NUE Mohican 100 Mile & 100K

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Jen Toops

The 21st annual National Ultra Endurance Series Mohican 100k/100m was held on May 21, 2022. Hundreds of racers from around the country gathered in Loudonville, Ohio to tackle this tough course. The return of the mass downtown start added extra mileage and required a few course changes for 2022. With feedback from the 2021 course, race director Ryan O’dell removed the Mohaven singletrack from the 100k race and reduced the Glenmont loop for the 100m racers.

Sunny skies, high humidity, and temps in the upper 80’s made for a difficulty day on the bike. Many racers battled with muscle cramping and heat exhaustion. Aid stations had ice packs and water hoses out cooling riders off. Later in the afternoon, the skies opened up and it poured rain that continuing on and off for the remainder of the race.

One of seven fully stocked aid stations. Photo credit: Butch Phillips

From the downtown start racers are immediately greeted with the first of many punchy climbs. Racers jockey for position on the next 5 miles of road before entering the Mohican State Park singletrack loop. They continue toward the Wilderness singletrack and the all famous rock garden. Locals and media enjoy heckling racers as they try to maneuver this technical mossy rock garden. After the Wilderness aid station, the 100k racers split and head back on more gravel roads toward the finish. The 100 milers continued to complete Mohaven and Glenmont singletrack loops before continuing on to the finish.

Jeff Rupnow & Heidi Coulter heckling riders as they navigate the wilderness rock garden. Photo: Butch Phillips

Being in Ohio, most assume this course is relatively flat. What the race lacks in elevation it makes up for in dozens of steep, punchy climbs strewn throughout the entire distance. 100k racers eventually climb over 8,000 feet and 100m racers climb over 11,000 feet. According to O’dell “Out of a total 453 Registered Racers, 64% of racers completed the 100 mile, 58% completed the 100k, a significant improvement over 2021.”

https://youtu.be/yglBMMZDJ8I

What makes this race special is the amazing group of volunteers that help out with the race. Ryan O’dell stated, “Along with many other local volunteers, New Hope Church, led by Pastor Rob and Bethany Paterson, showed up in force to help out at aid stations and 20 course marshal positions, as well as provide transportation and medical attention. In all, more than 150 local area volunteers working two-hour shifts were here to support the racers.”

Both the 100k and 100 mile races finish at Mohican Adventures campground. Racers are rewarded with a pint glass (100k) or growler (100mile) to fill up with their Great Lakes Brewing beverage of choice and enjoy the post race atmosphere.

NUE Mohican 100 MILE

Women’s Open– Mason gets the 100 mile win

Women’s 100 Mile podium: 1st Britt Mason, 2nd Jen Toops, 3rd Julie Medema, 4th Leila Husain, 5th Hanna Pauline Derby. Photo: Butch Phillips

The 2021 Wilderness 101 women’s winner, Britt Mason (Knobby Side Down) from Ellicott City, MD, won the women’s 100 mile race with a time of 9:14:04.

” The race started hot right out of the gate with climbing as soon as we reached the outskirts of town. I may have gone out a bit hard, as I made some early mistakes with crashes and missed turns in the unfamiliar trails. After the first couple of hours, I settled in to my groove and did my best to manage the heat throughout the day. I never fully cramped but had to govern my heart rate progressively lower to keep the grabby muscles at bay. I consider myself a punchy climber, but the steep hits just kept coming all day! I’ve never walked my bike so much in an NUE, either by choice to prevent cramping or because the trail was too soft, slow, and steep to ride. The strategy worked, as I ran from the front from the start and held off the chasers. Next up for me in the NUE series is Wilderness101.”

The 2021 women’s NUE epic champion and 2021 Mohican 100 mile winner, Jen Toops (Pearl izumi/Pivot), Marion, OH finished second with a time of 9:36:08.

“Mohican 100 is always a favorite of mine since it’s home turf and family/friends come to watch. After racing the new course in 2021 I knew it was going to be a hard day in the saddle, especially with the heat/humidity, and all the strong ladies signed up. This year the course started from downtown Loudonville instead of Mohican Adventures campground. This meant it was going to be a red lined start or risk being stuck in a congo line in the state park loop. Britt and Julie passed me on the 5 mile road start. I let them go and settled in my own pace as I was already feeling overheated. At the end of the state park loop I caught Julie and we came into aid 2 at the same time. It was so incredibly humid and hot. The Wilderness singletrack went smooth and I was sure I could make some time up, since I knew the lines. Wrong….the massive cramps started when I tried to clean a steep climb. Both of my quads seized up and couldn’t move them! I literally laid on the ground screaming and finally had to just get up and start moving. I prolly lost 3-4 min here. I immediately took a CarboRocket RocketLyte and slammed a few Honey Stinger gels and the cramps held off the rest of the race. There were times throughout the day where my body felt cold, extremities tingly and I felt dizzy and lightheaded. I continued to just keep a steady pace and stopped at every aid station to put ice/or water down my back. I kept looking back on the last road section sure Julie would catch me but managed to stay a few minutes a head. About 15 min from the finish the skies opened up and it poured. I was happy to have crossed the line and finished with how bad I felt through out the day. This felt like a day surviving on the bike instead of racing. Thank you to all the aid station workers that helped all day, especially aid 2 with the panty hose ice pack and aid 4 with the water hose! Thanks to all family and friends for the cheers and heckling :) Sponsors: Pivot Cycles, Pearl izumi, SCC chain lube, Lazer Helmets, Ergon, Xpedo, Honey Stinger, CarboRocket, Maxxis.”

Only a couple minutes back from second, Julie Medema (Founders Brewing) from Grand Rapids, MI, finished third with a time of 9:39:54.

“Mass start with the 100k & 100 milers combined made for a hot start to the day. I was in 2nd until mile about 25 then Jen passed me and I was already not feeling great so just settled in for a long, hot day. First 50 miles were TOUGH and SLOW with lots of technical singletrack and some major mud out there. Legs finally felt good at mile 75 🤪Solo mission to try to catch Jen but ended up 3 min behind in a thunderstorm! It was an epic day; equally tough mentally as physically with hot humid temps and endless steep long climbs. Thanks to Founders Racing for the support!”

Taking fourth place was Leila Husain (Sycamore Cycles) out of Brevard, NC with a finish time of 10:40:11. Hanna Pauline Derby from Marquette, MI finished fifth with a time of 11:27:50.

Men’s Open– Collins takes first Mohican win

Men’s 100 Mile podium: 1st Patrick Collins, 2nd Jake Inger, 3rd Brian Schworm, 4th Jimmy Close, 5th Brent Goetz. Photo: Butch Phillips

Taking the win in the men’s open 100 mile, Patrick Collins of Worcester, MA, finishing with a time of 7:36:11.

Patrick Collins. Photo credit: Butch Phillips

“Thanks to Ryan O’Dell and his crew for putting on a great event! This was my first Mohican 100. Once we hit the dirt, a lead group of 5-6 of us set a very hard pace for the first handful of hours. Guys were turning the screws, heat rising, testing each other’s limits, some digging deeper than was sustainable, so guys began to fade. I was climbing better than others. I got a gap on the first climb in the Wilderness, feeling good on the only familiar trails on course, as I did a XC race there last year. Brian Schworm bridged up on the climb after the aid station and we worked well together for a while. I was very glad to have a partner on the road sections. We saw glimpses of Jake “The Diesel” Inger I got a gap on him the super muddy steep climb in the private trails about 5.5 hours in. I think this section was a hike-a-bike for most, but I dug extremely deep and stayed on my bike to power up it. Once alone and no one in sight behind me, I rode a hard tempo, slowly easing the pace as I neared the finish until Jake showed up right behind me with less than a kilometer to go entering Mohican Adventures. It legit scared me! All this work to lose it at the very end, no way! I drilled it as hard as I could and finished ~25 secs ahead. Mind blown… biggest result ever! Huge thanks must go out to my sponsor Assabet River Bicycles, the best bike shop in central Massachusetts, owned by Jerry De Zutter. The legendary Tom Stevens is the head mechanic and he has made sure my bike was ready to rock and roll. Also huge thanks to my parents who have always supported me, especially in the tough times. On the drive back home to MA, I collided with a deer on I-80 in the middle of nowhere PA. I was fine, but my van was toast, so my dad drove through the night to the rescue and brought me home. My next planned NUE races are Wilderness and Shenandoah. I would like to do Marji Gesick as well, but I missed reg. Perhaps if I am in contention for the series win, they’ll let me in? :)”

Jake Inger. Photo credit: Butch Phillips

Less than a minute back, Jake Inger of Yarmouth, ME finished second with a time of 7:36:36.

No stranger to the Mohican 100, Brian Schworm from Morehead, KY took third with a time of 7:37:30.

“The race went very well but I was worried about the heat and concerned about racing so soon after a minor surgery to remove a small skin cancer spot on my forehead (wear your sunscreen!). I was feeling great and riding with the eventual winner Patrick Collins with Jake Inger not far back until the trail section beyond Glenmont at about mile 75. I started cramping and faded a bit. Jake caught up and I was worried there were more behind him. I had to give 100% just to hang with Jake as he was so strong. He pulled me to the finish and took off with a couple miles to go (and almost caught Pat as well) so I was able to hold my third place. I’m very happy with this result especially considering the surgery, heat, and my age 😀. After the race it was great to hang out, catch up with racing buddies, and swap stories of the day. The race turned out very well and, despite the heat and humidity, it was a great day. Already looking forward to next year! Thanks to my bike sponsors Think Green-Bicycle Face Cycling Team for helping to make these races possible along with ESI Grips, Maxxis Tires, absoluteBLACK, and TruckerCo, but the biggest thanks goes to my wife Jennifer Schworm for all the support both during the race and the daily routine required for my training. I couldn’t do it without her!”

Brian Schworm. Photo credit: Butch Phillips

Fourth place went to Jimmy Close of Ellicott City, MD finishing in 7:56:02. Brent Goetz from Canal Winchester, OH took fifth place in 8:09:11.

Singlespeed 100 MILE– Wakeley wins

Singlespeed 100 Mile podium: 1st Jorden Wakeley, 2nd Chaes Caughey, 3rd Joe Fraas, 4th Eli Orth, 5th Thad Paunovich. Photo: Butch Phillips

Finishing 5th overall and riding the last five miles on a flat, Jorden Wakeley of Grayling, MI, won the 100m singlespeed class with a time of 8:05:28.

“Went into the singletrack top ten and got caught behind some slower riders and the lead group got away. I was able to ride with Brian Schworm to the first aid station and he got out quicker than I did. Chased for 15 miles and caught the entire lead group at the second aid station and proceeded to draft off of them on the gravel roads. Dropped 5th and 6th place in the Mohaven section and ended up catching 4th just after Glenmont. We rode together for a while and I got away from him on Valley Stream Road, which put me in fourth overall. Flatted on the last rocky downhill about 5 miles from the finish and tried to repair it with a tube that unfortunately had a hole in it. So, I decided to ride on the rim to the finish and ended up getting caught by the eventual 4th place finisher. 5th overall in the day and 1st singlespeed–I ran a 36-19 gear and I ride for Northbound Outfitters. Tough, hot race as I was cramping at mile 30 and started feeling stronger after the bike path to Glenmont. Loved the course. Next race: Lumberjack 100. “

Leading the 2022 NUE singlespeed series, Chase Caughey of Canton, OH finished with a time of 8:32:32.

“Mohican 100 is one of my favorite races because I grew up riding msp. This year was my first time doing the 100 mile instead of the 100k and first season racing ss. There were a lot of strong single speeders registered and I was excited for the competition. Lining up on the start line I was settling my mind in for second because I knew Jorden’s wheel would be to hard to hold. Got a front row start thanks to my friends Justin Holle and Brian Elander. First half of the race went pretty smooth, riding my pace in second place and happy with the 34×20 choice. About 70 miles in third place rider Joe Fraas passed me on a long flat section holding the wheel of a geared rider out spinning me. I caught back onto him not long after being dropped. We rode together for a while until a good climb where I rode away from him. Finished in second about half an hour behind Jorden Wakeley and only four minutes faster than Joe. Great race! Thanks Evolution Training Cycles for everything”

Just a few minutes back, Joe Fraas from Pittsburgh, PA took third place with at time of 8:36:23.

“I was pretty nervous leading into the race because of the number of good single speeders on the start list and then the heat and torrential rain the day before didn’t help calm the nerves. Making the turn into town is always so cool seeing 500+ racers lined up and ready to go. The road start is a tough one for single speeders, but luckily my teammate, and eventual 100K winner, Anthony Grinnell was on the front. I knew he wanted to pace smart because of the heat, so I was able to stay with the large front group going into the woods. Even with so many riders, I somehow rode most of the 22 miles of singletrack by myself, which was pretty nice because I picked a pace I was comfortable with and focused on staying on top of my hydration and nutrition. I carried three bottles with me, two filled with Flow Formulas Lemon Lime (I used 6 bottles for the day) and one filled with water. Since I was riding the single track by myself, I really had no idea how I was doing until aid station 2 and saw I was only about 10 minutes from the overall leader. Seeing this gave me a huge burst of confidence and some extra freshness in my legs and I really started to pick-up the pace. I continued to ride mainly by myself until the long rails to trails section. This is such a killer section for a single speeder and you just have in your head that if your single speed competitors are working with someone in this section you are going to lose so much time. I just got as aero as I could and was spinning at a comfortable pace, when out of nowhere a geared guy flew past me. I knew this could make a huge difference in my overall time, so I did an all-out 30ish second sprint to get on this guy’s wheel. I looked down at my Garmin and was doing over 500 watts to get his wheel. I got in his draft in the nick of time, because I wasn’t going to be able to hold that effort any longer. I do not know his name, but he had a pink bike and pink kit and he pulled me for three quarters of the rails to trail, which allowed me to get ahead of eventual 2^nd place Chase C. momentarily. If he reads this, thank you again for the pull. Chase eventually caught me on the climb after aid station 4 and he and I talked and rode together for a while. During this time, I found out Eli Orth wasn’t in front of us like I thought and Chase and I were sitting 2/3 behind Jordan. Chase dropped me on the one climb and I rode as hard as I could the last 10 miles or so just hoping to hold onto 3^rd place. It was such a great feeling coming across the line seeing my son, wife, parents, and a couple friends at the line cheering for me. We always have a group that camps at Mohican Adventures for the weekend, which just makes the whole race experience that much nicer. I was running 34*20 wolf tooth ring and cog. Thanks to sponsors Flow Formulas, Pro Bike and Run, McQueen Athletes, Jim Shorkey Auto Group, ESI Grips, and Extreme Nano Lubricants.”

Ohio’s own Eli Orth from Cincinnati took fourth place with a time of 9:07:41. Finishing fifth place was Thad Paunovich from Avonmore, PA finishing in 9:31:27.

Master’s 100 Mile–Magnuson wins

Master’s 100 Mile podium: 1st Eric Magnuson, 2nd Keith Papanicolas, 3rd Amir Matityahu, 4th Bruce Stauffer, 5th Christian Butts. Photo: Butch Phillips

Taking the win in the 100 miles masters division was, Eric Magnuson of Manchester, MA with a time of 8:47:52.

“After blasting out of town, the Mochian 100 splintered on the first climb. The race then unfolded across an array of singletrack, gravel, and roads. During the first four hours, I raced in different groups. Alliances formed. Alliances fractured. At about the midway point, I was on my own—and that’s how things stayed until the finish. Others were in front of me, but I couldn’t see them; others were behind me, but I couldn’t seem them either. I pedaled in isolation, experiencing Ohio’s punchy hills, muddy trails, and escalating heat. I spent most of the day dreaming of dousing myself with something cold. At an aid station, I found a hose. There was joy at the end of it: clear, cold, fast-flowing water. Deep into a race, the mundane can become extraordinary. The Mohican is a stellar event put on by a stellar crew. The volunteers deserve a standing ovation. Signage was superb. Aid stations were excellent.Huge thanks to my family, my riding buddies, Skip’s C.S., Shayne Gaffney, and Riverside Cycle. Next on my calendar: High Cascades 100.”

Just a couple minutes back, Keith Papanicolas from Fairfax Station, VA, finished second with a time of 8:49:2.

Third place went to, Amir Matityahu from Los Altos, CA crossing the line in 8:58:27.

Taking fourth place wes Bruce Stauffer from Rockwell, NC with a time of 9:41:18. Christian Butts out of Plainville, MA took the last podium spot with a time of 9:45:01.

NUE Mohican 100K

Women’s Open 100K– Catale gets back-to-back Mohican wins

Women’s 100K Podium: 1st Kelly Catele, 2nd Bryna Blanchard, 3rd Abigail Snyder, 4th Heather Compton, 5th Jen Tillman. Photo: Butch Phillips

Taking back-to-back wins at the Mohican 100k was, Kelly Catale from Pepperell, MA with a finish time of 5:53:17.

“This was my second year racing the Mohican 100k and I have determined that it will always be a brutal experience. The crazy climbing, muddy doubletrack, and fun singletrack make the course challenging, but it’s the weather that delivers the true pain. Just like in the 2021 edition, the mid-Ohio humidity made the air feel like peanut butter right from the start of the race, which meant I was destined to suffer for the next six hours (this was my first real “humid” day of riding all year). The mass start from downtown Loudonville was a bit hairy, with several guys angling for front positions before diving into the first trail. The only other female in the front pack, Britt Mason, and I exchanged some conversation and marveled at how we had never crossed paths before this race. My goal was to finish the race in under six hours; my race strategy was to go out hard and see how long I could sustain the effort before blowing up. It turns out that 16 miles plus humidity is the blowup point. I slowed down considerably after then and focused on keeping my heart rate and body temperature from skyrocketing. Truthfully, I don’t recall the last time I felt as terrible during a race as I did during this day, and by the time I hit the second aid station at mile 34 I had already quit the sport of cycling at least three times. Luckily, the amazing aid station volunteers had ice-filled pantyhose to offer the overheating participants. I draped one around my neck and into the back of my jersey and within about 5 minutes, I felt slightly frostbitten and almost completely renewed mentally and physically. I even decided to un-quit the sport of cycling! Yes, my race was saved by pantyhose. The remainder of the race was a bit of a blur, as I did my best to keep ahead of dehydration. I finally felt strong at the 5-hour mark and was definitely not on pace to break six hours, but I dug deep and pushed myself hard for the last ten miles and finished with goosebumps–likely from being overheated, but maybe also from ending up in first place after suffering so intensely for so long. I want to extend a huge thanks to Seven Cycles, Voler Apparel, Industry Nine, Vittoria Tires, Flow Formulas, Ride Headquarters, and Gold Medal CBD for enabling me to participate in these events. Thank you also to my husband, Joe, for another fun and successful race weekend, to the race promoters for another fantastic event, and to all of the volunteers who helped make the day survivable.”

Placing second in the women’s 100k was, Bryna Blanchard out of East Greenbush, NY, with a time of 6:19:46.

“Mohican 100k felt like a magic race day for me this year. Despite the 7 AM start time, early morning nerves, and lots of training volume leading up to the race I managed to feel strong for the duration. I managed to avoid the 5 hour energy crash that so often forces me to lose my pace and inevitably get caught in the final miles. After a difficult time in survival mode at the Big Frog 65 it felt amazing and motivating to race hard and enjoy the ride from start to finish. The single track was fast and fun with some rocky slip and slide to keep things interesting. The bits of road in between made for a nice change of pace. With the chaos of mass start and miles of strung out racers on pavement I had no concept of my position in the women’s field. All I could do was ride my race, pace my efforts and work hard to not slow down. I was surprised and grateful to cross the line in 2nd behind world class endurance racer Kelly Catale. Thank you promotors, volunteers, and organizers for putting on a top notch professional event. Thank you Barker Mountain Bikes for all the continued support over the years. I am so grateful for these experiences, friends and bikes.”

Travelling in from Roanoke, VA, Abigail Snyder, took third place with a time of 6:36:58.

” I came into the 2022 Mohican 100k with high hopes after a tight battle for 3rd place at the Big Frog 65 and a surprise 4th place last year, when the 2021 edition of the Mohican 100k was my first ever 100k race. From the start, however, it seems as if my hopes would be dashed. I struggled for the first 2/3 of the race: I missed turns, got bungled up in the congo line through the state park singletrack, had some mechanical issues, and just generally was angry with the world. When I came through Aid 3, the word my friend/crew used to describe my frame of mind was “salty.” Because of the mass start, I had no idea where I was as far as position, but felt like I had to be somewhere between 10-15th place. Still, I didn’t give up. My team name and personal motto is “Ride Fierce,” the meaning of which centers around the image of a cheetah: beautiful and dangerous. I knew I would only be happy at the finish line if I gave it my best on course. So I controlled the only thing I could control: pedaling—and didn’t stop fighting for every possible second until I got to the finish. Even as I crossed the line, I expected to be 15th, so I was shocked to hear that I had finished third! The next NUE event that I am planning to be at is the Wilderness 101, where I will again tackle the 100k distance. Many thanks to Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, Roanoke Outside, RND Coffee, and Cardinal Bicycle for making it possible for me to race this season!”

Coming in fourth place was, Heather Compton from Grayling, MI with a time of 7:06:47. Jen Tillman from Ellicott City, MD takes the fifth spot in 7:25:51.

Men’s Open 100K– Grinnell takes win

Men’s 100K podium: 1st Anthony Grinnell, 2nd Mason Allen, 3rd Robbie Seal, 4th Casey Abston, 5th Luke Hlavenka. Photo: Butch Phillips

Previous 2021 Mohican singlespeed podium finisher, Anthony Grinnell of Harmony, PA, takes the overall 100k win , finishing in 5:10:14.

“I’ve been racing the Mohican 100 since 2014 and still have memories of years past where humidity and creeping temperatures caused racers to drop like flies. With temps expected to surge into the 80’s and very high humidity, I knew a smart pace in the first half of the race would be critical. Sure enough, right around the 2.5hr mark, I started seeing all the guys that went too hard begin to fade and struggle with cramps. I picked off rider and after rider and worked my way up to first place before Aid 3. I stayed strong to the finish and pulled more than a 15 minute gap over 2^nd, finishing with a time of 5 hours 10 minutes. I was extremely happy with the win and am looking forward to my next NUE race at the Wilderness 101. A huge thanks for everyone who supports our Syndicate Cycling team: Shorkey Auto Group, Pro Bike & Run, Flow Formulas, ESI Grips, Extreme Nano Lubricants, and Wolftooth Components to name a few.”

At only seventeen years old, Mason Allen from Crozet, VA took second with a time of 5:25:16.

“This was my first time racing the Mohican 100k, so I was not certain what the course would yield for me. On the starting road, I had some trouble working my way through the crowd, so I entered into the singletrack farther back than I would have preferred. However, I was able to pass by a couple groups on the singletrack. Though I didn’t know it at the time, I did settle into a group with 100k leader Anthony Grinell. We kept steady for a while, but I eventually broke away on the singletrack, which I knew I was strong on. Once the singletrack ended however, I was gradually caught by Anthony Grinell as well as two of the 100k single speeders. I went back and forth with 2nd place single speeder Dahn Pahrs for about an hour, but eventually had to lower my pace. After being dropped, I simply maintained a manageable pace solo till the finish. I didn’t have any idea I was 2nd for the open men category, until somebody informed me between Aid 5 and the finish. Overall, I’m happy to come away with my first NUE podium at Mohican, especially as a junior. The next NUE event I plan to race is the Carrabassett 100k. Big thanks to the race organizers and the volunteers at the aid stations, without whom the race would not be possible, as well as John Petrylak for helping prepare for this event.”

Third place went to Robbie Seal of Richmond, IN with a time of 5:29:48.

Finishing in fourth place, Casey Abston out of Louisville, KY, with a time of 5:46:27. A couple minutes back, Luke Hlavenka of Barrie, ON, takes fifth place with a time of 5:52:40.

Singlespeed 100K- Holle gets SS win

Singlespeed 100k podium: 1st Justin Holle, 2nd Dahn Pahrs, 3rd Peyton Randolph, 4th Acie Hylton, 5th Ryan Craig. Photo: Butch Phillips

2021 NUE Singlespeed epic series champion, Justin Holle out of Aurora, CO finishes in 5:19:04 and taking 2nd overall in the 100k.

Just a few minutes back, Dahn Pahrs from Pittsburgh, PA took second place with a time of 5:22:18.

Peyton Randolph out of Baltimore, OH took third place with a time of 5:47:11.

In fourth place, Acie Hylton coming from Beckley, WV, finishes with a time of 5:53:58. Taking the fifth podium position was, Ryan Craig out of Pittsburg, PA with a time of 6:00:03.

Masters 100K– Suppan on Top Step

Master’s 100K podium: 1st Jason Suppan, 2nd Paul Arlinghaus, 3rd Sean Nicholson-Crotty, 4th Dorel Stoia, 5th Brad Rogers. Photo: Butch Phillips

Winning the master’s 100k division, Jason Suppan from Orrville, OH finished with a time of 5:31:29.

“Grey hair and saggy elbow skin. It’s what I look for when I get passed. Racing the 50 plus category, it’s impossible to know who you’re racing against at times and these guys are fit and fast. My power isn’t there anymore but the bike driving skills are still pretty good, so the goal is always to get to the single track in the front group. I was where I wanted to be until I lost some spokes to a large, tumbling rock a few miles into the single track. Thankfully the wheel held up for the remainder of the race but I was on my own with a wobbly bike. I was glad for the 52 tooth cassette through the Wilderness and onward, but was wondering when SRAM would come out with a 60. Ohio is a tough place to ride. Relentless up and down with almost zero flat cruising and never enough downhill to fully recover. I’ve been trying for years to get a Peace Pipe trophy at the Mohican 100 and finally managed to shake the champagne this year. The course was the best ever and so was my bike. I ride a Giant Anthem full suspension without a dropper and 34×10/52 gearing. Put this race on your schedule! Gorgeous scenery, incredible singletrack, and a very well put together race. Thank you to the volunteers, supporters and sponsors, and Ryan O’dell for putting this together. We are so lucky to have this State park and its single track caretakers, The Mohican Malabar Bike Club. Thank you to Ride On of Wooster for their support and help in getting me on a very capable bike.”

Paul Arlinghaus of Fishers, IN, finished 2nd with a time of 5:46:04.

“My race plan was to get over the Tanny Hill in the lead group, and then ride the Mohican single track somewhat conservatively. I was the last rider in the lead group over the Tanny Hill and the Mohican single track section went well. A big part of my race success was due to the support I got from Heather Arlinghaus at Sags 1, 3 and 5. She made sure I quickly had 2 full bottles leaving each Sag. While it was hard to tell my place in the 50+ 100k mid race, it looks like I was in 3^rd (8 minutes behind Sean Nicholson-Crotty) heading into the Mohican Wilderness. I suspect that Sean was riding the Wilderness for the 1^st time and I had been saving my legs for this part of the race. I cleaned all of the Wilderness with just a couple dabs and made up 6 minutes on Sean. From Sag 3 to 5 it was pretty lonely, but I started to catch sight of Sean up ahead and was slowly reeling him in. I caught Sean just out of Sag 5. I was hoping that he was in the open category so we could just work together on the last 10 miles. But he was 50+, so we still had some racing to do. Sean stood up and pulled away from me on the Valley Stream Rd climb. I knew we had one more big climb coming, so I rode my pace up Valley Stream Rd, and pulled back much of the gap on the descent. On the last climb I caught Sean just before the top and was able to open a small gap on the descent. I spent a lot of time looking over my shoulder but was able to hold a 30 second advantage to the line. I was 4^th at Big Frog and plan to race both Wilderness and Shenandoah. Bike: Trek Supercaliber, Rock Shox, Sram XX1, Slica Chain Lube and Tire Sealant.”

Sean Nicholson-Crotty from Bloomington, IN finished third place with a time of 5:46:37.

““Thanks to the organizers for a great race. The course was fun and the support was fantastic. This was the first of these I have done, but I will definitely be back next year. Hopefully, I’ll remember not to ride the first 20 miles like an XC race so the last 20 won’t hurt so badly. Thanks also to my sponsors, Direct Results Training and Revolution Bike and Bean in Bloomington, IN.”

Taking fourth place was, Dorel Stoia from Medina, OH, finishing in 5:56:50. Fifth place went to, Brad Rogers from OH with a time of 6:18:40.

For full results CLICK HERE

Butch Phillips Photo Gallery: CLICK HERE

NUE Mohican 100K

Posted on June 16, 2021 by Shannon Boffeli

Written by: @jentoops

The 20th annual Mohican MTB 100k/100m kicked off on June 5th, 2021. Hundreds of racers from around the country gather in Loudonville, Ohio each year to tackle this tough course. A new course for 2021 would eliminate gravel and add more private single track sections making it quite possibly the toughest course yet.

Start of Mohican race from Mohican Adventures campground. Photo: Butch Phillips

The 100k race took off at 9AM and started/finished at Mohican Adventures campground. It was a full sun, scorching hot, and humid day with temperatures reaching mid 80’s. Due to a short run out before the singletrack, a mass start wasn’t possible this year and race director, Ryan O’dell, sent racers off in 5 min waves by category.

The racers quickly jockey for position going into the 25 miles of fast flowing single track in Mohican State Park. After the single track is a mix of mostly gravel roads with some technical sections and the newly added Mohaven single track. The famous Mohican Wilderness rock garden was included where racers are heckled as they try to maneuver this technical section. Being in Ohio, most assume this course is relatively flat. What the race lacks in elevation it makes up for in dozens of steep, punchy climbs strewn throughout the entire distance and eventually climbed over 8000 feet.

What makes this race special is the amazing group of volunteers from New Hope Church that run the aid stations. Ryan O’dell stated, the church has been helping for 10 years now. The New Hope volunteers bring a unique excitement and enthusiasm to the event that makes racers feel welcome and appreciated. I can’t thank them enough.” No matter if you are leading the race or in the back the volunteers make signs, are out cheering racers on and have a “Nascar” style to get you in and out of aid stations quickly.

One of seven fully stocked aid stations. A huge thanks to volunteers from New Hope church for helping with the event! Photo: Butch Phillips

Finishers cross the line and grab a pint glass(100k) or a growler(100m) and can enjoy the post race atmosphere. Families and friends gather food from Grants Guac and Roll and beer from Great Lakes Brewing all while cheering racers on as they cross the finish line.

Men’s Open

Taking the men’s open 100k win and finishing fourth overall was local, Andrew Purcell (Purcell Construction), with a time of 5:55:12.

“I rolled off the start line and entered the single track about 6th place. I live in the mohican area and know these trails really well. After a few miles i decided to head to front to up the pace. We split off into a group of three. Not going to hard but using the flow of the trail to our advantage. 100 yards from the first road section coming off the horse trails one of the riders went over the bars pretty hard and that left two of us to get after it. We rode together to wilderness and i thought for sure he had the better legs on the day. I let him go on back side of wilderness climb. I knew we still had a good bit of riding left. Rode solo till heading back home out of mohaven when i came up on Ryan. He said his legs were cramping and just wanted to get home. I tried to encourage him and said this is the only way home. We are so close. We rode together until climb up to back side of suspension bride where i pedaled on and basically crawled home to the finish. Home field advantage was a huge bonus. Bike worked flawless all day. Lucky win– Sponsor is Purcell Construction”

Men’s open 100k podium: 1st Andrew Purcell, 2nd Ryan Johnson, 3rd Will Pfeiffer, 4th Christopher Cain, 5th Joseph Williams

Taking second place was, Ryan Johnson (Cannondale) of PA, finishing in 6:02:27. About seven minutes back, Will Pfeiffer (Flow Formulas), took third place in 6:09:31.

“During my Friday recon, I saw that a narrow, metal bridge led into the singletrack about half a mile after the start. This looked like trouble so, as soon as the race began, I went to the front and made sure to lead across the bridge. This turned out to be a good choice, as there was some chaos farther down in the field through that area. I ended up staying on the front for about 5 miles, dragging a group of seven of us away. At this point, I let eventual winner Andrew Purcell move through. He was climbing harder than was reasonable for me and I quickly let the other five through as well to go chase him. Then I just settled into my race.

Joe Williams bridged up and we rode together for around 40 miles, slowly catching guys who had popped off that front group. I was focused on keeping some pace while not overextending the legs and staying well hydrated. Coming out of the third (and what I thought was the final) rest area, we navigated the last significant portion of singletrack before the course opened up into a series of gravel and fire road climbs. I was starting to increase the tempo and knew that Chris Cain was staying within about 20 seconds of me with third place on the line. Given that I had unknowingly lost track of the course, when we crossed the plank bridge into a campground I thought we were about to hit the finish. I was full gas, absolutely giving it the beans for half a mile, making sure to keep Chris behind me…just to realize that we were merely coming into the *actual* final rest area. With another 12 miles to go.

This was a tough mental and physical blow. My legs were cooked so I backed off and waited for Chris to see what kind of pace he was rolling at that point. Neither of us were going super hard, so it was a good chance to recover for a bit. Around eight miles to go, I started climbing to the power numbers again and hoping my legs wouldn’t completely crump after my mistimed effort. I was able to pull away through a few of the steeper sections and really buried myself holding high tempo to the finish, securing the podium. This was a great course. Definitely challenging. Lots of variety and far punchier than I thought it would be. Glad I came to Ohio and fortunate to have linked up with some awesome riders throughout the day! Sponsors: Flow Formulas, The Black Bibs, Starlight Apparel, Industry Nine, Maxxis, Kask, Koo Eyewear, Handup Gloves, Ridge Supply”

Rounding out the podium was, Christopher Cain (Yellow Springs Dirt Syndicate) from OH finishing fourth in 6:13:20. Taking the last podium spot was, Joseph Williams (Blenman-Elm Racing), from AZ finishing in 6:15:09.

Women’s Open 100k

100k Women’s podium. Photo: Butch Phillips

Thirty-two racers showed up for the Mohican women’s 100K. It was UCI racer, Kelly Catale (Seven Cycles), making her first NUE appearance and winning the 100k with a time of 6:22:19. “The 2021 Mohican 100k was my first ever NUE race, and the longest marathon MTB race of my elite cycling career, so I truthfully had no idea what to expect. I started the morning with eggs, pancakes with real maple syrup, and coffee, and then we rolled out to the race venue. During my warmup, the sun was already blistering hot and the air was equivalent in thickness to chamois butter. For the first of what would become hundreds of times, I tried to convince myself that this weather was better than rain.
When the race began, I took the lead into the campground singletrack. Patience has never been my strongest virtue, so I decided to put some distance between me and the pack by crushing the first of what would be many climbs akin to a wall on this course. From there, we ventured into the Mohican State Park singletrack, which was a perfect combination of climbing and bumpy roots — so bumpy that I lost one of my bottles, which signaled the beginning of my inevitable dehydration saga. I reduced my pace slightly to avoid overheating too much and, thankfully, my amazing aid station crew (my husband) was prepared with plenty of fluids at aid station #1.
The race progressed somewhat uneventfully for many miles of singletrack, horse trails, gravel roads, and hills. While trying to stay focused and hydrated, I kept myself company by singing songs out loud. The soundtrack for the day included some Queen, Van Halen, Justin Timberlake, and Bon Jovi (honestly, who doesn’t sing a little “Halfway there…WOOOAAAAHHH” when they pass halfway in a race?). I found myself drinking much more water than I expected (and I never cramped up, thanks to the Flow Formulas drink mix in my bottles!), and was passing many suffering, cramping competitors along the sunny and exposed gravel roads of doom.
Throughout the entire race, I was most impressed by the positivity and energy of every volunteer, course marshal, and race staff that were positioned at the intersections, aid stations, and start/finish. These folks made the ride a bit more enjoyable and tolerable in the crazy heat. Overall, the course and competition did not disappoint!
My next NUE race will be the Carrabassett 100k in July. A huge thanks to my husband, Joe, for preparing my bike for race day and for being the world’s most organized aid station crew; my race success would be just a dream if it weren’t for you. Thanks to Seven Cycles for the amazing KellCat SL race machine, Industry Nine for the fancy and light wheels, Vittoria for the grippy and fast rolling rubber, and Verge Sport for the spiffy kit. Thanks also to Flow Formulas for keeping me fueled and cramp-free all day and Gold Medal CBD for helping me recover and sleep.”

Kelly Catale-Women’s open 100k winner- Photo: Butch Phillips

About twenty minutes back was, Teresa Laird (RVA Racing), finishing second with a time of 6:44:03.

“On our long drive from Richmond, Virginia nerves were setting in, the start list of 35 women was larger than any race I have done before. I’m relatively new to mountain biking and have been doing well locally but I was really questioning whether I was going to be competitive with this large field of women. And then I heard something on Leadville: The 100 Mile Mountain Bike Race Podcast, it was “You are better than you think you are, you can do more than you think you can”. Great, I had my race mantra!

The singletrack started within the first quarter mile and I knew I needed to be towards the front, I pushed harder than I normally would and I ended up going into the woods 3rd, Kelly in 1st and Julie in 2nd. Kelly immediately opened up a gap on Julie and me but I was working hard and knew it would be a long day if I tried to follow. I passed Julie around 3 miles in and then we were together for most of the first 20 miles. I pulled away from her just before getting out of the first section of singletrack.

25 miles in coming out of the woods onto the road, I was ready to increase my pace, but that was short lived and we headed back in for some rocky trails. This was probably my favorite part of the race. I was still feeling great and I love some techy riding!

About 4 hours in, it was starting to sink in that this race was going to take about an hour longer than I thought. I had looked at previous times on the course and hadn’t fully appreciated the changes made to the course when I was determining my race plan. Luckily, I had enough food in my drop bag. I went back to my mantra and kept on pushing.

The rest of the race went by slowly, the heat was starting to get to me and I probably pushed a little too hard in the beginning. One day I will get my pacing right, but luckily I was able to hold on to 2nd.

Mohican 100k was a well organized and challenging race. I am grateful for all the volunteers on the course. Aid station support was top notch! Also, my bike was having shifting problems right up until race week and Carytown Bikes in Richmond went above and beyond to get it right and it shifted flawlessly the whole race. I’m excited for the next race in the series. Next Race: Carrabassett 100k”

Taking the third spot was, Julie Medema (Founders Racing) traveling in from MI finishing with a time of 7:01:18.

“Mohican is my first nue series race besides Lumberjack100. I was excited to test the legs and ride some new trail. I asked some friends who’ve done the race in the past for advice and they said the first half is slow going/difficult trail but the second half is gravel/road and goes by quick. Needless to say about mile 45 I realized the fast miles weren’t coming.. I settled into a steady pace since I’d been on my own from about mile 20 and didn’t anticipate being able to work with anyone since the course was a constand climbing and descending pattern.
Turned out the course was challenging the whole way through! First 25 miles of Mohican State Park trail were fast despite being rooty and had great flow. The remaining mix of trail/two track and small sections of gravel then the additional what I’d call ‘adventure trail’ were relentless steep climbs and descents that kept you on your toes between mud sucking puddles, washed out rutted descents, ravines and many creek crossings. Needless to say that was one of the biggest adventure races I’ve done and the scenery was spectacular throughout the entire course!
I credit my 3rd place spot to sheer stubbornness to not wanting to walk my bike on the numerous climbs and having good technical skills through the roots, slippery rock gardens and fast descents. Also my husband was at aid stations with ice cold drinks which was a lifesaver due to the 90 degree temps and the fact that it was hard to eat with the heat and lack of easy miles to take in much nutrition.
Thankful for the stability from my Velocity Blunt SS Wheels and Founders Racing teammates to always help me push the limits!”

Completing the podium was, Abigail Snyder (Ronin Velosport) from IN crossing the line fourth in 7:13:09, and Beth Desanzo from PA finishing fifth with a time of 7:17.

Singlespeed

The singlespeed division was all business this weekend as the top three took the fastest times of all 100k racers including gears. Taking the overall 100k and singlespeed win was, Dahn Pahrs (UPMC Pro Bike Run) of PA finishing with a blistering fast time of 5:47:15.

“Due to changes in the course they were starting people in waves. They were sending out the Pro / CAT 1 racers at 9am, then Open Women at 9:05 and then SS’ers at 9:15. I was worried every open class racer was going to say he was CAT 1, but only about 30 of the 200+ open riders lined up. Off they went and then about 30 women went off at 9:05. Then at about 9:17 the SS’ers went off. I was able to ride with Jim Litzinger and Anthony Grinnell for about 3 or 4 miles until they dropped me. I settled into a pace I could hold and worked my way through the women’s field. They all let me pass with no major issue in the tight single track but this would allow Josh Kunz to keep it pretty close to me. About 12 miles in we hit the covered bridge climb and I went at it hard to distance myself from Josh. Pushed it a little too hard and puked on the climb but was able to keep riding. Learned after the race that Josh backed off some because the pace to the covered bridge was too fast for a 100K race, he said we got to the bridge in the same time it takes him for the normal 25 mile XC race held there. So for the next 25 miles I was pretty much riding alone and passing people who started in front of me. Occasionally someone would tell me Jim was a minute or two ahead. Coming into aid station 3 you passed the people coming out of the aid station and that is where I saw Jim and Anthony for the first time. I could see they were less than 2 minutes up on me. I made quick time getting out of the aid station and went on to chase them. New this year, they had the 100K racers head to some new trails at a location called Camp Mohaven. This new stuff made this year’s race 69 miles rather than the normal 60ish. There was some tough climbing into the Mohican Wilderness part of the course and then a brutal climb up to Camp Mohaven. At Camp Mohaven they had aid station 3.5 and that was when I caught up to Jim and Anthony. We left the aid station and rode the entire 6 miles of trail there together still pacing other riders. Then it was off on some gravel roads. We chatted and I just sat on their wheels. No way I was going out front against the two of them. With about 12 miles to go I recognized a tough gravel climb was coming so I went to the front. It started gradually and I was seated climbing it. I would look over my shoulder every couple seconds and I could see a small gap forming, then it started to get steep and I basically said to myself “it’s go time” and stood up and just hammered it out. The gap instantly grew and they just let me go. I passed a very fast geared guy, Brian Schworm, on the climb. He looked to be hurting but I was also worried he could pull Jim and Anthony back up to me. So I just kept hammering. I found out later that Brian had to DNF shortly after I passed him from dehydration and he was of no help to Jim and Anthony. With a couple miles to go in the race I caught up to Ryan Johnson on a paved road and he told me he was in 2nd place in the Open Class and that 1st place was only a couple minutes ahead. It was at that point I realized I was in 1st place overall. I had no idea until then. In the end I finished in 5:47 and won overall. Jim and Anthony finished in 5:51 to finish 2nd and 3rd overall. The top Open class rider finished in 5:55. Definitely was not expecting to do that well after all that racing I did the 2 weeks prior, Whiskey Rebellion 200K & TSE. I used 34X20 as my gear for the race.”

Crossing the line together and finishing second and third were teammates James Litzinger (Syndicate Cycling) and Anthony Grinnell (syndicate Cycling) both finishing in 5:51:33.

“The Pittsburgh Single Speeders showed the geared field how it’s done this past weekend at the NUE Mohican 100K by taking all 3 top spots on the overall podium. Jim Litzinger and I had a strong start and pulled a few minute gap over multi-time Mohican winner Don Powers. The course was in great shape with a few slick spots, but the Pirelli tires hooked up phenomenally. At aid 3.5, Don pulled back the gap and the three of us rode together for the next 15 miles or so until he pulled away on one of the long grinder climbs. With the heat and humidity, Jim and I should have watched our pace a little better in the first half of the race. I remembered conditions being similar in 2016 and watching guys drop like flies in the later miles of the race and that certainly seemed to be the case this year as well. Using Flow Formulas drink mix has been a huge help in those types of conditions. Jim and I were happy to cross the finish line together for 2^nd and 3^rd and were even happier to find out the single speed guys swept the overall. Overall, the Syndicate Cycling team had a great week with John Vorberger getting 2^nd in the 100 mile SS class, Wyatt Rodgers winning the under 30 Open Men’s 100K, Jim and I getting 2^nd and 3^rd in the overall 100K, and Will Loevner getting 2^nd in the 357 mile Unbound race in Kansas, even after suffering a broken hand and lacerated arm. Big thanks to Jim Shorkey Auto Group and Pro Bike and Run for helping us get to the races.”

Josh Kunz (Trans-Sylvania Production) finished in fourth place with a time of 6:42:30. James Knott (Nocterra Trek MTB) took the fifth spot in 7:04:19.

Masters 50+

Traveling in from IN, Paul Arlinghaus (HMBA), took the masters win finishing in 6:32:45.

“With all the other age group waves starting in front of us, the first hour and a half of 50+ race was action packed. We started catching riders 7 minutes into the race. I think that later, we all paid the price for the extra effort required to pass so many riders. Dorel Stoia and I were in 2nd and 3rd coming out of the Mohican State Forest and we worked together on the gravel roads to the Mohican Wilderness. We were together until just before the double track climb in the Wilderness, this is where I got away from Dorel. After Sag 3, I caught the lead rider just before top of the Wilderness climb.

The addition more trails in the Wilderness and the new trails in Mohaven, made the 100k race harder than past years. I was riding the technical single track well and felt that I was gaining time.

From Mohaven to the finish, it was just survival mode, I conserved on the flat and downhill sections and just focused on steady power on the climbs. I sprinted up the climb back into the Park, mostly because I was ready to be done and was happy to be finished.

I think that one of the keys to winning was having sag support. Heather Arlinghaus was at Sag 1 and 3 to support me. I left every sag station with 2 full water bottles. With temperatures in the mid 80’s many riders paid the price for passing by sag stations early in the race.”

Second place went to, Dorel Stoia of OH, crossing the line in 6:55:17.

“This was my 4th Mohican 100k and my first time in Master’s class. Mohican is my absolute favorite trail and love everything about it. The race was very hard because of the tough competition, the tough course, and the heat. I was in the lead before the Wilderness when I started to have cramps and had to slow down the pace. After that it was just holding up to maintain the second spot of which I am very pleased with. Thanks to the organizers for putting together such an amazing race. Now is time for recovery and getting ready for the next NUE race, which is going to be Wilderness on July.”

Third place was, David Jolin (Rescue Racing), 6:59:08, fourth place, Robert Goetz, 7:10:47 and fifth place went to, Ali Arasta, with a time of 7:16:32.

For full results CLICK HERE

Mohican 100 photo album by Photographer Butch Phillips CLICK HERE

Next up on the NUE series is the Lumberjack 100 mile June 19th, 2021 in Manistee, MI

NUE Mohican 100 Mile

Posted on June 16, 2021 by Shannon Boffeli

Written by: @jentoops

The 100m race took off at 7AM and started/finished at Mohican Adventures campground. It was a full sun, scorching hot, and humid day with temperatures reaching mid 80’s. Due to a short run out before the singletrack, a mass start wasn’t possible this year and race director, Ryan O’dell, sent racers off in 5 min waves by category.

The racers quickly jockey for position going into the 25 miles of fast flowing single track in Mohican State Park. After the single track is a mix of mostly gravel roads with some technical sections and the newly added Mohaven and Glenmont single track. The famous Mohican Wilderness rock garden was included where racers are heckled as they try to maneuver this technical section. Being in Ohio, most assume this course is relatively flat. What the race lacks in elevation it makes up for in dozens of steep, punchy climbs strewn throughout the entire distance and eventually climbed over 11000 feet.

Men’s Open

Traveling all the way from AZ, Kyle Trudeau (CZracing) takes the win in the men’s open 100 mile with a time of 7:31:10. This was Kyle’s first win at the Mohican 100.

Kyle Trudeau wins the 100 mile men’s open coming in from Tucson, AZ- Photo: Butch Phillips

“First off I would like to say thank you to the race promoters for putting on a well run event and having such a challenging and well marked course. I also want to thank all the volunteers, especially at the aid stations because I relied on their help heavily since I did not have my own support crew at this race.
The Mohican 100 this year was my first appearance at the race so there were many unknowns I was going to have to face on race day. My goal for the start of the race was to make the front selection and then start fueling and pacing for the remainder of the race. I was able to make the front group of three that split almost immediately in the first mile. I was happy to sit in the group since I did not have any experience with the course but was attentive to any move that might try and go up the trail. Our group grew to about six people and stayed that way until about mile 25 where I took the lead on a steep climb and created a split of three of us. I stopped at the mile 28 aid station and made a quick chase back to the front two where we rode together until some technical single track around mile 35. I was sitting second wheel and the leader made a mistake, I got around and rode a clean descent to get about a 30 second gap. After that I settled into a solid but manageable pace, focusing on my fueling and being smooth on the tricky single track sections. I watched my lead grow hoping I could sustain my pace to the finish. The heat and attrition of the race started to set in and I started downing soda at every aid knowing that it has helped me pull through some very deep fatigue late in a race. I always felt like I was going to get caught at some point and couldn’t believe I had managed the win until I was crossing the finish line with my arms raised.
Huge thanks to Construction Zone Racing, BeSpoke Real Estate, GoTenac Coaching, Bicycle Haus and SockGuy for making my participation in these great events possible and Tucson Sports Recovery for keeping my body running strong.”

Taking the second spot was, Chris Mehlman (Bear National Team), traveling in from MA finishing the race in 7:56:46.

“This was my first 100-mile race. However, I have done other marathon events before and also raced Breck Epic in 2019, and I know that these events suit me much better than XC races. I was very excited to finally get a taste of the mental and physical battle that comes with such a long race!

The start was more aggressive than I expected for such a long race, but I should have known that given my previous experience with overly antsy racers in 50-mile races!! I settled into the lead group and felt good except when one guy on a Pivot was on the front on descents and was pushing it hard.

Chris Mehlman finishes 2nd in 100mile open- Photo: Butch Phillips

Around mile 25, Kyle Trudeau went to the front and upped the pace on a climb. I was excited to see how long I could hang with him…. until I flatted. It was on a descent just before the first long road/gravel section, and with what was not my quickest fix, the lead group was long gone. At that point, my goal became reeling in everyone except for Kyle; I knew how strong he is and knew that catching him would be almost impossible. I put my trust in the Stan’s Dart (which held the rest of the race!!) and I turned my brain to chase mode. I might have gotten just a bit overzealous, though my chasing motivation waxed and waned as I caught a couple of people but was told a larger-than-expected time gap at each aid station. By mile 60, however, I had caught everyone else. I caught 2^nd and 3^rd just before the 1^st Glenmont aid station on the rail trail, and it was a welcome sight during a dark moment. When I passed under the “Bridge of Dreams” on that trail, all I could think was how it was the “Bridge of Nightmares.”

After that aid, I dropped the other guys and set off on my own in what became a lonely and brutal last 40 miles. My legs felt emptier and emptier, and all I wanted was to get home to the finish. I stayed on the grind (and on the fueling, luckily), and tried to avoid the temptation of constantly glancing at the mile counter on my Garmin.

Just rolling across the finish line felt like a big accomplishment. I have never been so empty after a race. Finishing 2^nd was awesome, but the most important thing for me was the learning experience. There was a lot that the race taught me about 100-mile events that I will take on board moving forward so I can finish one step higher next time!!

The race had an incredible atmosphere and great trails, and I look forward to coming back! I’m not sure what my next NUE race will be, but I will be racing Nationals, Telluride 100, and then Breck Epic later in the summer! Follow me on Instagram @cmehlman34 to see where these adventures take me!”

After winning the Mohican 100k (2018) and 100m (2019) in the single speed division, Anthony Toops (Paradise Garage), takes on his home course with gears in the open class. He took the third step in 8:08:33.

“This was my first race since True Grit in 2020 so I didn’t really know what to expect other than the typical tough day at the Mohican 100. To my surprise this years course was the toughest yet! I started the race at my own pace knowing that it’s really easy to blow up in the first 25 miles of this race. That meant letting the front pack go and just settling in. I had my chain drop twice at mile 7 and again around mile 15 so I burned a couple matches getting back up to speed and I was able to link up with fast French racer Theo Charney in the MSP single track. At this point I’m guessing we are around 7th or 8th. We worked together trading turns and pushing the pace which would see us pick off riders one by one throughout the day.
We passed Tanguy around mile 50 and passed another racer in the Glenmont single track. Not far into this section I had a stick jam in my derailleur pulleys and I lost my easiest gear. I stopped a few times to try and tweak the hanger but it was too far gone. The climbs here were super steep and wet and grinding up them I was riding the fine line of cramping. After coming out of the woods we passed Pendlebury on the way back into Glenmont and passed a couple more racers coming out of the last aide station.
Theo and I chose the final straight to lay down a sprint to decide placing. He opened it up and took a slight lead but I was able to reel him back just enough to grab 3rd.

The heat, humidity, and tough course always makes this race hard and today was no exception. Luckily I seem to favor the heat so that plays to my advantage and keeping a steady pace always helps at Mohican. Big shoutout to Theo because I don’t know if I would’ve kept that pace if I didn’t have that motivation. Thanks to all the race staff and volunteers who run the best aide stations and course direction out there. Also, thanks to my sponsors Paradise Garage and Evolution Training Cycles for the support.”

Anthony Toops rides the suspension bridge- Photo: Butch Phillips

Rounding out the podium was, Theo Charnay (VC Laissac), from France taking the fourth spot, 8:08:33. Fifth place went to, Jeffery Pendlebury (Ride on Wooster), crossing the line in 8:25:58.

Women’s Open

The previous 2017, 2018 NUE marathon champion, Jen Toops (Pearl Izumi/Pivot MTB race team) takes the Mohican 100m win in a time of 9:31:58.

” I couldn’t sleep the night before because I was so excited for race day. I haven’t done a solo race since Sept of 2019. We just moved back from Boulder and this is my home course with friends and family that came to cheer us on so I was chomping at the bit to get going. My race turned out mostly un-eventful and I’m ok with that! I’ve blown up every year I’ve done this race in the past so I decided to try a different approach. I went hard on the opening mohican single track climb to get some distance and then settled in to a slower pace and focused on nutrution. On the opening climb it was more wet than expected and I actually fell over on some slick rocks. I normally run a little extra air pressure on hundo races so I’m sure this didn’t help. It was a good wake up call to chill out. I could see Hanna during the mohican singletrack loop so I knew she was still close by. After reaching the gravel, I continued to push the climbs and took it easy on the downhills and was able to keep the lead the whole race. I’m glad I saved some juice for the newly cut singletrack sections as they had some real steep muddy climbs. I rode my Pivot Mach 4SL live valve and was fortunate to have no issues with the bike all day! We rode through some real muddy sections and my SCC chain lube got me through the whole day.

Jen Toops focuses on those wet mossy rocks in Mohican Wilderness- Photo: Butch Phillips

I focused on staying on top of nutrition this race because of the heat and humidity. Aside from the first aid station I stopped at every aid and made sure I ate. Any time I could feel the cramping starting I took a CarboRocket RocketLyte and it took care of the cramping. In total: two 2L CarboRocket electrolyte mix, two 1.5L Gatorade, two shots Coke cola, 1 bottle water. 7 honey stinger gels, 2 honey stinger waffles, 1 bag mini HS waffles, 2 packs HS performance chews, several gummy candies, and 4 CR Rocketlytes. I also had an extra bottle on bike of water to use to cool down on the climbs.

I’m very impressed with the quality of staff at this event. The aid stations and volunteers were AMAZING. The new course was very well marked and I enjoyed more singletrack vs gravel this year. I downloaded the map on my element and was able to make sure I was on course all day. It’s always a bonus with you can camp at the start/finish line. Well done Mohican crew! Next NUE race: TBD. Sponsors: Pivot Cycles, Pearl Izumi, Lazer, Ergon, Fox, CarboRocket, Honeystinger, Maxxis, Stans, SCC chain lube, xpedo, and MTBracenews.”

Finishing 2nd place, Hanna Pauline Derby (Vangos Restaurant), of Marquette, MI finishes with a time of 11:14:05.

Hanna Pauline Derby finishes 2nd in women’s 100 mile coming down from Marquette, MI

A previous Mohican 100m winner from Ohio, Shannon Tenwalde (Paradise Garage Racing), takes the third spot with a time of 12:26:02.

Shannon Tenwalde navigating Mohican Wilderness-Photo: Butch Phillips

Rounding out the top five was, Annette Nowak, taking fourth place in 12:52:04 and Laureen Coffelt (Los Locos Pivot) finishing with place with a time of 13:34:02.

Singlespeed

Taking the win in singlespeed was, Shane Kramer, from NY crossing the line in 8:24:03.

“This was my first race in almost 2 years. I was second at Mohican in 2019 and really wanted to improve on that result. I came into the weekend ready to go but unsure of how my fitness would match up. Scanning the results from TSE I knew there would be some tough competition but that why I like racing the Mohican. On Friday I tried out a 19t cog but settled on 34×20 for the race.
I’ve always been terrible at starts. However, since we started in waves it was a lot less hectic off the line. By the time we were thru the campground I was riding with Eli Orth and John Vorberger. Eli blew thru a turn which allowed John and I to move to the front. We quickly got a gap on a descent and worked together to keep it. John looked very strong on the climbs so I assumed I was racing for second place. To my surprise just after aid 3 maybe 40 miles in I looked over my shoulder and I had a gap. I upped the pace slightly but wasn’t ready to burn any matches. As I hit a road section I was able to jump on the wheel of a geared rider which helped me keep my advantage. From this point until the finish I tried to keep the pace up and drink as much as possible. Luckily I found a another geared buddy to help me make good time on the bike path. The gap to John swelled to 5 minutes but by the finish he had cut it down to 40 seconds. I was fortunate enough to hold on for the win. Overall it was just a super fun day on the bike.”

Just 44 seconds back, John Vorberges (Syndicate) of PA took second place in 8:24:47.

“This was my first 100-mile MTB race, so I was not sure what to expect. I was feeling pretty recovered even after doing the 5-day Transylvania Epic stage race the week before, so I was looking forward to going hard all day. The race started pretty mellow, and among the singlespeed group, I was second in the woods following Eli Orth. After a few miles of singletrack, Eli missed a turn (he just went a few feet past it) and I took the lead. After a few more miles, it was just me and Shane Kramer (the eventual SS winner) in the trails. I was keeping a pretty decent pace, but not killing it. Once we popped out onto gravel, I tried to push the pace on the climbs to test out Shane’s fitness. Turns out that was a bad move – I only tired myself out – he is very strong, and about 40 miles in, he dropped me.

I rode solo for a while, but I caught a geared rider’s wheel for the rail-trail section. I dropped the geared rider on a climb after the rail-trail and continued on solo for a while. I was suffering a ton at this point, the heat was getting to me, and I felt like I was absolutely crawling. I kept pushing and eventually made it to some gravel. I was going up this steep climb, just about to get off and push (singlespeed Brah!) when Josh Kunz yelled some words of encouragement, so I grunted and cleaned the climb. I then caught up to my teammate, Wyatt Rodgers, and we rode together for a little. Then we got to Valley Streams Road (the WORST climb of the course), and Thom Parsons (Dirtwire) drove up beside me while I was climbing to interview me. I was hurting, but kept going until he turned the corner, then I got off and walked, haha. The rest of the race I just kept going at a sustainable pace, and eventually crossed the line about 40 seconds behind the winner, Shane Kramer. I never saw him, but he must’ve been just ahead of me on the final singletrack. My gearing for the day was 34×20, which I thought was a pretty good choice.

I’m planning to do High Cascades, Wilderness 101, and the Shenandoah 100 this year (all in the 100 mile singlespeed class). I would like to thank the Syndicate cycling team, Flow Formulas, the wonderful Sweetwater Bike Shop in Ambridge, PA, and Extreme Nano Lubricants.”

Third place was, Eli Orth (Dean Titanium Bikes), from OH with a time of 8:53:51.

“I came into the Mohican 100 fresh off of finishing the TSE 5 day stage race. I was banged up with a hurt shoulder and a bike that I had to scramble to get parts for and get ready in time. I knew I had to still give it a go with this being my home state NUE race. I knew going into the day that it would be hot. Not only was it hot and humid but the new course made it a very tough day on the bike. The new singletrack around Glenmont was soft and muddy in a lot of places with tough climbs. In the places that was the tough singletrack you found yourself fully exposed to beating down sun in open prairies or sandy quarry area. I originally planned to just make two aid station stops but that plan went away as I needed more hydration and fuel than what I put in the drop bags. I stopped 4 times but made them quick just to top off fluids. The race started great.. leading through a good portion of the singletrack until I blew by a turn. That’s when Shane Kramer and John Vorberger went by and set the pace. In a couple spots Shane and John were able to make quick passes on riders we caught (staggered start by class) but myself and Joe Fraas found ourselves stuck while Shane and John rode out of site. At that point I made the decision to just settle in and not try and chase them back down hoping I’d eventually pull them back in. I let Joe go by on singletrack also as he seemed to want to push harder to maybe recatch them. The rest of the race I just kept a consistent effort trying to stay fueled and have a clean race. I repassed Joe at Mohican Wilderness singletrack and didn’t see him again after that.The race went as good as it could’ve being that I was solo with no fast geared wheels to grab onto in any flat sections. Holmes paved trail is not a single speed friendly spot to be solo but I did what I could to get through it quickly. I stayed on the hardest pace I thought would be manageable knowing that there were a lot of fast SS guys behind me trying to reel me in. This was one of the hardest 100 milers I’ve done. Many strong riders struggled and dnf’ed. I was very happy to hang onto 3rd place and get 10th overall. My gearing of choice was 34×20 which worked well overall. My next races will be Woods Mountain in Pisgah then followed the next week with what will be my 2nd NUE race.. the Lumberjack 100”

Yianni Pimenidis took fourth place in 9:38:49 and about 10 min back was Joe Fraas (Syndicate Cycling) taking fifth place, 9:39:23.

Masters 50+

Traveling all the way from CA was, Amir Matityahu (Trail Head Racing), taking the win in the masters division with a time of 9:26:37

“The Mohican 100-mile race was my first foray into ulta-endurance mountain biking. After working as an orthopedic trauma surgeon at a level one trauma center in the setting of the current COVID pandemic, getting out and racing was breath of fresh air. A way back to clean air, sunshine, and normalcy.

In preparation for the race, I looked at the GPS file, watched videos, trained hard, regarded the weather, and thought I was “ready.” I’m lucky to have solid support at home from my wife and kids. My major concerns were finishing the race and of rain-soaked muddy trails that could wreck my drive train and breaks.

A few days before the race, I packed my bike bag and flew to Akron from SFO. This was my first time in Ohio and at Mohican Adventures. I rented a cabin on the grounds. Even though it was raining hard, the setting was picturesque. A small but tranquil lake surrounded by bungalows. There was a mist rising from the water. Ducks, frogs, and birds created a concert of visual and sounds that gave feeling of being in nature. Friday, one day pre-race, the rain stopped. I went for an hour ride to evaluate the trailns. Amazingly, they had mostly drained, and the dirt was tacky. In the evening, there were barbeques, fire pits, and laughter. The local racers were friendly, inclusive, and welcoming. This relaxed setting was in contrast to the brutal race ahead.

Amir Matityahu wins the 100m Masters 50+. Photo: Butch Phillips

The Mohican 100 race was a wave start by category that began at 7am. The race was 99.7 miles with 11,000 ft of mostly punchy short climbs. There was a ton of single track, apparently more than previous years. The weather was going to be hot 85-95 deg F. We had the option to drop two 1-gallon zip locked bags to aid stations in the morning before the race. I dropped a bag to the 2nd aid station with gels and snacks. The second bag went to the 4^th aid station, with food, chain lube, C02, pickle juice, salt tabs, and Hotshot for cramping. I started with two bottles on the frame and bars and gels in my pocket. We were 30 masochistic masters on the start line. We were all nervous chit chat and introductions. The guy to my right was a cyclocrosser, Sam M, who came down from Mass to race. The guy to my left drove up in a sprinter van with his girlfriend, who was also going to race. It was the calm before the storm. The organizer gave the masters group blue ribbons so that we can identify each other in contradistinction to the open men’s group. Very helpful.

The countdown started and we were off. The race started on a short fire road, then left on a narrow single-file bridge and to the first switchback climb of the day. Sam M had the hole shot to the bridge, as he predicted. I was third behind him pushing too hard in the first 10 min of a 100mi race. After about 20 minutes, there were four in our lead group with a small gap ahead. The next 20 miles were fun single track in the woods with roots, rocks, and berms through the Mohican State Park. Because of the previous rain, there was hero dirt all around, but the roots and rocks were slippery. About 21 miles into the race my chain broke, and I lost the lead group. This is where you either suck it up or get out. Where your mind says, “it’s going to be hard; It’s going to be hot, you lost the lead group, is it worth it?” The difference between a casual ride and a race is the willingness to suffer through mental and physical pain and come out the other side stronger. In essence, Rule #5. I said to myself, “this is a long race, keep your mojo, fix and go.” I turned the bike upside down on a flat log at the side of this hilly single-track trail and fixed the chain with a quick link in about 5 minutes. I had no idea how many spots I lost and who was ahead or behind me. My mental state was, in part driven by the thought of how far I’ve traveled, how hard I trained, and a friend texted the night before “Go win that S**t.” A mantra I continued to have in the back of my mind. I got back into the race zone and worked to catch up without blowing up.

I got to the second aid station and had barely caught up to the guy in 3^rd position and eventually passed him. At every aid station I was amazed by the volunteers’ efficiency. About 50 yards before the station, there was a person with a walkie talkie that radioed ahead to get my drop bag. When I got there, they had it out, asking if I need water or Heed. They filled my bottles and I loaded up on gels and bars. Then, off I went. It was like having your own crew. It took about a minute in and out.

The race continued through forest, rock gardens, private property, and some gravel. The heat was beginning to take it’s toll. I was in no man’s land. Could not share the load on flat sections and had no idea where I was relative to the other racers. There was lots of time on my own, riding with no soul in site. Luckily, the organizers did a great job of marking the trails with arrows or orange ribbons. Even when it seemed like a random ride through the woods, at least I didn’t feel lost. At the 4^th aid station, they were ready with my bag. Volunteers lubed the chain, filled my bottles, and I had a shot of pickle juice and coke. At mile 65, I was starting to hit the wall. A combination of 95 deg heat, working too hard at the start of the race, and not drinking/eating enough. I was feeling the twinges of adductor and hamstrings cramps. I was trying to hydrate but did not feel like eating. Then at about mile 70, my hamstring cramped. Drank a hotshot, which, was like a brain reorganization potion. It snapped me out of the cramps. I continued to focus on pushing on the pedals and changing saddle position to cycle muscles. I was standing more and more. I found a place in my mind that I had not visited before. A place of painful calm and continued drive to finish.

Somehow, the last 6 miles, I was re-energized even with on-and-off adductor cramping. And, after 9 hours and 16 minutes, crossed the finish line with intense relief. Then, there was great beer and food, as befitting an amazing mountain biking day. I would summarize the day as a tough, hot, long single-track day where the mind overcame the body and turtles won over hares. A day to be proud of for all those who persevered.

Bike: Full Suspension Specialized Epic, Tires: S-Works Fast Tracks 2.1, Tire pressure 22psi, Team Sponsors: Trailhead Cyclery, Specialized, Nuun, SRAM, Beyond Fistula, Fox. Next NUE race: Cascades 100, Bend, Oregon.”

Taking the second step was, Samuel Morse (Corner Cycle) from MA with a finish time of 9:32:40.

“Wow, what a a brutal course for my first 100 mile mountain bike race! I managed to finish 2nd in the 50+ group, but felt like I had ridden twice that distance. The Mohican 100 seemed like it would be a great adventure back in February when I decided to give it a try. With a good start, I was loving the fun and flowing single track, but things gradually turned into a brutal challenge as the hours passed on a hot, slick and extremely hilly and challenging course. I set my effort off of the pace from prior few years results and estimated about 7.5 hrs goal, however when I got to 7.5 hours, I still had roughly 20 amazingly hilly miles to yet to go and was cramping from head to toe! I was crawling to the finish line from that point forward and was passed by the eventual winner, Amir Matityahu, with only 3 miles to go. This was a great learning experience for me and perhaps I’ll give it a go again next year with a better understanding of the requirements. Hearty thank you to all involved in putting together this event. It was so well organized and the course was marked exceptionally well from start to finish. Lastly, I’d highlight the amazing volunteers that manned the aid stations!”

About ten minutes back was, Bruce Stauffer (Cycle Works) of NC finishing in 9:42:28.

“This was my 3rd Mohican 100 mile MTB race, and my second as a 50+ master. Each one has been markedly different. The first was the “traditional course” (maybe 2014?), then last years COVID-shortened race and now the new “long” course – not that it’s longer than 100 miles, just that it took me longer to complete than any other 100 mile NUE race I had ever done. It was a proper hard day! I liked the wave starts. The Masters racers started last, which meant there was always a carrot to chase – I was always catching someone. The hi-light of my race was catching two racers in my division just before the final hike-a-bike in the final mile. I think that was the fastest climb I ran all day! I managed to hang on for a 3rd place finish. The hardest part of the day was the new section of single track. The rock sections were technical enough that I could barely ride them (well, mostly…) and there were so many steep climbs and muddy sections that took all of my effort to pedal up and thru. Speaking of mud, I need to get my bike back to Robert Marion at Cycle Works Performance Bike Shop in Mt. Airy, NC for some much needed maintenance before Lumberjack 100. A big shout out to all the volunteers – they were amazing, and plentiful! Well Done Mohican crew!”

Taking fourth place was, Keith Papanicolas (Badass Coaching), with a time of 10:00:01. The fifth spot went to Dan Kotwicki (Wheels in motion) crossing the line in 10:36:04.

For full results CLICK HERE

Mohican 100 photo album by Photographer Butch Phillips CLICK HERE

Next up on the NUE series is the Lumberjack 100 mile June 19th, 2021 in Manistee, MI

NUE Mohican 100 Mile

Posted on June 26, 2019 by Shannon Boffeli

Written by Jen & Anthony Toops

Photos by Butch Phillips

Racers assembled at 7am in downtown Loudonville for the mass start.

The 17th annual Mohican MTB100 kicked off on June 1st at 7am sharp. Hundreds of racers from around the country gather in Loudonville, Ohio each year to take on the deceptively tough course. Before the start riders were given some encouraging words from the Mayor of Loudonville, Steve Strickland, race director Ryan O’Dell, and a duo rendition of the National Anthem. 100mile and 100k racers then proceeded with a neutral rollout lead by the Ashland Sheriff’s Department to the steep paved climb out of town, where the race officially starts.

The first 7 miles are a fast paced paved section where racers jockey for position going into the 25 miles of single track in Mohican State Park. After the single track is a mix of mostly gravel roads with some technical single and double track sections thrown in. Being in Ohio, most assume this course is relatively flat. What the race lacks in elevation it makes up for in dozens of steep, punchy climbs strewn throughout the entire distance. The 100k and 100m course splits after aid station 3, where the 100k turns left and completes the last sections of the course and the 100mile turns right to add in the extra miles (and tough climbs!).

“New” rock garden added in Mohican Wilderness trails.

This year, a large technical rock garden located at Mohican Wilderness, was brought back thanks to some dedicated trail crew. This section hasn’t been included since the first race, 17 years ago. There are also Tree Frog canopy tours, zip lines, and platforms directly overhead enjoyed by racers families. Also added was a new “secret trail” that removed a notorious hike a bike that had become known as “Big A** Climb”. Only one racer in our 17 year history has ever ridden it during the race. That racer was Jeremiah Bishop, who went on to win in both 2017 and 2018.

The water bar downhill was extra sloppy this year.

Finishers cross the line and grab a pint glass(100k) or a growler(100m) and can enjoy the post race atmosphere. Families and friends gather for food from Smokin’ Bros BBQ, beer from Great Lakes Brewing, and live music.

“The biggest improvement at this year’s race was added safety for Mohican racers. The Mohican100 formed a new partnership with University Hospital of Ashland that included a much more detailed medical plan, including a med-evac helicopter at the race, medical room and doctor on call at the finish line, medical staff and tents at each aid station, and quads permitted to go anywhere necessary for rescue of injured racers. The racers who were injured this year had great reports about the speed and helpfulness of our new UH team of professionals.” Race Director, Ryan O’Dell

Women’s Open

1st Chase Edwards, 2nd Jen Toops, 3rd Julia Thumel,
4th Becky Edmiston, 5th Heidi Coulter

Edwards Repeats at Mohican

Chase Edwards leading through the first single track section.

Taking the win in the women’s open with a time of 8:30:56 was Chase Edwards of Construction Zone Racing. This was her second Mohican 100 win after winning last year in 2018.

“I was nervous going into Mohican! My body had not been performing the way I’d wanted it to most of the spring, and I also find wet and muddy singletrack to be extremely challenging. At the start, I stayed focused on Jen Toops who is a really strong rider and also from the area. My plan was to ride behind her for most of the first singletrack section, however, I got knocked down by an overly aggressive rider during the neutral roll out. Adrenaline from the crash helped me catch back up to Jen, and then without thinking I got in front of her just before the singletrack. I rode the first 48 miles of singletrack as smooth as possible, and when I got to the dirt road section in the middle of the race I was feeling great and decided to turn it up and widen my gap. The green rolling hills of the Mohican State Park make for an awesome course! I crossed the finish line with juice still left in my legs, which makes me extra excited for the rest of the NUE season. Lumberjack 100 is up next! Thanks Construction Zone Racing, Tenac Coaching, and Paragon Athletics for the support this season.”

Jen Toops in 2nd, staying close through the Mohican singletrack.

On her first Mohican 100 Mile attempt, 2018 NUE Marathon Series Champion, Jen Toops of Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles, finished second with a time of 8:52:49.

“I lined up near the front to get a good position for the opening sprint to the single track and hopefully avoid any crashes. Having just finished racing the Trans-Sylvania Epic 5 day stage race only 4 days prior, I had no expectations for race day other than to enjoy some new trails. It’s funny living only an hour a way but I’ve never ridden most of wilderness.

Chase started strong and entered the state park single track a few positions ahead of me. It was hard to watch Chase disappear and not hold her wheel but I just didn’t have it today and decided to race my own race. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I felt like a yo-yo all day getting burst of energy and then just trying to keep the pedals turning. Mentally I wanted to go catch Chase but my body said, nope. I didn’t see any other women throughout the day but was happy to chat with some guys to pass the miles. To my understanding there was mostly gravel after the 100k split. Wow, was I surprised of the singletrack climb after aid 3. The second half of the race was beautiful and I had a blast riding some new trails in Ohio. I thankfully caught a pace line on the rail trail and we all worked together to knock that out. A few gravel roads and some more singletrack later and I crossed the finish under my goal of 9hrs.

Thanks to all the amazing volunteers this year! Especially aid 4.5 to give me something to read up that climb and the motivational stickers to get me to the finish! Big congrats to Chase for a strong race and Julia who finished 3rd after also taking on the Mohican 100 after the TSE stage race.”

Also coming off the TSE stage race and taking the third step, Julia Thumel of Race Pace Bicycles, finished in 9:21:08.

Men’s Open

1st Dillon Johnson, 2nd Christian Tanguy, 3rd Jeffrey Pendlebury,
4th Heath Thumel, 5th Adam Hill

Johnson is TWO for TWO

Johnson picking his was through the new rock garden.

After coming off the NUE Cohutta win in April, Dylan Johnson, takes the NUE Mohican 100 mile win in a time of 6:49:22. He is now two-for-two and leads the 2019 NUE EPIC series. Christian Tanguy of RBS Cycling Team finished second in 7:03:11 and Jeffrey Pendlebury of RideOn Wooster took third place crossing the line in 7:09:42.

Christian Tanguy on his way down the water bars.

Jeffrey Pendlebury half way through the first singletrack

Singlespeed

1st Anthony Toops, 2nd Shane Kramer, 3rd Eli Orth,
4th Dahn Pahrs, 5th Adam Murack

TOOPS gets 1st NUE EPIC win

Anthony Toops dropping into the water bar downhill.

2018 NUE Marathon Singlespeed Champion, Anthony Toops of Paradise Garage, gets his first Mohican 100 Mile win finishing in 7:37:33.

“Going into this race I had no expectations after spending the previous week racing the Trans-Sylvania Epic stage race. I wasn’t sure how my legs would be come race day. Mohican has always been a tough race for me, even though it’s my home course. I previously always hit a wall somewhere around the wilderness area either due to pacing or nutrition issues. This was also my first race back on my Pivot LES hardtail; that bike rips!. I ran 32×19 gearing which I thought was perfect. There are some long flat sections in the course, but I think if you geared for those you would really struggle on all the steep punchy climbs, which there are a lot of.
This year I had a different race plan approach. Being my first Mohican 100 mile attempt I decided to ride my own race for the most part, making sure to keep my competitors in sight. The race started off as usual with some jockeying for position going into the single track. Pahrs was the first 100mi SS’r to get there and I was back about five geared riders and Peyton, a 100k SS’r. For the most part the positions stayed the same throughout the park single track with a few passes here and there. The pace was fast but sustainable. Just before the infamous water bar downhill I passed Pahrs and decided to ride the bars as fast as I could to open a small gap going onto the road. Gotta say, the heckle section this year was the best I’ve ever seen!
Once on the road, I concentrated on keeping my pace up because I knew Pahrs would be strong on the roads. Going into aid 2 I had about a 30sec lead so I made sure to get in and out quick. Heading up the Griffen Rd climb I was cresting over as Powers was hitting the bottom. I knew I had to keep pushing it here since its a long road section before the Mohican Wilderness single track. I have to give a big thanks to Josh Kunz, Ryan, and anyone else for all the work on the wilderness trails this year! That section was a blast and definitely tough!
Going into Aid 3 I was out of sight of 2nd place and I had linked up with a top 10 geared rider. We would end up working together until the end of the race and I traded pulls as best I could being a single speeder. From Aid 4 on I made sure to keep the fluids/calories flowing and just concentrate on riding that fine line of going hard and not cracking. This was a tough portion of the course. The heat and humidity was getting higher and the legs were starting to feel it. Aid 4.5 was ran by some great people from the shop I ride for, Paradise Garage in Columbus. Tunnel vision was heavy at this point so I missed out on the all the fun they were having. I grabbed fluids, chugged some M&M’s, and kept pedaling. Going past aid 5 is always a good feeling because you know the only thing in your way is more fun single track. The adrenaline kicks in here and you end up finding energy that you didn’t know you had. Heading down the last road to the finish was a relief! I crossed the line, grabbed my Mohican 100mi finishers growler, and finally got revenge on the race that has always kicked my butt!
Thank you to all the volunteers and staff for putting on an amazing race as always and thanks to Paradise Garage for all the support!”

Shane Kramer over the rocks in Mohican Wilderness.

Finishing about ten minutes later, Shane Kramer crossed the line second at 7:47:08. Taking third place was, Eli Orth of Team Hungry, finishing at 7:49:58.

3rd place, Eli Orth, hammering through the singletrack.

“Coming off of just finishing the 5 hard days of stage racing single speed at TSE on Monday it was a quick turnaround to racing Mohican on Saturday. The start seemed to be a really relaxed pace leading up the first climb. I worked my way to the front to try to get good position leading into the single track. Once to the single track i found myself in good position where i could ride hard without worrying about trying to pass a bunch of people. I kept a steady consistent pace like i had planned. I spent a lot of the day in the company of my friend Michael Gottfried. Having him there made the day go quicker and at times we helped push each other. He especially helped me once we hit the flat bike path! We caught the 2nd place ss and he latched onto our train.. then I saw good ol Dahn Pahrs up ahead just spinning away. I must say I was happy to see him, but he wasn’t so happy to see me haha. After a short chat i knew I had to keep the pace up as 2nd 3rd and 4th place single speeders were now all together. We all stayed together and stopped together at aid 4 (mile 72). Some of us were in and out quickly. After that aid stop i never saw Dahn again. I was still going back and forth with the 2nd place single speeder Shane Kramer though. Eventually he was able to put a little space on me and i was unable to pull him back in. Overall it was a great race especially on my not so fresh legs. Great to see Ohio take 2 of the top 3 spots in the Epic distance SS! Huge congrats to Anthony Toops on the win!My gearing was 34×20 which seemed to work well.
Thanks to my team/sponsors Team Hungry and Absolute Black. My next race will be the Lumberjack 100 after two short weeks of rest and recovery.”

Masters

1st Joe Johnston, 2nd Devin Debower, 3rd Christian Butts,
4th Jeff Chalmers, 5th Ali Arasta

Johnston goes sub 8hrs

Masters winner, Joe Johnston, dropping over the technical rocks.

Taking the win in the Masters class was, Joe Johnston going sub eight hours and finishing in 7:58:25. About six minutes later Devin Debower took the second position in 8:04:03 and Christian Butts finished third crossing the line in 8:41:28.

For full results CLICK HERE

Butch Phillips Photo Gallery CLICK HERE

Next up on the 100 Mile Epic NUE Series is the High Cascades in Bend, OR. CLICK HERE to register.

NUE Mohican 100 Mile

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Shannon Boffeli

Written by: Jen Toops/Ryan O’Dell

The Mayor of Loudonville, Steve Strickland, welcomed racers to Loudonville before the start of the 16th Annual Mohican MTB100 at 7am sharp. With the downtown blocked off by the LPD, 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”. New Hope Church added 200 volunteers to the nearly 250 volunteers that managed the many course marshal and aid station positions.

A neutral start due to a bridge out at the start. Photo: Butch Phillips

Pastor Paterson of New Hope Church, offered a prayer for the safety of racers who left on a slow neutral start this year due to bridge construction on Main Street that presented just one lane across the Black Fork of the Mohican River. The Ashland Sherriff’s Department sounded the siren that would signal the start of the race near the city limits at Maple Heights, traditionally the spot where racers competed for a $200 Prime. Kent Cycle and Spin Bikes were among a team of seasoned professional mechanics that covered all six aid station this year. The Ohio State Patrol offered assistance to racers at a dangerous crossing on SR97 and Great Lakes Brewing http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com offered 22 kegs of refreshment to finishing riders.

Jeremiah Bishop and Chase Edwards Win Mohican 100 Mile

Men’s Open

Jeremiah Bishop repeats at NUE Mohican 100 Mile

1st-Jeremiah Bishop (Canyon Topeak Fox Shimano Maxxis) 2nd-Bryan Lewis (Cutaway USA) 3rd-Christian Tanguy (RBS Cycling Team) 4th-Brian Schworm (Think Green-Bicycle Face pb Sword) 5th-Lee Hauber (Appriss Racing pb Clarksville Schwinn) Photo:Butch Phillips

After setting the course record in 2017, Jeremiah Bishop wins the Mohican 100 mile again with a time of 6:57:53.

“Perhaps I had better invite a slower car pool bud to drive to races with I though as Bryan Lewis demolished lead break of NUE Contenders on the toughest climb of the day. Christian Tangy and Brian Schwarm lost contact and I was in trouble.

OUCH 400 + watts at 5 1/2 hours in and I am getting dropped after the second big attack. I clawed my way back to the wheel and we came to a stalemate until the final slick single track where my 20 years of pro xc experience might render and edge. I attacked full gas out of the saddle on every turn and gained just the slightest edge. Stoked to take my first win after a 3 month comeback from a major crash in South Africas Cape Epic. Not sure where those last 15 minutes of attack speed came from but glad I had it! Thanks to Canyon Topeak Shimano Fox and Maxxis.”Only about one minute back and taking second place was Brian Lewis, coming in at 6:59:01.

“The Mohican 100 started with a long stretch of fun single track that formed the lead group (7 or 8 riders) of 100/100k riders of prior to aid 1. Punchy farm roads and mixed single track slowly whittled the group down to four 100 miler participants (JB, myself, Christian Tanguy, and Brian Schworm) as the 100k folks split off at aid 3. Our group road steady and stayed together until we hit Stroble Road. A tricky muddy section with big bulldozer tracks left some daylight into Stroble Road climb and I rode it hard enough to split the group before pausing in the middle for some horses. We were back together but another hard push and fast downhill left JB and I alone off the front. I had a little gap as I crossed the Mohican river, but JB tagged on shortly. I took another dig at JB on Valley Stream Road and again got a little daylight, but he was strong enough to bring me back after the descent. We stayed together until the single track where JB took the lead. As we ripped past 100k finishers JB got a little daylight and slowly build his lead on the climb until he was far enough out of sight to cause me to relax a bit into the finish. It was a blast ripping and beating on each other over the final miles. It definitely made the 100-mile distance entertaining.

Next NUE race: TBD??? Suggestions? I haven’t gotten past tomorrow yet. Sponsors: Flying solo, but appreciate the support of my employer Cutaway, USA as well as a good group of friends (Will, Steven, Tyler, Seth, AT, and Carlo) that consistently talk smack and give me a hard time as I chase fun events across the country.”With third and fourth place only 11 seconds apart, it made for an exciting finish. Christian Tanguy (RBS Cycling team), who finished second at Cohutta this year, manage to hang on to third place with a time of 7:03:39. Brian Schworm (Think Green) took the fourth position with a time of 7:03:48.

Women’s Open

Chase Edwards Takes the Top Step

1st-Chase Edwards (CZ Racing) 2nd-Joanne Beattie (Six S Partners p/b Ciclowerks) 3rd-Laureen Coffelt (Los Locos/Pivot/Outdoors Inc 4th-Angela Graziosi (Trailer Park Racing) 5th-Lauren Ison Photo:Butch Phillips

Making her first appearance at the Mohican 100 mile, Chase Edwards (CZ racing), takes the win with a time of 9:18:31.“The Mohican 100 proved to be harder than I expected in all the best ways! I was happy to land a spot on the start line next to Ohio State Champion Jen Toops (racing the Marathon) who was very kind about my dad standing nearby taking a lot of photos. I thought if I could hang with Jen for the first part of the race, maybe I’d learn a thing or two about riding muddy Ohio singletrack. But my nerves got the best of me, and I lost Jen after the neutral start and ended up in the lead. My start was fast enough to avoid a lot of bottlenecking onto the singletrack. I was stoked! Unfortunately, a few miles in the bag with my tools in it fell off my saddle and I had to stop and throw it in my jersey pocket. Shortly after, I crashed unexpectedly when my bike cut out from underneath me on some slippery roots. I got it back together quickly, though, and rode well for the next 20 miles of singletrack and proudly descended the one techy rock garden with ease. Jen and two of the other Marathon women caught me around mile 30, and I had a blast going back and forth with them for the next 10 or so miles. Just before Aid Station 3, my descending started to fall apart, and I worried maybe I had messed up my fueling and my body was already shutting down. Then, on a short hike-a-bike, I noticed my front wheel had come really loose. That explained the clunky descending! I pulled out my small race tool to tighten the thru axle and learned the hex wasn’t long enough to tighten it. I tend to learn lessons in my life the hard way, and it had never crossed my mind to check this on my new bike this season. Luckily, I was only 5 miles from the Aid Station. I said goodbye to the top Marathon women at this point (their race was starting to get exciting!), and I just kept trucking and descending as best I could. At the Aid Station, Marlene (my Dad’s wife who has supported me in three races now and is really good at it) was ready with fresh bottles and Honey Stinger waffles. She held my bike while I tightened down my front wheel with a full-size wrench. I had a really strong come back between the next Aid Stations and managed to put out really consistent power on the half-hour stretch of beautiful but mind-numbing paved urban trail. I was a bit surprised and worried when my back and shoulder pain from a crash last month started to flare up, but it forced me to focus all my energy on throwing down consistent watts. This was the most painful section of the course but somehow also ended up being my fastest section. I was so happy to see my support crew of five family members waiting for me at Aid Station 4.5. My dad teased me for walking the last part of the suspension bridge, to which I responded: “Too many new mediums out here for me! I’m used to dry sandstone and granite.” Once again, Marlene re-loaded me with bottles and I was off toward the finish! The slippery rocks and roots on the final stretch of singletrack took all the mental power I could muster. There was a man hot on my wheel as we popped out of the woods, and I managed to hold him off with an all-out sprint to the finish line. Thanks, Construction Zone Racing, Scott Bicycles, and Paragon Athletics for the support! The Mohican 100 is an awesome race. ”

Chase celebrating at the finish line. Photo Butch Phillips

Joanne Beattie (Six S Partners p/b Ciclowerks), finished second with a time of 10:13:41.

“This was my second year racing the Mohican 100 Mile and I have absolutely nothing but great things to say about this event! I loved riding the fast, flowy single track in the Mohican forest. I only wish I was a stronger climber and better able to get ahead of the pack before the turn into the first 25 km section of single track leading up to Aid Station 1. There was a line of riders ahead of me and the narrow trails made it difficult to pass, but I ended up utilizing the pace to keep my legs loose so that I had plenty of power to draw upon throughout the rest of the race.

I was thoroughly impressed by the level of volunteer support at each of the Aid Stations. Volunteers were on hand, ready to help with anything from filling water bottles to lubricating chains. Although the Aid Stations were fully stocked with anything you could imagine ingesting, I generally stuck to eating the cut-up Clif bars that I keep in a cup in my jersey pocket. They are easy to grab and eat while riding and are packed full of energy.

I currently don’t have any other NUE races planned for this season, but I have been looking at the calendar, trying to figure out how to squeeze in another one. I love these ultra-endurance races! PEDAL HARDER! (Sponsors: Six S Partners, Ciclowerks, Clif, Biemme, 3Sixty5 Cycling)”

Laureen Coffelt (Los Locos/Pivot/Outdoor Inc), came in third place at 10:50:05.

“Back in 2006, I believe, it was my first Mohican 100 MTB race. I have returned 8x, with an absence for the last few years. It was a WOW this year. Incredible volunteer efforts, beyond expectations! The work of Ryan O’Dell to develop and foster the NUE series comes to fruition, at this race. My friend, and coach, Chris EATOUGH, won the NUE and the Mohican 100 in 2007. It is with pride and honor that I can say he got me where I am today, on the bike, and even off! I hope to return to the NUE Racing 50+ next year, and complete the series!”

Masters 50+

Devin DeBoer win’s Masters 50+

1st-Devin DeBoer (Fusion New Holland Brewing) 2nd-Joe Johnston (Brauer/Mick Management) 3rd-Tom Stritzinger 4th-Roger Masse (Stokesville/Shenandoah Mountain Touring) 5th-Russell Spaulding (TFM Racing) Photo:Butch Phillips

Winning the Master’s 50+ Mohican was Devin DeBoer (Fushion New Holland Brewing) coming in at 8:06:53.

Taking the second step and finishing fifteen minutes back was Joe Johnston (Brauer/Mick Management) at 8:22:25.

“It’s been a few years since my last trip to Loudonville for the Mohican 100, Ryan & Crew did not disappoint. The start in downtown is always a highlight & nerve wracking at the same time. Once into the single track I found myself in a nice little group including Jeff Mandell (Rare Disease Cycling) & Mitchell DeYoung (Hammer Nutrition). We pretty much stayed together until the water bars adding riders here and there. At one point I looked back and saw 6-8 in the group. After aid 3, Jeff, who was riding great had pulled away with David Parson-Foresi (JA King/KTM). Just before the Holmes County Trail, Devin DeBoer (Fusion New Holland Brewing) caught and passed me on his way to the masters win (Congratulations!!!!). Other than a few 100k riders over the next 3ish hours it was a solo ride until Ross Anderson (Fincraft) came up just before aid 5 giving me the motivation I needed to push to the finish.”

The third spot went to Tom Stritzinger coming in at 8:28:59.

Singlespeed

Haddock gets his Second Consecutive NUE Mohican 100 SS Win!

1st-John Haddock (CarboRocket, Christopher Bean Coffee, XoSkin) 2nd-Donald Powers (UPMC Pro Bike & Run 3rd-Peyton Randolph 4th-Ross Anderson 5th-Joe Worboy (Trailer Park Racing) Photo:Butch Phillips

After a second place finish at True Grit and a win at Cohutta, John Haddock (CarboRocket, Christopher Bean Coffee, XoSkin), wins the Mohican 100M with a time of 7:44:41.

“It was great to get back to this event for another year. The trails, venue, and volunteers are always top notch, which makes for a great experience every time. My goal coming into the race was to ride fast, stay on top of fueling, and not get injured on the wet trails. Once the lead out vehicle pulled off, it was fast from the start, but actually more “singlespeed friendly” that past years where everyone redlines up the first hill. I’m never disappointed by a casual start to help warm up! I entered the woods in good position, accompanied (like last year) by my buddies Jim Litzinger and Alex Hashem. We held a steady pace together until Aid 3 where Jim, looking incredibly fresh, headed back to win the 100K singlespeed. Alex and I enjoyed each other’s company for a bit longer, but a wrong turn by Alex left me to spin the rail trail alone in 34/20. Thank goodness for the deer and singing birds that kept things interesting! Surprisingly I was never caught by a geared rider nor did I hear Dahn Pahrs coming up from behind, so I rode solo to the finish. Huge thanks to my team for making all of this possible. And lastly, thank you to my wingman David Parsons-Foresi for being such a solid dude and letting my tag along to Ohio for the weekend.”

Finishing second place about fifteen minutes back was, Don Powers (UPMC Pro Bike & Run) at 8:00:43.

“I wish I had an exciting race report to share with everyone but I went into the woods behind John Haddock and never saw him again. I raced the entire race in 2^nd place. Had a couple back and fourths with some of the 100K SS’ers, Josh Kunz, Anthony Toops, & Dave MrKonja. Caught drafts off geared guys when I could and got a super pull from Dave Parsons and Alex Hassam on the rail trail, was able to average 19.4mph on my SS (36X21, 15^th fastest ever according to Strava). At the end I finished in 8 hours and some odds seconds and enjoyed some Four Lokos on the podium.”

After a blazing fast start, Peyton Randolph finished in third place at 8:20:01.“Race week started off with daily online harassments from the one and only king of SS smack talk Dahn Pahrs. Online one of the most cut-throat talkers but in person one of the most “ok-ist” guys. Ohio has stepped up this year with a ton of SS guys. The SS class is growing and in return the podium shorts are creeping up! The Ohio OMBC and 331 series are a blast now with more ss guys than ever. Races like Vultures Knob and Tuscazoar will even bring out-of-state ss guys to join the party. It was great to see a ton of Ohio SS friends at the start. The start this year was different due to the slow pace through the bridge construction. When the lead truck honked their horn on the hill after the bridge, no one sped up. I just did my thing and pedaled up the hill by myself not noticing that the pack was taking a super chill pace up the hill. Perhaps due to there not being a $200 prem.? Now it’s debatable whether this was a good idea or not. At the very least I thought the picture would be fridge-worthy so I drove it home and kept my 32:18 cadence in the sweet spot. When the flat road came, the derailleur party slow rolled on by with a few SS bros hugging the back. I rode the first single track with friends Eli Orth and Ross Anderson. We set a casual pace quick enough to call it “racing” but slow enough to talk and laugh. Mohican wilderness was in the best shape I’ve ever seen it. The majority of the day involved a lot of solo gravel/pavement spinning. The fresh single track between mile 50 something and the rail trail was ridiculously hard for me. Just when you think your avg speed is not looking bad, this section keeps you working hard. It sure would’ve been nice to throw a wrench in the PA domination over OH. It didn’t happen this year, but every year the PA harassment gets worse, Ohio training grows! Next race will be Lumberjack. Huge thanks to my wife Kayla who rides, races, and travels with me as well as my parents who came to Mohican to cheer us on.”

Click here for full results

What’s Next?

NUE Marathon Series: June 24, 2018 in Damascus, VA Iron Mountain

NUE Epic Series: June 16, 2018 in Manistee, Michigan (sold out) Lumberjack 100

NUE Mohican 100K

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Shannon Boffeli

Andrew Dillman and Lara Richards win Mohican 100K

Written by: Jen Toops & Ryan O’Dell

A neutral start due to a bridge out near the start. Photo Butch Phillips

A muddy start! Photo Butch Phillips

Men’s Open

Dillman wins back to back at Mohican!

1st-Andrew Dillman (Think Green) 2nd-Jeffrey Pendlebury (Ride On Wooster) 3rd-Chris Shannon (Think Green-Bicycle Face) 4th-Chris Tries (The Bike Shop) 5th-Andy Scott (Riverside Racing) Photo Butch Phillips

Coming off a win at the 2018 NUE Big Frog 65, Andrew Dillman (Think Green) wins the 2018 Mohican 100K with a time of 4:43:20. This makes back to back wins for Dillman at Mohican! Second place was Jeffrey Pendlebury (Ride On Wooster) at 4:50:22.

Just thirteen seconds back from second place, was Chris Shannon (Think Green-Bicycle Face) rounding out the podium with a time of 4:50:35.

“My goal for the race was to be the first to enter the single track and ride a consistent and manageable pace. The trails were a bit slick in places, but still a blast to ride. About mile 30 or so I had to make a pit stop and lost touch with the lead pack. The next 20 miles were spent in time trial mode until finally catching Chris Tries and Jeff Pendelbury around mile 50. Jeff and I attacked on a steep climb to establish a decent gap around mile 55. We yo-yo’d back and forth until we entered the final road to the finish side-by-side. He was able to put in a solid effort on the final road to the finish and establish a 12 second gap. I ended up finishing third behind team mate Andrew Dillman who has been on fire all season and Jeff Pendlebury who was able to dig so deep in the final miles. Kudos to the race organizers on another successful Mohican 100. The next stop will be Wilderness 101 followed by Marji Gesik. Sponsors: Think Green-Bicycle Face p/b SWORD, Green Guru Gear, Heine Brothers’ Coffee”

Women’s Open

Richards gets her first Mohican 100K win!

1st-Lara Richards (Little Fire Cycles) 2nd-Bryna Blanchard (Barker Mountain Bikes) 3rd Jen Toops (Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles) 4th-Megan Doerr (McLain’s Race Team) 5th-Erin Necko (J.A. King) Photo Butch Phillips

After a 2nd place finish at the NUE 2018 Big Frog 65, Lara Richards (Little Fire Cycles), takes the women’s open class with a time of 5:44.

” The reputation of this race precedes it. I have some friends who have made the 11 hour trek from Georgia to race this race. But this was the first year I have ever raced the Mohican, and it did not disappoint. It was a great mix of rooty single trek, gravel and some grueling hike-a-bike. It rained the Wednesday before which made the MTB trail ideally tacky with a few slick roots, however the rain made the horse trail a sticky mess. Other than that, you could not ask for a better day on the bike. I really enjoyed the feel of the single trek – super fun. On fun trails like this I do not mind using a little extra energy to zip around corners and pop over rocks. It keeps me motivated. I have to say I even I enjoyed the down hill section of the horse trail. The railroad tressels were a fun obstacle to have in the middle of the course. The route went from trail to gravel then back trail, I liked the mix, it never kept us too long on just road. The day left me a little bloody and tired but definitely all smiles. I went into this race thinking’ with a pool of 56 awesome female athletes signed up that there was no way I could pull off better then 10th but some how I managed the win. I still feel new to this style of EPIC races and To me this is probably the biggest win I have had in my MTB career. I do hope to race more NUE races in the future. I’ll cross my fingers for more podiums but know it will be tough with such amazing competition. My sponsors are Little Fire Cycles wheels, Adventure Cycles of spout springs GA, Rhinohead, and Muc-off. Many thanks to all who made this race possible.”

Bryna and Lara battle for position near the start of the race.

After winning the Mohican 100K in 2014, Bryna Blanchard (Barker Mountain Bikes) beats her previous 2014 winning time by six minutes to take second place this year at 5:48:38.

“Sometimes everything comes together in a way that makes me reflect on a race and feel satisfied that I did my best. With the 9 hour drive under our belts the day before the race and an early 7 AM start I wasn’t sure how my body would feel for the Mohican 100K, my longest race to date this season. I was strategizing to try and get a fast start remembering the long ribbon of tight, flowy fast single track that followed the initial few miles of rolling pavement. The first plan came together and I ended up entering the single track with a group of 8-10 fellow riders, including another woman in my category, setting a pace that felt comfortable and efficient. My legs felt good but the early start and short sleep left me with a bit of a brain fog. I kept my focus, rode clean and even managed to get by a few people on the trail. Once out of the woods and back on the open road, some spectators reported I was riding in 4th, then I got passed by Lara as if I was out for a Sunday recovery ride. I quickly decided against attempting to chase with more than half the kilometers looming ahead of me. At that point I also realized I needed to catch up on hydration and nutrition that I had ignored in the single track. Within half an hour I started feeling really good, legs strong, mind awake, calm and confident, the kilometers and hours passed by. Stopping at a mid point aid station for a refill from the tremendous volunteers, I encountered a few other women heading out as I was pulling in. Jen, who I had expected would be in front of me, and Chase who was racing the full on 100 crazy miles. Jen pulled away quickly while Chase and I rode together on the pavement for many miles until the next section of delicious single track. Even with the majority of her race ahead of her, Chase put in a massive effort on the hilly road, motivating me to push myself harder than I would have alone. We managed to catch and pass Jen which gave me another boost of motivation. I entered the single track and tried to keep the pace high but metered, taking advantage of feeling strong. Enjoying the challenge of slightly slick rocks and roots I was able to make a few more passes on the men in the woods and continue to ride clean until a particularly washed out steepish decent sent me off my line and over the right handle bar. Unable to remount in the baby heads I ran down the rest of the rocks and realized I was beginning to feel the hours setting in. The final road sections consisted of steeper longer climbs, at least that was my perception at the time. Long steady climbs seem to be a strength for me so I settled in and kept reminding myself that this is a race and it is supposed to feel hard. Past the aid station where the 100K and 100 mile courses split I knew I had a good chance of maintaining 2nd, I also knew I wanted to finish strong with nothing left in the tank and try to catch the leader. I was fortunate to share ride company with some of the single speeders along the way who offered encouragement and entertainment. After riding with one single speed man on the final road he politely asked to enter the last single track first to which I replied please do, I’m exhausted. In survival mode I entered the trail which quickly turned my fatigue into joy at the superb quality of track, the bike floated along up the switch backs and around the corners. I managed to make a few more passes on the men, entered the camp ground and felt myself return to race mode as one guy pushed to pass me back. I surged ahead and found the finish line in 2nd place where Lara was celebrating her win. After a few frustrating races this season with mechanicals, it was extra sweet to have a great experience at Mohican. Thanks as always to Barker Mountain Bikes for their amazing support and friendship. Thanks to the race promoters, volunteers, sponsors and vendors for a most memorable day on the bike.”

Coming off a win at the 2018 NUE Big Frog 65, OMBC Race Series Champion & NUE Marathon Series Champion, Jen Toops (Pearl Izumi/Pivot Cycles) comes in 3rd at 5:53:51.

” This year I made sure to get a spot up front since the bridge was out. My plan was to start fast and get a good position into the singletrack after getting in a congo line the previous year. I was first going into the first singletrack for women 100k and to my surprise rode most of the singletrack loop by myself. My first mistake was listening to my GPS yelling “off course” and back tracking a wee bit thinking I’d missed the hike a bike turn off. Finally a few other riders were coming through and I knew I should have kept going. This is where Lara caught up and we rode together until the hike-a-bike. After 2 years of racing La Ruta, I think I’m starting to get this hike-a-bike thing down. I managed to put a small gap on Lara and caught up to the women’s 100 mile leader Chase. We worked together on the roads leading up to Aid 2 but Lara put it in beast mode and powered up to us! We all rode into Aid 2 together and I was out of water and fighting off leg cramps. The volunteers did a great job and had my pack ready to switch out. I went to grab a shot of coke and some pickles and noticed Lara rode right on through the aid station. I never saw her again. As I was leaving Aid 2, I saw Bryna was coming in and I wasn’t sure if any other 100k women were with her.

The wilderness was a dark place for me. I knew I had to eat more but I was so nauseated. I tried slamming a gel and started dry heaving. Then the full on calf and hamstring cramps paid a visit. I was behind on my nutrition plan. I kept pedaling knowing stopping wouldn’t fix anything. The cramps finally subsided and I managed to get through wilderness. Once on the roads I was just in survival mode. Mentally I wanted to race but the power and my legs just weren’t there. All I wanted to do was stop, lay in the gravel and throw up! At this point I was wondering if I had a stomach bug and debated taking a DNF. Then Bryna and Chase (100 mile leader) were working together and made a pass on the roads. There was nothing left in the tank to challenge and I rode it on in to the finish.

Some races are good some are bad. Unfortunately the Mohican 100k didn’t go as planned, but I somehow managed to keep it together enough to hang on to a 3rd place finish! Thanks to all my sponsors, fellow racers/volunteers trying to encourage and motivate me, Anthony Toops for getting the Pivot Les on point, and my parents for coming to cheer me on!”

Masters 50+

Clayton Wins Masters 50+

1st-Jeff Clayton (Georgia Neurosurgical Institute) 2nd-Scott Burrill (Bikeman.com) 3rd-John Lorson (River Day Racing) 4th-Gregory Cimmino (Class Cycle) 5th-Tom Weaver (KSD/Summit Freewheelers) Photo Butch Phillips

Winning the Masters 50+ Mohican was Jeff Clayton (Georgia Neurosurgical Institute) 5:18:22.

“I think the neutral start led to the heavy hitters not punching it quite as hard, so the field stayed together for a while. I was able to hang with the lead group on the road and into the first singletrack, albeit at the back end of a long string of riders. Things were pretty good until I caught a root wrong with my front wheel and I ended up with the wheel jammed in between two roots and my bar twisted pretty good from the sudden stop. Of course being early in the race probably 10 riders went by…never good for the confidence! After getting going again, I pulled back a notch and focused on being efficient. I started to reel riders in, but there was a good sized group that seemed to be holding steady behind and a couple guys right on my wheel. As it turned out, one of those was Devin DeBoer who ended up winning the 100 mile M50+ category. I eventually caught up to a guy who was moving through the technical parts well, so I decided to follow him figuring I would make it through the rough stuff better that way. We chatted a bit and it turned out it was Scott Burrill who had placed 2^nd in the Big Frog 65 to me a month ago. After riding together awhile, I slowly gapped Scott on the gravel road rollers and got in with a small group of single speeders, including my old race buddy Ross Anderson, and one geared rider. After the course split at aid 3, I was on my own and was very happy to see the gravel rollers that come so much sooner than they do in the 100 mile race…the end was near! As I got into the last singletrack, Anthony Toops caught up to me with another singlespeeder chasing hard for their 3^rd podium spot. It was great to use them to keep me charging hard, especially as I didn’t know how far back Scott was or even if there was any other 50+ racers ahead I might catch. I took the 50+ win, but Scott kept me honest just a few minutes back. I’ll be racing the Iron Mountain 100k next.”

Clayton wins the masters 50+ 100k

Scott Burrill (Bikeman.com) took the second place spot in 2017 and repeats in 2018 with the same exact time of 5:23:11!

Taking the third podium position was John Lorson (River Day Racing) with a time of 5:52:35.

“After winning the single-speed 100K at Mohican in 2008, 2009 and 2011 (in 2010, I took a wrong turn with 4 miles to go and handed the win to my teammate) I’ve moved further down the ranks and even off the podium in the ensuing 6 years in my past few attempts. The class was getting younger and faster and I was not. Finally, at age 54, I decided to “race my age” and entered the Masters 50+ category. Still, having ridden a single-speed exclusively for the past 10 years (even winning the OMBC Masters 45+ Championship in 2011 and 2012 against geared bikes) I knew what bike I’d be on: my 8-year-old Gary Fisher Superfly Single-Speed, running a 36×20 with my trusty Niner rigid carbon fork up front. (You’ve “gotta dance with who brung ya’,” right?)

I’ve go to admit I was a little worried at the “neutral roll-out” plan for the start. I envisioned a lane-wide flesh pile as four lanes choked to one, but it turned out fine and actually a bit to my advantage because I wasn’t spinning like a hamster trying to keep up as we started into the hill. The problem with the starting route now, as opposed to the course from a few years back, is several miles of road riding before we hit singletrack. It’s a long spin for a single-speed and it sucks the life out of me being passed by tons of geared bikes I had just aced on that first climb.

This year I really let that get into my head and I was convinced I was having another off year until I hit Aid 2 at Buckhaven. There, the I applied the lifesaving elixirs of Coca Cola and watermelon and underwent an on-bike metamorphosis. After leaving the Buckhaven single-track I was overtaken by a pace-line of geared guys just before the infamous Township Road 344 which my buddies and I have dubbed the “Arc of the Moon” climb, because it looms on the horizon like a giant moon with tiny suffering cyclists crawling along its profile. Every one of the pace-liners passed me before the turn toward the climb, including a rider that I knew was in my class. I resolved to attack it as hard as I could up the hill and passed all but two of those guys, which I caught and then pipped on the way up the next roller. It had taken me right around 40 miles to get my grove on.

I ran up on a bunch of bikes in the bottom rock garden of Mohican Wilderness and the scene was like something from a horror film. One of the many “living dead”, I stumbled and struggled through the sweaty rocks like I had learned to ride bike just moments before. This was easily the toughest part of the race for me, but nothing that couldn’t be healed with a few shots of Coke and a handful of watermelon at Aid 3.

Two of my non-racing buddies, Scream and Cappy, were watching the carnage atop the Valley Stream climb and shouted that they thought I might be among the first Masters to come through. That was literally the first moment that I figured I had any shot at a podium finish. I turned myself inside out the rest of the way home, making sure to keep my place. As I crossed the line Ryan O’Dell announced me as “somewhere in the top 5 Masters” and I was blown away to find that I was, in fact, 3^rd!

My Masters gamble had paid off and I hadn’t forsaken my single-speed soul in the process. It was another fine day at Mohican, even if I finally had to admit I had somehow finally become an old guy!”

Singlespeed

James Litzinger gets the win and sets new SS course record!

1st-James Litzinger (Syndicate Cycling pwrd by Pro Bike+Run) 2nd-Josh Kunz (KSD) 3rd-Anthony Toops (Paradise Garage Racing 4th-Eli Orth (Queen City Wheels) 5th-David Mrkonja (Silverback Racing) Photo Butch Phillips

Setting a new SS 100k record and crushing the SS Division was James Litzinger (Syndicate Cycling pwrd by Pro Bike +Run), 4:53:13.

“Wow, the Mohican 100k is an awesome race! With a great mix of trails and gravel it made for a great day on the bike. The anticipation of 600 plus riders at the start line and trying to navigate through a one lane bridge is a very exciting way to start off the morning!

I was really torn this year if I was going to race the Pivot Les as a Single Speed or the Specialized Epic FS which I have grown to love over the spring months. I was kind of persuaded into racing the SS since the majority of the riders in the cabin the night before were riding single speed. After getting all of my race prep and nutrition in line for the next day we enjoyed some time hanging out. I have felt really good this year since starting to use some GNC products. My top favorites have been the GNC Mega Men Sport daily vitamins, GNC Turmeric Curcumin 1000mg, and the GNC AMP Pure Isolate protein.

It was a very Single Speed friendly start this year with the controlled start until the bottom of the opening climb out of town. I was up in the front row churning the pedals pretty casually and since there was no cash money for being the first rider out of town this year the pace was very manageable. From the top of the first climb to the woods can be a nightmare for SSer’s with the rolling hills and very high speeds. On that road section though, I was able to link up with John Haddock, of JA King Racing, the 2017 and 2018 100 mile SS winner. John is a very smart and strong riders. He and I had a great time racing in the past at various NUE events. When you have a buddy to ride with it makes the day go so much better!

Once getting into the woods in the top 20 or so we quickly learned that the prior week of rain and humidity were making the trails a little greasy. I always have the utmost confidence in my Schwalbe Racing Ralphs! They are truly the jack of all trades! John and I made our way through the single track picking off only a few riders this year since we had a pretty good start on the road. We were even able to pick up another riders for the party, Alex Hashem of Shenandoah Mountain Touring. The three of us had a great time working together! Alex would give us some help on the roads while John and I would pace the single track and climbs. It made for the perfect combination!

Getting into aid 3, John and Alex hit the road for the 100 mile loop while I cut off to finish the 100k. After doing the 100 mile in previous years it was very lifting both physically and mentally to have less than an hour to go. I held a steady spin along the flat stream road trying to conserve a little energy for the steep Valley Stream road climb. This year my goal was to clear the entire climb on my Wolf Tooth 30×17 gearing. The climb seemed to go much faster this year and I felt good the whole way. After cutting down through the woods and making my way along the stream for the last road section of the day I went through the last aid station right into the final miles of single track. Once cutting up into the single track it was motivating to see Bubba standing along the trail taking a picture or video. From there it was party time to the finish! Having fun in all of the single track back to the finish I looked up to find that I caught a geared 100k rider. Continuing and pushing on down through the campground is a great ending to a fun day with friend new and old on the bike.

Thanks to my Team, Syndicate Cycling, sponsors, and family for their continued support! My wife Jenn and 3 boys, Garrett, Cameron, and Mason. Pro Bike+Run, Legacy Medical, Schwalbe Tires, Voler, Specialized Bikes, GNC, and Cenacolo all make me feel so fortunate to do something that I love so much.”

Coming in twenty-three minutes back was Josh Kunz (KSD) with a time of 5:16:02. Taking the third podium position was Anthony Toops (Paradise Garage), coming in at 5:18:25.

“All the usual suspects were in attendance this year for the single speed 100k so I knew it was going to be a tough day. The race started pretty hard up the the first road climb with most of the SS’ers still together. My goal was to get into the single track as near the front as possible so some huge efforts were required for the first 20min of the race. This plan worked well and I had a good position behind Josh Kunz and David Mrkonja. We were riding at XC pace the entire single track section with none of us letting up. They would make a pass and then I would make the same pass to stay on their wheels. Eventually I got around David and Josh and tried to up the pace a little more through some technical sections to break up the group. This seemed to work and it was just Josh and I hitting the road sections. About this time I looked down and realized I had lost a bottle somewhere. Thankfully I carried three to get me to aid 2 but this was going to put me behind on nutrition, which wasn’t ideal. Josh is a super strong climber and started to drop me on the initial road sections before aid 2 and losing that bottle was starting to take its toll. I just tried to hang onto third for the rest of the race and hope some power would come back so maybe I could catch him.

Through aid 3 and heading towards the finish my right cleat started to loosen up. I had to stop and tighten it at about mile 48 and this is when Eli Orth passed me. I quickly hopped back on and made sure to catch him asap. When I had his wheel I realized my left cleat was now loose but at this point I didn’t have the option to stop. We rode together until the last single track section and I made sure to take the lead going into the woods. Somehow I managed to find some legs and hold off Eli until the end to take third. It was another tough Mohican 100k with close racing all day! My next NUE Marathon Series race will be Iron Mountain in Damascus, VA.”

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What’s Next?

NUE Marathon Series: June 24, 2018 in Damascus, VA Iron Mountain

NUE Epic Series: June 16, 2018 in Manistee, Michigan (sold out) Lumberjack 100

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