NUE High Cascades 100

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NUE #3 Takes Flight with Covid Precautions in Bend, OR

Bend, OR

Ryan O’Dell 

Due to cancellations resulting from Covid-19, The 12th Annual High Cascades 100 became only the third NUE Series race to go forward following True Grit Epic that occurred one day before the Covid-19 lockdown in Utah, and Mohican MTB100 in Ohio, the first mountain bike race to open in the US on May 30. Following these two successful events, Race Director Mike Ripley took similar steps to insure a safe event for both racers and volunteers.  

High Cascades 100 Implements Safety Restirctions Amid Covid-19 Photo by: Harry Apelbaum

Race Director Mike Ripley, “We knew the process was good, the aid stations had process, the online Covid-19 waivers and event waivers were sent, sanitizer and hand washing sinks were placed and masks were required and enforced with a social distancing violation of 15 minutes for riders that ignored our rules which we never had to use. The event featured a remote start and remote finish deep in the Deschutes National Forest. Each rider had a unique start time based on a ride to the start line after 5:30 am. This allowed riders to self-select a start and with 8 miles of double track to kick off the morning and an extra 15 miles of double track overall provided extra passing lanes and a tough first 41 miles. Overall the event was a success, from no injuries on course and more than that the fact that for one day things felt a bit more normal in 2020! 

Women’s Open

Reis gets the Win!

Erin Reis, Hutches Bend, wins the HC100 at 8:42:19. “Being a Bend local, I was super thankful that Mudslinger Events was able to host the High Cascades 100 (COVID edition) this year- the preparation for making it safe for participants, volunteers, and the community was impressive. The format introduced some new challenges to contend with- riding with a mask coming through the aid stations and the time trial start. It was nice to have an untimed 9-mile warm-up, but unfortunately, you have no idea where you are in the pack with this format. 

Erin Reis leads the way in the women’s open category. Photo by: Harry Apelbaum

I rolled out a little after 5:30 and quickly figured out that Julie (Zivin) was my mark for the day when she came from behind at a good pace. She was a bit faster going up, but I kept things in check and fell behind on the first singletrack, making a pass on the downhill. She went by on the next road section, and I just tried to keep her in sight and my speed constant. When we got to Kwohl, we were side by side through the lava sections, suffering together, and at the top. 

I knew I had my only chance to gain some ground since technical riding (and especially descending) is my strength. It did beat me up, though, since I was riding my husband’s hardtail without a dropper (having broken my frame last month!) but I was able to make a gap and just tried to hold it the rest of the race. I never knew how many people were behind me or how far back, and I knew Clarice Sayle was there somewhere (she is a beast on the SS and was third overall last year!) It really made me stay focused the whole time, paranoid that someone was coming from behind.  

The course was typical Bend riding- loose and sandy and lots of lava rock (you can’t live here without being comfortable with a little drift), but I had marked a large section of the course last week, so I had the advantage of knowing the danger spots and also the flow.  I didn’t even know I had won overall until a half-hour before awards when a teammate from Hutch’s Bend Dental sent me a congratulatory text– the website had me listed as second until the 100k results were adjusted.  It felt good to be able to race again, and kudos to Mike Ripley to make it happen responsibly.”

Twelve minutes back, Julie Robertson Zivin took second at 8:59:29. Karoline Droege took third at 9:17:40. 

Photo by: Harry Apelbaum

Men’s Open

Barberi earns his first HC100 Victory on new Kenda Booster Pro Tires! 

Stefano Barberi (Kenda Tire) earned his first HC100 win at 6:21:17.  “First of all, big thanks to Mudslinger Events and all the volunteers for putting on  the best possible experience under the current situation with Covid19 using some creative measures to keep everyone safe. 

Stefano Barberi on his way to his first NUE win. Photo by: Harry Apelbaum

As far as the race goes, one of the safety measures was that we were effectively doing a Time Trial, an 86 mile mountain bike TT. Knowing that, my plan was to kit up in the Starlight Apparel Skinsuit, and ride the first bit in a solid hard pace but without getting into the red at all and then dig a little deeper on the big climbs like Kwohl Wall, FS 45, and Skyliner Ridge to make up time on the competition. 

About forty minutes in I took a wrong turn and ended up adding about six minutes to my time trying to find the corner I missed, but I stayed cool and kept going with my plan and waiting for the Kwohl Wall. There I caught and passed a couple of the riders I knew were podium contenders so I knew I was back on track. 

Edison Lava DH was about being patient and making sure I didn’t crash or damaged something on my Orbea Oiz on the loose lava rocks. This was pretty much the pattern that my race followed, smash the climbs and back off and play it safe on the more techy sections knowing I was always in control of my pace both up and down hill. Legs were good all day even setting most of the fastest uphill times even compared to all previous race editions, and kept my record of ZERO flats in 18 months on my Kenda BoosterPro tires (who also happens to be a NUE Series sponsor). All in all, I’m super happy just to get in a race day, and finally a WIN at the HC100.

Four minutes later, Matt Fox took second at 6:25:01. Ten minutes behind Fox, Evan Plews took third in 6:35:42. “I came to HC100 after many years away with strong ambition to compete for the overall. I felt decent and started fast. By the first feed zone I’d gained time on all the protagonists and had Stefano in sight after his mishap. However, once I started up the Kwol Butte climb I lost my rhythm and never really felt fast again. It was a hard course but a beautiful day! Mike and Andi and their team have always put on a great show and I’ve known Mike since my first mountain bike race in 1992. When I heard they were putting on this event against all odds, I wanted to be there. They crossed every “T” and dotted every “I”—it was an AWESOME job!!!”

Singlespeed

Schafer wins SS

Improving on his third place finish in 2019, Mark Schafer, Eastside Cycles, rolled up to the top step of the single speed division podium to finish in 7:31:15. Brad Herauf took second at 7:53:16. Five minutes later Seth Patla took third at 7:58:01. 

Masters 50+

2017 NUE Series Masters Champion, Golet WINS, now leads NUE Series!

Following his second place finish at the season opener, True Grit Epic, 2017 NUE Series Masters 50+ Champion Greg Golet, took the win at HC100. Golet now leads the NUE Epic Series. “High Cascades is often harder than I expect it’ll be, and this year was no different. But that’s why we go, right?, to face a challenge beyond the ordinary.

A rider navigates the 2020 High Cascades 100. Photo by: Harry Apelbaum

People complained about the lava on Kwhol Butte, but for me it was a highlight. Washboard fire road is what I dread, not techy punchy climbs without obvious lines—that’s real mountain biking and (Race Director) Mike put it early in the course, perfect. I don’t ride road and spend lots of time on trails I built that have steeps which amount to forced intervals. My biggest concern on Kwhol was just trying not to flat, given I was on pretty light tires and forgot my pump. 

This year I didn’t put in as many training hours, unless you count backcountry skiing and yard work. This showed on one of the last little climbs coming out of aid 3 where I slipped out in sand and had to walk a stretch, but couldn’t bend my legs due to cramping. I wasn’t feeling very strong or capable at that moment! Luckily, it was mostly easy spinning to the finish from there. I did miss the (well-marked) left turn onto the last single track, but pretty soon came to an obvious unmarked junction so knew I had better backtrack. 

Photo by: Harry Apelbaum

The TT format was a good call given the situation. From what I saw we all practiced responsible distancing following Mike’s well defined code of conduct. This was all way beyond what you see on the streets, and I am extremely thankful to Mudslinger and all its amazing volunteers for the gift of another fantastic and well-supported day in the woods above Bend!”

Seven minutes behind Golet, Wayne Tonning took second at 7:31:30. Twenty-One minutes later, Tim Phillips took third at 7:52:09. 

WHATS NEXT: Get Stoked! On September 6, The NUE Epic Race Series and NUE Marathon Race Series heads to Virginia for the Shenandoah 100 in Stokesville. Shenandaoh now includes a new 100k option as part of the NUE Marathon Series. From there, NUE Marathon Series heads south to Georgia for the Fool’s Gold 100.    

FULL RESULTS FOR ALL CATEGORIES

Categoryfinish timebib numberFirst NameLast Name
50+ Masters Men7:24:0159GregGolet
50+ Masters Men7:31:30157WayneTonning
50+ Masters Men7:52:09125TimPhillips
50+ Masters Men8:22:2421AaronBoone
50+ Masters Men8:23:00145EdSerrat
50+ Masters Men8:42:4516DemianBailey
50+ Masters Men8:57:2192CortJohnson
50+ Masters Men9:12:0013MattAllen
50+ Masters Men9:13:3325MikeBurris
50+ Masters Men9:13:46116DodiNov
50+ Masters Men9:17:28169BradTymchuk
50+ Masters Men9:39:38105JosephLindstrom
50+ Masters Men9:46:3144DarrellFinlayson
50+ Masters Men9:46:4472MikeHardenbergh
50+ Masters Men9:46:53164RobinWessel
50+ Masters Men9:50:3670TerryHamness
50+ Masters Men9:58:1726ScottBury
50+ Masters Men10:00:3771MattHanrahan
50+ Masters Men10:04:24124DavidPettigrew
50+ Masters Men10:07:1814ErikAnderson
50+ Masters Men10:52:2837EdDaniels
50+ Masters Men11:18:07162WilliamWaring
50+ Masters Men11:26:1090DaveJansik
50+ Masters Men11:34:3681DerekHoenisch
50+ Masters MenDNF29FredericCarrier
50+ Masters MenDNF47MichaelFrank
50+ Masters MenDNF138TonyRuiz
50+ Masters MenDNF54MichaelGaudio
50+ Masters MenDNF78PaulHemson
Open Men6:21:172StefanoBarberi
Open Men6:25:01175MattFox
Open Men6:35:427EvanPlews
Open Men6:37:343LandonFarnworth
Open Men6:40:284CodyPeterson
Open Men6:46:535JeremyTufts
Open Men6:50:52173BrentMattison
Open Men6:52:2310JoshOppenheimer
Open Men6:56:5030EricChizum
Open Men7:02:42167NateYoungs
Open Men7:06:02160MatthewTurney
Open Men7:10:14181KentRoss
Open Men7:13:0043CurtissFeltner
Open Men7:13:028AndrioAbero
Open Men7:22:53185JakeSzymanski
Open Men7:29:00126DavidPilz
Open Men7:31:0757NateGinzton
Open Men7:32:09170ErikHammerquist
Open Men7:36:4976CliffHeaberlin
Open Men7:39:0163CareyGrumelot
Open Men7:41:02128ZachPowell
Open Men7:45:54144JasonSchroeder
Open Men7:53:55171AndyKrueger
Open Men7:54:1417JordanBarber
Open Men7:55:21146SpencerSeverance
Open Men7:55:43180JustinPane
Open Men7:56:12118ErrinOdell
Open Men7:56:2615AaronBailey
Open Men7:57:53179DamonGjording
Open Men7:58:34153BenTaber
Open Men7:58:47174KyleWuepper
Open Men7:59:3523JeremyBrodhead
Open Men8:04:19107MarkMatson
Open Men8:05:32122WillPease
Open Men8:06:2522BrianBowling
Open Men8:07:11111DougMerritt
Open Men8:08:13112JoelMeyer
Open Men8:08:23139JeremyRussell
Open Men8:11:4982TimHolmberg
Open Men8:12:46187LanceWong
Open Men8:13:22114PatrickNagler
Open Men8:16:15140ChrisSarrett
Open Men8:18:4399BillKnudsen
Open Men8:18:49177ChadNelson
Open Men8:18:56152LukeSykora
Open Men8:25:3941LeifEmbertson
Open Men8:33:4749KevinFrederick
Open Men8:34:48156QuinnTirpak
Open Men8:39:4019RobertBautista
Open Men8:46:3742PaulFagan
Open Men8:47:1412AndrewAlexander
Open Men8:48:3251RossFuhrman
Open Men8:49:49127StephenPlomer
Open Men8:53:4796JoshKenyon
Open Men8:57:1852RobertGade
Open Men8:57:50186JordanBoutilier
Open Men9:02:559MikeModica
Open Men9:03:5289RussJackson
Open Men9:12:3539GregoryDufour
Open Men9:16:28165JoelWest
Open Men9:18:4177EricHeinemann
Open Men9:24:25109KeatsMcGonigal
Open Men9:26:02161AdamVollmer
Open Men9:29:2445GrantFinter
Open Men9:41:04176DaltonCharest
Open Men9:42:2433SamConklin
Open Men9:46:4966GeoffGrummon-Beale
Open Men9:52:44119ErikParry
Open Men10:00:5127JulioCabrera
Open Men10:12:05136DavidRosen
Open Men10:14:03106ToddLiphardt
Open Men10:15:42149StewartSouthwell
Open Men10:19:5231BrianCimmiyotti
Open Men10:26:44163DanielWeiland
Open Men10:34:5458AndyGoggins
Open Men10:36:1811EricAldinger
Open Men10:41:17147MichaelShaw
Open Men10:44:0640MattEhrenstrom
Open Men10:49:00101DannyKuntz
Open Men10:58:12133SeanRobertson
Open Men10:58:40132SawyerRobertson
Open Men11:01:52188JakeBiskar
Open Men11:20:18166MikeWilburn
Open Men11:20:2035JordanCusick
Open Men11:20:2418DavidBauer
Open Men11:24:3834AnthonyCree
Open Men11:34:38178HenryDaniels-Koch
Open Men11:47:34183AndersCarlson
Open Men11:53:4495RyanKelly
Open Men11:59:2850NeilFriedrich
Open MenDNF62JayGronemyer
Open MenDNF83KenHolmes
Open MenDNF100JeffreyKoger
Open MenDNF32ChadCoder
Open MenDNF60BrettGombasy
Open MenDNF135JadeRohde
Open MenDNF143DanielSchroder
Open MenDNF56JoelGilrein
Open MenDNF84ScottHood
Open MenDNF102MarcLange
Open MenDNF110ScottMcNees
Open MenDNS24JasonBrown
Open MenDNS73CamHarmon
Open Women 8:42:19131ErinReis
Open Women 8:59:29134JulieRobertson Zivin
Open Women9:17:4038KarolineDroege
Open Women9:22:49172CherieTouchette
Open Women 9:23:0767NicoleGunton
Open Women9:30:566ClariceSayle
Open Women9:31:56117ElizabethOdell
Open Women9:34:2674JenniferHart
Open Women9:58:23108CaitlinMcCarthy
Open Women10:55:57148CassandraSlemmer
Open Women10:56:25141DelaniaSather
Open WomenDNF69KamilaGwiazda
Open WomenDNF53CynthiaGaudio
Open WomenDNF86BobbieHoward
Open WomenDNF123JessicaPeterson
Single Speed Men7:31:18142MarkSchafer
Single Speed Men7:53:16182BradHerauf
Single Speed Men7:58:01120SethPatla
Single Speed Men8:18:32129BlakePrince
Single Speed Men8:27:1720BrandonBentz
Single Speed Men8:29:51104ScottLindbloom
Single Speed Men9:49:56103ToddLawrence
Single Speed Men10:30:38159LoganTrammell
Single Speed Men11:53:2555CharlyGeorge

Related posts:

  1. High Cascades 100 – Bend, Oregon
  2. High Cascades 100
  3. High Cascades 100 – Full Results & Report
  4. High Cascades 100 Report and Results