Thank you for registering for the 15th Annual Shenandoah Mountain 100 - Sept 1st, 2013 - NUE Series

Please become a FRIEND of Shenandoah Mountain Touring - and - LIKE our company page on Facebook so we can more easily tag you in our Shenandoah Mountain 100 event galleries and video's. Friends and family can also follow the excitement of the event via an assortment of social media avenue's if they search for #sm100. Use #sm100 in your tweets and with your pictures and keep the momentum going!! Instagram is one of the most popular and our SMT account is shenandoahmountaintouring. Our twitter feed is ShenMtnTouring. Post event coverage by Thom Parsons and Scott Wootten on Dirtwire.tv and on cyclingnews.com.

This 15th season for us has become a milestone year. We have begun to realize some of our grandest dreams. The first phase began last year when we created the Stokesville Lodge adjacent to the Stokesville Campground. This past winter/spring we held a few local trail fundraiser weekends with bike clubs and they loved it.That might have to do with the brand new trails on adjacent mountains - Lookout and Narrowback. While you are here for the 100 you MUST take a stroll down below the observatory and through the field and check out the Stokesville Lodge just below the Stokesville Campground. It's a neat a-frame house perfectly positioned and outfitted for your team, family and friends to escape and build an amazing outdoor vacation around.

The second phase is the Stokesville Campground itself! We have leased the property from the new owners and will be creating the Shenandoah Mountain Touring Center at the Stokesville Campground. Our offerings will include the full gamut of bike park facilities that you have seen in vidoes and print around the country. Part of the property we are managing is the fields down by the river including the swimming hole too. We are really excited to bring a family friendly trail system that extends from the campground down to the fields below and into the Forest. Camping will be available here by advance reservation after this weekend. We are accepting applications for a innkeeper/grounds manager who will reside at the yellow depot house at the Campground entrance. We are offering individual and family lifetime access passes to raise money for the trails and facility improvements. Guaranteed for a minimum of 10 years - $1,000 individual and $2,000 family. Come out and camp and ride with us whenever you can get away!!

Because of an insanely wet year we have had to spend a lot of time getting the trails ready to go for the event and they are riding really really well. We brushed Wolf Ridge over the winter and you can barely tell now. What a SHAME!! It has grown back in but is still riding pretty good. Dowell's Draft was busted open last Saturday. Braley Pond the week before that and Chestnut Ridge was dialed in this week. I think it is going to be the BEST Shenandoah Mountain 100 riding course EVER. SMT staff Ian, Tony and Kelly put in some super long hard days along with SM100 riders like Andy Rhodes, Alex Kurland, Erik Jensen, Bryan Wright and John Petrylak who will have some amazing trail karma on their side this weekend.

Our local Forest Service office, the North River Ranger District has done an AMAZING job with a very limited budget this year. It would be great if you thanked them by calling the office and letting the receptionist know how much you appreciated they hard work. 540-432-0187 They have regraded the roads and cut brush back which has given us the chance to focus on dialing in the singletrack.

You might remember hearing last year that the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition was making another HUGE contribution to the local National Forest trail system. Yup, and this is after the 2010 grant where over $50,000 went to the trails used in the Shenandoah Mountain 100. Well, in 2012 they upped the ante and over $60,000 of the Phase II grant went to the Shenandoah Mountain 100 course. IT IS SICK what we accomplished working together. The product is a new trail in the event which will bring the course from a just shy of 100 miles to hitting it right on the nose.

The Phase II North River Trails Enhancement Project complete in December of 2012 was a collaborative effort from the SVBC in partnership with IMBA, Shenandoah Mountain Touring and the United States Forest Service. This second successfully administered grant from the Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration Recreational Trails Program has created destination trails right here in the Shenandoah Valley - SVBC is on a ROLL!

A great way to say thanks to SVBC is to come back down to the Stokesville Campground for the Shenandoah Mountain Bike Festival - Oct 11-13 (SVBC Event) and ride all of these fun new trails. - You can also make a donation to support the future Phase III SVBC Recreational Trails Program grant on the Festival Registration page.

Chris Eatough just sent us down a note saying how much he is going to miss riding in his favorite event again this year. He is extending a very generous 50% off offer to all participants and volunteers of this years Shenandoah Mountain 100. This is a exclusive offer for this event only - 50% off any of Chris Eatough training plans. To redeem this offer send an email with the code "SM100" to info@chriseatough.com. The full selection of training plans can be found HERE www.chriseatough.com/?page=plans This special offer is valid until September 30, 2013. Chris Eatough's 20 Week Winter Training Plan will provide the foundation to make 2014 the year you reach your potential and fulfill your racing goals. Chris has plans available for the Shenandoah 100, Wilderness 101, 24 Hour Solos, Mountain Bike Stage Races, and many other endurance mountain bike races.

Our next event is the invite only exhibition for our Enduro Supremo from Friday Sept 13th to Sunday the 15th. After running a very successful Enduro at the Massanutten Hoo Ha! this past June we realized that a big mountain extreme trail event such as the one we had planned for the National Forest was going to be very very tricky to execute successfully. So we have scaled back our offering and will be touring the route with a small bad ass group that will not exceed 25 people so we can work through the logistics and be able to offer one of the most exciting and challenging events on the east coast in 2014. It's going to be better then you can even imagine!

Then we will be assisting the Bishop's with the Jeremiah Bishop Alpine Loop Grand Fondo on Sunday Sept 29th. This is a great event that you should not miss. Erin and Jeremiah have a first class ride going on. I had to use this saying again, but it is true. Their route is "better then you can even imagine", I feel like I am lost in the Alps when I ride through the mountains they use.

October 13th - The Rocktown Cyclocross Festival will be taking place in Harrisonburg at Hillandale Park - Register HERE

--- THE Race Brief! ---

From Shenandoah Mountain 100 - 2010

The Shenandoah Mountain 100 actually has 13 spots open from all the injuries that have flooded our inbox in the last few weeks. Come on out and let your friends know they can sign up on site - SWEET!!

The Shenandoah Mountain 100, held in Virginia’s George Washington National Forest is the only true big mountain 100 on the east coast. The challenging and fun course is the largest NUE event. The route takes 650 bicyclists over 6 large mountains and along amazing scenic singletrack is second in popularity to only to the Leadville 100. The Virginia event that has long been the keystone of the NUE Series always has some excitement in store. This year a great new route on Narrowback (up close view of the Narrowback section HERE) will be a delight! The FULL COURSE MAP IS HERE!

Guests are not welcome at the event unless they have sign up to volunteer. We do have a few slots remaining for VOLUNTEERS. We could use a few marshals and need a tiny bit of help serving food. Email us at Shenandoah.Mountain.Touring@gmail.com

If you forgot any bicycle related items, our local shop the Shenandoah Bicycle Company located in downtown Harrisonburg, VA is open till 4 PM on Saturday. If you do stop in to visit them save room for one of their delicious smoothies from the Pulp Smoothie Bar

Directions below - please follow them! and do NOT call or email us looking for an address to enter into your GPS. If you can't find the campground with these directions you will have to much difficulty following the course. There is a bridge out on the route your GPS would take you on anyway!

From I-81 take exit 240. Follow Rt. 257 to Bridgewater. Take a left on Rt. 42 south, cross the bridge leaving Bridgewater and turn right onto Rt. 727. Follow to T and turn left staying on 727. Follow to stop sign, turn left onto Rt. 730, and follow to Stokesville. At next stop sign turn left on Rt. 730 again and cross over the Iron Bridge. The Stokesville Campground is immediately on your right.

2013 Continued Improvements-

1) A great starting area and increased camping area below the Stokesville Observatory. We will have a bracketed starting area similar to marathons. Please line up in the area based on your expectations/reality (7HR, 8HR, 9HR, 10HR..)
2)Aid Station's #2/#6 (bottom of Chestnut Ridge), #3 (Dowell's Draft), #4 (Braley Pond), and #5 (Shenandoah Mountain) have been improved.
3) Please do not use the showers at Todd Lake Campground unless you are a registered camper at the Campground. We have been informed they are not included in the day use swimming fee. You may pay for and use the Showers at the Natural Chimney Campground 4 miles down the road. We recommend the swimming hole or the ghetto shower at the Campground- yep, no shower truck this year...!

Here are your participant responsibilities. 1) Do NOT plug anything in any electric outlets - specifically at or near the Observatory, 2) obey all traffic laws and rules of the trail while participating in the event (you will be riding on open roads and trails - stay tight and to the right on Rt. 250 after Station #3 and never stop and set your bike down in or on a road, please get in the grass on the shoulder, the only ones who can stop in the road are the bear hunters with their trucks - sorry!) 3) notify the finish line official AND the nearest aid station if you drop out of the event 4) do NOT ever turn your car alarm on while you are at the Stokesville Campground 5) don't take your car keys with you during the race and make sure everyone traveling with you knows where they are 6) make sure your guests are signed up to volunteer or don't bring them 6) make sure your dogs stay on a leash the whole time if you really have to bring them. 7) take all the supplies you bring to the event home with you (that means trash) 8) don't drive out of the Stokesville Campground the way you entered - exit the way the racers leave at the start, the "EXIT". 9) bring your favorite camp plate, drink cup and utensils 10) do not light a camp fire - there will only be ONE near the pavilion! 11) Only let your children play in the playground if you deem it safe - the fact that the equipment is there does not mean it is safe. 12) Refresh and replenish your StansNoTubes sealant before the event so you can run optional tire pressure, get amazing traction and have a safer ride!!

We are requesting that folks who know their way around don't drive through the Todd Lake area to get to aid station #3-#4 to limit traffic on the course. The aid station directions for #3 and #4 give directions using Stribbling Springs Rd. to Rt. 250. By using this route you will prevent racers from coughing up nasty dust phlegm for hours after the event. We also don't want anyone but the sweep vehicle driving up FR 95 / FR 85 to get to Aid Station #5. The Volunteer directions send you up the paved route towards Reddish Knob via Rt. 924 - this will eliminate you dusting out racers for over 15 miles.

All volunteers please follow parking directions when you arrive at your aid station - signs will be posted!

The campground is at max capacity.... don't bring extra people unless they have committed to volunteering for the weekend. -- Also -- Don't be a primadonna and have your special person think they can drive around the course to cheer you on. There is not enough room on the forest roads for this to happen. Managing the campground food and beer situation has always worked somehow. It can't continue if you bring unannounced people. We don't have the room. They can come to Harrisonburg to ride any other time of the year. They can come back to the Stokesville Campground by special appointment or during the Oct 11-13 weekend for the Shenandoah Mountain Bike Festival.

Ok, back to the rules and then onto the good stuff in a minute. Racers can send a maximum of 2 drop bags to aid stations (1 gallon zip lock bag) that we will provide upon request at registration. Those bags have to be closed and sealed for us to take them to an aid station. We will not transport camelbak systems. You can take an extra 30 seconds to fill up the one you are already wearing. Jeremiah Bishop will not get this special treatment, neither will you. Your pals at the aid station can not bring things out there for you period. Anything they bring will be open for everyone to use - i.e. neutral support. If we see this happening security will quietly pack you into their vehicle and take you away. This will apply to anyone with a vehicle following them around from aid station to aid station - YOU WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE COURSE!

The Law of Support - Race Rule #1- For 2013, as in past years, we do not allow outside support on the course (except from other registered racers) or at aid stations (except from volunteers). This decision was made in an attempt to extend the life of the event. We cannot have spectators or support crews traveling around excessively on the National Forest roads during the event or we will not have our permit renewed with the National Forest. We have been told this again this year. The Forest is for many different users and we don't want to ruin anyone's experience by overusing an area. So we are asking for your friends and family to volunteer at an aid station or pick one to hang out at and not try and follow the race. Those of us that want this event to continue thank you tremendously for not traveling on the course to follow your special person. Open up your heart to everyone at one of the aid stations and make friends!!!

Slippery Fingers – Race Rule #2 - Tuck your energy bar wrappers under the elastic on the leg of your shorts, don't just reach behind for your pocket and assume it made it in there!!!

Stokesville Campground - as most of you have experienced the Stokesville Campground is a wonderful place to host the event. Camping is first come first served. There are flush toilets, sinks and lots of porta johns. The shower trailer will not be there this year. It is being repaired... SORRY. You can still swim in the river under the Stokesville bridge. There are not any RV hookups and we will not allow any generators to be running at Stokesville Campground. Leave your RV at home please. Please do not use the trash can vaults that are in the ground near your campsite. You had room to bring everything your brought with you, we request that you take it home with you too, even if it is in a trash bag. There is enough room for every racer to camp. Please assist us with our effort to limit waste this year by bringing your favorite camp plate and mug that can reuse the entire weekend. Take your trash out with you, we can handle the trash from the food we provide, and request that you do the same.

Stokesville Observatory – it will be open for your pleasure on Saturday and Sunday night. If you are camping near the Observatory please keep your bright white lights OUT so those interested in viewing the planets can have a higher quality look.

Packet Pickup- Saturday 4:05ish -10 pm
Sunday race starts 6:30 am

Aid Stations -- please note that HEED is the ONLY sports drink we will be providing at the aid stations

#1 - 12 miles in- is just a quick water fill up with a water bottle exchange system

#2 Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club with Tech Support By Rocktown Bicycles
- 31 miles in- is full on food, water, and HEED
--cut off 12:30

#3 The Sole Source with Tech Support by Shenandoah Bicycle Co.
- 45 miles in- is Hammer Gel and full on food, water, and HEED
-- cut off 2:30

#4 Blackwater Bike Shop - Lynchburg, Virginia
- 57 miles in- Clif Blocks, full on food, water, HEED, other sports drinks – some carbonated soda
--cut off 4:00

#5 Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition
- 75 miles in- is Hammer Gel and full on food, water, and HEED(light drop station).
-- cut off 4:20 if you DON'T have lights 6:00 even if you do have lights

#6 Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club with Tech Support By Rocktown Bicycles
- 88 miles in- is full on food, water and HEED
-- cut off 8:00-

**** all cutoffs are subject to change at any time ****

Full on food is – PB&J sandwiches, Figs, Cookies, Granola Bars, Trail Mix, Pringles, Twizzlers, Gummy Bears and a mix of Apples and Bananas.

Check the website for the weekend schedule (campground schedule)

If you have to leave a drop bag behind at the race, fill out a priority mail label at the finish line table with your racer number on it and give us a $10 check for postage – Otherwise we appreciate your donation of gear to the cause. All bags not claimed or will be emptied at 9:00 am on Monday morning and contents/supplies will be emptied and used for the local fall trail work series.

The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition, Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club, IMBA and the SMT staff has done some great work on the trails in the last few weeks making them ride much better then they have all summer.

VOLUNTEERS - A HUGE "thanks" in advance for everyone coming down to volunteer for the event. We hope you have a wonderful time at the Stokesville Campground and enjoy your time in your National Forest.

Emergency Protocol -- If you have any allergies or require any medications please grab a sharpie from the registration table and describe your condition or list your needs on the back of your number plate. This is the first place that will be checked if someone is found unconscious. There is a good chance we could have a nasty case of Yellow Jackets (Bee's) on the course this year. You must be prepared with the medication that you would need to survive multiple stings.

We re-announce our aid station cut off schedule at the racers meeting and again at the start line.

The thousand mile club has long time hero's Garth Prosser (Specialized), Larry Camp (Michaux Green), Mike Buchness (Team Bike Lane), Albert Greene (DCMTB) Jens Nielsen (Stan's NoTubes Masters Team) and David Olsen (Juggernaut ESF) notching more miles in their belts. Larry and Mike are shooting for their 15th straight this year. HUGE luck to them!!

Masters 50+
Jukka Jokela (Medilaser-Specialized MTB Team) crushed everyone at the Wilderness 101. Lets see if Roger Masse (Team CF) has recovered enough from his lyme disease to make a serious challenge.

Other contenders that could own the day are Mike Ramponi (Firefly Bicycles), Mike Boyes (Athens Bicycle), Scottie D (Foghorn Leghorn), and 14 year SM100 veteran Larry Camp (Team Green). Jim Matthews (MBR/The Bicycle Shop) and Mark Drogalis (Team CF) have been down previewing the course, will see if this actually helps them!

Singlespeed

Is this FINALLY Matt Ferrari's (Freeze Thaw/Hubcap Cycles) day coming up on Sept 1st. Will local Chris "Chas" Michaels (Marks Bike Shop) choke? Has Dan "#endurolifestyle.com" Atkins recovered from his mangled hand at the tour d burg? Can Rich Dillen (Team Dicky) ride away from the limelight that will be Thom Parsons (Dirtwire.tv) camera and contest this event? Hal Batdorf (LoneWolfCycling.com, Daniel Rapp (Toasted Head Racing), Watts Dixon (Revolution Cycles, NC) and Gordon Wadsworth (Blue Ridge Cyclery) will round out the top contenders this year. They better all watch out for Hburg local Joel Maynard on his fixed gear destroyer. Joels bike ways twice what most of the singlespeed bikes weight and it goes twice as fast too. Joel is the only one to watch out for on the course this coming Sunday. Joel will be in full daddy rage mode and it is INTENSE!!

Women’s Open
Absent from the Shenandoah this year will be Cheryl Sornson (Team CF) who has put all her eggs in her attempt to claim another NUE title. Filling Cheryl’s shoes as the gal with the most game is Harrisonburg local and past National and World Champion Sue Haywood (Stan's NoTubes Women's Elite) This is Haywood’s first 100 miler this year and she should be lightning fast as usual mixing it up with the top 20 men. Challengers for the top spots on the podium include the very impressive yet evenly matched Vicki Barclay (Stans NoTubes Womens Elite) and Brenda Simril (Motor Mile Racing).
Other super fast amazing riders who will be duking it out for the top 5 women's payout includes; Emily McDonald (Veloworks-Spokes, Etc.), Melissa Petty (SCO/MicroMetals/BikeZoo), Laura Hamm (East Coasters) and Priscilla Baltz (Arkansas Cycling and Fitness)

I would love to have the SM 100 Enduro results on Whitney March (SBC/JVSquad), Lindsey Carpenter (SBC/JVSquad) and Anne Mader (the Bike Lane) they will be ROLLING on these downhills and you guys had better move over and let them on by - #endurolifestyle

Men’s Open

Major contendors for the podium include teammates Zack Morrey and Jeff Dickey (Scott Pro Mountain Bike Team), Jens Nielsen, Garth Prosser (Specialized), Rob Spreng (Dirty Harry's), Aaron Snyder (Stan's NOTUBES/Transylvania Epic), David Yacobelli (Corning/StansNoTubes) Jed Prentice (Bike Doctor), Andy Rhodes (Black Dog Bikes/ North Mountain Woodworks), Erik Jensen (Marks Bike Shop/Edible POWER!), Connor Bell and Cameron Ritcher (Rocktown Cycles) Kyle Lawrence (Shenandoah Bicycle Co.), Michael Tobasko and Matthew Donahue (DCMTB), Stephan Kincaid (Stan's NoTubes p/b Proferrin), Dan Kotwicki (RBS Cycling Team), Ernesto Marenchin (Pivot Cycles) and maybe even a semi broken Kevin Carter (Gripped Racing p/b Dogfish Head Alehouse) can mount a challenge.

From just over the mountain in Charlottesville we have Bob Anderson (Plum Grove Cyclery) who has rolled some amazing fast SM100’s. John Petrylak (Blue Ridge Cyclery), Alex Kurland (CAMBC/IMBA), Sam Lindblom (CAMBC/IMBA) and Eric Magrum (FOOF B Team) should have solid rides representing the FOOF too. Representing Richmond we have Joe Fish (Design Physics Racing) who has crushed this course and super fast pro Keck Baker (Champ Sys/Cannondale/C.B.C/Battley Harley) who keeps failing to perform here and seemingly fit Travis "Metro" Williams (Bikeman.com/Ergon/Twin Six). Pretty huge no-shows coming out of Richmond too. I won't even mention their names....waaawaaaa!

Christian Tanguy (Team CF) would love a victory here this weekend to bring the NUE Series Title one step closer but we know what Jeremiah Bishop (SHO-AIR Cannondale) intends to do... set a new course record!! That is going to be exciting to see. Last year after flatting early in the event on Wolf Ridge, Tanguy was actually reeling in Jeremiah Bishop on the last mountain. It boggled my mind to think that was even slightly possible, but it happen. And THAT sets the tone for this weekend, ANYTHING is possible, have at it everyone, give it full gas!!

Yielding the young Jedi in training powers at the Shenandoah this year will be 13 year old Adam Croft (Trek Mountain Co-op) and 14 year old Jonah Merriam (Crosshairs Cycling). Don't feel too bad when these skilled youngsters beat you!

Mens Enduro ROWDYNESS - #endurolifestyle.com Yep, it's still underground, but there is going to be a lot of compadres' gunning for the title. Poz, Tony "Gunz" Vachino, Chris Green, Klasmeier, and countless others. FUN STUFF!!

A HUGE thanks to all of the sponsors for 2013

The North Face
Stan's NoTubes
Virginia Eagle Distributing Company and the Stokesville Market has brought on:
Three Brothers Brewing - featuring "the Great Outdoors" and "Hoptimization"
CLif Bar - Feturing Clif Shot Blocks
Hammer Nutrition with Hammer Gel and HEED - no flasks this year, just packets at the aid stations!!
Shenandoah Mountain Touring, LLC
Trek Bicycles
Toasted Head Barrel Aged Wine
Blue Ridge Mountain Sports - Brms.com
Kenda USA
Massanutten Resort
Stokesville Lodge
Shenandoah Bicycle Co.
The Sole Source - OUR BEST Harrisonburg Shoe Store
Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition
Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club (CAMBC)
United States Forest Service
Squirt Lube
Chanellos Pizza - at Aid Station #5
Billy Jack's- Wing and Draft Shack
Jack Brown's- Beer and Burger Joint
Galindo Consulting
CZB

A HUGE thanks to the JMU University Recreation Wilderness First Responders who will be out on the course at our remote medic locations. Dr. George Wortley the leader of the ducktape brigade, and Mr. Richard Watson and the Lynchburg Amateur Radio Club!

Ian Beckner and Rick Wilkins will be leading it all out on the Motos! SOOOO EXCITING!!!

We wish you safe travels to the Shenandoah Valley and Virginia's George Washington National Forest for the Shenandoah Mountain 100.

Good luck and we will see ya soon,

The Shenandoah Mountain 100 Crew