Bishop and Haywood win Shenandoah Mountain 100

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Remnants of Tropical Storm Isaac, following in the way of last year's Lee that brought soaking rains into a region that was already water-logged from hurricane Irene, added difficulty to an already challenging race, however, the race must go on!

The Shenandoah 100 released 600 anxious hounds on wheels into The George Washington National Forest in Virginia for the final race before the Kenda NUE Series Championship race at the Fool's Gold 100 in Georgia, next Saturday. A highly anticipated showdown, this one-hundred-mile challenge would witness the return of a champion and bring at least one contender a step closer to the title.

Women: Haywood returns and gets the win

Sue Haywood (Stan's NoTubes Women's Elite), who hadn't competed at the Shenandoah Mountain 100 for two years, topped the podium finishing first among women and 28th overall in just 8:33:47. After the race, she said, "It's funny that everyone always expects me to win the Shenandoah 100. It's never that easy! Especially, since it's my first one in over two years, and I had that cough thing that has been going around.

"I wasn't even going to do the race because I was scared that it would hurt too much, but then I thought of two things: There are people who do and complete the race who are in worse physical shape than me because they love riding their bikes and they love the challenge of it. And then there is the beauty of the trails, the volunteers, and all my friends who do the event. It's an important event for our biking community. So I decided that I HAD to do it.

"Everyone knew that it was going to rain at some point in the race because of the forecast. So, we all knew. But for those of us that live in Virginia, those conditions are very, very rare. And for the Shenandoah 100 those conditions haven't been seen before. We all joked that race director Chris Scott had sold his soul to the devil for so many years of good weather. Well, now we know he didn't!

"I felt really good and was very motivated to keep rolling at a good clip. When it rained, it wasn't so bad. It made me go faster to get it over with quicker. I was good on the climbs and a little conservative on the downhills with the Flash 29er hardtail and race tires. I was in and out of great groups all day with lots of friends and fast guys, so it was a blast that way. I climbed great up to checkpoint five but, after checkpoint 5, it seemed like we weren't in Virginia anymore.

"It was like we got transported to the deep, red mud jungle of Costa Rica with huge mud pits, nasty ruts and soul sucking grassy climbs. But, then I thought that some people probably aren't even to check point 3 yet and knew they would have way tougher conditions than me!

"I think some people want to put an asterisk next to their time and do a mud adjusted version of it. But the whole PR thing for these 100 milers can really get in the way. Every time is going to be a little different and it's the way that your mind handles the race that is really important, no matter what the condition. Enjoying the company of the other people out there, meeting the same challenges, and sharing the same thrills, I really had a blast and was stoked that the locals had such a great showing."

Karen Potter (MTBRacenews.com) had her best showing of the NUE Season, placing second at 9:27:23, following her third place finish at the Hampshire 100, just two weeks ago.

"I had a pretty good race despite dreading it with the weather forecast. I almost didn't come down to race when I saw, earlier in the week, that the forecast was pretty bleak following the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac. I mostly tried to just ride my own my ride this race and not get overly concerned about where the other women were which can be impossible not think about.

"I knew Sue would have a strong ride and she did. I never saw her after the start. I passed Brenda Simril (Motor Mile Racing) on the first climb and then Vicki Barclay (Stan's NoTubes Elite Women's Team) in the top of the first climb on a short rough singletrack section. She had flatted and didn't have the right CO2 dispenser for her cartridge so she had to wait till someone would help her.

"Kathleen Harding (Team CF) was ahead of me at this point, and I knew she was pretty strong after riding with her for a bit at the Hampshire 100. I eventually caught her near the top of the third big climb before descending into aid station 3. I was feeling pretty good at this point and having a blast descending until I started to cramp a bit on the downhill but managed to ride out of it.

"The hard rain came as I was descending down into aid station 4 - that was quite a sloppy ride down. I was also thinking, at that point, how bad the top of Shenandoah Mountain would be with the fields that stay sort of soggy even on a dry year. I was starting to feel really flat up the climb to aid station 5 but finally came around and got through all the nasty muddy sections. I was also happy not to have been caught up that climb either as I was feeling it in my legs by then. Once at the top of the 'big climb' I knew I was home free, for the most part, to finish up and held onto second."

Eight minutes later, Kathleen Harding rolled into third in 9:35:10. Haywood's teammate, Vicki Barclay, who placed second at Hampshire, crossed 14 minutes later in 9:47:25 for fourth place. A second place finish at Fool's Gold Championship race next Saturday is what Barclay will need to capture third place in the NUE Series.

Brenda Simril (Motor mile racing) finished exactly five minutes behind Barclay, placing fifth in 9:52:25. With three second place finishes to her credit this year, Simril has a firm grip on third place as long as she can hold off Barclay and finish strong at the Fool's Gold 100.

Men: Bishop gets his third NUE Series win, now a legitimate bid for the title

"It feels amazing to win on home turf today at the Shenandoah 100. This puts Cannondale into the NUE 100 Series lead with one race left! It would be awesome to win the series." That was what Jeremiah Bishop (Cannondale Factory Racing) had to say following his win on Sunday in 7:18:00.

"It was a really challenging day today, the remnants of tropical storm Isaac made it a proper mountain bike race! Torrents of mud water coming down the trail, lots of riders lost brakes and had drivetrain issues. I am really lucky because my Cannondale Flash worked perfectly today.

"The steep sections of singletrack were fun, but you had to be on your toes due to the roots and rocks. Unlike most 100-mile races, the start was fierce from the beginning with pro roadie Keck Baker snagging the lead from Sam Koerber (Niner/Industry Nine) for the first trail on Narrowback. They rubbed elbows and Sam crashed.

"Soon after passing a cheering section with costumed fans our seven-rider strong group hit the second toughest Trail section of Lynn-Wolf and I knew this was a critical section. I attacked when I noticed Christian Tanguy (Team CF) was a few riders back on steep singletrack climb. My effort to put pressure at the front paid off as Sam and I sped away in an early alliance to put time on our rivals. At the time, I was unaware that Christian had flatted and was chasing most of the day.

"Christian Tanguy and Evan Plews (Ibis/Kenda) came on strong with a late race charge nearly catching me at aid 6! Luckily, I had enough reserves to attack the final climb up Hankey Mountain in the big ring. I had no clue that Christian, who was just out of sight, was still closing in and had passed Plews to finish just one minute down.

"I was really impressed with Christian. He is an under rated rider. To come back after losing five minutes like that, proves he is a World class competitor. It's also a great weekend for Cannondale Factory Racing because we had two NUE wins and now hold a slim margin coming into the final race. The Fools Gold 100 Championship, next week, is shaping up to be another great battle."

NUE Series defending Champion Christian Tanguy (Team CF), despite suffering a lengthy flat, managed to claw his way back to within one minute of Bishop, finishing second at 7:19:00. Tanguy said, "The race started with an incredible fast pace, the fastest I ever experienced for this race. We were climbing at record speed and we were only five racers reaching the top together. I was glad I was among that group.

"Before we reached the second major ascent of the day, a few racers joined us at the front. However, the group was shattered when Jeremiah took the lead and put pressure on the rest of us. Only Sam Koerber was directly following Jeremiah's wheel. I was in fourth place about 20 seconds back but not especially worried. Once the main climb is over, there are still a few little uphill sections where I could push a little harder and join back. Most of the gap was closed before reaching the main descent. My full suspension helped me close the final bike lengths separating me from Sam's bike.

"Everything was going well until a sharp stone punctured my rear tire. The repair took me about six to seven minutes to repair, during which many racers passed me. I had reliable tires but sometimes it is just a matter of luck (or lack of).

"I teamed up with some other racers until the beginning of the third main climb to Dowell's Draft. I had a good pace. Being on my own, I controlled my effort and avoided any surges. Unfortunately it began to rain quite heavily at times. It was all that I wished to avoid: a mechanical problem and the rain. The trails transformed into little creeks; my vision through my prescription glasses was just a blurry mess.

"Near the top, I passed Michael Simonson (RBS Trek MTB Team/No Tubes) and it kept me motivated to keep up with my good tempo. Going down wet and slippery rocks on a steep trail is an exercise I don't enjoy and I used extreme caution. The fourth main climb was totally uneventful. I was just getting tired.

"I could not wait to put behind the relatively flat roads after aid #4. I was certain to lose quite a bit of time there. Finally the grade of the climb increased, so was the pain in the legs, but I was certain I was making up time. I reached up to Brandon Draugelis (Team CF) and then Sam Koerber. By aid #5, under another round of rain, the volunteers gave me splits: two minutes to Evan Plews and four minutes to Jeremiah.

"I went into chasing mode but my reduced vision thru my muddy glasses was impeding my speed. Even with a carefully negotiated downhill to aid #6 I was glad to hear that Evan closed the gap to Jeremiah and they were just two minutes in front of me.

"The last climb was just painful; each pedal stroke was a difficult task but I passed Evan. I had almost arrived so I kept the effort to my max capacity. Finally, by the finish line I was second, not too far back from Jeremiah.

"Like last year, the championship will hinge on one single race: Fool's Gold. I hope my legs will feel just as good as for this edition of the Shenandoah 100."

Less than three minutes behind Tanguy, Evan Plews took third at 7:22:50, and now needs to win at Fool's Gold to continue his bid for the title. "Headed east for the Shenandoah 100 this weekend but the best made travel plans were laid to waste by a hurricane named Isaac.

"After a late arrival into Baltimore, I got to bed after 2:00 am. We made it to the venue in time for the rain to begin. Seems like nearly every trip I make east for racing ends up a muddy mess! Still on Pacific time, I couldn't seem to sleep a wink that night and "woke up" at what seemed like the witching hour. I got on my bike for a little warm up ride only to discover that I'd inadvertently forgotten my legs in sunny (and not so humid) Oregon.

"The race began with some road work, and I wasn't waking up and as the trail went uphill I was going backward. As we reached the first trail I was behind a few too many folks and lost considerable time on the first descent. I passed Christian Tanguy fixing a bummer flat on the next downhill. Thank goodness for Michael Simonson racing hard and helping me work it back as he kept hammering up on the road sections. Soon, I caught and eventually left Brandon Draugelis on the next climb/descent cycle.

"Near the top of the 'big climb', I passed Sam Koerber for second place then the race took a turn when the neutral bottle swap wasn't available at aid station 5. I pressed on and caught Jeremiah Bishop on the next downhill only to go bottle less again as I followed him past the last aid station. In the confusion over where I might get a bottle, JB got a gap and, again, I missed a feed which turned out to be critical. On the final climb, as I ran out of fuel, Christian finally rode by effortlessly as only he can do! Even more tired than I was when the day began I managed to finish in third place which seemed like a gift under the circumstances. I am hoping for a little rest and acclimation to this time zone will make Fool's Gold a better result, oh, and of course, sunny skies, low humidity and absolutely no rain!"

Eighteen minutes later, Sam Koerber finished fourth in 7:40:07 with Aaron Snyder (Scott Pro Mountain Bike Team) claiming fifth in 7:41:24. Tanguy's teammate Brandon Draugelis (Team CF) rounded out sixth place in 7:42:15.

Singlespeed: Blair gets his second NUE Series win  while the Pfluginator claims his third straight NUE title

Patrick Blair (Adventures for the Cure) took the top spot, 12th Overall, at 8:08:09 his faithful 32x18 gearing, although threatening to go with a 32x17 next year! "All of the singlespeeders started together. Quickly, after the start, I was with Matt Ferrari (Freeze Thaw/Hubcap Cycles/Stans NoTubes), Justin Pokrivka (Top Gear/Cohen and Associates), Gerry Pflug (Salsa Cycles/NoTubes/Top Gear), Ron Harding (Trestle Bridge Racing), and Lance Byrd (Adventures for the Cure). Soon after that Ron, Gerry, and I were able to get a small gap on the others and we got into a group with a few geared riders.

"I got a small gap on Gerry, running a 30x17, and Ron, who was running a 34x19 gearing, but they easily caught me on the following descent. The third climb (at 35-40 miles) was a brutal one! Ron and I got away from Gerry and we didn't see him again. After the race I found out that Gerry DNF'd shortly after that climb. He is the leader of the series and the championship is next weekend. If Ron won at SM100, the tie breaker would be between him and Gerry next Saturday at Fool's Gold. Gerry was smart to call it a day and save his energy to be fresh for the showdown at Fool's Gold, just in case Ron was able to beat me for the win.

"After that, it was Ron and I battling for first. On the fourth climb, Ron made a move. I promised myself that I would not let Ron take me outside of my pace like he did to me at the last race. There are only two things that you have 100% control of in these races: pace and nutrition. I was going to make sure that I did both of those perfectly. If I lost after that then so be it. To keep pace I never allowed myself to go above a zone 4 heart rate on any climbs until the last 15 miles when the race really starts and you can let it all out.

"After Ron got away from me, we entered the most epic/longest/hardest climb of the day... It was a 20-mile climb with the last 10 being totally ridiculous, especially with the wet conditions. As I caught geared racers going up the climb, I always asked them how far ahead Ron was. At the start they told me five minutes! Towards the end someone told me two minutes!!

"I was hesitant to believe I was catching him, but I just held my pace and, with only one or two miles before the top, I caught him. I passed him going extra fast and trying to make it look like I was not tired (laughing). I was hoping to dash his spirits so that he would not want to chase after me. I was able to get a gap on him but he rallied and never gave up... that's for sure.

"Passing him gave me a huge boost of energy! I thought the major climbing was over after the 20mile climb but I was wrong. There was a significant five-ish mile climb right before the finish! This was actually kind of good for me because I was feeling good. I passed three more geared riders on this last climb. Then, with just 1.5 miles left on the final descent, I cut the sidewall of my back tire on a rock.

"I could not believe it. After all of this, I was going to lose because of a flat tire?! NO! I would ride the flat to the finish, surely destroying my wheel in the process, but it would be worth it to win. Fortunately the Stan's Sealant did its job and after only 30 agonizing seconds of listening to the air hiss out of my tire it stopped!! Magic!!! Wow! I lost less than five psi and I was rolling again."

Ron Harding, winner of the Hampshire 100, was not far behind, finishing just three minutes behind Blair. However, unfortunately for Harding, that three minutes would take him out of his duel with the Pfluginator.

The two-time defending champion, Gerry Pflug, who dropped out of the race, said, "With my best four NUE Series Races consisting of three wins and a second, the only way I could improve my chances of winning a fourth consecutive NUE Series singlespeed title was to win the Shenandoah 100 race. But, with a tough field of SS riders and a threat of muddy riding conditions coming from the forecast of heavy rain, I knew winning Shenandoah was going to be hard to do. Additionally, I also knew that the most important race for me to win out of the two would be the Fool's Gold NUE Series Championship Race because it was a designated tie breaker race. I wondered if I should even do Shenandoah a couple of days before the race, so that my legs would be fresher for Fool's Gold. But, I decided to give it a try to see how my closest competition (Ron Harding) was riding.

"Pretty much after the first big climb Ron, Patrick Blair and I were able to sneak away from the other single speed riders. The lead between the three of us switched back and forth a few times until the long climb after check point #2. About halfway up this long climb, around mile 40 or so, Pat and Ron pulled away from me and the rain really started to come down hard.

"I knew it was still early in the race, so I stuck to my pace and decided to see what happened. I learned by check point #3 that the fast pair of SS riders ahead of me had already gained four minutes at that point. While riding all alone on a very long paved road section after check point 3, I realized that continuing to race was not the wisest thing for me to do with the championship race less than a week away. So, I rode into check point four and got directions for the quickest ride from there back to the finishing area.

Along the 15-mile ride on paved and gravel roads back to the campground, the rain began coming down super hard again. It was at that point I knew my decision to quit was the best one, since I had more to lose by continuing to race than I had to gain from finishing in any position other than first."

Just one minute behind Harding, Gordon Wadsworth (Blue Ridge Cyclery) finished third at 8:12:42. "It all began at Oh-630 am....I rolled out with the 8hr slot crew after hitting the water closet a bit too late in the game to line up with the 7hr kids. Rolled out the road and caught on to Matt "Ive got a belt buckle with ma name on it" Ferrari half way up the first fire road climb.

"The 32x18 gear I ran was well steep through some parts, nothing ol' Quadsworth couldn't handle though, but it was absolutely my saving grace here as I was able to solo back up to Matt and the geared riders, as the major storm dropped its fury on us. Leading into the steppes of the "Death Climb" I recognized that I had a little more in the tank than Matt, or for whatever reason he was keeping a slower pace than I apparently was capable of, so I stood up on my 32x18 and paced the hell out of that climb.

"I passed teammate Ryan Fawley on the slopes of the climb, which caused a lot of confusion to Matt later when he passed Ryan. I pulled into aid 5 and got the good word that I was only a few minutes behind second place singlespeed. I caught him on the killing fields of the death climb and we settled into the Chestnut descent. Unfortunately my brakes were toast from the sandy mud which was the upper stair steps of the climb and I was unable to keep up on the drops.

"After a few Danny Hart-inspired rock drops, I hit the fire road. I had in my head that second was way up the road at that point and sat back onto a 'bring it home' rhythm. Second ascent of the final climb down I dropped into Stokesville like it was going out of style, zero brake pressure forced me into a touch of a mad max six pack descent, and I rolled in only a minute or so behind."

Seventeen minutes later, Ferrari would finish fourth in 8:29:32 with Kelly Klett (Trips for Kids Triangle/Grassroots Bikes) claiming fifth in 9:01:02.

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