Friday night I loaded the car with gear and bike, ready for an early morning roll out. I was out the driveway about 6:05. Heading south on SR3 I was in a caravan of bike-toting vehicles.
There must be a mountain bike race up ahead.
I parked at Mohican across the road from the finish line and geared up for the day. After picking up my race packet and handing over my drop bags, I joined a mass of riders pedaling the bike path to the starting line. As I joined the mass of colorful apparel straddling bikes I heard someone say there were 691 riders registered this year, a new record.
Convenient parking, the finish line is just
behind the tree in the center of the picture.
I never did hear a gun shot or announcement to start the race, but I clipped in when everyone else did and starting rolling when the wheels in front of me moved forward. We were off. The road out of town is a good hill but in short order we were to the top and turning left. After a little bit more road it funneled down to enter the woods. At this point we came to a dead stop and stood there for 60 seconds waiting for the log jam of riders to clear.
From leaving the road to reaching the singletrack of the state park was on private property, most of it, I believe, belonging to Mohican Adventures campground (race headquarters). The rain from the previous day made for some particularly muddy sections. There were a couple hike-a-bikes, partially due to steep muddiness and partially due to the clog of riders. I was glad to reach the familiar territory of the state park trail.
The next 8 to 10 miles were going well for me. At one point I shouted back to the a rider behind me asking if he wanted to pass. He said, "no, this is great following your lines!" I informed him it was my local course and I only live 20 minutes up the road. He replied, "perfect, I'm from Colorado and have never ridden here before!"
Near the road crossing in the Discovery Forest I couldn't understand why I was flooding in sweat. It was rolling down my face despite the 51 degree temperature at the start. I was still wearing arm warmers but didn't feel too hot. Strange.
After a little crash on the switchbacks leading downhill to the covered bridge, I stopped at the bridge to suck down an Espresso Love Gu. I had felt some unexpected twinges in my quads leading up to the downhill section. I also downed a couple Endurolytes.
I figured sooner or later in the race I would experience muscle cramps in my legs. Well, I was really disappointed to be experiencing them already at the beginning of Mount Doom. I started doing the math in my head and came to the conclusion I was only 1/3 of the way into the race with two cramped legs. Okay... how am I going to survive this?
Aid station 1, at the second MTB trailhed, I ate a bananna, PB&J quarter, more endurolyets, and refilled my Camelbak with Heed. I decided to back down and really pace myself through the fern forest in hopes of recovering. Somewhere in this section I also realized that my bike handling skills had gone to mush. Why am I not able to corner? I stopped and let several blasts of air out of my front tire, which I had filled to 24 psi this morning, and suddenly gained some confidence on the damp terrain.
Up until the giant hike-a-bike I was getting passed rather frequently. I wanted to ride the pace of my passers but decided to control my efforts knowing there were plenty of miles ahead. Then we reached the hike-a-bike. Ryan had previously pointed it out to me, but looking at it compared to pushing a bike up it are two different things. It was a slog, an intense slog. Prior to the race I had thought hike-a-bike sections would be a relief to the legs after riding. This one was not and cramps were threatening as I joined the line of riders pushing bikes up a hill in the woods.
From our position of higher ground we rode horse trails, mostly downhill and mostly muddy, to the crossing of SR97. There were some interesting water bars to navigate. On the other side of the road we reached another hike-a-bike. This one was not as steep but full of large rocks. At some point in here I believe we left the state park / state forest property. Suddenly we came out of the woods and a race volunteer was pointing us down a road while announcing, "about 5 miles to the next aid station, all road!"
I cannot distinctly remember the road section at this point. I'm sure there were some hills, as there were hills on all road sections. Somewhere along here I realized my Hydrapak was empty. I had been sipping often and had taken more Endurolytes throughout the off road section. Despite maintaining an okay pace on the road and not feeling the pending cramps anymore, I still didn't feel so great. Thankfully the aid station 2 appeared up ahead.
The aid station volunteers are great. They have spotters up the road who radio your race number to the aid station. When you pull up to the aid station your drop bag is brought to you. Station volunteers are checking with every rider to see what they need, offering to refill bottles or hydration packs, or fetch some food. We were well cared for.
I spent longer than expected at this aid station trying to bring myself back. I ate several pieces of watermelon, a banana, a Hammer Gel, Endurolytes, beef jerky, and drank half an ice cold Coke. I stretched my legs and back for a couple minutes and then got back to it. The finish was not getting any closer. Before leaving the aid station I received text messages indicating KT and the kids as well as Ryan and the family would be at aid station 3. Nice!
On the rolling and sometimes steep roads between aid 2 and 3 I was feeling much better. I was starting to pedal a harder, faster gear. Finally. For several miles I was passing riders. We turned onto the climb behind the Wilderness Course and started up the big gravel hill. I felt okay going up the hill but never dared to stand and attack it. I just stayed seated and rode steady.
At the top of the hill we turned onto the singletrack of the Wilderness Course. I knew there would be a lot of down hill sections from here. It was going okay at first but before long I realized my brain was not processing the trail fast enough. Combine this feeling with my fatigued arms and I frequently checked my speed to ensure I stayed in once piece.
We passed through the Tree Frog Canopy parking and I knew we were closing in out aid station 3. I looked forward to seeing the family and friends. A couple stream crossings, a short hike-a-bike, singletrack, and a lap around an ag field delivered us to aid station 3. Daniel and KT were waving for me and Ryan and family were nearby.
It was great mid-race break to share stories with Ryan, he could certainly relate having done the race several times before, and visit with the kids. Daniel, Mr. nothing-gets-past-me, said "Hey! Why is there a sign on your bike!?" After some food and chit-chat I saddled up. Rylen gave me an awesome double munchy wave to say goodbye. Before leaving the station I raised my saddle about half an inch. In retrospect, this was a good move to change up the way my legs were working.
Back at home, Daniel likes the race plate.
Riding up Wally Road I was thinking about the big climb on Valley Stream Road, just ahead, but even more so I was thinking about the final 5 miles of singletrack. Based on my lackluster ride through the woods at the Wilderness course I was actually dreading the final stretch of singletrack. But, one thing at a time.
Pedaling into the Valley Stream Road climb I saw a couple riders ahead. They were walking and I was getting closer as I continued riding. As I just about reached the closer rider the road kicked up and I realized I was going the same speed pedaling as he was walking. Off the bike again, I walked until it flattened out a little and then jumped back on.
Somewhere on the road section en route to SR3 I heard someone yelling from behind. I turned my head to see Mr. Suppan come by. He was doing the 100 mile race, on a single speed, and we were riding side by side 8 to 10 miles from the finish: that's strong. The road flattened and I tried to lend a wheel. A few moments later the road turned up and Jason drove into his pedals to singlespeed up the hill. Meanwhile I downshifted to spin and once again wondered how the final single track would go.
Shortly after Jason went up the road a rider appeared on my left. A woman's voice said "hey, good job! Keep it up!" The black numbers on her race numbers told me she was also a 100 mile rider. I would later learn it was pro rider Amanda Carey, the eventual winner of the women's race. Pretty cool, I appreciated her encouragement.
Aid station 5, at the entrance to the state park, was full of supportive volunteers. They handed me a peeled banana, gave me a Hammer Gel, and announced "five miles to go!"
Starting up the final mile of state park loop I was feeling sloppy with the bike again. I pulled aside and let some more air out of my front tire and let some out of the bike too. Maybe it was mental, but it suddenly felt like a different bike. I proceeded to feel pretty good in the woods and was cornering much better. Before I knew it was time to turn off the state park loop and enter into Mohican Adventures. I knew the finish line was close!
We popped across the campground road and turned onto a little township road. I saw the parking lot and my car in the front row. Finish line in sight! I was pretty excited, if not slightly overwhelmed, to cross the line. I heard my race number and time of 8:05 announced over the PA system. A race worker handed me my Mohican 100 beer mug. The PA announcer came on again to say my name. Cool.
The finish line!
After a shower, some BBQ chicken, celebratory beer in my celebratory beer mug, and hanging out with the Soupcan racing and OCC guys, I headed home thinking "wow, I did it."
I think I earned it.
First and foremost I'd say this race was a huge learning experience. Having never done a mountain bike race before and having never ridden a mountain bike more than 50 miles, the Mohican 100k felt like an accomplishment. I was pretty disappointed to be cramp crippled so early in the race and have to moderate my pace for so long. But at the same time, I'm thankful to have fought through it and kept the pedals turnin' to the finish. I'm also thankful for no mechanical issues, though I do regret not dropping pressure in my tires sooner. The encouragement and camaraderie out on the course and after race was pretty cool too.
First time 100k finisher.
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