Mohican 100(k)

I am a sandbagger, but the promoter encourages me to enter and win this event, so I guess he is my enabler.

The dryest Mohican yet, (for me anyway since the skys opened up on part of the course about 20 minutes after I finished), saw a talented bunch battling for the 100 mile and the ultra-endurance series. Chris E, Tinker, last years winner Harlan Price and Mike from Bells brewing set a good pace to start. Tinker had his hands full not being real stable on the slick east coast rocks and roots, eventually dropped out. I stayed up with them for the first 14 miles or so until i decided I need to back it off. having just ate my huge mound of mush only 30 minutes prior to the start, little chunks of it were workin their way back up. So then it was just me and a local boy battling it out for the 100(k) crown. A week of sleep deprivation is no way to prepare for a race like this and may total inability to handle my bike was the result. About 18 miles in, over a series of 6 foot or so tall camel humps, i got all ass over ebows and managed to plant myself into the apex of the next little hill, face first. It was pretty good too, blood was oozing at a pretty good rate all over my stem and GU flask (which i later took a delicious shot of blood and chocalate outrage GU, perhaps count chocula's prefered mix, but not mine). I pulled over at a road crossing a mile or so later to have Garth check me out since I had no idea how bad it was (my lips felt like Rudy from Fat Albert, only bloodier). He called me somethin that sounds like wussy and got me goin again, thats my boy. The buckeye i was with took advantage of the situation and had attacked (good move btw, attacking 20 miles into a 65 mile race). I didnt care. I was bloody and tired, i was just gonna ride. If I was caught, fine. If I caught him, fine, but my motivation to go fast was gone.

Of course you all know the story; the tortise caught the hare. At aid station 3 I came around a corner to find buckeye doubled over with cramps. It seems his excitement to unseat me as the king of sandbaggers was his own undoing. So, I kept doing what I had all day and ticked over the pedals at a comfortable pace and came across the line with a decent margin over second, an expert riding for Rays MTB park in Cleveland.

The after was awesome; Kiersta and her husband popped by for a visiit then I sat up on the deck with some folks from the Cinci and Bio-Wheels crew. Got to meet some new faces and caught up with other old ones while the rain fell lightly off and on as we watched folks cross the finish line in a celebration of a hell of a day on the bike. As the afternoon turned to evening, we all drank way too much Sierra Nevada and Bells and stuffed our faces with the TON of food provided. Its a great event that keeps getting better, so next year, dont miss out. Who know, you may end up with a split upper lip the ladies think is sexy. ;)
http://www.mohican.net/100.alpha.htm