June 4, 2016

By Ryan O’Dell

The Mayor Loudonville, Steve Strickland, welcomed racers to Loudonville before starting the race at 7am sharp. Now in its 14^th year, The KENDA Mohican 100 released nearly 600 racers along some of the most popular single track trails Ohio has to offer on a grand single loop, 100 mile and 100k, that spans three of the four counties that make up what is locally known as “Mohican Country”. This year, several hike-a-bikes were rerouted to make them more ridable, including a new and safer crossing at SR97 that included The Ohio State Highway Patrol. Mohican offered a $10,000 cash purse, the largest in the NUE Race Series.

Last year’s Men’s Open winner and former NUE Series Champion, Christian Tanguy was the first racer to crest at the city limits before going on to finish fourth in the Men’s Open. Tanguy was awarded an additional $200 cash prime courtesy of the Loudonville Visitors Bureau.

Hundreds of racers charge off the start line and through Loudonville, Ohio, at the start of the Mohican 100. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Women’s Open

Shinn makes it two in a row at Mohican!

Linda Shinn, Blacksmith Cycles, achieved her first Mohican victory in 8:59:35 in 2015 claiming “Mohican 100 is probably my favorite 100 miler.” This year, Shinn set a new PR at 8:59:30.

“We always have a big group of friends that come down for this race each year so I always look forward to it – it’s more like a fun weekend away camping, hanging out and riding bikes. I was motivated for a good race since Cohutta didn’t go so well for me.

Linda Shin makes her way through the dense forests of Ohio on her way to a race win. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

I had a good start and was taking it fairly easy in the first half of the singletrack, really enjoying the fun Mohican trails and passing guys. I knew there were a couple girls ahead of me but wasn’t sure if they were in the 100km or 100 miles so I started to pick up the pace. After the first aid station, me and another rider missed the turn into the singletrack and ended up on the road back tracking to another trail that we had already ridden. We quickly turned around and jumped back in but then became stuck behind riders that I had already passed so that was frustrating. I made my way back through and passed a couple of 100km girls and knew I was sitting in 2^nd. I was focused on catching the girl ahead regardless of which race she was in.

After aid 3, I was told that she turned to the 100km so now I was leading the 100mile race which was a strange unknown feeling because this was the first time I’ve ever led an NUE race. I was stoked!

I was going back and forth with a couple of guys but was riding solo for most of the rest of the race and kept a steady pace. I knew I had a bit of a lead, no idea how much but had to keep telling myself that I was being hunted and not to slow down too much. Once I got to the final singletrack, there was no one around and was pretty pumped that I was going to win another Mohican! I couldn’t wait to get to the finish line.

Most of my friends raced the 100km and as I crossed the finish line, they were all there with high fives and hugs, it was so amazing to have such a warm welcoming finish! I had a ton of fun, everything was dialed, from my nutrition to training to my equipment. I had just put on the Lauf fork that I won last year at Cohutta for this race and it was the perfect set up on my Scapin Spektro!

This race has everything, a mix of terrain, tons of singletrack, amazing volunteers and really fun atmosphere for pre and post- race. This was my first year camping out at the finish and it was fun to hang out with everyone after the race. Can’t wait for the next NUE at Wilderness 101!”

Ann Pike, Team DNA-Movement p/b Penetron, placed second finishing in 9:26:30. Fifteen minutes behind Pike, Rachel Furman, CARVE, placed third at 9:41:46. Jacqueline Ledoux was fourth at 10:32:08 and seven minutes later, Beverly Enslow, Hammer Nutrition / Health Solutions Chiropractic, rounded out the podium in fifth place at 10:39:17.

100-mile race winner Dylan Johnson successfully navigates a long suspension bridge. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

Men’s Open

Dylan Johnson gets his second straight win to lead the NUE Race Series

Following a third place finish last year, Dylan “The Kid” Johnson, Giant Co-Factory Northeast, nicknamed for his youth in comparison to most other race leaders at just 21 years old, achieved his first win at Mohican following up on his first ever NUE Series win at Cohutta in April. As a result, Johnson now leads the NUE Race Series. It was a tight race that was won in the final two miles where he posted a blistering time of 6:57:10.

“The Mohican 100 always has a fast start and this year was no exception. I kept myself at the front of the group and entered the single track third. There was a bit of shuffling of position in the singletrack until five-time LaRuta winner, Lico Ramirez, made his way to the front and soon I found myself sprinting up the climbs to keep up. At this point I knew it was going to be a hard day in the saddle. A lead group of eight or nine exited the first single track section but this would be whittled down to five by aid station 3, including Lico, last year’s Mohican winner, Christian Tanguy, Brian Schworm, and Ian Spivack.

The pace calmed a bit at this point as we settled into a more sustainable pace but it wouldn’t last long. At about mile 85, on one of the steep climbs before the final few miles of single track, I made an attack to drop the group. I managed to distance myself from everyone except Lico. As we rolled up on the final aid station, I prepared myself to battle it out in the final single track section but, to my surprise, Lico stopped at the aid station. I continued alone through the single track going as hard as I could so I wouldn’t get caught. I was relieved to finally see the finish and I sprinted in to take the win.

I was ecstatic to take my second NUE win at Mohican and take the NUE series overall lead. It was a hard fought battle and an extremely close race with second place, Brian Schworm, coming in less than a minute behind and Lico and Christian coming in moments later for a sprint finish. Every year it seems like more single track gets added to the course and the race keeps getting better. I can’t thank the volunteers enough. All day they were extremely helpful and attentive, getting my drop bags immediately. Luckily the rain held off until after most racers had finished but that didn’t dampen the post-race party atmosphere.” Johnson’s next NUE race will be in the mountains of Colorado at the Bailey Hundo on June 18. http://nuemtb.com/series/bailey-hundo-ultra-endurance-mountainbike-race

Less than a minute behind the leader, Brian Schworm, Think Green-VO2 Multisport p/b SWORD, Rolled into second place at 6:58:04. “The Mohican 100 race started with fantastic conditions.

The trails were dry and fast, and the weather was very agreeable although the forecast called for rain in the afternoon. As usual, the race started in downtown Loudonville shooting up Maple Heights climb. The climb with the following few miles of paved road were great for spreading out the field before hitting the first thirty miles of singletrack.

Ramarez just after the finish. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

I was around fifth position once we hit the trail.  The race was smooth and uneventful through the trail section until we hit the “hike-a-bike” section towards the end of the initial trails.  There Federico “Lico” Ramirez showed why he has won La Ruta multiple times; he rode nearly the whole section where most were having trouble just hiking! Needless to say, he gapped the rest of the field. Within the next few miles a handful of racers, including myself, bridged up to Federico.

Once we hit the gravel roads and bits of trail that followed, some other riders joined the front group while some dropped off.  This continued until the Mohican Wilderness area where a lead group of five established itself.  The group included Federico, Ian Spivak, Dylan Johnson, Christian Tanguy, and me.  From this point until the Rails-to-Trails section, I was struggling a bit. There were a few climbs I dropped off the group and then scrambled to catch up afterwards.

On the Rail-to-Trails section we worked together, taking turns leading the group, to hopefully extend our lead. There were no attacks or anything of that nature through this trail. I think we all knew that a very difficult section, five big climbs between aid stations 4 and 5, was coming up.  This is often where decisive moves are made. Sure enough, we hit the first climb hard!  I was still struggling a bit and dropped a few seconds back. I rejoined the group just in time to hit the next climb. I believe this was where our group starting falling apart. Dylan and Federico were out front, Christian in between, and Ian and I further back. Somewhere in there I got a small gap on Ian and went all out on the downhill to the swinging bridge to increase my gap.

Next we hit, what I feel is, the toughest climb on the course, the Valley Stream Rd. climb. The climb is just under a mile long and hits gradients of 20% in a couple places. Up this ascent I could still see Dylan and Federico together in the front and Christian in between. I started feeling a bit better and made some progress on catching Christian. On the following downhill and road section I was able to catch Christian, and on the fifth and final climb before aid station 5, I was able to distance myself from him.

On the following five-mile stretch of road before aid station 5, I put the hammer down, mostly to distance myself from Christian but also to hopefully close the gap to Dylan and Federico. Sure enough, I went around a bend and I could see them ahead. This gave me the extra motivation I needed and by the last aid station, I was only 20 to 30 seconds down. I saw Dylan shoot up the trail but was surprised to see that Federico stopped. At this point there are only about twenty minutes of racing left so I was surprised to see him do this. I’m not sure, but I think he might have been bonking and was in need of some food.  Anyway, I went into the trail with Federico on my tail. He hung in there for a while but I dug deep on the singletrack and was able to get a gap. I never saw Dylan again and in the end he was about 45 seconds ahead.”

Christian Tanguy powers through the water early on in this 100 mile challenge. Photo by: Butch Phillips Photography

46 seconds behind Schworm, Federico “Lico” Ramírez, La Ruta de Los Conquistadores, a five time winner of what has become billed as the toughest race on the planet, took third at 6:58:50 following a risky pass around Christian Tanguy in a sprint finish. In addition to his five wins at LaRuta, Ramarez has won the Trans-Rockies, Trans-Alps, and Breck Epic.

LaRuta has hosted the NUE Race Series Champions for three years now and is now offering package discounts for NUE and OMBC Racers who would like to take on the challenge of this world class three day stage race across Costa Rica November 3-5. Details are available at http://nuemtb.com/laruta-2

2013 NUE Race Series Champion, and 2014 and 2015 Mohican race winner, Christian Tanguy, RBS Cycling Team, was just one second back to take fourth in 6:58:51, twelve minutes faster than his winning time last year at 7:10:03.

“This year I have spent more time pushing the stroller than I do riding my bike. Nonetheless, I felt much more ready than for the Cohutta race. I thought that a top ten would be a very difficult result to achieve but I should have the energy to be competitive to win the prime at the city limit.

Prior to the race, during one of the walks with my 2-year old in the stroller, I laid a plan on how to be in contention to win the prime. I gave him the play by play:
First: lock all the suspensions to eliminate any energy waste while on the road. This is so easy to do on my Trek Top Fuel; one push button locks both front and rear shocks.
Second: not being overly worried to be somewhat far from the front rider on the early very steep pitch. It is important to save energy for later…
Third: Position myself such that nobody is in front of me. Last thing I want is to have to veer around another rider during the sprint.
Fourth: Knowing where the city prime is exactly located. I had no clues during my first three Mohican races where the city line was!
Fifth: Be on the right gear to respond to others starting to sprint.
Sixth: Sprint and not look back until crossing the line!
I managed to perfectly execute my plan and right there I knew it was going to be a good day. Unfortunately, I got a little jammed leaving the open road. I was shuffled back almost to the 20th position. I was very dissatisfied with my position in the field. For the next two hours I had to commit more energy than if I reached the singletrack in fifth position or so…

As the miles went by, I was getting more and more fatigued but thanks to my two chain ring setup on my Trek Top Fuel, I managed to put some good efforts on the climbs. With two chain rings, I achieve finer steps between gears such that I can really dial-in force on the pedal in relation to the pedaling cadence.

I think I am nostalgic of the good old day, where racers were more focused on finishing the race rather than finishing at a good spot. Sometimes the lead group will ride very slow with nobody willing to ride tempo. Maybe to my demise, when that happened, I rode to front and picked up the pace….

After the river crossing, I was still in third place (Costa Rica racer Lico Ramírez and Dylan were at the front and out of sight) but I was running on fumes. The terribly steep dirt road had me on my smallest gear; I was falling apart. Brian passed me and I knew it would be impossible to match his speed.

During the last six miles of single track before the finish; I was worried I would be caught by somebody but it was me who caught back up to the Costa Rican racer. I came within thirty yards but for two miles it was impossible to close the gap. We finally arrived at the 1/4 mile of paved road before the finish. He was still thirty yards in front of me. I sprinted despite my legs absolutely not wanting to spin those cranks anymore. I made a clean pass and was only few seconds away from reaching the finish line. However, my competitor sped up and cut my path to reach the hole in the fence; the finish banner is just ten yards beyond the fence. Our handlebars came into contact. If I had been more aggressive, I would have kept going which would have probably ended up with both of us on the ground; instead, I just braked and lost my chance to finish third. However, that night I was able to drive back home and kiss my kids good night with no injuries to report.

In addition, this 4th place is much better than I anticipated; I would be satisfied with a spot somewhere between 10th and 15th. My next NUE race will be the Wilderness 101.” http://nuemtb.com/series/wilderness-101-ultra-endurance-mountainbike-race

Just three minutes separated 5^th through 7^th place. Ian Spivak, 7:04:29, Tomasz Golas, DRT, 7:06:24, and Ronald Catlin, RBS Cycling at 7:07:05. All of these times were faster than last year’s winning time.

USA Army Veteran Charles McDonald representing Paralyzed Veterans Racing finished his second Mohican 100 mile race to the cheers of fans and racers inspired by his effort as the only racer to finish the race with one arm. In 2014, McDonald completed the race without prosthesis, an amazing feat given the difficulty of finishing the race with both arms. This year, McDonald used a new specialized prosthesis that included a shock designed to help absorb some of the vibration. Never give up, never surrender, evidenced by Charles McDonald.

Powers to Victory

Donald Powers, Pro Bikes, took the podium following his winning finish at 7:52:44. One of just three SS racers to go sub eight on the day, Powers, finished tenth at the Cohutta 100 making him a top contender for this year’s NUE Series title.

“I had a good start and rode with fellow Pittsburgh SS’er Regis Ricketts for the first half of the race. We were first and second SS for that entire time. I had some stomach issues around mile 22 and emptied all the contents of my stomach all over my handlebars & top tube. Rege was pretty impressed that I didn’t even stop pedaling. On a climb heading towards aid station 2, I passed fellow UPMC Pro Bikes teammate Craig Cozza (he was racing the Masters 100K) and gave him a fist bump and said “let’s win our classes today”.  He agreed and held up his end of the bargain. He got into aid 2 after me but left before me and was never seen again then crushed the gravel after aid 2.

On a steep climb after aid 3, Rege and I were pushing our bikes up a hill and the third place SS’er at the time, John Haddock, came into sight so I jumped back on my bike and started to push the pace. I was able to bridge up to a geared rider that I knew, Dave Parsons, and he pulled me along to help drop my SS competition. Shortly after grabbing his wheel, I emptied the contents of my stomach once again but like the last time; I just kept on pedaling and held my geared friend’s wheel.

I managed to push through some serious leg cramps (due to the vomiting) and even a crash on the downhill towards the swinging bridge that bruised and road rashed my left leg.  Basically, I think these 100 milers come down to who is willing to suffer the most. In the end, I won by about three minutes, but raced like 2nd place was 100 yards behind me for the last 50ish miles. My next NUE race is the Wilderness 101.”

Three minutes later, John Haddock, J. A. King/Farnsworth Bicycles, crossed the line second at 7:55:47. “I wasn’t initially going to make the Mohican 100 this year but was happy when my schedule opened up and made the trip possible. This was my first Mohican and man was it awesome!

In terms of the race, I started fairly fast but dialed it back once on the double track. Due to some extensive riding the previous week, I wasn’t sure how my legs would feel. Surprisingly, I kept seeing Dahn and Rege in the initial singletrack. Keeping a steady pace, I was able to put a gap on Kip and almost catch the other two. When Dahn saw me on a switchback somewhere at Camp Mohaven before the rail trail, he gassed it. Rege flatted and I passed. I was alone most of the rail trail but managed to hook up with some geared guys shortly before Aid 4. After that I just kept moving and looking over my shoulder expecting to see Kip. I was surprised at the end to see that the top three SS finishers were only separated by about 3 minutes – pretty cool!

On another note, I was really impressed with how the local community, especially the equestrian community, rallied behind the race. I think we rode through someone’s corral at one point? That’s awesome! Also, the race provided my best experience at aid stations ever. The volunteers had my bag waiting for me when I pulled up and that really helped keep the motor running. Everything about the event was first class – the venue, the volunteers and the course. Thanks for having me up and I hope to make it back next year! My next race is the Wilderness 101.

Three minutes later, Kip Biese, KJBike Coaching/ Old Town Bike Shop, became only the third sub eight hour SS finisher, placing third at 7:58:29. “I had an okay start and was able to mark the lead SSers for the most. I got a little jammed up with traffic on the first two trail climbs, but after we cut through Mohican Adventures and got onto the long stretch of singletrack, I caught up to a group that included Donald Powers.

Unfortunately, about 20km into the race while on a fast bit of double track, I flatted and saw John Haddock pass me as I fixed it. This left me riding almost all the road sections without anyone to draft. At Aid 3 my wife had me at about thirty minutes behind Powers. The second half of the course I felt pretty strong, except on the stretch of flat bike path before Aid 4; there I briefly slipped back to 5th. I feel I finished strong and in the end was just a little over five minutes behind the winning time. Thanks for a great race.” Next up for Biese? The Bailey Hundo June 18.

Six minutes later, Trevor Grant, Bicycle Depot, took fourth at 8:04:52. Nine minutes behind Grant, Regis Ricketts captured the final podium spot at 8:13:42.

Masters 50+

Reglar gets his first Mohican 100 Win 

54 year old Carl Reglar, Verge Sport/Test Pilot, won his first Mohican 100 as the only Masters racer to go sub eight on the day at 7:55:27.

Two time defending Mohican 100 mile Masters winner and reigning two-time defending NUE Race Series Champion, 55 year old Roger Masse, Rare Disease Cycling, took second just six minutes back at 8:01:45. Masse also placed fourth at True Grit Epic, NUE #1, in a bid for his third straight NUE title.

“I love racing the Mohican 100, the 100 mile race that started it all. 2016 was my 7th time doing the event and in the end I was very happy with my finish time of 8 hours. I’ve never met or raced against Masters Winner Carl Reglar so I wasn’t aware there was a Masters rider in front of me… but that’s part of the mystery of racing Masters, being mixed in with all the other open men.

Apparently, Carl made the selection at the back of the front group right after the town prime and I was maybe 50 feet from making that cut… I wasn’t concerned at the time. Normally, that fact would not have mattered much since that large front group gets whittled down once riders hit single track, but in this case it mattered only in the sense that a Masters rider was able to sneak off the front that I would never see… but hey that’s racing!  Congrats to Carl. In the end the time gap was only five minutes so I hope to get another chance to race him again in 2016.”

53 year old Stan Hertsens, Muleterro, took third at 8:38:11, 56 year old Adam Linstedt fourth at 8:40:11 and Terry Blanchet, NAV – North American Velo, took fifth at 8:44:13.

A top NUE Masters contender and local racer from Belleville, David Jolin, Team Y Not Trek, just missed the podium by two minutes to finish 8:46:37. Jolin is a top contender posting a second place finish at True Grit Epic and a fourth place finish at Cohutta 100.  

Next Stop for the NUE CENTURY RACE SERIES #4 and #5: On June 18, The KENDA NUE Series features a double header with races in both Colorado and Michigan. The sold out Bailey Hundo located in Bailey, Colorado is a 100% fundraiser for Trips for Kids and the Colorado High School Cycling League. On the same day, the sold out Lumberjack 100 features a three lap all singletrack race in the Manistee Forest. For more information, visit http://nuemtb.com/

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