Smith and Carey win Pierre's Hole 100

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The sixth annual Pierre's Hole 100 at the Grand Targhee Resort was dominated by local racers with the exception of a defending NUE Champion from Montana. The newly designed race course featured long, fun descents and showcased-jaw dropping views of the Tetons and surrounding mountains.

Women

After winning the Pierre's Hole 50-mile race last year and following up on her win this season at the High Cascades 100 in Oregon, 2010-2011 NUE Champion, Amanda Carey (Liv/Giant) from nearby Victor, Idaho earned her second win of the NUE race season, completing the course in 9:16:04.

With four NUE Series wins under her belt, Brenda Simril (Motor Mile Racing) leads the overall and she further demonstrated her strength on Saturday with a second place finish at 9:39:10, an hour faster than last year. It was here one year ago that Simril garnered her first ever NUE win following 36 attempts over several years of competing in the NUE Series. Since then, Simril has been on an upward climb and is now just two races away from earning her first NUE Series title.

"Last year, Lee and I came out to Pierre's Hole for the first time and absolutely fell in love with the area. So coming back this year was a no-brainier, and we had the bonus of my sister, Jeannine, and niece, Paola, meeting us out here from California. They followed us around the whole time to cheer and give support so it made the race even more special," said Simril.

"This year's course was fantastic but still every bit as brutal because of all the new singletrack in Rick's Basin. It was also great to get to race with Amanda again, who dominated as usual. This race will always be one of my favorites and I'm already looking forward to coming back next year!"

Jennifer Bubel (Athletes on Track) finished third in 10:24:00. All three women earned the Pierre's Hole Buckle for finishing sub 10.5 hours.

Men

Cary Smith (The Hub Bikes/Enve/Gu), a local favorite from nearby Jackson, Wyoming, earned his second straight win at Pierre's Hole, crossing the line in 7:43:20.

The race started with a continuous 25-minute climb right from the line. Josh Tostado (Swiftwick) set an aggressive pace early and Smith followed with AJ Linnell (Fitzgerald's Bikes/Pivot) competing in the singlespeed division and dangling slightly behind. A chase group formed a little further back.

"We worked together climbing back up to the ski area, but on the steep service road to head into Rick's Basin, I was able to open a small gap," said Smith. "The new course was fantastic, with some really fun singletrack, varied climbing and incredible views."

Seven minutes later, Tostado rolled into second place at 7:50:03. Sam Sweetser (Swiftwick/Santa Cruz/Shimano) claimed the third spot on the podium at 8:07:28.

Gabe Klamer (Brown Dog Biking/Rose Bike/Qualey Granite) and Ian Stanford (Habitat Twin Six) rounded out the top five.

Tatanka 100 Race winner, James Meyer, held third place until adversity struck on lap three when he experienced gastrointestinal problems.

Singlespeed

Linnell won his second straight Pierre's Hole 100 Singlespeed division in 7:59:48, good enough for third overall. Linnell currently leads the NUE Series with wins at the Bailey Hundo and the Tatanka 100 plus two second place finishes at True Grit and the High Cascades 100.

"Holy crap, this year's course solidified Pierre's Hole as my favorite race of the year. So rad!" said Linnell.

Linnell entered the singletrack ahead of Gordon Wadsworth (Blue Ridge Cyclery Racing) and was able to stay within 100 yards or so of the leaders to the top of the Peaked Climb but then he flatted a few switchbacks into an epic descent. "Who flats in the first five miles of a 100-mile race?! So I listened to freewheels buzzing past as I got the hole plugged and got rolling again," he said.

Linnell started reeling back in his competition on the climb up to Targhee on the bottom of lap 1. "I hadn't met Gordon before Saturday, but all I knew was that he is damn fast. Being from Virginia, Gordon was feeling the altitude in a big way and I pulled away up Peaked, focusing on chasing Sam's orange helmet up the switchbacks."

Linnell met his goal of going sub-eight hours by just 12 seconds.

Wadsworth took second in 8:50:11. With three wins this season at Cohutta, Lumberjack, and the Wilderness 101, Wadsworth is now tied with Linnell for the lead in the NUE Series with three firsts and one second place finish. It is highly likely there will be a showdown at the final race that breaks all ties, The Fool's Gold 100 on September 20.

Fourteen minutes behind Wadsworth, Cole Anderson took third finishing in 9:04:15.

Masters 50+

The defending NUE Race Series Champion, 56-year-old Marland Whaley (Red Barn Bicycles) took an important top spot for a second straight year at Pierre's Hole, finishing 9:04:12. This was his second NUE win this year including his win at True Grit Epic in March and, along his second place finish at Mohican and fourth place at Cohutta, may be enough to propel him into the series lead depending on the results of Sunday's Hampshire 100.

Gary Gardiner (Bountiful bicycle P/B Mountain America Credit Union), 51, was second in 9:16:52 while David Johnson (Cafe Velo) took third in 9:26:59.

What's next

On Sunday, The NUE Series shifted hard east to New England for the Eighth Annual Hampshire 100.On August 31, the NUE will head to the mountains of Virginia for the Shenandoah 100.

Results