This is a race report I hesitate to write. I know some people were against the Mohican 100 happening at this time. It was very strange and I wasn’t sure if I should race or not. In the end, I followed through and competed this year and the plan that Ryan O’Dell came up with was very well thought out. The race started at 7am as usual but it was a staggered start like a time trial. We used timing chips and had designated start times based on your fastest time in the past three years. I started at 7:09 with 5 other riders. I passed a few from the groups ahead in the first 3-4 miles. I was mostly alone the rest of the race with a handful of racers passing me. The gravel roads were perfect, not too muddy and no dust. The Mohican Wilderness trail was another story. The rocks were wet and slippery, so I ran a few sections. I tried to keep a steady pace and I thought I did horrible but in hind sight, I was only passed by one rider in that section. I used Carborocket 333 in my Camelbak, so I had a one pit strategy. I stopped at aid station 3 and topped off my water and took my tights off. I thought the race had 22 more miles but it was shorter. Had I known, I would’ve skipped aid station 3 as well. I had enough Carborocket left and three gels, but I didn’t know so I didn’t take any chances. When I was in the home stretch and my mileage didn’t add up, I got nervous that I made a mistake. I slowed down and let a few riders catch me asking their mileage each time. After the third rider had my exact mileage, I started riding hard again. I crossed the finish line strong and felt good. I was happy with the ride, the modified route and the safety precautions. I missed riding the Mohican trail but with the mud it ended up good for the trail that we didn’t ride on it. I was shocked when my time was fast enough for a podium! That’s when I started second guessing stopping at aid station 3, slowing for too long in the home stretch and not riding my hardtail. After looking at the results, third place beat me by 24 minutes. There’s nothing I could’ve changed to bridge that gap. Third place deserves his position and I am so grateful to have finished in fourth. I rarely ever get on the podium, so I will enjoy this. It most likely will never happen again. CAMBA teammate Steve Stanic finished 13th in the open division in an imp0ressive 2:25! Also, side note, everyone finished the race! No DNF’s, not even for bike malfunctions. No injuries either. A first for the Mohican 100. And finally, Tinker Juarez is an animal. He finished 4th in the 100 mile pro race at 59 years old!!!! I remember watching him on TV in the early 90’s!
Big thanks to our sponsors CAMBA, Fatheads, All Around Cyclery, Dr’s of Optometry, Big Ring Communications, Health Coach Rhea, CrankBrothers and CarboRocket for supporting the team!