The Last of the Mohicans (or Almost Last)

My article "The Last of the Mohicans" was published on BikePanel yesterday. Like my other articles I translate it to English (with some changes) for my blog. All the photos that were not taken by me are the same as the ones used in the article and are posted at the courtesy of Butch Phillips the event photographer who graciously shares some of his event photos with me. This post is way way overdue, but I was waiting for the article to be posted.

The Last of the Mohicans (or Almost Last)

The La Ruta experience (that I wrote about back in June) brought back memories of how much I love riding my mountain bike, the epic trips to the desert, the black and blue bruises (well, didn't really miss those, but they come as part of the deal ;-). So, I decided to do something about it, and try to incorporate into my already busy race schedule of triathlons and road rides some mountainbiking as well. I signed up for the Mohican 100, a one day marathon mountain bike ride that takes place within a "reasonable" driving distance from Chicago (why I say "reasonable" is because I was told that I have spent enough time in the Midwest to say that 5.5 hours is reasonable driving distance). As I have not ridden my mountain bike since La Ruta in November 2014, in a moment of untypical sanity (for which I was grateful, as you will see, at mile 30 of the ride), I signed up "only" for the 100K race.  

Typical section of the course (photo by Butch Phillips)

So, what is Mohican 100?

The Mohican 100 is a single day ultra-endurance mountain biking race. It is the 3rd race in the National Ultra Endurance Series (or in short NUE). The Mohican 100 is the largest race of the series with the biggest number of participants and in recent years it included over 600 participants. 2015 was the 13th year of this race. It starts in the town of Loudonville, middle of nowhere, Ohio. That part of the state is blessed with rolling hills, farms, fields and a relatively big Amish community. The race offers 2 distances, 100 miles and 100 km, both courses are comprised of one full loop!!

100 mile winners trophies. The design is name appropriate for sure. 

A Little Background on the NUE Series

Before I get started with the race itself, here are a few words of background on the NUE Series (a series that I am hoping to become personally more familiar with in the years to come). The equation is a simple one. NUE = a long mountainbiking race on dirt. The series was created in an effort to promote and elevate the sport of ultra-endurance mountain biking to the national stage. The series that was officially created back in 2006, includes today 14 races in 13 states and 1 in Costa Rica. What is special about this series is that it is open to all riders, pro/elite riders as well as amateurs (or wanna be amateurs, like myself) and all compete in one of the following 4 categories - men's open, women's open, single-speed and masters 50+. With a goal to encourage participation, no USAC or any other license is required. In fact, anyone who can ride a bike (or think they can) is more than welcome to join the party. This year the series winners will get an all expenses paid trip to compete in LaRuta de los Conquistadores. 

Start line 

Race Day    

It's Saturday morning, 7am to be exact, close to 700 riders are about to wake the town of Loudonville from its weekend sleep. The start line is located in the town's main street, that was cleared from parking cars for this occasion. This race attracts participants from all over the States and on the start line we find the NUE series leaders and among them is also the legendary mountainbike racer, Tinker Juarez. It is clear from everybody's faces that today the competition is going to be tough.  

Tinker Juarez and the other NUE series leaders (photo by Butch Phillips)

The riders all line up, waiting for the national anthem and the starting horn. Both race distances start together and each rider positions himself/herself in accordance with his/her race strategy. For me, since this was not really a race, but more like a moment of temporary insanity and taking a peak into this world of ultra endurance races, I position myself somewhere near the back (which seems to have been the motif for that day).

The starting horn sounds and a herd of carbon, aluminum and steel machines takes off in a storm. The sharp sound of brakes creaking loudly rips through the Saturday morning silence. The pace is fast right out of the gate as the first rider to get to the town line will receive a $200 prize. For some, this prize itself is the goal, but most riders prefer to save their energy for later in the race. After all, 100 miles (or even 100K) on this course is no walk in the park and the day ahead is long. The winner of the $200 is a local guy riding a 29+ bike.    

A herd of carbon ripping the silence (photo by Butch Phillips) 

The course starts with about 4 miles of rolling hills on paved roads, the hills are short but steep. The huge peloton shatters into smaller groups within the first mile of the race, on the first hill coming out of town. This is a fast and strategic section of the race in which the initial separation between those who showed up today to compete for a spot on the podium and those that, even in this early stage, chose to get off their bike and walk (the latter's day will no doubt be longer than mine). The top racers use this section to position themselves in the front prior to entering the long and narrow single-track section.  Within the leading group the 100K riders dictate a very fast pace. I should note that in the past there was some criticism about the joint start of the 100M and 100K races, but the organizers claim that this is an integral part of the event and contributes to the competitiveness of the event. 

The terrain during those first 4 miles did what it was designed to do (which is separating the riders into smaller groups) and so a group of about 15 riders remained in the lead and among them were the main contenders for winning this race. The rest of what used to be the large peloton you see in the above picture is now spread across the road, just in time to enter the gravel section and shortly thereafter, the first single-track section.

The first single-track section is about 27 miles long and goes through the Mohican Park. This is where the real adventure start. 

Of course - Hike-A-Bike is a MUST

The single goes through a large thick forest, tall trees, ferns and other shrubbery - 50 shades of green all around me. The single itself is very technical, steep ups and downs twitching between the trees, rock and roots gardens, water crossings, logs and of course hike-a-bike sections. Despite all these obstacles the trails is flowing and reminds me a little of riding in Blue Mountain, Westchester, NY (although this one was much more technical). What caught me by surprise was how those rolling hills turned inside the forest to long and steep climbs. 

This video is a good summary of the race course

Due to recent rains the ground changed from tight and firm to muddy and slippery. In addition the tight forest canopy and shrubbery trapped the moisture in the air and in mid 80F heat the forest, despite the shade, became very hot and humid. The heat and humidity made this section of the course even more challenging. Well on the bright side, it wasn't raining, I though to myself.

Tinker Juarez elegantly navigates the slippery mud (photo by Butch Phillips)

Due to the heat and humidity and of course the length of the course proper nutrition and fueling is extremely important. Throughout the course there are 5 aid stations that include all one would need for a quick refueling. In addition riders can send their own special needs bag to a certain aid station to wait for them there. The volunteers do the best they can to help us riders eat, get water or otherwise restock as quickly as possible. The local hunt club is the host of the second aid station. Where we are all welcomed (on top of the friendly volunteers and food) by row of different stuffed animal heads hanging on the walls, and maybe even scarier are the hooks where the hunters hang their daily catch. Thank God those were empty that day. Only in Ohio!!! Needless to say that each aid station had its own mechanic that was kept very busy during the race. 

The racers have the options send a special needs bag to wait for them at certain aid station

As the time passes the single-track seems to be endless. What started as a fun, fast section turns into an endless painful "nightmare". Personally, I was not ready for such a hard course. Once I was out of the park, the course turns into a combination of double-track, 4x4 gravel roads, smoother gravel surface and even paved roads. What is special about all this is that the course goes through private land, that this day is the only day during the year that those roads can be ridden. Despite the fact that this part of the course is not as technical, it does not mean that we get it easy now. The course includes steep, slow long climbs and fast descends that seem too short to recover - all courtesy of the hilly terrain. The views are of fields and farms. An Amish horse and buggy passes on the other side of the road and makes me imagine that I am in a scene from the movie Witness and I forget for a moment that I am racing (where is Kelly McGillis when you need her).

The accumulated fatigue is showing its face. The third aid station is the split point of the 100 mile course from the 100K, I look at the sign pointing toward the 100 miles and am so happy with my decision to sign up for the shorter route. In all honesty, at that stage I am so exhausted that I would have gladly jumped into a car or even a horse and buggy to take me to the finish line. OK, Sharon, time to man up, less than half way to go. I get back on my bike and pedal on.

Lead woman on the second half of the course (steep gravel hills) (photo by Butch Phillips)

Among the lead group the fight for the race continues. The rough terrain, heat and humidity in the single section has shrunk the lead group to 8 riders by the second aid station and to 5 by the 3rd. The 5 are all working together on the gravel roads heading towards the 4th aid station and opening a large gap from the rest of the field. At this stage Tinker disappears for an unknown reason (likely a mechanical issue coupled with the heat) and after the 4th aid station the lead group includes only 4 riders. 

The 5th aid station marks the end of the battle. One more section of 6 mile single-track to be followed with ~1 mile of fast road. Since we are now back at the Mohican Park, the single-track is technical, and starts with a long and technical climb. Due to fatigue, I find myself walking the bike on more sections than normal, whether I planed to do so or as a result of previous annoying falls. Once the climb is over, the single flattens and once again becomes fast and fun. A nice ending to this EPIC race.

Lead man 100 mile crossing one of the wooden bridges (photo by Butch Phillips)

With the finish line in sight I release a sigh of relief. A local kid shoves a pint glass with the race logo into my hand. The glass is filled with cold water (of course with the option to shortly fill it out with local brew). The 100 mile finishers receive a growler for their effort, which they also could fill with beer. 

The 100 mile finisher get a growler and the 100K a pint glass (photo by Butch Phillips)

The 100 mile route ends with over 11,000 feet of climbing and the 100K with about 9,000 feet. Another challenging day comes to an end, a day with more than one La Ruta flashbacks. It is time for awards and the finish line party. 

The 100 mile winners (photo by Butch Phillips)

Of course it this not a real off-road race without a beer truck. In addition to beer, the finish line area is set up for a big party. Hot showers and bike cleaning stations are available. All in order to make the party last longer. 

Free flowing local brew

While we are all celebrating the end of a long day, enjoying the beer and food (BBQ of course) light rain starts. It's time to load the bikes on the car. Luckily for us we got to the hotel right before the real rain started, but the last of the 100 mile finishers were not so lucky. They had to battle the last 6 miles

in pouring rain and very muddy and slippery single-track. 

Summary

I survived the Mohican 100, with only a few new black and blue bruises. Exhausted but happy I got to the hotel thinking to myself - so this is what it feels like to be the last of the Mohicans (or almost last). This was a long and challenging ride, much more than I expected it would be. It was a very slow ride, certainly slower than I though I would be (but not bad for the second mountainbike ride for the year). The racer in me decided that I will be back next year, but this time with proper training and preparation, with a goal of not just surviving it but representing!

About the location of the event, I was pleasantly surprised. Inside all this beautiful surreal countryside that looks more like a movie scene, hides this amazing mountainbike park and a small hospitable town. It is true that the sleeping options are limited, unless you are into camping, and those of us that fast food is not our cup of tea, the food options are limited too, but despite all this I would highly encourage you to visit. So, if you find yourselves in the East Coast beginning of June next year (or to be precised, June 4th) and you feel like taking part in a great and challenging event - this is the ride for you.

Photos: Butch Phillips, Michelle Handren and me   

Thanks for reading