The start line at the Shenandoah Mountain 100
With brother and support crew
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First, the course is hard. It’s 14,000 feet of climbing over 100 miles around Shenandoah Mountain in and near the George Washington National Forest. The terrain is tricky, the course is fast, the climbs lengthy. It will test anyone.
Second, the scenery is incredible. The views on a clear day are breathtaking. Hard to take the scenery in for more than a second, but even when exhausted, what you get to see is just wonderful.
Third, those who put this race on are the best. This is the result of a lot of passion and hard work by Shenandoah Mountain Touring and the Shenandoah Bicycle Club, both of Harrisonburg, VA. The aid stations are stocked with friendship and calories and supercharged HI foods like watermelon – a welcomed site for riders nearing the 80 mile mark. The whole event is organized to a fine-grained detail.
Last, this race already has history. Past winners have been Chris Eatough, Trish Stevenson, and Jeremiah Bishop – who with broken ribs was manning Aid Station 6 this year.
It all adds to a formidable opportunity.
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To get there I had to try to find 10-12 hours a week minimum to ride in a schedule where I am working 60-80 hours a week, and all the while keep some sanity in my personal life. Some weeks meant 12-18 hours, and often I have been on the road, so this was very hard. During the first eight months of 2005 I have been to California on business six times, Colorado ten times, Arizona ten times, Utah, New Mexico, Louisiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, North Carolina, and up and down the east coast. So it has always meant scoping out a spin class and telling clients used too breakfast meetings “no more.” |
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All the while Susan Hefler was taking my VO2 max and shaking her head, laughing at my out-of-shape self, yet being encouraging nonetheless. I started logging hours. And making use of travel schedule to my benefit. When in Denver I rode around Boulder. In North Carolina, I rented a bike to ride Pisgah. When in Arizona, I tried to ride every day and left my hard tail out there to do so. Back here it meant weekends in Cotoctin and Gambrill. I’ll never be at the front of the leader board, but I do intend to have a respectable time in the 10 hour zone at next year’s race. |
Anyway, Susan helped me start to build a base, change my metabolic pathways, get off my ass, and ride. So, with nothing but joy in my heart, let me recommend the SM100 to any biker genuinely wishing to test their mettle. For world class riders, there is the 8 hour standard set every year by Trek East and Seven and a handful of others. For exceptionally talented non-pros, there’s the 9-10 hour window to shoot for. For the rest – there’s the chance to finish, eat a lot of pasta, meet really cool riders from all over the country, drink Old Dominion beer and have some burgers, see some beautiful sites, and get your ass kicked from sunup to sundown over Labor Day weekend. |
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