Who's doing Wilderness 101?

[OneGearEnuff]

DO IT!!!

Below I've pasted the info from mtntouring.com. First is my testimonial:

This year will be my fourth year in this race and it's been such an adventure. The first year I rode just to finish and sagged in with a time of 11:32. It was horrendous. But I came back on a mission and finished in 8:22 the next year (most improved rider ever). Last year, after my frame cracked and fork blew, I did it on a borrowed singlespeed and had the best day on a bike in my life. This year it's singlespeed again and 11,000' of fun.
DO IT!!!

The Wilderness 101 is an ultra endurance 101 mile backcountry mountain bike race. The 101 set the standard on the east coast in the early 90's and now it is back. The course is one super big loop composed of some of the best off-road riding central PA has to offer in the Rothrock and Bald Eagle State Forests just outside of State College home of the Penn State Nittany Lions. Singletrack uphills and downhills, doubletrack ridge riding, fire road climbs and a bit of pavement totaling 10,000 ft of climbing. The 2006 course will be different from the old events of the 90's. The new course will have more challenging trails so leave your cross bikes at home (possibly a small change from the 2005 course). There will be 5 aid stations complete with food, beverages, and support. We have a drop system organized so you can arrange to have supplies (lights, gear, food, etc.) left at the aid stations. Racers are limited to 2- 1 gallon zip lock bags for the drops which we will provide. We are not responsible for missing items. The course will be marked and marshaled. Early registration fee of $115 includes a post race barbecue, a T-shirt, and 5 fully stocked aid stations. The regular entry fee jumps to $135 on June 10th. Late registration begins on July 10 for $150. We reserve the right to alter or postpone the event. Classes are simple- Men and Women. (18 and over only) This is an ultra endurance event, participants should be of strong body and mind and prepared for a long day of incredible mountain biking.

[Bartman]

I'm going!! Did this the first time last year, now I'm hooked! Been training all year, last year was a sufferfest.

[OneGearEnuff]

Do it Bartman! Introduce yourself if you see me. Short buzzed hair. Mt. Nittany Wheelworks jersey. Sapphire Blue Independent Fabrication singlespeed.
Have fun.

[Raymo853]

It should be a good show and race. This year OneGearEnuff should set a new record similar to his "most improved rider" ever. It will be to show the biggest increase in finish time from one year to the next. He may try to blame Bambi and Thumper, but it will still be his choice to get off his bike.

[teamdicky]

In.
Been looking forward to this one for a long time.

[MacGyver]

I'm totally in on this. Been looking forward to it for a long time. This will be my first time doing an offroad hundie. My buddy did it 2 years ago and was the absolute last finisher; he's back for revenge on that. We're shooting for a goal of finishing in 10 hours. We've been training pretty severly this year.

We'll be camping out of a ginormous coleman tent and a silver toyota minivan. Brown Karate Monkey 1x9 and a grey Walt Works 1x9. I got a buzzcut and a permanent chainring tattoo on my right inside calf.

[Bartman]

Yea onegear, you mt.nittany folks owned that place last year! I could not belive the amount of full ridged singlespeeders that kicked my geared ass! this year I will be riding a full suss black Ventana pantera with a lot of gears. I could not imagine single speed with all that climbing I will be looking for you. Are you guys coming down to VA for the Shenandoah 100? See you guys on Saturday.

[jonassterling]

I'm in too.

First 100 miler also. Haven't really trained ,but I hope to have a bit of fitness left from Crush the Commonwealth and my weird long distance genetics will continue to serve me well.

Brown SS KM, freshly shorn mohawk for downhill stability....

Good luck everyone.

[Raymo853]

A few dedicated single-speed people I know that have done the 101 say it is tougher gealesss than 100 milers like the Shenadoah 100. Many more flat road sections where all the slow gear riders get in front of you before the next trail section.

I say choose gears over single, any 29er hardtail/softtail over any 26er hardtail/sfottail, and a 26 XC dual squish over a hardtail or trail/free-ride 26er. Do not fall for the lore of 1.8" tires, you need some size for comfort and pinch flat protection.

I am choosing to ride my Blur Classic instead of my 29er SS rig. Running a Specialized Roll-X front and Fast Track rear. If I had a geared 29er I would be taking it, but I don't.

I made a set of W101 maps that are up on the local IMBA aff club:
Maps for the 2006 Wilderness 101 are up at:
http://www.nittanymba.org/maps2.php

[nzumbi]

I'm that last place finisher from 2 years ago that Macgyver referred to. What finishing last meant for me was a pint glass full of foam and the last, cold hamburger patty with no bun. I WILL get my pint of beer this year, and maybe another, and another...

Looking forward to seeing/meeting some of you cats. I'm temporarily ignoring all the pain and suffering to come, focusing instead on the simple joys of camping and hanging out with 300+ other crazy people.

[OneGearEnuff]

Dear Raymo,
(I know Raymo so this isn't an actual flame...plus you should check out his maps. They're really good.)
Though you may think that I am going to have a day of vast non-improvement, my 12-week program has worked out pretty well. I only five more pounds than I did last year at the 101 and am in considerably better single speed form. Remember that last year I was forced to ride SS b/c my frame cracked.
I know. I know. I sound defensive. But I have worked my ASS OFF and think that I will have a comparable showing to last year. My sprint isn't as good as it used to be but the long-haul diesel is and my hamstrings, forearms, calves and back are definitely used to riding SS. I alternately did 2 and 3 days a week in the gym to work on the whole pulling thing to alleviate forearm cramps that come from fatigue after 70 miles of riding a 2:1.
As for the gears vs. SS. Gears are WAY faster on this course than not. Danny Brennan and Skip Brown have done it in 8:05 andd 8:03 respectively. Compare that to Skip's best time on a geared bike at 7:32 and you see the difference. my best time was 8:22 on a geared bike and on SS I did it in 8:56. The flats just drain you and a couple of the steeps are nasty.
Rock on. See you guys on Friday or Saturday.

[Raymo853]

Dear Raymo,
(I know Raymo so this isn't an actual flame...plus

You are right this is not real flaming. I am just taking Fred H's advice to trash talk as a way to motivate myself. I think I need to get myself a new pharmacist.

[OneGearEnuff]

THE FOUNTAIN OF WISDOM. He's the only guy I know who can take Vicadin (sp?) and keep riding. But the trash talk is motivating.
B*I*T*C*H!

[OneGearEnuff]

That's awesome nzumbi that you're returning to conquer and refill the glass over and over again.
I don't mean to sound like a religious convert, but...the 101 changed my life and made me love the long rides. That's after the first time I did it, bonked horribly, cramped so bad I could barely move and took a nap within 500 feet of the top of the last climb.
Who knows? You might take my most-improved rider award?
Rock on.

[MacGyver]

...I'm temporarily ignoring all the pain and suffering to come...


Wait a minute... Pain? Suffering? 101 say-who? What did I sign up for? Dammit, blinded again by the lure of beer and food and beer! I really should learn to read the fine print.

[Bartman]

They are calling for a 40% chance of t-storms on Saturday in the Coburn area. I don't know if that is good or bad, last year the rain felt pretty good after 50miles of riding.

[93 Litespeed]

any idea what the time splits should be at the different checkpoints for a 9 hour finish time?

[93 Litespeed]

20m - 1:20 - 15 mph avg
40m - 3:00 - 13.5 mph avg
60m - 5:00 - 12 mph avg
72m - 6:30 - 11 mph avg
88m - 8:00 - 11 mph avg
101 - 9:00 - 11.1 mph avg

[Raymo853]

I strongly suggest downing a double shot of vodka or scotch every 10 miles along the race. It will keep you loose on the downhills and technical stuff and help you forget the pain. Maybe mix it up with a martini, dirty with a salad bar for some nutritional benifits, at one of the aid stations/bars.

[nzumbi]

Who knows? You might take my most-improved rider award?
Rock on.

I'm definately trying to steal your crown...looking forward to a 5+ hour improvement, with any luck.

[OneGearEnuff]

Yeah Ray. There will be a martini shaker at Aid Station #3. Kathy will have it and we can put our tasty coffee bits in it, shake it up for some fun and chug-a-lug away.
Nice splits Litespeed. Are they your's?

[OneGearEnuff]

20m - 1:20 - 15 mph avg
40m - 3:00 - 13.5 mph avg
60m - 5:00 - 12 mph avg
72m - 6:30 - 11 mph avg
88m - 8:00 - 11 mph avg
101 - 9:00 - 11.1 mph avg

OK, the first two I think would probably be faster. The roll into checkpoint 2 (40m) is really fast from Pine Swamp Road to Whipple Dam. Guys get into pacelines. Checkpoint 3-4 is slower than that I think and from Checkpoint 5 to the end is, I think, faster than that with gears.

[K-Man]

Would not miss the 101. This'll be my fourth in a row (would have been five, if it weren't for a trip to the emergency room five years ago, but that's another story).

Free camping. Great route. Five aid stations stocked with the goods, and run by friendly folks. Dinner afterwards. Plenty of good folks.... What's not to like? Chris Scott, you da man.

And what's with all this pain and suffering talk? Yinz must be riding too fast!!!! I'll be riding at a gentleman's pace with a group of friends (three of us so far) somewhere in the back of the pack. The goal is maximum smiles per hour.

Here's a pic of Team Us, Version 1.0 from a few years back -- at the finish:

[jhl99]

I like all the enthusiasm for the 101. I did it for 3 years, on a geared bike with rear rack and a single pannier. (I've never adopted hyrdration pack nonsense :-) ). One year I managed sub 10 hours, which I thought was decent for a non-racer type.

The event is well run and the course is grueling it is a single loop and not a bunch of redundant laps. The down side is that the course didn't change much from year to year, but then again, maybe its not supposed to.

Last year, I missed early registration and then decided that for the entrance fee, I could live like a king on a self supported 5 day tour and while riding a couple of hundred miles. That cost/benefit ratio trumped the 101.

I wish you guys cool, overcast day that ends in brilliant sunshine and a good, strong rides.

***EDIT, I saw Karl's picture so I added one. In 2004, I took a camera with me while riding/racing. The attached pic is from the very back as the peleton thins out before the first climb. ***

[Raymo853]

OK, the first two I think would probably be faster. The roll into checkpoint 2 (40m) is really fast from Pine Swamp Road to Whipple Dam. Guys get into pacelines. Checkpoint 3-4 is slower than that I think and from Checkpoint 5 to the end is, I think, faster than that with gears.

I think lots of people, like me, don't go very fast up Crowfield to aid station #1 or Bear Meadows road. Last year really sucked, I pretty much road the whole way to Aid Station 2 alone. That was annoying and tiring.

[Bartman]

Raymo, Thanks for the map link! They print out nice.

[K-Man]

... was a cool idea. Only wish I had pulled it out of the pack more often. Here are pics of Carol and Michael riding "The Tunnel" near the end of the route:

[jhl99]

K-man:

My camera trick was to sew up a pouch to carry my camera on my chest with a leash connecting my camera to the pouch. Fumbling for a camera in hydration pack means that you have to stop to shoot. I can sort of take pictures while riding. I wouldn't recommend this if you are afraid of wrecking or smashing up your camera. Also, other riders get a little you weave around while taking pictures, so it is best to take on the move pics when going up hill or from the back of the pack.

Attached pic shows me pretty well wasted at checkpoint 5 with pouch, another picture I took while riding (rubber chick guy) and a picture of the racer meeting.

[OneGearEnuff]

Hey guys.
I hope your 101 was good. This one was the hardest one for me except for the first. It was SOOOOOOOOOOO hot and I just couldn't get it together until after checkpoint 3. It was like 2 hours of feeling mediocre, 3 hours of hell and 4 hours and change of a blast.
Post pics if you get em.

[Raymo853]

Here is one of you.

[Raymo853]

and one of John Majors that shows my poor camera skills.

[Raymo853]

and Joe Gore's back

[MacGyver]

This was by far the hardest thing I've ever done on a bike, and possibly ever, period. I rode a Karate Monkey 1x9, geared 34T up front and an 11-34T cassette in the back, and was going strong until about mile 50-55 or so, then I started to crack. I got a few twinges of cramps, but I kept taking endurolytes like candy and drinking hammer gel, HEED, and water like crazy; that kept the cramping events to a minimum. A few episodes of lock-leg, but no major stoppages happened because of cramping.

I got a bunch of 'second winds' and would have good periods of riding, followed by complete dead legs, leaving me to walk up good portions of the later hills because I'd make just about as good of time walking as I was pedaling. I was silently cursing those just spinning by me in the granny gear. It was very mentally tough for me, as the miles were ticking by excruciatingly slow. At about mile 70 I took a 10 minute break and seriously wanted to quit right then and there, and be immediately transported out of the rock-infested hell. My goal of finishing in 10 hours wasn't going to happen anymore at that point; I was hot, and dejected/deflated. I ate a couple banana halves I stashed in my pocket from rest stop 4 and decided that my chances of being teleported out of the woods and back to camp were prettly slim, and that I didn't come all this way to quit. That was my moment of truth - I've felt much worse physically on a bike before at other events and rides I've done and quitting would have been a mental surrender I knew I wouldn't be able to face.

I rolled on and rest stop 5 came faster than I expected. I hooked up with another rider named Andy for a few miles after aid station 5, trading off a couple pulls on the straightaways leading up to the first tunnel. I pulled ahead of him when the final climb started, but once the grade kicked up for the final time he caught back up and passed. He gave me some idea on what to expect on the little bit of course that was left after the climb, as he did the race last year, and that was very helpful.

To make the rest of a too-long story short, rolling back into Coburn was the greatest sight and feeling ever. Ringing the gong was very zen-like and fitting to cap off an epic and major accomplishment. Picked up my pint glass and rolled directly over to the keg. Rolled back over to camp and found that the old-man singlespeeder in our group of 3 (very nearly more than twice my age) finished in 11 hours even, and the 2 mid-to-late 20's mountain bike studs on 1x9's finished in about 11:17 and 11:41; my time the latest of the 3. My 1x9 buddy was having some stomach/body issues and wasn't able to enjoy the good food and drink, but me and the old man were more than able to help out with lessening the beer and food supply.

In all, for being my first ever offroad century, and only my third century on a bike in my life, I'm very pleased for being less than 2 hours off my goal time. At this point, I don't know what I would have done or could have done differently to get my time faster, but I'm not going to worry about it. Mission accomplished to me.

Congratulations to all that rode their rides out there on Saturday, be it 10 miles or 100 miles.

Attached (if I did it correctly) are the few pictures I took of the overall camp when it was filling up on Friday evening. I didn't bring the camera with me out on the course.

[Bartman]

I actually had to drop out at checkpoint #5, the heat stroke had taken too much out of me, too much vomiting, cold sweats, hot skin....etc. Congrats to all who rode. This was the most brutal year yet. I guess I can start training for next year;) now! See you at the shenandoah 100 and the wild 100!

[teamdicky]

Long winded version:

I went to the Wilderness 101 with three goals:

1) Finish.

2) Don't get hurt and screw up the Trans Rockies trip this week.

3) Drink beer.

Stabby and I hopped in the Dirty Little Box Friday at 6:00am for the "nine hour drive" that lasted over ten hours due to an exploding sulfur truck and ubiquitous gas and food signs that lead us into small villages miles from the interstate. We arrived in Coburn and registered in the most orderly manner that I could ever imagine. From there we drove the two miles to the Millheim Hotel (circa 1793AD or something like that), and when we eventually got there we checked in at the bar downstairs. The room was described as European, but Stabby and I agreed that they must have been refering to the Feudal period as it was as bare bones of a room as we had ever seen. We picked up some overpriced sub-par take out pasta from across the street and ate it on the balcony as we watched a Ford Escort (looking splendid with a "01" duct taped to the doors) drive back and forth through town squawking it's tires for entertainment. Sweet. We did some final prep stuff and got to bed relatively early.

The race started the next morning at 7:00am and I saw a huge field of single speeders. Dan Jansen, Matt Ferrari, Tim Dougherty, Mark Elasser, Gunnar Shogren, and a whole mess of others, possibly numbering into the thirties. When the race got under way the lead group went out at an easy pace so I hung with them as long as it was comfortable. I made sure I told anybody I spoke with early on about my intentions either as a pre-excuse for a poor performance, or to remind myself what I was supposed to be doing here. Once we hit the first real climb I fell off the back and watched a lot of SS'ers go with it. I ended up going back and forth with Mark "Elk" Elasser and Pete Buck in 6, 7, and 8th place. They would spin the flats faster than me, and I would catch them on the climbs all the way to Check Point 2. When we got to the first section of singletrack I let them play through so I could play it safe following someone else's lead through the nasty singletrack. Of course I stopped like a moron right in front of them and in the process caused both of them some grief, but they didn't seem to mind (too much).

At CP 2 Mark got away from me. I don't think he needed to stop as he was carrying 124oz's of water (I guess). When I finally started reeling him in on a climb I saw that I was passing Dan Jansen. I paused to see if he was OK, as I never see him on the course because he is usually busy beating me by couple of hours. He said he wasn't feeling well, so I left him and continued chasing Mark. He got to the next singletrack downhill first and I made chase. It didn't last too long as I ripped a hole in my new 2.5 UST Diesel on the nasty terrain. I made sure I took my time when I pulled over to fix it because I was in the kinda place where a misplaced tool would never be found. I discovered the spare tube that I strapped under my seat was a silly little ultra-lite piece of crap with nary the volume to fill a 2.5 tire. I placed the fragile tube in the tire with a Hammer gel wrapper boot, and I shed a small tear when I saw the missing chunk of metal in my new rim. I was passed repeatedly as I cautiously took to my business, and I inflated the tire with my CO2 to what felt like 20PSI. It was probably the most time I ever spent fixing a flat during a race, but I didn't loose any tools or my overpriced UST valve stem. I took back to riding reminding myself that I was supposed to be taking it easy and not messing my bike up along with my body.

More climbing and gravel roads later I reached another singletrack downhill. I had given up hope of catching back up to Mark or Dan, and I descended carefully on the fragile stretched-out tube. It didn't take long before the silly thing flatted again. Doh, I only brought one tube for a place like State College? Moron. I started the walk towards CP 3. I figured it was at least five or ten more miles away. I didn't have a watch or bike computer, but I figured it didn't matter how far it was. Unless I wanted to go old school, build a log cabin, and settle in the woods I needed to keep moving. I got a lot of offers for help as I walked my bike, but I refused a tube handup. It was my problem to deal with, and I didn't want to leave someone else short on tubes. Finally someone pulled over and insisted I take his tube. He said he was quiting when he got to CP 3 anyways so it didn't matter. I thanked him, but my hearrt sank a little when I looked at the tube and saw the writing on the (side) wall, "Super-lite". It was better than nothing so I put it in and aired it up with the remaining CO2 left in the cartridge. It was maybe at 12PSI (if I had to guess), but at least I could ride CAREFULLY to CP 3.

When I got to CP 3 I saw that I was with the riders who treat aid stations like highway rest stops. I am used to riding with guys who fly through in less than a minute re-supplying and moving fast. These folks were sitting around eating cookies and drinking Coke. They seemed to be getting more for their money than the guys up front for sure. I swapped out my blown tube for a fresh one and procured a 16 gram CO2 so I would be safe till I got to CP 4 where I had my own back-ups in a drop bag. I also pumped up my tires to a "ping pong ball like" 40 PSI. I decided I would rather be beat to death than change another flat. I headed out to CP 4.

I remember so little about the course itself other than the gravel roads were relentlessly long and the singletrack was brutal. After riding for however long I made it to relative safety. My drop bag at CP 4 had my BIG 25 gram CO2 and my own tube. I took the opportunity to stick my jersey in my drop bag so I could ride shirtless. It was hot as hell and I just couldn't see the point of wearing it any longer. I stuck some Pringles in my mouth and headed off towards CP 5.

It was somewhere after CP 4 when I realized that going slower meant that 100 miles was going to take a lot longer than usual. I don't know why I hadn't thought of that earlier, but now that I realized it I was pretty depressed. I dopitty-doped my way to CP 5 with very little recollection of anything that happened since CP 3. I rolled up on Dan J and realized that just maybe I could beat him. He was sick, but it would be a small victory none the less. He got out of there pretty quickly when I rolled in, and I made my chase as soon as I got some more Pringles and Heed. I finally caught him on a climb only to have his big 29" wheels blow by me on the descent. I swear I never touched the brakes going down, but his weight combined with the big tires allowed him roll past me like I was standing still. Unngghhh. I was never able to make up the gap on the flat railroad bed that followed or the unrideable Fisherman's Trail, and I finished behind him at 9hrs 53min. That was a long freaking day, but since I accomplished all of my goals (including goal number three) I am not complaining.

Somewhere out on the course:

I rode through two tunnels that were so dark I couldn't see anything, seriously.

We descended something so steep the smell of brakes lingered in the air like I was behind a semi descending a 20 mile long 12% downgrade.

I punched myself in the stomach with my handlebars while WALKING my bike.

I rode across a bridge with railings that were about one inch further across than my bars were wide. I bounced between the two railings like a retarded pinball.

Dan Jansen pointed out that I still had my anti-chafe Band Aids on my nipples while I was riding the last 20 something miles shirtless.


I found out that passing a tandem on a single speed while riding in tight singletrack is like passing a semi on a winding country road in a Volkswagen. It can be done with a lot of planning and a certain amount of risk for everyone involved.

I had fun.

[K-Man]

...it's the stupidity.

Sorry, couldn't resist that old joke.:cool:

Even riding at a rather conservtive (12:54) pace:o , this year was a struggle to fight off dehydration and finish with a smile:D on my face. I made it. The results posted (http://www.mtntouring.com/mountain/htm/home/page_home.htm) indicate that about 1 out of 6 guys who started ended up DNF'ing:eek: . Yeah, it was a rough day in the saddle. Kudos to the top finishers for amazing efforts under brutal:mad: conditions.

[Raymo853]

This guy has a bunch of photos and videos. One video of the winning tandem team making it through the wooden bridges & rock garden at mile 25
http://the-ancient-one.smugmug.com/gallery/1722513

[Bartman]

Thanks Karl!!! All along I thought I had heat stroke and I guess I was just stupid!?!?! See you next year I will have a stick waiting for your spokes.;)

[OneGearEnuff]

That's great stuff. It's satisfying (if a little nasty of me) to see that Skip Brown didn't clear the rock garden at 3 Bridges. He still kicked my ass by an awful lot though.