Another NUE weekend is in the books with the NUE #3 Mohican 100 in Loundonville,Ohio happening on Saturday. This race is the cornerstone of the NUE series as it is the race that started the NUE as we know it today thanks to Ryan O’Dell’s leadership.
Trip Out
Started the trip this year on Thursday as I headed down to Bettendorf and stayed at my aunt and uncle’s house to get an early start on Friday picking up Nebraska Rafal to make the 8 hour trek out to Ohio. Trip out went without a hitch arriving around 5:45 EST in time for packet pick-up, camp set up and a short pre-ride to shake out the legs for the next day’s adventures. After pre-ride it was out with Team Noah Foundation teammates for some grub with some tag alongs from the east coast in the form of Daniel Rapp and Ryan Herschap. Great times we had as we had a head butt, karate chop on a passing waitress, salt eating ensued and most of the time spent laughing at the random comments and jokes that came out of our mouth’s (G Rating it was not!!) Back to camp early enough to get prepped for the following day and off to bed at 10 p.m.
Race Morning
Morning came as usual quite early with a 4:30 restroom call for me and so I was up for the rest of the morning. Not much sleep was had but enough to satisfy myself. I was up early enough to make a race morning McDonalds run for a good breakfast of Bacon/Egg and Cheese Bagel, Beet Root/Orange Juice combo, Another Blueberry Bagel and part of an Egg McMuffin. May be my new race morning food!! Got back at 5:30 to the camp with to much time on my hands as I sat around not really getting ready just shooting the shit with DRapp annoying probably the whole camp ground with our obnoxiousness! Finally got close enough to race time that it was time to get the rest of the kit on, pack up and off to the start.
Rode the paved trail the 2 miles to the start which is perfect to spin the legs for what is about the ensue. Got there early enough to take a front row start with fellow single speed fast guys and wait for the countdown. Ready to start is was about to take off. Few seconds to go and AIR-HORN!! OFF…..
Race Time
Race was off hot as usual as there is a cash prize at the top of the climb out of town for the first rider up. 100 K and 100 Mile all start at the same time so it is hard to tell who is who as you spin your brains out trying to stay with the lead pack. Got a good start holding DRapp wheel up the climb and didn’t know what to expect form there as it was a new start once up top.
Once up top it seemed like the road section never ended. With my knees about to explode due to the 150 plus cadence that I had to spin to hold position with the lead pack we went about 3-5 miles out of town on the highway and finally hit the gravel and then double track that would lead us back to Mohican Adventures (Campground where I stay every year!). Got through this fairly safe at the tail end of the leaders, which was perfect as it made me hold my pace down a little which was a downfall at Cohutta for me! Got into the camp and started the opening singletrack. After some missteps by some early folks, thus requiring early running by me up some opening hills, I settled into a pace through the fast Mohican State Forest Trails. We would be in the trails for about the next 25 miles. The trails are just like home with roots and some flat rocks thrown in for good measure around the twisty tight trails. Had a little to much pressure in the tires in prep for later in the race where the road sections would be coming into play, so the roots were a little slick under the tires and was sliding out every once in a while. Also coming into play in the first sections was the fact that sunglasses couldn’t be worn because the sun was too low in the sky not allowing enough light through. Spent about the first 2 hours trying to balance my sunglasses on my forehead, having to push them up every other downhill! I will figure out where to put them sooner or later!
Lost touch with DRapp in the opening parts of the single track but once again wasn’t concerned as I needed to conserve the pace a little and I had my Voodoo doll of him out and was walloping it in the hips to give him some problems!! Sometime around mile 10 of the trail I came around the corner and there he was in front of me so I got on his wheel and we were together for the next 30-40 miles. THIS WAS A BLAST!! Something I have come to love about these races is getting to ride with awesome folks out there for long extended periods of time and getting to chat while we still push the pace out on course! Whole different breed than XC racing which I have no interest in anymore!
Throughout the next 30-40 miles we would take turns in front of each other only to usually go off course or crash and try and take down small trees with our bike (DRapp) thus allowing the other one up front. This particular section of the race is my favorite as it is the best single track and it is just a blast to rail on! I did fairly well riding clean and came to aid three after some nasty hike a bikes, watching geared guys fall all over themselves (really only one, sorry dude) and having to take a piss for the longest time only to be scared by the likes of Roger Masse (1st Place Masters), thus not stopping for another 30 miles!
Carnage and Voodoo Magic
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| DRapp trying to break the Voodoo with a Team Noah T-Shirt! |
So after aid three we were off up out of the valley and heading towards the famous Negro Run for 10 miles of rail to trail. It was somewhere around here that we picked up some friends, especially my best bud for the rest of the day Alex from Virginia with Bike Factory Racing (Thanks DUDE!!). Riding along the ridge right before heading down to the road that led to the rail to trail my voodoo doll magic worked again and boom DRapp threw his chain!! Shit! So the back story on this is every race I go to I make it a point to get in DRapp’s head and make comments on his chain tension and gear selection. Last two races he has dropped a chain! He blames it on my voodoo doll, which I do many nasty things too in order to cause him as much pain as possible!!!
Well he dropped his chain and unknown to me in doing so, bent it so that once back on and pedal stroke taken, boom!, chain explode and breaks. Well all this time I didn’t attack as it is not my style to attack a mechanical, no matter what he says! HA! I rode on at a reasonable pace with Alex because there was no way I was going rail to trail by myself!
Rail the Trail to the FINISH!
Well arrived with Alex at the rail section and off we went flying at a kick but pace down the trial towards the next aid. 10 Miles of me spinning my brains out, sitting in when I could and taking pulls as best I could, we arrived at the aid feeling not to bad for the work that just went down. Finally I was able to take a piss which has never hurt so bad as I was obviously dehydrated from the days efforts. DRINK MORE FLUIDS MORON!!! So after the pit stop I went off in search of the finish. Over the next approx. 30 miles I would take my lickings as some the steep uphill road sections were to much for my worn legs, which required me to run or walk briskly, never really loosing my companions and sometimes catching and passing them. Arrived at the unofficial mile 80 Aid station feeling good so I took off trying to hold off what I still assumed was going to be DRapp chasing me. I was able to really push it up throughout the next sections, actually picking people off as I went.
Got to the last aid on an adrenaline high as I knew all that was left was some more kick but single track that we actually rode out on and the finish line and the Great Lakes beer I had been craving!! As I pushed this last section of singletrack, I was able to catch up to Alex, who had gotten away on some of the open roads leading to the last aid and I was dead set the fact that he was finishing in front of me no matter what! Seeing our time I made the comment we had a chance to go under 8 hours so we bolted in search of the benchmark! Well as we made the last turn onto the finishing straight, the clock flipped and it was sub 8:01 that we would both have to settle for. My race went awesome as come to find out after finishing in a time of 8:00:57 I had come into a surprising 3rd place SS finish and 16th Overall. Stoked by the finish as it will help in the overall down the road in the ridiculous SS Category this year. Congrats to my Team Noah Foundation Teammates with Dwayne coming in 7th SS, Emily 7th Women Open, Peat didn’t break his hip again and finished very well on a tough course and Adam beating his best 100 time by over an HOUR!!! KICK BUTT all around Team Noah Foundation!! |
| Toasted Head Champagne Shower |
Thanks again to all that helped me during the race or helped pass the time out there. Always great to ride with you all! See everyone at the next races. My June is going to be rough as in two weeks I head to my 3 in a row NUE 100’s (Bailey Hundo, Lumberjack 100, and Tatanka 100). See ya there. I am tired and slightly tipsy, OUT!!!
Garmin File Goodness
Garmin File Goodness
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| Sub 10 HOUR! Kick BUTT ADAM |
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| RIP Emily! She rocked to 7th WOMEN |
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| Rafal feeling good |
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