June 5, 2010

The Mohican 100 in Loudonville, Ohio - your choice of 100 miles or kilometers with 11,000 feet of climbing. I chose the metric version.

This is a long report, so if you don't feel like reading, it ends with a DNF.

I knew this was going to suck, I have missed a ton of long rides and on the drive in Friday night, all the creeks and rivers were running way over their banks. It will be a wet course. We set up camp in the dark and it starts thunder storming as soon as we close our eyes.

Race morning I get up and ride down to downtown Loudonville. The start goes down Main Street and up some big hills... and into the woods. The first section is all new trail they cut each year just for this race, so it is a muddy mess, off the bike and walk through it with 600 of my closest friends.

For the next bit, that is all I remember. Big hill climbs, most too muddy to ride, off the bike - push - flat trail with mud too deep to ride - off the bike - push - repeat a million times. By now (5 miles in?) my drive line is so caked with grass and mud I can't shift, so at the first ankle deep creek crossing I lay my bike down and wash it off, that was very helpful for 30 seconds. I repeat this in the next crossing too, only now, everyone else is doing it too... The first aid station is at the 20 mile mark. I have been riding for over 3 hours and still have not seen it. This is a problem, it is getting hot and very steamy in the woods, humidity is clearly giving the magical 110% football coaches always talk about. I have no idea what time I made it there, but I am averaging 6 mph.... As I pull in, I watch several folks loading their bikes and quitting as I watch the aid station worker fill my Camelback (mind you not the bladder) but the backpack part, since she has not mastered the art of pouring water into a hole. I thank her and dump it out when I get back to my bike... as I sit there trying to figure out how to get water into the bladder, it starts pouring! Just what we needed, a little more moisture to help the trails. I sneak over, refill and take off in a now cold rain. The first bit of single track after leaving is beautiful, along a ridge, then big hill climbs, most too muddy to ride, off the bike - push - flat trail with mud too deep to ride - off the bike - push - repeat a million times.

Finally aid station 2
I had been riding alone for a long time when I pop out of the woods and start up another damn big hill on a dirt road towards aid station 2, only to see riders (lots of them) coming down. I finally yell to ask if I am going the right direction, a simple yes was the response (although I now doubt he was correct) during the climb up I catch a few riders and we are caught by a few, so we roll in together. The aid worker lets us now, the campground (race HQ) is only 6 miles down the road. (that explains the downhill riders) Most of the folks I rode up with decide they have had enough, and start down too. I cue up in the bike wash line when I notice folks who left the aid station on the course have turned around and are also now riding down the hill. I really should taken that hint, but I don't, and start off, again 30 seconds of great shifting and braking are cured by deep mud and I am back to big hill climbs, most too muddy to ride, off the bike - push - flat trail with mud too deep to ride - off the bike - push - repeat a million times.

I am now alone in the woods and the thunder and lightning start. You know the kind, you see and hear it at the same time... yeah this is a great day! I know the single track is shorter here and we are supposed to come out to fire roads or dirt roads for a long while. I do not know what short means, but at less than 5 mph, it is a long time till I hit the road. Just as I do the sky gets super dark, the wind is breaking off tree bits to fall on me and then sheets of heavy rain pound me. All I can do at this point is look skyward and say "really?" I later found out there was a local tornado warning and a deadly tornado NW of us.

By now I am so spent, I am forced to walk up the stupid hills on the road! Then back into the woods for more big hill climbs, most too muddy to ride, off the bike - push - flat trail with mud too deep to ride - off the bike - push - repeat a million times.

By now I have crashed a couple of times since my brakes quit working, after using all the built in adjustment, I give up and replace my rear pads with the spare set I carried (nothing like being a Boy Scout)

Finally I come out of the woods and see Aid station 3, mile 46 - funny my computer says I had ridden (err pushed) 43 miles, when I see the damn arrow, left for 3 more miles of woods.... I look at the computer, I have been riding for 7 hours, have gone 43 miles, adding in the rest stops and bike washings, I have to do the 3 miles in 25 minutes or I will miss the time cut-off to continue..... nope, I turn right, report in as a DNF (Did Not Finish) and start riding the now 10 miles of paved roads back to camp. After 15 minutes or so, I get scooped up by a truck with Kentucky plates, and happy to have the bed to ride in.

Sucktacular is the best word I have for the day!

Added note a couple days after: Results were posted, in my class 116 riders finished, at least 111 (I did a quick count, they were not numbered) DNFed, so that is almost 50% failure rate.