This was the 21st year of the Shenandoah mountain bike race and I have been lucky to have been attending since 2009 as it is a great race and event.  The historical race is a 100 mile event with about 12,000 vertical of climbing. This year they aded a 62 mile mountain bike race with 7,300 feet of vertical climbing and it was difficult. The race is a NUE qualified race: National Ultra Endurance Mountain bike race and it is that.

The owner and race director is Chris Scott and he does a great job with: parking, camping, even food and parties and managing the course. Thank you Chris

Chris making announcements and getting ready to introduce the winners of each categories .  In the 100K and 100 mile event they had open men and women, masters men and women, single speed and Clydesdale and and tandem and . To start with the racers come in the night before the race (Always September 1st) and register.  This year from our group it was: Simon, Ted, Mark, myself and Kathy.  Ted and Kathy Placed. Kathy took second in Masters woman 100K @ 7:27 and Ted took third in Masters in 100K @ 5:47, Mark did the  100 K Master’s men 100K in 7:46,   Simon did the full 100 mile in 10:50 wow is all I can say and I did the single speed 100K in 8:27 taking 9th place including all age categories as there were no age categories in that event.

Ok so the day before the event one picks up their race packet below and meets the other racers. 

 

Then Chris provides a dinner for the group under the old barn

but some of us go to Clemintimes in Harrisonburg for dinner .  This is an old picture from Clemintimes below

Some camp out and some of the camper vans are amazing

and others will go to a local hotel like the village Inn.  

We start to line up in the early morning before dawn at about 6 in the darkness

And the race begins at 6:30  and Simon is in serious mode as he is doing the full 100 mile on a single speed

 

Some shots of the course below.  

This year it was extreme as the rain this year opened fissures, exposed many rocks and there were rock gardens and off camber roots and they were wet from the night’s 1.5 inches of rain. So here are some shots and it was very overcast and did sprinkle on us at times throughout the day

The photo above was from this year, the next 2 photos are from previous years and I did not take them but they show what it is like to ride this great event 

At the end we pace through the hoops 

Ted from a prior year

Ted, Simon and Mark below from prior year

Ted Peddy mounts the podium 

Kathy mounts the podium

and various shots below.  At the end the is a photo album

 

 

We all  had a great time, lets go next year and album with additional photos are below