2014 Shenandoah Mountain 100

Damn, I’m sweating already just getting my bike and my kit ready. It’s soooo humid. I’m fussing with the GoPro, but today it’s just not going to make it. I’ve had to make some last minute adjustments to my seat mounted tool bag and tube strategy and I burned up all my time. No warm up, but really, that’s probably just fine.

It’s always good to say hi to all my friends at the start line. Having a relaxing chat with good racing buddies is much better than being stressed out about strategy and the like. I forgot some of my food, Doh! No worries, no time to change right before the start.

We’re off! Alright everyone, let’s just get to the pavement with no dramatics.

Conditions were much drier this year, and when we started climbing festival this was evident. There are a few small rock sections that folks spun out on last year, but this time the climb was going a lot smoother. I settled in behind a few riders on Narrowback then had a lot of fun chasing another rider on the upper part of the tower trails. We were having fun hitting the sweet table top jumps and railing the corners.

I settled in with a pace line on Tillman and picked the pace up a bit as we headed for the paved road section leading to briery branch dam. I was getting some low back pain and wondered if I had set my saddle up correct when I swapped sea posts the other day.

Lynn trail was nice and dry, and in great shape after all the awesome trail wok to get it ready for the race. I was pleased, having managed to clean pretty much the whole climb. The secret to Lynn is to not push too hard in any one spot, but to take it at a light to moderate pace, and then crush the ridgeline and descent on Wolf Ridge.

I rode the majority of Tillman back to Aid 2 solo. I tried to pace line with another rider but he was just a bit stronger than I could go. So after a couple of pulls I popped off. However, I knew the pet cemetery area was coming up were Tillman heads mostly downhill back towards aid 2. Another pace line invited me to join and soon I was rolling into Aid 2 with a fast group.

I called out for my bag and the awesome volunteers had it to me in short order. They always take such great care of us racers!

The climb up Hankey was a sharp contrast to the first to two climbs. Basically an “easy” gravel climb instead of single track. I always find single track easier because it takes my mind off the toil. Another racer voiced some solid advice that I’ve also come to learn over the past few years. Ride the grass between the double track if it’s not too high. Usually it’s a bit smoother and less sandy than the mild double track ruts.

OK, so now my lower back was hurting more than it should, I backed off the pace a bit and that helped, but I needed to go a little slower than I wanted to.

Eventually Hankey Mountain’s rolling gravel gave way to a very steep grassy climb towards Dowels Draft. A super strong single speeder rode passed me in one spot laying down the Watts. The rest of Hankey went well and I rallied down Dowel’s Draft snagging a pass here and there and then ripped down to the final set of jumps into aid 3.

Ahhhh… 250… I always cramp up a bit on the road section of 250. Sure I play switch foot on Dowel’s but I always cramp a bit here. Nothing a little diesel fumes from a dually hauling ass a few feet off your left shoulder can’t cure. Get R Done!

OK, everyone needs to thank Bryan Wright for clearing a sweet line in the rocks that cross the creek just before the climb up Bridge Hollow. It’s super sweet to ride that bit!

Bridge Hollow is a tough climb, but if your patient, you can clean the whole thing. Definitely a case where a bit of tortoise works in your favor. I’ve seen a lot of rabbits charge this and then fall over on techy bits. Fortunately, I had a good run, with just a minor dab in one of the rock gardens.

The descent down Braley’s was fast, dry, and loose. Good stuff. One of my favorite descents in Virginia, just watch that last right.

 On the next bit of trail an unfortunate rider crashed a bit in front of me and I believe he broke his nose. He was walking along OK, in some pain no doubt, but he indicated he would be alright. So I rolled to aid 4 got my drops, and gave them a heads up about the injured rider.

Soon I passed some oncoming racers from aid 3 and set to knocking out the pavement and gravel leading to the death climb. A couple of guys on road bikes passed me, but declined to trade whips for this section.

I don’t think it’s the “death climb” that gets me. I always have trouble on the deceptive climb up the fire road leading to the death climb. It doesn’t look bad, but it always seems to punch me square in the nuts. This day was no different, and I felt awful as I got into the climb to aid 5. That’s when I knew something had to give.

If you can’t change the player, change the game.

So I stopped, took a break to eat some cliff blocks, and drank some water.

I knew I did not have in me what I needed to push the pace I wanted to...I wanted to stop.  

So I changed my goals away from a good finish time, got my mind into party pace, and shifted into ‘fahgettaboudit’.

The rest of the climb up to aid 5 was much more pleasant now. Sure, a steady parade of riders was passing me, and it was fine. I’ve done enough of these 100 milers not to get too serious. I mean, I still wanted to crush it, but I had a new reality to deal with, and going fast was just not in cards at that moment. I looked at wild flowers as I creeped up to aid 5 and dreamt of PBR hand-ups. I spent some time at aid 5 and got some much needed supplies. The rest of the endless double track climbs and grassy fields went by OK and I got my spirit and my legs back just as the Chesnutt descent began. I had a lot of fun attacking the loose and rocky turns and chutes. I crossed my fingers mentally a few times as I felt my rear rim ting off the off rock or three. Stan’s No Tubes baby, tube less is the only way to go!

Freshly invigorated, I skipped aid 6 and powered the pavement back for the second climb up Hankey. I made it up better than I thought I would, but not as fast as I wanted to. A fellow racer was holding my tail as we zoomed down Shaffer Hollow. I enjoyed having someone to keep me honest on the last descent and felt pretty good when he revealed that he was on a 6 six inch travel bike. That’s a lot of bike for 100 miles!

I rolled a section of the last bit of gravel with an SM100 legend, Ramponi. He was on his trip-cycle, and you know he was on it All Day!

Finally, the bomber section through the camp ground led way to the best finish of any hundred out there. It’s like rolling into heaven, with cheers all around, all your great friends, and a well-earned sense of self accomplishment and triumph.

Thank you so much to Chris Scott, everyone at Shenandoah Mountain Touring, and all the incredible volunteers!

Not my best finish time at the SM100, but not my worst either. I came in with a smile, and really that’s the only result that matters.

Cheers!

Oh Yeah, some highlights from the results:

Open Men

1          Jeremiah Bishop

2          Sam Koerber

3          Brian Schworm

4          Keck Baker

5          Cameron Cogburn

6          Gered Dunne

8          Ryan Steers

9          Lee Hauber

10        Joe Fish

Open Women

1          Selene Yeager

2          Laura Hamm

3          Kaysee Armstrong

4          Trish Koerber

5          Carla Williams

6          Linda Shin

7          Anne Pike

8          Misty Tilson

9          Simona Vincenciova

10        Denelle Grant

Single Speed

1          Gordon Wadsworth

2          Gerry Pflug

3          Ernesto Marenchin

4          Daniel Rapp

5          Donald Powers

6          Dennis Baldwin

7          Dwayne Goscinski

8          Watts Dixon

9          Todd Ace

10        Peat Henry

Masters Men

1          Roger Masse

2          Henry Loving

3          Alex Hawkins

4          Anthony Hergert

5          Michael Ramponi

6          Terry Blanchet

7          Michael Boyes

8          David Jolin

9          Jim Miller

10        Joseph Baremore

Clydesdale

1          Joshua Draper

2          John Lewis

3          Joel Kelly

4          Mark Bates

5          Chad Sexton

6          Sid Rappe

7          Robbe Smith

8          Brian Parr

9          Tim Kelley

10        Daniel Abate

2013 Shenandoah Mountain 100

Wow, 15 years of the Shenandoah Mountain 100!

I remember when I was a freshly minted mountain biker in 2004 and took my first ‘big’ mountain bike ride in the GW forest

I had just sketched out a sample route using my trusty National Geographic - George Washington National Forest map. It had topo and everything! Luckily, I met some friendly mountain bikers from Harrisonburg and Churchville and embarked on the first mountain bike ride that pushed me to the edge.

It was a lot more than I had bargained for. I was used to 10 to 15 mile cross country mountain biking in central Virginia. My cheap K-2 Attack bicycle probably weighed 35lbs and I was rocking out an athletic shirt, swim trunks (with the liner removed), and a pair of sneakers. The only thing greener than my appearance was my optimism.

About 15 miles or so into the ride we were ascending the fire road climb to the radio tower. I was running low on water, food, and general fitness… Right at the last steep pitch of that fire-road, I cracked...I got off my bike and hoofed the next 50 yards, which felt like a mile.

After passing the radio tower, we rode the ‘Cookie’ and descended down the Festival trail to a fire road. Finally we made it back to the paved road and I just made it back to the Car. Wow, 25 mountain biking miles with lots of elevation. I was smashed… and I was instantly in love with riding in the GW.


In 2007/2008 I got pretty serious about mountain biking and took on two major events. The BC Bike Race followed with a big season finally at the SM100. Now, to give you an idea of how intimidating the SM100 can be to a 1st timer, I was not sure if I could finish it well, maybe not finish at all? That same year I had completed a 7 day stage race in British Columbia and ridden the hardest trails I’ve ever encountered, but the SM was a lot longer than any single day in the BC Bike Race.

So long ride … err… story short, I finished my 1st SM100 exhausted, destroyed, and completely exhilarated. I made a lot of new friends that day and got hooked on 100 mile mountain bike races.


Fast forward to the present.

This is my 5th year racing in the NUE series, and finally I’m starting to figure these things out. My goal still remains to race a sub 8 hour 100 miler and this year I’ve come my closest with a PBR (personal best record) of 8:18 at the Wilderness 101. The road to get here has been long and there have been plenty of potholes and roadblocks. I’ve also made a bunch of great friends and had some awesome adventures.

So as I got ready for this year’s 15th annual SM 100 I tried to figure out what emotion I was feeling while cutting through the pre-dawn fog hanging in the Shenandoah Valley as I approached Stokesville. It was something I’ve not really experienced before starting any of the hundred milers I’ve raced. Was it nerves? Excitement? Trepidation? No.

It was a strange feeling… Overwhelming anticipation of doing exactly what I want to be doing. Like a hammer just before it strikes a nail.

Bang! And the race is on.

The race rolled out of the observatory campground and onto the pavement. We crossed the old train bridge and turned right. There was an immediate acceleration and the riders were packing in tight. I think there was an extra sense of urgency for everyone who knew the course re-route. There would be no long sustained fire-road climb to separate riders.

Suddenly somebody’s handle bar jabbed into my ass and started to knock me off course. I turned slightly into it to keep from getting knocked over. The rider behind also seemed to be getting sucked in. Just when it seemed to be stopping, it jabbed back in and almost knocked me off again.

We turned left and started a tough climb up festival. It’s normally not that bad, but when you are racing, there is one steep pitch that hurts pretty good. It soon eased up and we were rolling on the new trails on Narrowback. What an awesome set of trails! I gained a position on the up and down bench cut trail punctuated with a bunch of really awesome rock features. Then I rolled the super sweet downhill that follows, hitting a double or two for good measure. I also noticed a lot folks shooting pictures or video of us rolling along. Sweet! Looking good!

The transition from Tillman RD over to Briery Branch Dam is always an essential spot to hydrate and refuel. I found a group to pace line with and stuffed some homemade rice cakes into my mouth. These are great when you are on a training ride, but I was finding them difficult to get down while working a pace.

The climb up Lynn trail seemed a bit harder than usual. Then I realized I was doing this climb for the 1st time with a 2x10. My other 29er’s got a 24 small ring and those 2 teeth seem to make all the difference for me. I just never could quite get enough of a reprieve to ride most of Lynn like I usually do. That was very frustrating. Oh yeah, the wet rocks were a bit tricky too. The descent down Wolf Ridge was awesome as usual. The dirt was damp and had incredible traction. Soooo much fun!

Rolling the other direction on Tillman RD, I noticed there was some ‘snap’ missing from my legs. OK, I’ll just eat some more food. I hoped my remixed nutrition strategy would work well, but feeling it this early was not a good sign.

I made a pretty good pace up the 1st part of the Hankey mountain climb. I worked on more nutrition and hydration while rolling out the climb to the gate where the old double track really gets steep. Now I definitely noticed a bit of a problem with my energy level. Oh well, just focus on grinding out the last of this green monster of a climb.

Finally the climb was over and bombing down Dowells Draft was made even more exhilarating by a rain shower that had just started to move in. I rode the 1st half of the pavement on Rt. 250 solo. Then another rider passed me and waved to my GoPro. Too bad I had to let him know the battery was toast. We formed a two man pace-line and traded pulls till the next single track section.

The climb was slick and the roots were tricky. The rock gardens on this climb are no piece of cake when it’s dry! I made good time to the top and had a rocking descent on the way down. I’ve ridden this trail down to Braley Pond plenty of times, and it’s really interesting when it’s a bit wet. It was awesome!

Then there was a lot of wet grass and muddy trail to get to Aid 4. Luckily the awesome volunteers were ready for each one of us and made the transition back to gravel a seamless one. Thanks so much to all the volunteers!

Back on the road, I headed towards West Virginia. I was joined by a couple of riders who helped pull me along this psychologically challenging section of gravel I call ‘sh*t road’ because it just seems to go on and on and on…

When I got to the bottom of the ‘death climb’ I knew I was in trouble. I decided to stop for a moment. I normally never stop, but I was running low on juice. After a minute I was back on the bike, but turning a much lower gear than usual. That’s when I really knew I had blown my nutrition. At this point getting to Aid 5 was going to be hard. Blowing up is really frustrating, you started getting passed a lot when you normally might not. I felt like I was inching my way up when I got within striking distance of Aid 5.

At Aid 5 I took longer than usual and stuffed a bunch of food into my mouth. I stood around for a moment but got on my bike as soon as I felt like the guy that folks were looking at like “hey, are you alright?”

I struggled to ride with any sense of competition as I made my way through meadow after meadow of the grassy double track that heads up to the Chestnut Ridge descent.

I stopped, sat on a rock. I had stopped racing an hour ago, now I was wondering about finishing. I took a couple of minutes to consume a gel shot and was soon overwhelmed with nats and such. Grrrr, no rest….

OK. Let’s finish this one out. I got back on my bike and got back too it.

Soon, I heard lots of familiar voices asking me if I was OK and encouraging me to soldier through. I told some I was felt like I was falling apart. Everyone encouraged me to keep going. These were friends, competitors, and fellow soldiers in the fray. Thanks so much to everyone for willing me on.

The first half of the Chestnut descent I was trying to not lose my cookies. All that food and gel I consumed to get my blood sugar up was getting jostled quite a bit and for a minute I thought I might spew. Gross!

Finally nausea subsided and shredding commenced. I started to feel a lot better and even had some energy by the sharp right turn in the middle of the Chestnut downhill. My speed and my spirits picked up as I flew down to Aid 6.

I ground out the last section of the race with a steady, albeit slow pace. It was not too much longer before I bombed through the campground and made the final grass turn towards the finish, the food, and kegs.

Lots of friends greeted me at the finish and we all had a lot of fresh war stories to tell.

I started the day looking for a new personal best at the Shenandoah Mountain 100. This year it didn’t turn out that way. But that’s just the way it goes sometimes.

However, I did spend the day and night with friends at the best 100 miles in VA.

Thanks so much to Shenandoah Mountain Touring for making the SM100 best event ever.