Theres nothing like staying two nights with 3 other guys in a horse trailer and a disco ball. Lorson is the greatest Team Soupcan farter by far, followed by me, then Wes, but I think that Jason has some female gene that disables him for passing gas in public with male dominance. But we had a blast. We all did freakin great! We got 1st, 3rd, 6th and 7th in the singlespeed 100k.
My race was awsome and had no idea it was going to be. I ran a 32x21 which I knew for me was gonna be not a strong enough gear in the flats and the roads but was hoping to be efficient enough to have a decent time with all the climbing involved. I was shooting for a time in the 7 hour range but was blown away when I ended up with a 6 1/2 hour time! I think a riding a SS has made me a better rider. It makes you relax on the easy stuff and push on the hard stuff.
My favorite point in the race was between the Buckhaven aid station and the Wilderness aid station. I loved the stretch of road riding. I could only go so fast on the SS I took time to relax and enjoy the country. I love riding through all the farms and seeing houses out in the middle of nowhere. Plus being sunny and 70 out added to a great day. But the whole time I was enjoying the ride I was anticipating the Mohician Wilderness and the brutal Valley Stream hill climb. Lorson you rode it! I got off my bike on Valley Stream but was walking next to a dude in his granny the whole way up. After that I remembered the course from prevoius years and rode in with good form. What a race! I got done before my wife could make it dowm to see me finish. Which ain't a bad thing cause it makes me look tough!
The after party rocked! Spinning Todd came down and he and I went to the Marathon right next door and bought a 24 of Busch and a 30 pack of Old Mil, which Wes likes to call Old Skwak. It was sweet to see Scream get hammered. I put on a pre race drunk by 4pm and managed to take some pics of the winners for O'Dell.
We continued the night by riding our bikes in blind drunkeness down to Beano's in downtown Loudonville for some Great Lakes Dortmunder and East of Chicago Pizza and then did the .35 blood alc. content level ride back to the campground for some fire and tunes and disco ball.
Sweet!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Brett Davis Mo-Ho review
Brett you are one cool dude. If the rest of the racing world could be like you.
As of Friday morning, I had not pre-registered for the Mohican 100 so it was still undecided whether I would do the 100 mile or 100k (65 miles). I have competed (and finished) the 100 mile version three times with some good results and some not so good. All of these 100 milers involve some degree of pain and suffering. Within days of completing one of these events, the memories of the 8 to 10 hours of suffering fade but the experience is burned into your brain luring you back year after year.
Ultimately, as the race was to be part of a family camping trip, I decided to do the 100k so I would not be MIA all fricken day (plus I am getting soft and 100k seemed much more sensible/rational).
We loaded up my parent’s motorhome and were on the road by 6pm or so on Friday evening. We arrived around 7:30pm at the new for this year venue at Mohican Adventures on SR 3 by Wally Road. We rented a camp spot for two nights and started getting set up. Got the EZ Up set up just in time for a little rain sprinkle.
Once we got set up, I went to register, but unfortunately they were gone for the night. So I had to add “register” to my list of things to do the next morning before the 7am start time. So I went back to camp, started a fire and we made the kids some smores.
Under the cover of darkness (aided by light) I then proceeded to swap out my rear derailleur, cable and shifter which was busted up from the race last weekend at The Knob. Without too much trouble, I finished that up and spun around the campground for 1 minute shakedown. Good to go!
We put the kids to bed around 10pm and the wife and I sat by the fire and enjoyed a glass of wine. We crashed at 11:30 to the sounds of rain on the RV rooftop.
Got up in the morning and walked down to the convenient store for some coffee and greasy breakfast sandwiches. Got dressed and rode the 1 mile to downtown Loudonville for the start. I found a spot near the front and at 7am sharp we were off. The weather and trails were perfect. Could not have been any better! Low humidity, 70s, light breeze, clear skies, lots of buff single track!
I went semi-hard on the initial climb to stay near the front. Other than that the first 4-5 miles were done at a moderate to high pace. Once we got to the 25 mile State Park loop, I was riding with 3-4 other riders. Then Wes Jones caught and passed me sporting his rigid single speed. I latched onto him and benefited from his pace for the next 15 or so miles. We were together all the way to where we exited the loop for the hike a bike at mile 22 or so (same place many people turned right instead up left up the big hill). Thanks Wes!
After some horse trails we got out onto the dirt roads and a couple steep punchy climbs. I was with several 100 mile riders who where riding pretty conservative pace. I pulled though a couple times and looked back and had a gap; I guess they were conserving for the 100 miles. So I sat up and joined the paceline (at their pace) until we eventually caught and passed Mike Gorman and later John Lorson. I rode with Lorson and the others until just before the Mohican Wilderness section that takes you to the Aid Station which serves as the split for the 100 mile and 100k.
It felt AWESOME knowing I only had 20 miles to go versus 60 miles (in past years when I raced the 100 miler)! Lorson and I left the aid station together and proceeded down Wally Road at a moderate pace. The big gravel road climb to the left lay ahead. Lorson cleaned the whole thing on his single speed. That climb is much easier with 40 miles in your legs versus 80, go figure:) I middle ringed the climb (could not get into the granny). Rode the big rollers with John and I surged at the right turn at the top that leads to the big grassy field.
From that point I rode by myself and did not see anyone until the end. The last 6 miles seemed longer than 6 miles and the sections near the finish were cruel. At the end of the day I finished in 5:38 or so in 7th place overall for the 100k. I felt fresh at the end, so I took the kids fishing and we slayed it catching a few bass in one of the lakes on site.
We stuck around for the evening festivities which included kegs of Sierra Nevada and my favorite..Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold! Got to spend some time with the boys from SoupCan Racing and Bruce from Pisgah Works, among others.
After a night of revelry, we got up early on Sunday morning and I made camp breakfast of eggs and bacon for the kids. After breakfast and a swim in the pool and hottub, we loaded up the RV and did a 6 mile canoe ride with clear skies and perfect weather.
Thanks to Ryan K. for the Mohican Valley canoe referral. All in all a great family weekend with a little bike riding time for Brett thrown in for good measure.
Later,
BRD
As of Friday morning, I had not pre-registered for the Mohican 100 so it was still undecided whether I would do the 100 mile or 100k (65 miles). I have competed (and finished) the 100 mile version three times with some good results and some not so good. All of these 100 milers involve some degree of pain and suffering. Within days of completing one of these events, the memories of the 8 to 10 hours of suffering fade but the experience is burned into your brain luring you back year after year.
Ultimately, as the race was to be part of a family camping trip, I decided to do the 100k so I would not be MIA all fricken day (plus I am getting soft and 100k seemed much more sensible/rational).
We loaded up my parent’s motorhome and were on the road by 6pm or so on Friday evening. We arrived around 7:30pm at the new for this year venue at Mohican Adventures on SR 3 by Wally Road. We rented a camp spot for two nights and started getting set up. Got the EZ Up set up just in time for a little rain sprinkle.
Once we got set up, I went to register, but unfortunately they were gone for the night. So I had to add “register” to my list of things to do the next morning before the 7am start time. So I went back to camp, started a fire and we made the kids some smores.
Under the cover of darkness (aided by light) I then proceeded to swap out my rear derailleur, cable and shifter which was busted up from the race last weekend at The Knob. Without too much trouble, I finished that up and spun around the campground for 1 minute shakedown. Good to go!
We put the kids to bed around 10pm and the wife and I sat by the fire and enjoyed a glass of wine. We crashed at 11:30 to the sounds of rain on the RV rooftop.
Got up in the morning and walked down to the convenient store for some coffee and greasy breakfast sandwiches. Got dressed and rode the 1 mile to downtown Loudonville for the start. I found a spot near the front and at 7am sharp we were off. The weather and trails were perfect. Could not have been any better! Low humidity, 70s, light breeze, clear skies, lots of buff single track!
I went semi-hard on the initial climb to stay near the front. Other than that the first 4-5 miles were done at a moderate to high pace. Once we got to the 25 mile State Park loop, I was riding with 3-4 other riders. Then Wes Jones caught and passed me sporting his rigid single speed. I latched onto him and benefited from his pace for the next 15 or so miles. We were together all the way to where we exited the loop for the hike a bike at mile 22 or so (same place many people turned right instead up left up the big hill). Thanks Wes!
After some horse trails we got out onto the dirt roads and a couple steep punchy climbs. I was with several 100 mile riders who where riding pretty conservative pace. I pulled though a couple times and looked back and had a gap; I guess they were conserving for the 100 miles. So I sat up and joined the paceline (at their pace) until we eventually caught and passed Mike Gorman and later John Lorson. I rode with Lorson and the others until just before the Mohican Wilderness section that takes you to the Aid Station which serves as the split for the 100 mile and 100k.
It felt AWESOME knowing I only had 20 miles to go versus 60 miles (in past years when I raced the 100 miler)! Lorson and I left the aid station together and proceeded down Wally Road at a moderate pace. The big gravel road climb to the left lay ahead. Lorson cleaned the whole thing on his single speed. That climb is much easier with 40 miles in your legs versus 80, go figure:) I middle ringed the climb (could not get into the granny). Rode the big rollers with John and I surged at the right turn at the top that leads to the big grassy field.
From that point I rode by myself and did not see anyone until the end. The last 6 miles seemed longer than 6 miles and the sections near the finish were cruel. At the end of the day I finished in 5:38 or so in 7th place overall for the 100k. I felt fresh at the end, so I took the kids fishing and we slayed it catching a few bass in one of the lakes on site.
We stuck around for the evening festivities which included kegs of Sierra Nevada and my favorite..Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold! Got to spend some time with the boys from SoupCan Racing and Bruce from Pisgah Works, among others.
After a night of revelry, we got up early on Sunday morning and I made camp breakfast of eggs and bacon for the kids. After breakfast and a swim in the pool and hottub, we loaded up the RV and did a 6 mile canoe ride with clear skies and perfect weather.
Thanks to Ryan K. for the Mohican Valley canoe referral. All in all a great family weekend with a little bike riding time for Brett thrown in for good measure.
Later,
BRD
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Vultures Knob Race #2
Team Soupcan assulted The Knob this past Saturday for the local Knob series race. This one gets a smaller turnout than the OMBC series but brings the same level of competition if not harder. I raced Sport U39 and brought home 3rd again. Need to upgrade that 21. Fun race. Seemed harder than the 1st one. I had two crashes. One was a downhill powerslide and the other was a not-looking-in-front-of-me-hit-a-log-wreck. Soupcan crashed and burned. John and Wes got 3rd and 4th in Expert 36+.
OMBC Race #4 The Wilds.
Wes, John and I journeyed down to Central Ohio to race at The Wilds. Dr. Soupcan stayed behind to hold the fort down and tickle some toes. The course was fast and rocky. If I had to race it again I would of slapped a 19 or a 20 on the back instead of a 21. I'm finding that a 21 might be too easy for racing in general. But back to the race. John and Wes went off in the Vet open class and I raced Sport 31-40. I managed to pull off 3rd in my class while John got 3rd and Wes 5th. It was a sweet course with rocks and roots that popped up around corner and turn that I'm pretty sure took all of us out during the day. Heres a few pics of us climbing towards the finish. You have to look hard at the pic of me since I was climbing so fast. Look for the blur.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
OMBC Race #2 Vultures Knob
The four of us tackled The Knob race this weekend on a beautiful sunny day in the lower 70's at race start. A completely different change in the weather from the first day. The course was fast and dry Drawing a record number of people. Competition was was plenty due to the harsh conditions of the first race.
John ended the big winner of the day taking 1st in the open vet against a tough field and Wes hung in there to finish 5th on the day. Jason hung in there to finish a tough race and I ended up taking 2nd in the sport 31-40 class. Two races and no DNF's for our team. Team Soupcan is already making a good run in the OMBC.
The race was hard on the singlespeeders because we were sent down a dirt road into Mazeville in a little prolouge to help thin the huge packs out before making it to the rock tunnel area at the beging of the course. Then we found ourselves fighting our way through and around a number of bikers once the course turned upwards.
The Knob is back in full swing again after a couple of years on the downlow thanks in part from a number of sponsors and to the Solon Bike club for reviving the series and The Knob.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Knob ride 4/13/08
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