Ohio Cycling Disorder (OCD)

Start/Finish line was on point! I have raced several 6-hour lap races in the past but never a duo race where you team up with a fellow MTBer and swap laps. My good friend, training partner, and Rescue Racing teammate called me out to see if I was at all interested in racing the Twain Reign of Pain Duo 6.5 hour race with him. It took me a good amount to deep thought to finally decide that I was willing to race with him. All 6-hour races are hard, but the difference maker in a Duo format race, and at least in my humble opinion, is the downtime when you are not shredding singletrack but waiting for your partner to finish their lap. That downtime is my biggest concern and as I heard and chatted with other racers is definitely one of the top 3 concerns that racers are lamenting over. Do you sit? Do spin? When do you warm your legs up again all while not overdoing it and no missing your teammate hit the finish line when you had better be ready to tag and GO! Being inquisitive an...

Marji Gesick 100  -  #findyourlimitsanddestroythem I signed up for the Marji Gesick 100 before it was announced the race would be a part of the NUE series. The challenge intrigued me and after the inclusion into the NUE was announced I contacted the Race Director (not sure if it was Todd or Danny that responded) to find out if the nature of the race was going to change and be a kinder and gentler Marji Gesick 100 (those who have raced Hampshire 100 know what I mean). They confirmed that it would not be changing … cool … I’m in. Before signing up, I asked my dad if he was interested in taking a trip with me while I head to Michigan to race the MG100. I don’t do many 1-on-1 activities with my father and I saw this as a neat opportunity. My father has been following my racing for a few years now and will attend the Mohican 100 because it is so close to home. I wasn’t sure if he would be up for the long drive and sitting around most of the day during the race. I was pleas...

2015 6 Hours of Brady's Run Race Report The  6 Hours of Brady's Run  was an unscheduled race that I decided to participate in, sort of at the last minute. The determining factors were, in order of importance, the "OK" from my wife (always important), the recovery from the Cohutta 100 two weeks prior, and the weather forecast (only concern was the heat as they forecast upper 80's). Got the "OK" to go, recovery was looking good, and the forecast, while hot, looked great! So I was all in. Where: Beaver Falls, PA When: 5/9/2015 (my birthday ;-) Photos Credit:  Mike Briggs  (great guy and photographer extraordinaire) I drove to Bear Falls, PA the morning of the event since it was only 1:36 drive time and the race started at 10am. I have never ridden the course and of course did a bit of research by reviewing the course on their web site, reading other race reports, and watching youtube videos. The format of the race is to complete as many laps of...

2015 Cohutta 100 Race Report The  Cohutta 100  is the second race in the National Ultra Endurance 2015 series and is held in TN. This race starts at the Occee river where they held the 1996 Kayak Olympic Competitions. This would be my first into the series for this year and Dave Jolin's second. They changed the course slightly so it really is tough to determine a true personal record ('PR') compared to previous years. The two days prior to the race were absolutely gorgeous, so both Thursday and Friday before the race we headed out for some easy riding to enjoy the weather and dry trails. The forecast for the day of the race? Not so much. Oh man, it's-'a-'coming! The race directors were toying with the idea to shorten the race due to the impending severe storms, but in the end made the call the day before the race to keep the course as originally laid out. Your gonna get wet and muddy, that's MTB'ing. If the storms get bad, head for shelter, ...