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The
2nd Annual Check out these great Pictures from Kevin Keane & Steele Bennett. Also check out this wicked video if you have high speed or have the patience of Buddha! :) For another race recap and lots of pictures check out Iplayoutside.com Yes, there was lots of rain all week- the night before the race- and during the last few hours of the race. The course technicians, led by Mike Carpenter developed a last minute alternate course to avoid dangerous water crossing and sensitive trails. The altered course still consisted of about 80% of the original course. The total mileage came just short of 100 and was about 96 miles. The altered course did cause some shortages at aid station 3/4 as racers made the loop to that station quicker than they would of with the original course. Most racers really seemed to appreciate the 4 kegs of West Virginia Brewing Co. Beer brought all the way from Morgantown, WV by Marty Lamp and the folks from IPlayOutside.com. The beer tasted especially sweet when sipped from the official SM100 Pint Glass that all participants received at the finish line. Hammer Gel, Cytomax, Little Debbie and a bunch of other various energy snacks greeted the racers at 6 Aid Stations along the course. We had some neat accomplishments worth noting such as Lloyd Graves from Independent Fabrications who came down all the way from Massachusetts for the 3rd time. (once for the 99' postponed event) Lloyd became the 1st course finisher on a single speed. This impressed even some of the Hugh Jass spirits that were present at the event. Dan Hudson and Scott Siegal managed to complete the event on a custom made IF tandem, a feat which turned many heads. Rik Van Secceler from the Netherlands jumped on a mountain bike for the first time and pulled off a heroic finish to the cheers of Larry Peters and his team Numb Nuts from Harrisburg, PA. Blue Ridge Outdoors cycling correspondant Andy Morris was rumored to have striped out of his mild mannered reporter suit in a mud puddle during the event and pulled off a superman ride, finishing in 18th, in his only mountain bike race of the year. The race for the lead was super exciting. A group of 4 men emerged from narrowback mountain clear of the field. The group was comprised of 3 Trek/VW East Coast Factory racers - Chris (Johnny Utah) Eatough, Paul Buschi and Joel Maynard with 7 Cycles racer Skip Brown aboard his beautiful Titanium bike hanging on tight. The 4 racers worked together on the hardpack as they rolled smooth and quietly, like the calm before the storm, towards the base of the Lynne singletrack climb. Mike Capraro led the charge of scatters racers behind the lead group. The 1,200 ft assent up the switchback laden singletrack Lynne trail put Skip to his max as he struggled to hang on. At the crest of lynne trail the 3 remaining Trek racers continued the game of "hold onto Johnny on the Downhill", a sort of a crack the whip way to stay in the race on the famous Wolfe Ridge decent. Buschi and Maynard were able to reel in Eatough on the hardback coming accross the flats to the base of the Hankey Mountain Climb. The racers seemed to ride steady and fast past aid station 1 and 2 increasing their lead and waiting for the next "crack of the whip". Maynard and Buschi valiantly keep pace with their strong pulls accross the open rollers. Eatough pulled away from buschi as he crested the summit of hankey and blasted fresh tracks down Dowell's Drafts' pristine off-camber singletrack. The one of a kind tight and twisty 4 mile down hill proved to be the final crack of the whip as Eatough demolished his teammates and hit station 3. He rapidly sped off onto the altered Braleys Pond loop which put riders back at station 4 quite quickly. Eatough knew that the 20 mile climb ahead could prove fatal if Buschi was able to get back on pace on the way to station 5 on the top of Shenandoah Mountain at the Shenandoah Mountain Picnic area. Eatough had done his homework on the course last year and knew the trecherous downhill could deal out a rough hand. It was clear that Buschi had his game together enough to capatilize on a possible puncture on the 7 mile Chestnut Ridge downhill off of Little Bald to station 6. Johnny was able to make a clear run of it keeping the wind in his sails all the way around the newly ammended finish section to claim his victory. Buschi remained in 2nd, Joel Maynard in 3rd, Skip Brown in 4th and Jacob Loverich from State College, PA, claimed the final podium spot by hanging on tight in a battle with Mike Capraro, Jens Nielsen, and Mike Keefer. I will finish this recap soon once I get the word from Sami and Sue George!- gotta go get some stuff cleared up at the campground- thanks for coming to the site to check out the race and touring info. You can find the 2000 and the 1999 results here. And, you can read what others have said about the race here.
Chris
Scott
It's
an ultra endurance 100 mile backcountry mountain bike race; the
only one on the east-coast poised to live up to the standards
set by the Leadville 100, Vail 100, and the Cascade Cream Puff
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The
Short Of The Long Of It
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| Race Date | Start Time |
6:30 AM
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| Accommodation's | Camping (more...) |
| Classes | Men and Women... |
| Course | The best (more...) |
| Pre-Register now | Web printable form |
| Preregistration Fee | $ |
| Directions | Follow me... |
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The
Course : Virginia's Best
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A mix of the best riding the George Washington National Forest has to offer—singletrack downhills, doubletrack ridge riding, fireroad climbs and a bit of pavement with 12,000 ft of climbing. A true backcountry race. Classic downhills like Wolfe Ridge, Dowell's Draft, and Braley's Pond will make the climbing more than worth the while. Little Bald Knob and Hankey Mountain provides some great vistas and mountain highs reminiscent of bigger, western mountains. Expect the winning time to be just under 8 hours with some riders finishing well into the night. There is 1 mini water station and 5 full service aid stations complete with food, beverages, and support. We have a drop system organized where you can arrange to have supplies (lights, gear, food, etc.) left at the aid stations. The course will be marked and marshaled but each rider will be issued a map (rider must carry at all times). |
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The
Camp: Stokesville
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The SM100 is staged at the Stokesville Campground. Use of this facility is free for all racers. The grounds have water and restrooms as well as an abundance of great camping spots. This campground is open only for this weekend - motorcycles are not permitted. |
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Fee:
Well Worth It
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Classes:
A Spot for You
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Men and Women. This is an ultra-endurance event, participants should be of strong body and mind and prepared for a long day of incredible mountain biking. Cash prizes will be awarded to the Top 5 men and 3 women. Merchandise will be awarded approx. 50 deep. |
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Directions:
Look for the iron bridge
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From I-81 take exit 245 and head west on Port Republic road. Turn left on to Rt. 42 (High Street) and head south to Bridgewater Va. After crossing the bridge over the North River turn right onto Rt. 727. Follow Rt. 727 to first stop sign, turn left continuing on Rt. 727 to first stop sign, Sangersville, turn left on Rt. 730. Follow it to Stokesville. At the next stop sign turn left and continue on Rt. 730 over the one-lane iron bridge. Stokesville campground is on the right, immediately after crossing the bridge. From West on the PA Turnpike - Take 70 east in Breezewood towards Washington D.C. - Take exit 1B (Rt. 522 South-Hancock exit). Go over the Potomac River through Beckeley Springs and into VA towards Winchester for a total of 40 miles before taking a right on 37 South just before Winchester (the 2nd stop light you come to in VA - a small sign for 81 South is at the turn). Follow 37 South to 81 South. Harrisonburg is about 65 miles South of Winchester.
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