rode the course together wire to wire.

Just outside of Green Bay, the “Reforestation Ramble” in Suamico has traditionally been a prep race for riders competing in the Chequamegon 40. With similar terrain and a longer distance than most WORS races, it gives competitors a chance to test out their endurance at high speeds. More double track and flatter than most WORS events, the Reforestation Ramble offers longer laps in a marathon format of racing that pushed athletes to their limits.

Pro mountain biker, Cole House (Unattached) came back aggressive after last weeks loss. On House’s home course, he pushed hard for an early lead after the first section of singletrack.  The chase came from current WORS overall points leader, Nathan Guerra (Vision Cycling) and Ben Senkerik (Team Extreme) who worked together to try to reel in House. Shortly after the two pros caught House, Senkerik suffered a mechanical which dropped him off the lead group. Soon caught by Joe Maloney, Pete Karinen and Justin Piontek, the four rode together to once again reel in the leaders. Maloney stuck on the lead pack’s wheel while Karinen, Piontek and Senkerik dropped back. The main battle was in front between competitors Guerra and House. Both said that it was apparent they weren’t going to work together and the race wasn’t as fast as they could have made it, often sitting up in the double track. But after 3 laps of going back and forth, Guerra had the lead going into the last section of singletrack. By House’s surprise, Guerra didn’t attack after they got to the ski trail which gave House the opportunity to take the lead. House took the win with Guerra 6 seconds back. Maloney finished third and after a crash and mechanical, Senkerik took the fourth step. Shortly behind fourth, finished Karinen after dropping Piontek who finished a respective sixth.

Last years overall winner, Cooper Dendel (Quick Stop Bike Shop) has proven herself many times over this season but so has Leia Schneeberger(Vision Cycling), our current series leader. The two ladies had an electric battle riding together the entire race. Behind the lead competitors were Lindsay Guerra (Vision Cycling) who rode almost entirely a solo race and Sarah Agena (Hidden Bay/Cider Boys) and Rachel Jensen (Team Wisconsin/KS Energy/Mosh) who worked together with an elite junior throughout the race. Dendel and Schneeberger rode close to 36 miles working together, but Schneeberger admitted Dendel was doing most of the work. Despite pulling for much of the day, Dendel still had enough left in the tank to edge Schneeberger at the line.  Although riding alone for much of the day,  Guerra managed to pull off an impressive third.  Agena finished fourth after shedding Jensen on the second lap who rounded out the top 5.

WORS will continue on September 6th with the 10th race of the series, Treadfest held in Lake Geneva WI. For more information visithttp://wors.org/schedule/treadfest/.

Hampshire 100

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Keck Baker and Carla Williams Win a Brutal Hampshire 100

Written by: Karen Potter

The 9th annual Hampshire 100 was supposed to be a “kinder”, “gentler” version than the prior year’s sufferfest at which race winner Jeremiah Bishop took roughly an hour longer to race the 100-mile course than the 2013 version.  To appease the grumblings about the 2014 course, race directors opted for a 33-mile lap format for the ’15 version – offering a 50k, 100k and a 100 miler NUE series race.

The new lap consisted of more technical singletrack and was leaving out some of the brutally rough power line climbs and washed out jeep roads. Most importantly the new course avoided vast sections of trail that crossed freshly logged terrain rendering them essentially unrideable.  The goal was to have the race take less time than last year, but that proved much different on race day with finishing times taking longer.

Despite the longer duration, the majority of the racers felt this year’s course was certainly much more fun.  The trails that were added, albeit still really hard, were much more enjoyable than previous editions.  The additional singletrack was really fun to most riders but rain the night before made the unending roots and rocks a greasy, slippery mess to ride and thus slowed down the anticipated lap times.

An unfortunate issue popped up this year that has not been a problem in the past. A poorly marked turn on a fast section that roughly 30+ racers missed before it was taped off.  The unfortunate thing about the missed turn was that it still lead racers back onto the course so there was no knowledge of having missed a turn until it was far too late to correct it.  Having a difficult call to make, the race director stuck to the rules of disqualifying those racers having gone off course and placing their finish times on a separate “administrative placement list.”  In appeasement, those having gone off course at that turn have been given a free entry into next year’s event.

The Hampshire 100 is definitely a ‘hard core’ race.  Many of the NUE series racers will agree that this is the hardest race of the series.  The elite men finished just shy of 9 hours and the elite woman winner finished in 11’40”.

Despite the toughness of this race, many will be back for more punishment next year.  Although, the race director promises for a ‘kinder’ shorter time duration next year…. stay tuned.

Here’s a simple summary of just how difficult this race is:  100 miler finishers: 39; 100k finshers 102; DNF: 77; 50k finishers 78; Admin/Disqualified off course:  27.

Click Here for full results from all categories

Click Here for video coverage from DirtWireTV

Pierre’s Hole 100

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Josh Tostado and Christy Olsen Win Pierre’s Hole 100

Presented by Hammer Nutrition

By Ryan O’Dell

With lift service and high end rentals available for both XC and DH riding along miles of pristine singletrack, Grand Targhee Resort has become a cool mountain destination resort for mountain bikers. This is the time of year when the wildflowers are in full bloom and waist high in many places along the singletrack. Thunderstorms the night before presented brilliant displays of lightning and rain overnight made the race course slick in some areas on the first lap before drying out.

The Seventh Annual Pierre’s Hole 100 newly designed race course added two more miles of singletrack featuring long, fun descents showcasing jaw dropping views of the Tetons and surrounding mountains. Over the last few years, miles of new singletrack have been added, eliminating the long service road climb from town and reducing the number of laps to just three for the 100 mile race, two for the 50 mile and one for the 50k race.

Women’s Open

Olsen gets her first NUE win at PH100!

Three years ago, Christy Olsen, Fat Fish Racing, attempted her first 100 mile race at Pierre’s Hole describing her effort as “failed miserably”. This year, Olsen finished 9:22:27, more than a half hour ahead of her nearest competitor, including two NUE Race Series Champions.

“My main goal going into the Pierre’s Hole race this year was to ride fast enough to earn the belt buckle. It was a race for redemption for me from three years ago when I attempted my first 100 miler at Pierre’s Hole and failed miserably. It was quite literally the worst athletic experience of my life. I chose Pierre’s Hole because it was the only one in Wyoming and I wanted to support Wyoming races. I had done a few fifty mile races previously and wanted to check a 100 miler off the list.

At the race three years ago, I was struggling with a neuroma in my left foot in the weeks leading up to the race, but thought it would be doable. I was wrong. About twenty miles in it flared up and made pedaling excruciating. It was a four lap format that year and every time I came though the start/finish area I told myself I was just going to DNF because I couldn’t pedal with any power and I was basically pedaling with my right leg. My left foot felt like I had a knife jabbing into the bottom of it but my husband and two teenage kids were there at the aid station just past the start/finish area each lap and I just couldn’t get myself to quit. I did not want my kids to see their mother quit so I continued on and finished with a horrendous time, but my kids didn’t understand that. They thought I was amazing, so I guess it was worth it to just finish and set an example for them. However, I was personally embarrassed and humiliated. I overheard someone talking to Amanda Carey (the winner) after the race asking her about the competition and how there was basically no competition for her that year in the women’s field and that made me feel even more like a complete failure.

At that point I felt like I shouldn’t waste any more money on biking. I apologized to my husband for wasting money on bikes, parts, race fees, etc. so we could spend that money going on vacations with the kids.  I had already signed up for and paid to do the Dakota 50 which was in three weeks so I knew I had to do that before I gave up biking. I received cortisone shot in my foot to ease my neuroma pain the next week and was able to finish the 50 with no foot pain and first place for the women which made me feel a little better about biking. I didn’t want to quit anymore at least. So I stayed with it, racing in shorter races around the region, avoiding Pierre’s Hole the next summer.

That sour feeling about that experience in the 2012 Pierre’s Hole would not leave me though. I knew I had to go back. Last year I saw that they changed the format to a 50k, 100k, and 100 mile. So I decided I would try the race again, but only do the 100k. I had a great experience, felt good and won the women’s division. At that point I knew I was coming back for the 100 miler which led me to yesterday’s race. I was really nervous and came with several friends from Casper who were all doing the 50k. They were a great support to me.

I didn’t want my family to come this time because I just didn’t know how or if I was going to finish and I didn’t want to disappoint them. Like I said, my goal was to earn that belt buckle, but I also wanted to be a competitor in the women’s field. I didn’t know much about the other women in the field except that Amanda Carey has always won the race so my strategy was to try and hang with her for as long as I could.

Once we started the race and got into the thirty minute climb I thought I had passed all of the women before the switch backs, but I was not sure. So I just focused on the riders around me and tried not to make any mistakes. The scenery in this race is majestic so I did try to take that in as we started the 38 Special descent but trying to focus on every switch back did make it hard to fully enjoy the view of the Grand Tetons.

When I made it to the first aid station they told me I was the first female to come through. It was still early into the race, but that gave me a boost. From that point on, I just tried to break the course into smaller chunks or sections in my mind and I would mentally check them off as I made it through them. This seemed to make it easier for me to push myself throughout the race. I never knew what kind of lead I had, if any, during the race. I did try to calculate whether I was going to get the belt buckle based on my lap times. That helped motivate me as well. I knew I could do it after my first lap time so I did not want to let up.

The course was very challenging with a lot of tough ascents that you had to grind your way up, but were rewarded with some sweet, fun single track descents that gave your legs some relief and much needed recovery. Originally, I wasn’t going to stop at any of the aid stations because I had a big camelback full of water and extra water bottles with my electrolytes stocked at the start/finish area but, after the first lap, I realized I did not want to lug that camelback up those hills anymore and just carried a water bottle.

The volunteers at the aid stations were quick and totally awesome at getting me a new, full bottle and gels without losing any time. This made my second and third laps much more enjoyable. When I finally crossed the finish line at 9 hours and 22 minutes, I felt such relief. I had ridden fast enough to get the coveted belt buckle, my #1 goal, and I had proven myself as worthy competition in the women’s field. I won’t ever forget my 2012 Pierre’s Hole race experience, but I can now let those feelings of humiliation go. I thoroughly enjoyed the free dinner and beers after all day in the saddle. The race organizers do an outstanding job of putting this race together. The course, the aid stations, and the after party couldn’t have been better.”

With three NUE Series wins under her belt, defending NUE Champion Brenda Simril, Motor Mile Racing, leads the NUE Series. She finished second on Saturday at 10:00:57 nearly blowing up on lap three in her attempt to catch race leader, Olsen. Simril was gradually gaining on the leader and within seven minutes heading into lap three. It was here, at Grand Targhee, just two years ago that Simril garnered her first ever NUE win following many years of competing in the NUE Series. Since then, Simril has been on an upward climb and is now just three races away from earning her second straight NUE Series title.

Local favorite and 2010-2011 NUE Champion, Amanda Carey, Luca Sunscreen/Grand Targhee, from nearby Victor, Idaho placed third finishing 10:13:18. During the race, Carey and at least one other racer reported seeing a black bear. Carey is currently ranked second overall in the NUE Series standings that include her win at the Cohutta 100. Since then, Carey has been recovering from a bicycle crash suffering from broken ribs and an injured wrist. Pierre’s Hole marked her first race back although she is admittedly not completely recovered.

Moving on from her successful career as a Pro level mountain bike racer, Carey now works as the Teton Trails Director, raising $30,000 and heading up the AJ Linnell Memorial trail building day in Victor on Sunday where a record 130 volunteers showed up to construct 700 vertical feet of trail connecting the town of Victor, Idaho to BLM lands on the Wyoming border. Carey plans to take up the mantle from city councilman and NUE SS contender, AJ Linnell, to realize his vision for an urban trail in Victor by leading the effort to build 12-13 miles of trail on BLM lands that will be accessible from this new trail on private property located at the edge of town.

Race winner Josh Tostado (right) and Jamie Lamb at the finish - Photo by Ryan O'Dell

Race winner Josh Tostado (right) and Jamie Lamb at the finish – Photo by Ryan O’Dell

Men’s Open

Tostado posts his first NUE win at Targhee!

Following three straight second place NUE finishes this year and a second place finish last year at Pierrie’s Hole, Josh Tostado, Santa Cruz/Swiftwick, found redemption posting his first win in just 8:14:16. His win also propelled him, for the first time, to the top of the NUE Race Series standings.

Jamie Lamb, Bicisport Calgary, winner of the Tatanka 100 earlier this season, rolled in six minutes later to take second at 8:20:28. “”As expected, given the profile, the course dictated a high pace straight off the uphill start line. Roughly one third of the way up, I came off Tostado, Smith, and Sweetser, and had to rush into damage control on the then-wet 38 Special descent. I made contact by the base but didn’t find my climbing legs on the way down, being relegated to no man’s land on the road climb. I then decided to ride the climbs conservatively and hit the descents and singletrack hard, hoping I could keep the gap manageable should anyone find their legs fading more quickly than mine.

I caught Sam on the end of the road climb on the second lap and we rode together until the descending started, where I started putting some time on him. There was no catching Tostado, however, it was all I could do to hold the burn rate at 3min/lap. I also have to give major props to Cary, he found my drop bag at Aid #1 and, having never met me, gave me bottle hand-offs like we were old bros, great guy and total shame about his crash.”

Five minutes behind Lamb, Sam Sweetser, Cole Sport, finished third at 8:25:44. “As always, PH100 served up amazing trails and the perfect conditions with some pre-race precipitation. Like most endurance races in the west, Josh jumped to the front and along with Cary and me, we established a gap over the rest of the field on the first climb. The three of us worked well together trading off time on the front through most of the first lap.

After entering Rick’s Basin, Cary got sideways on of the greasy switch backs and Josh and I got around him. We found out later that, moments after that, he put it down, broke his shifter and had to drop out. This left Josh and I along out front with the goal of keeping ourselves upright on the sometimes greasy single track. Josh and I came through the first lap together but he was a bit faster through the aid station and opened up a small gap that I was unable to close.

As the lap progressed, the gap continued to open. Jamie ended up catching me after the road climb on the second lap and quickly put some time into me. As the day progressed, trail conditions only improved from slightly greasy to amazingly tacky, which allowed for some unbelievably fun and fast descending. PH has by far some of the most fun descents of any race out there. Overall, this race only continues to improve and I cannot wait to head back next year to see what amazing single track they are going to add.”

Two-time winner of the Pierre’s Hole 100, 2013 and 2014, Cary Smith, The Hub Bikes/Enve/Gu, was the local favorite from nearby Jackson, WY heading into Saturday’s race. “Josh Tostado, Sam Sweetser and I opened an early gap on the long first climb and stayed together for almost the first two hours, with Jamie Lamb sitting dangerously close a couple minutes back. We were swapping leads, with Josh seeming the strongest early on. I took the lead going into Rick’s Basin, where the evidence of Friday night’s rain was very present with unpredictable muddy spots. One of these caught me off guard and I blew a turn, almost causing a chain reaction. I jumped back on behind Josh and Sam, but crashed again a couple minutes later when I lost the front end. I went down pretty hard, slamming into the steep bank where the trail had been cut. After a quick body check I hopped on my bike but found my shifter dangling uselessly below my handlebar. I tried to rig something but I was going to be stuck in my tallest gear for the rest of the day. So, I called it a day and spent the afternoon supporting the three leaders and watching the race unfold without me.”

sspodium copy

Singlespeed

Larrabee gets a commanding win!

Corey Larrabee, Kuhl/Fezzari, had a twenty minute lead as he crossed the finish line at 8:24:53. “For Pierres Hole 100 I was running a 32×20. The race started out with Cary Smith, Josh and Sam forming a group up the climb with Cole Anderson, myself and one other guy forming a second group back. Toward the top of the first big climb, Cole bridged up to the lead group and I stuck with my plan to ride with the second group. I caught up to Cole on the 38 special descent and Jamie Lamb passed us both a few minutes later. I gapped Cole on the descent to aid 1 and rode the road section up to the resort.

At the top of the road, Cole and another SS rider along with two geared riders passed me going back onto the single track. I was happy to let them lead for a bit. Just before aid two, I had to stop and pee (the first of three on my first lap) and was left for a few minutes by the group. I caught back up but again I had to pee. Again, Cole gained some time but it was still early and I was ok with the gap. I caught back up to Cole just before the lap and we basically went through together. I stopped at aid three and refueled as Cole led out on the second lap. Just a few minutes into the lap Cole bobbled on some rocks, I went around him. I increased my speed a bit to see if he would follow and caught up to the geared riders in front of us. I rode the rest of the lap by myself, tried to push the climbs and enjoy the beautiful scenery on the descents. I was in awe at the perfectly built switch backs.
When I went through the start finish, someone said Sam was five minutes up. I was not feeling very good and was happy to just climb as hard as my body would allow and descend as fast and smooth as I dared. Toward the top of the climb I could see Sam two or three switch backs ahead. Being from the Salt Lake area, Sam and I have raced together quite a few times so we yelled back and forth to each other. On the 38 special descent, Sam disappeared on his full suspension bike and I thought I would never see him again but right before the aid station, I saw him pedaling away up the road. I did my best to push as hard as I could and caught up to him at the top. We rode together and I jokingly asked if he wanted to trade bikes.

Both of us were not feeling great, at this point, I had thrown up four or five times. Sam stopped at aid two and I rolled through hoping to get done. On the super steep climb after the flyover, I pushed as hard as I could and was seeing stars for quite a while afterward but then simply tried to enjoy the wild flowers and good thoughts of my friend AJ Linnell. We had ridden against each other a number of times at the Park City Point to Point and other races around the Salt Lake area. After battling back and forth at Point to Point last year, AJ invited me up to race the Pierre’s Hole 100 on his home trails.

Pierre’s hole has been on my race calendar since just after Park City Point to Point. His tragic death really shook me and my family and I knew that, although AJ would not be at the race, I needed to be there to honor him. I finished the race with only one thought “ride like AJ.”
It was a great race with amazing scenery and support. I was happy with how I was able to stay motivated to race although I was alone for most of the race.”

Twenty minutes later, Quinten Bingham, Roosters/Bikers Edge, placed second at 8:44:11.

Three minutes behind Bigham, Cole Anderson from Salt Lake City, UT placed third at 8:47:55. “Soul sucking climbs, warp speed descents and flowy singletrack, this race has it all. Sadly missing from this year’s race though was single speeding legend AJ Linell, but his spiritual presence was definitely there in full force, with many riders racing in his honor.

The previous night’s deluge made for a greasy first lap, which was spent riding with Corey and a couple of geared riders. I knew Corey and Quin would be riding really strong as they are usually on the Park City P2P SS podium every year. A few miles into the second lap, Corey took off on the Peaked climb, singing as he passed, and eventually finishing over 20 minutes ahead of me. Riding outside a reasonable pace on the first lap, the stupid 34×19 ratio, and the fully rigid setup made for very painful second and third laps. Although, repeating AJ’s “HTFU” (Harden the F*** Up) mantra to myself, I was able to endure the pain and actually have fun riding through the fast rolling Rick’s Basin loop. In the last lap, Quin eventually passed me on the .38 Special descent, where I ultimately finished in 3rd a few minutes back.  Overall, Andy and the crew put on another amazing race. I am definitely looking forward to next year!”

At the awards ceremony, SS podium finishers honored the two time winner of the Pierre’s Hole 100, AJ Linnell, Fitzgerald’s Bicycles/Pivot Cycles/American Classic, with all finishers wearing his jersey on the podium.

Masters 50+ winner Greg Golet - Photo by Ryan O'Dell

Masters 50+ winner Greg Golet – Photo by Ryan O’Dell

Masters 50+

Golet gets his second win in the NUE Series this year!

Greg Golet, Team Chico, following his first win at the NUE Bailey Hundo earlier this season, crushed the master’s field by more than twenty minutes to finish 9:10:36. As a result, Golet is now ranked second overall in the NUE point series behind defending NUE Champion, Roger Masse.

“This was my fourth NUE race, and my favorite course to date and I wasn’t planning to go, mostly because it’s a long way to travel, but also because it was looking really grim for competing for the NUE overall title win having come up a few minutes short at High Cascades a month ago. But after a super fun Downieville race that I went to mostly for the chance to hang with some friends that I haven’t seen much lately, my wife said ” You’ve gotta go to Pierre’s Hole!” I guess she liked seeing how happy I was after that day (or wanted me out of town?). In any case, within ten minutes, I had booked a flight! I’m super thankful to Debbie for her support. Also thanks to Cole who let me hide in the back of his truck the night before this race so I didn’t have to field test my 20 year-old bevy when the drenching thunderstorm moved in.

The Pierre’s Hole course offered spectacular riding on purpose-built mtb trails with incredible scenery. Loads of sweet banked turns on ripping descents, and opportunities to both punch it on short climbs and settle into sustained efforts on the long ones. All that made better by perfect dirt thanks to the rain.

My race was pretty uneventful. Fellow master’s rider, Gary Gardner, and I rode together for about half of the first lap, but he flatted and then blew up trying to catch me so I mostly rode alone, just me and my tallboy reveling in the alpine wonderland of the Teton range. It was a time for life’s deep reflections, like how a full suspension bike is really better for me in these long grueling races, maybe not as efficient with energy transfer from pedal to wheel, but way less fatiguing over the long haul.

Mental fatigue is something that you’ve got to watch out for in these long races and I definitely suffered some of that in this one. It was nicely exhibited when I stopped at a tent alongside the course where some kind folks let me stash some supplies. Pulled off the bottle swap fine, but then came out with “where’s my lube. I know I put it in here” to the sweet woman who was patiently waiting there for her friend to ride through. “Uh, in your hand” came her reply. “Oh, yea…”, at least having my bike close at hand gave me the option for a speedy getaway.

The event was expertly run, and everyone was super friendly, but I was bummed to see all the gel wrappers littering the course after the feed stations. Just stuff them in your jersey pocket–it’s gonna get nasty after a 100 mi ride either way.

In the end, I was psyched to take the Masters win, and crack the top ten overall. At the same time, I was totally humbled to see Josh Tostado finish nearly an hour ahead of me. It’s good to consider the greater realities now and then. Even so, a confidence builder, I guess, as think about the next one, be it this year or next. A huge thanks to the NUE and all the event organizers for making this series so awesome!!”

52-year-old Gary Gardiner, Bountiful bicycle P/B Mountain America Credit Union, from Centerville, UT placed second in 9:37:57. Nineteen minutes later, Lee Simril, Motor Mile Racing, who recently won his first NUE race at the Tatanka 100, took the three spot in 9:56:49. Simril is now ranked third overall in the NUE Masters division. Just three minutes behind Simril, John Lauk, Boutiful Bicycle Racing, finished in 9:59:00.

What’s NEXT?!

On Saturday, August 22, The KENDA NUE Race Series will debut at its first ever international race, The Rincon Challenge located in Liberia, Costa Rica. Visit www.nuemtb.com for more information and stay tuned her for the latest news, photos and results.

Click Here for full results from 2015 Pierre’s Hole 100

Breck Epic Stage 6

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Fran Claes and Serena Gordon Win the Finale; Claes and Dong Take the GC Titles

Written by: Marlee Dixon

You better be ready to race hard today! If the previous days were ‘endurance’ races, today is definitely an XC race. It’s the shortest day of the week and it’s the time to secure your overall standing or make up as much time as possible on competition. Today racers lined up in waves at the Ice rink and headed up Boreas Pass road briefly before jumping on the new Aspen Alley trail. Racers climbed up Aspen Alley to Bankers Tank to High Point to Iowa Mill Rd to Mountain Pride Trail. Then it’s a fun few miles of descending down mountain pride trail to bakers tank before climbing up Boreas Pass rd to the continential divide and Aid 1 (also Aid 2).

Next it’s down the Gold Dust trail – a loose, fun singletrack that turns into a flume trail followed by some more descending. The rain/hail the previous night had made this section more technical and slick than normal. Once out of Gold Dust, racers start climbing roads back up to Aid 2. Then it’s down Boreas Pass Rd to Indiana Creek Rd and the Blue River trail to the finish. Total distance for Day 6 is 29 miles and 3,379’ elevation gain.

Frans Claes (Loving Hut) took the lead into the first singletrack of the day, aspen alley and turned up the pace.  He was able to get a small gap on the chase group of Ben Swanepoel (Squirt) and Bryan Dillon (Griggs Orthpedics) who would keep him close on the nearly 1-hour climb to the summit of Boreas Pass.  A second chase group of Carl Decker (Giant) and Marcel Reiser (Bikesport) with Drew Free (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) dangling off the back would hold less than a 1 min gap to Swanepoel and Dillon.

Gaps remained consistent down the gold dust trail.  On the second climb of the day, Claes would open up his gap to about 2 min as he crested Boreas Pass for a 2nd time leaving the others to race for the remaining podium spots.  During the second climb of the day Free and Reiser were able to get away from Decker and work on closing the gap to Swanepoel and Dillon.  On the final descent Free was finally able to close the gap to Swanepoel and Dillon and go on to capture 2nd with Dillon finishing 3rd just 30 seconds back.

For the Epic 6 day Women’s open it was Serena Gordon (Liv/Giant), Evelyn Dong (Shoair/Cannondale) and Kelly Boniface (Moots) who rode together for almost the entire race with Marlee Dixon (Pivot/Epic Brewing) about 2 minutes behind in 4th place. Kelly and Serena were only 2 minutes 43 seconds apart in the overall for 3rd place and both women were charging it.

Serena and Evelyn rode into the finish close to each other and Serena pushed ahead at the end for the stage win. She finished 1st today and will remain in 3rd overall. Evelyn Dong finished 2nd today and will remain the Breck Epic pro female winner. Kelly Boniface came in a close 3rd and will remain in 4th overall. Marlee Dixon came in 4th today and will remain in 2nd overall.

It’s been an extremely fun and challenging 6 days of racing covering 210 miles and over 30,000’ of elevation gain. It’s a race where everything in your normal life stops and racing becomes your sole focus in life.   You meet new people and they become your partners in this crazy experience. Life becomes a pattern of race, recover, race, recover.

There are many highs and lows throughout the week with good days and bad days. There will probably be days you’ll wake up and feel like you’re on a death march – your body hurts everywhere, you’re utterly exhausted, you can’t remember what stage it is and now it’s time for you to pony up and race your heart out. Then you’ll summit Wheeler pass and hike your bike for hours and it will be similar to a death march. But then there are days where you’ll feel on top of the world and if you get a chance to look out at the scenery, you could almost sing like sound of music it’s so freaking beautiful. This race forces you to test yourself physically and mentally and that’s an experience that’s hard to forget. If you’re thinking about doing the Breck Epic then sign up. You’ll be glad you did.

And now on to Stage 7 as Mike McCormack wrote, “What about Stage 7?” you ask? The Gold Pan Saloon on Main Street. Bring your dancing pants. And a stunt liver. Don’t let the first review on TripAdvisor (“STAY AWAY!!!”) scare you.”

Click Here for full stage 6 results and final GC standings

Breck Epic Stage 5 – Wheeler Pass

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Barry Wicks and Evelyn Dong Win Queen Stage on Wheeler Summit

Written by: Marlee Dixon

Day 5 of the Breck Epic is the Wheeler trail. Or you could call it; I climbed 4000 ft of elevation in the first 10 miles of the course today and spent a lot of that time pushing my bike up the mountain!

New this year, the course changed and instead of dropping down the back side of Wheeler trail into Copper and taking the bike path back to Frisco, racers descended about a mile of the Wheeler trail over Wheeler pass then climbed again up Miners Creek Trail. As Serena Gordon said it so sweetly this morning, “not only do we get to ride our bike today.. we get to go for a hike also”.

And we all got to go for a long hike-a-bike up Wheeler trail and also Miners Creek. Today was the most technical day out on course and for a lot of categories it changed things up. This was really cool to see and I think it was a good change from the old course despite being a grueling kick in the gut climb.

Belgium National Champ Frans Claes charges where the air is thin and trail is vague. - Photo by Eddie Clark

Belgium National Champ Frans Claes charges where the air is thin and trail is vague. – Photo by Eddie Clark

Overall for the course today was 24 miles and gained 4600’ of elevation.   The course climbs for the first 10 miles followed by a mile long descent then up again for another 2-3 miles of climbing and 1200 feet of elevation gain. At this point you are on top of the 10 mile range and it’s breathtaking. Not many people ride up there and although it’s the shortest day, it’s the burliest.

The descent down Miners Creek is technical and exposed. Once down miners creek it’s the up/down Peaks Trail back to Peak 7 then one final mile-long climb up the ski resort to the midpoint on Peak 8 before riders descend the Wanderer trail back to Beaver Run and the finish.

Highlights of the day were definitely the breathtaking beauty of being on the 10 mile range, Skittles (and bacon for some) on the top of Wheeler pass, and the technical fast descent down Miner’s Creek and Peaks Trail.

For the Epic 6 day Men’s open Barry Wicks (Kona) won the stage in a time of 2:51:28! In 2nd was Frans Claes (Loving Hut), despite a flat. Claes finished with a time of 2:54:57 keeping him 1st overall. In 3rd was Ben Swanepoel (Squirt) with a time of 2:56:22 and right with him was Bryan Dillon (Griggs Orthopedic) with a time of 2:56:24. Ben and Bryan will both remain in 2nd and 3rd overall.

Marlee Dixon opts for a handful of skittles. - Photo by Liam Doran

Marlee Dixon opts for a handful of skittles. – Photo by Liam Doran

For the Epic 6 day Women’s open it was Evelyn Dong (Shoair/Cannondale) and Kelly Boniface (Moots) climbing and hike-a-biking in the lead up Wheeler trail with Marlee Dixon (Pivot/Epic Brewing) and Serena Gordon (Liv/Giant) close behind.

Evelyn got a little ahead of Kelly by the time they reached the top of the Peak 9 road and not long after Marlee passed Kelly right before the top of Wheeler pass with Serena passing Kelly on the Wheeler pass descent.

Evelyn remained in the lead for the rest of the race finishing in 3:33:05. Marlee remained 2nd in a time of 3:34:37. Serena stayed in 3rd with a time of 3:38:53 and moves back in front of Boniface into 3rd place overall while Kelly came in 4th with a time of 3:43:51 and moves to 4th place overall.

Click Here for full results from stage 5 and updated GC standings

Breck Epic Stage 4

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Breck Epic Riders Power Through the Longest Stage of the Race as Claes and Dong Extend Their Leads

Written by: Marlee Dixon

This is the biggest day of the week, as one guy said at the finish, “Every stage is so hard I just can’t compare them” and today is no exception.

With 42 miles, 6000’ of vertical and some gigantic climbs, this day is the longest on the bike.   Again this morning we started out in the middle of the town of Breckenridge with a pacer car to French Gulch Rd. It’s a dirt road climb for the first few miles which helps to spread racers out. Then it’s some fun single-track- Fall Classic trail, Slalom and Upper Flume trails before racers head up a new section of the course- Traylor Way to ZL Trail.

Traylor way was another dirt/rocky road climb but the new ZL trail was a great addition! It’s a beautiful singletrack with some fun downhill sections. Then it’s over to the Dredge lot for Aid 1 and up/down the Colorado trail to Vomit Hill.

Riders get the full Vomit Hill experience - Photo by Devon Balet/DevonBaletmedia.com

Riders get the full Vomit Hill experience – Photo by Devon Balet/DevonBaletmedia.com

For the lower section, Vomit Hill was mostly a hike a bike, then it tricks you by leveling out in a beautiful meadow only to put you back in the pain cave with more climbing- steep long sections that hurt. Once up and over it’s a fun descent on Horseshoe Gulch trail to the Aqueduct trail.

The Aqueduct trail is a flowy trail that turns pretty flat before sending racers out on Keystone Gulch Rd. This is where the longest climbing of the day starts- 1800’ of vertical over 5 miles. It’s a long road climb, followed by a singletrack climb to West Ridge. Then it’s on to one of the best parts of today’s course: flying down West Ridge. This descent is incredibly fast and fun. Once down West Ridge, racers make their way to the final climb of the day- Rock Island Gulch. This is a long, difficult road climb back up to French Gulch. Then it’s down Lincoln Park road, Side Door trail, Minnie Mine trail and B&B trail to the finish.

Barry Wicks and Drew Free digging deep - Photo by Devon Balet/DevonBaletmedia.com

Barry Wicks and Drew Free digging deep – Photo by Devon Balet/DevonBaletmedia.com

For the Epic, 6 day race, the Belgian Frans Claes (Loving Hut) quickly opened up a small gap on a chase group of Bryan Dillon (Griggs Orthopedics) and Ben Swanepoel (Squirt) with Barry Wicks (Kona), Drew Free (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) and Carl Decker (Giant) close behind them.

Time gaps between the leaders would remain at about 1 min through Aid 2. Coming out of Aid 2 Claes showed why he has won every stage thus far at the Breck Epic.  Despite their best efforts working together Dillon and Swanepoel were unable to close the gap and Claes would go on to open his overall lead by another 4 minutes. Dillon would best Swanepoel at the line for second.

Rounding out the top 5 were Free and Decker who were never separated by more than 30 seconds from Aid 3 to the finish

Kelly Boniface was back in the battle on stage 4 - Photo by Devon Balet/DevonBaletmedia.com

Kelly Boniface was back in the battle on stage 4 – Photo by Devon Balet/DevonBaletmedia.com

In today’s pro women race things changed around a little. Evelyn Dong (Shoair/Cannondale), Kelly Boniface (Moots), Serena Gordon (Liv/Giant), and Marlee Dixon (Pivot/Epic Brewing) all were relatively close for the first few miles then Evelyn started to pull away and Kelly was riding strong in 2nd.

Serena was in 3rd until the descent down Summit Gulch Rd. where Marlee passed her.

Marlee caught Kelly on the Aqueduct trail where they rode together for a little while until the Pivot/Epic Brewing rider pulled away.

By Aid 2, Evelyn was 2 minutes in the lead, and Marlee and Kelly were separated by less than a minute.

At Aid 3, Evelyn was still in the lead by a minute, Marlee was in 2nd, Kelly in 3rd and Serena in 4th.  Evelyn finished 1st ; 30 seconds ahead of Marlee who now holds 2nd place overall. Kelly Kim Boniface finished a few minutes back and leap frogs Serena Gordon into 3rd place.

Click Here for full results from stage 4 as well as current GC standings

Breck Epic Stage 3 – Mt. Guyot

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Claes and Dong Conquer Mount Guyot Stage – Topeak/Ergon Wraps up Domination of Breck 3-Day

Written by: Marlee Dixon

Get ready to climb! Day 3 of the Breck Epic is the circumnavigation of Mount Guyot. It’s a BIG day with 6000’ of vertical and 38 miles including 2 mountain passes.

Day 3 starts in downtown Breckenridge and it’s a mile long neutral start out to the Wellington neighborhood before racers start climbing the dirt French Gulch Rd. to Minnie Mine trail. This beginning section of the race is a climb and racers head up Minnie Mine trail to Side door trail, a short breathier down Prospect hill rd. then it’s climbing up Lincoln Park road. Once up Lincoln Park rd. it’s onto the flat Little French Flume before heading down Little French trail back to French Gulch rd. again and Aid 1.

After Aid 1, racers start a mellow double track climb with some rocky and watery areas on the trail to a very steep single track and hike-a-bike (for most people) up French Gulch. This is the first mountain pass and although the hike-a-bike is brutal, if you have the time to look around, it’s absolutely stunning.

Carborocket owner Brad Keyes supplied the beer during stage 3. Photo by Liam Doran

Carborocket owner Brad Keyes supplied the beer during stage 3. Photo by Liam Doran

This is also where Jonathan Davis from Elevated Legs/9250 Cyclery, his son, Tanner and Brad from Carborocket hand out Skittles.

I wish I had a chance to grab some this year but I was too busy trying to motor on through to enjoy the rainbow.

Once over French Gulch, racers get a real backcountry epic descent down Michigan Creek trail into Aid 2. Then it’s back to climbing again as we head up Glacier Ridge road to the top of Georgia Pass; another beautiful mountain pass.

Carl Decker starts the Colorado trail descent. Photo by Eddie Clark

Carl Decker starts the Colorado trail descent. Photo by Eddie Clark

Again after the climb, racers are rewarded with some of the best singletrack as they cruise down the Colorado trail. The top part of this trail is a little rooty, but flowy and fast while the end section is rocky and very technical. All in all it’s a great backcountry trail. Then it’s a descent down the Middle fork road and Parkville rd. to the last aid station of the day.

One more aid station before the last big slug up American Gulch Rd. A long dirt road climb that gets steeper the closer you get to the top. Once up and over American Gulch Rd. it’s a fun descent down Lincoln Park rd., Side door and Minnie Mine trail. Then there’s one more up/down techy trail called Turks trail and finally B&B trail to the finish.

This year we got super lucky with the weather (it’s hailed on racers at the top of Georgia pass before, ouch!) and had cool perfect weather. The climbing in this stage is long and HARD but as one guy said today in the race at the end of the Colorado Trail, “I never thought I would get sick of descending”. It’s all worth it for the awesome trails we get to descend on.

Marathon World Champion Alban Lakata crests the days biggest climb. Photo by Eddie Clark

Marathon World Champion Alban Lakata crests the days biggest climb. Photo by Eddie Clark

For the Epic 3 day racers Pro Men, World Champion, Alban Lakata won the stage today in 3:00:18 and finished 2nd overall (total time 8:17:23) behind his Topeak-Ergon teammate Kristian Hynek. Kristian Hynek finished 2nd today less than a tenth of a second behind Alban Lakata in a time of 3:00:19. He won the overall in a total time of 8:16:54. In third today and overall was the third Topeak-Ergon racer, Jeremiah Bishop who finished in 3:05:46 (total time 8:30:25). These three racers crushed all the previous records and spectators said were incredible to watch, especially powering up French Gulch today.

For the Pro women 3 day, Sally Bigham (Topeak/Ergon) won the stage (3:41:14) and overall (10:16:59), followed in 2nd by Mayalen Noriega (Primaflor/Orbea) with a time of 4:47:17 (total time of 12:47:33) and in third was Kata Skaggs with a time of 5:12:29 (14:11:26).

For the Epic, 6 day race, for the pro men Frans Claes (Loving Hut) won again in a time of 3:12:11. He remains in the lead with a total time of 8:43:51. Ben Swanepoel (Squirt) was again in 2nd with a time of 3:14:03 and remains in 2nd overall at 8:53:17. Barry Wicks (Kona) took 3rd place today with a time of 3:13:52, but Bryan Dillon (Griggs Orthopedic) moves into the 3rd place overall with a total time of 9:00:36.

For the pro women today’s race seemed a little more spread out for the top 4 racers. Serena Gordon (Liv/Giant) started off strong and took a nice lead from the start of the race. Evelyn Dong (Shoair/Cannondale) , Kelly Boniface (Moots) and Marlee Dixon (Pivot/Epic Brewing) rode within eyesight for the first section and up French Gulch road where we were able to catch up and pass Gordon.

Evelyn Dong takes the lead for the day solidifying her lead in the GC. Photo by Eddie Clark

Evelyn Dong takes the lead for the day solidifying her lead in the GC. Photo by Eddie Clark

At this point Dong took off and pushed up the climb ahead of us. Getting up to the top of the pass, Boniface was in 2nd, Dixon in 3rd and Gordon in 4th.

Gordon and Dixon passed Boniface on the Michigan creek descent. Then Dixon remained in 2nd for the remainder of the race, never seeing the other girls despite being within 3-6 minutes apart.

Evelyn Dong won the stage in a time of 3:49:27 increasing her overall lead with a total time of 10:30:00. Dixon finished 2nd in a time of 3:53:41 and moved up to 3rd overall with a total time of 10:44:57. Serena Gordon took 3rd today with a time of 3:56:51 and remains in 2nd place with a total time of 10:44:13. Kelly Boniface finished in 4:00:10 and is now in 4th with a total time of 10:47:40. It’s been a close race for the top 4 women and it will be awesome to see how the rest of the stages go!

 

Click Here for full results from stage 3 as full GC results

Breck Epic Stage 2

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Local Lady Marlee Dixon Takes Colorado Trail Stage While Belgian Frans Claes Wins it for the Men

Written by Marlee Dixon

And the riding gets more and more fun!!!   Day 2 of the Breck Epic is a tough day with some monster climbs, but the pain is well-worth it for the awesome descents.  Day two starts to give racers a feel for the great riding in Summit County. Today racers started at 8:30 again from the middle of Breckenridge. It’s a short mile behind the pace car to the first climb up Gold Run Road. This climb is a grunt and helps to disperse riders before getting onto the Fall Classic Single track trail.

Then it’s a quick dirt road descent to the next big climb- Heinous Hill. Aptly named – this is a hard mile long climb with some loose rocky areas that can easily push racers off their bikes. Once done with Heinous it’s a screaming descent on Summit Gulch Rd.

Barry Wicks attacks the Colorado trail DH to make up some time he lost on stage 1. Photo by Liam Doran

Barry Wicks attacks the Colorado trail DH to make up some time he lost on stage 1. Photo by Liam Doran

 

This road has mainly one line down it and carnage has been known to happen here. Next we got on the Galena Ditch trail, a flume trail that goes on for a few miles, mostly flat with some rolling sections. A new extension was built called the Galena Ditch Extension, and luckily we were some of the first riders on this new trail.

Once out of Galena Ditch, racers arrive at the 1st aid station and head up the road and get on the middle fork of the Colorado trail. This is a really fun section of the Colorado Trail with some short techy sections, climbing, and a fun descent at the end. Then it’s on to the Westridge climb – a ~4 mile climb up the Colorado Trail. This is one of my favorite trails in Summit County because of the awesome descent down Westridge and Red Trail. Then it’s a climb up for about a mile on the Hay Trail and down Blair Witch before racers meet aid 2.

At mile 30, this is the last aid station and it’s a few miles road ride until racers head up again on Discovery Ridge Trail. Once down Discovery Ridge it’s another dirt non-motorized road climb up Gold Run Road. This is where you start to see racers bonking as this road goes on for a few miles. Once at the top it’s on to more singletrack on the Western Sky Trail then it’s down Prospect Hill road to Side door trail, Minnie mine trail and X10U8 to the finish.

Today was 37.3 Miles and 4920’ vertical. With only a few rain drops later in the race, today’s weather and trail conditions were perfect.

Alban Lakata and Jeremiah Bishop wind through a ribbon of the Colorado Trail. Photo by - Liam Doran

Alban Lakata and Jeremiah Bishop wind through a ribbon of the Colorado Trail. Photo by – Liam Doran

For the Epic 3 day racers Pro Men Kristian Hynek (Topeak-Ergon) won the stage in 2:41:29 (total 2 day time of: 5:16:35, 2nd was Alban Lakata (Topeak-Ergon) in 2:41:58 (5:17:04) and in 3rd was Jeremiah Bishop (Topeak-Ergon) at 2:42:01 (5:24:39). For the Pro women, Sally Bigham (Topeak-Ergon) had a much better day today than yesterday (no mechanicals) and finished in a record 3:14:23 (total 2 day time of 6:35:44), followed by Mayalen Noriega (Primaflor/Orbea) with a time of 4:07:15 (8:00:16) and in third was Kata Skaggs with a time of 4:43:52 (8:58:56).

For the Epic, 6 day race, for the pro men Frans Claes won in a time of 2:48:21 (total 2 day time: 5:31:39) followed by Ben Swanepoel (Squirt Lube) in 2nd at 2:54:16 (5:40:14) and Barry Wicks in 3rd with a time of 2:57:12 (5:45:30).

Serena Gordon carried on through a rough stage suffering a couple flat tires and finishes 4th. Photo by Liam Doran

Serena Gordon carried on through a rough stage suffering a couple flat tires and finishes 4th. Photo by Liam Doran

For the pro women it was an exciting race! For the first 2/3rds of the race, Evelyn Dong (Sho-Air/Cannondale), Serena Gordon (Liv/Giant), Kelly Boniface (Moots), and Marlee Dixon (Pivot/Epic Brewing) stayed within sight of each other.

Serena was in the lead for most of the time with Kelly and Evelyn right behind her switching back and forth. Dixon hung in 2nd starting up Heinous Hill then unclipped a few times and both Kelly and Evelyn passed her.

Dixon stayed behind them rolling into aid 1 in 4th only a few seconds behind. On the road to middle fork and on the middle fork of the Colorado Trail, Evelyn, Kelly and Serena stayed close together and Dixon was a few seconds back.

Once on Westridge, Dixon passed Kelly on the climb and stayed right behind Serena and Evelyn on the descent.

Serena flatted on the Westridge descent and Dixon followed Evelyn for the rest of the downhill. Climbing up Hay trail Dixon passed Evelyn but ended up switching back and forth a few times and rallying hard together for the rest of the race.

At the finish, Dixon managed to get  ahead and won in a time of 3:25:07 (Total 2 day time of: 6:51:16), followed right behind by Evelyn Dong at 3:25:15 (6:40:33), Kelly Boniface came in 3rd in 3:29:56 (6:47:29) followed closing by Serena Gordon in 3:30:29 (6:47:21).

Click Here for full results from all categories including GC after stage 2