Single Speed MTB Century! The 2008 Mohican MTB 100

A pleasant good day to my fellow wrist-snappers, Nico Toscani is here with a race report straight from the 2008 Mohican MTB 100. Let's go back to Thursday May 29, Gino Fellino arrived at my house in his grey Nissan Sentra at around 3pm. We loaded up and hit the road, our first stop was six hours to the East in the thriving hamlet of Dayton, OH. During the drive traffic was light and the air quality level in the car was rated "green" as Mason Storm his gaseous exhaust did not sign-up for this particular journey. We arrived at the University of Dayton Marriott by 11pm and were delighted to get some rest after a few delicious PBRs.

Gino and I opted for the breakfast buffet at the hotel in the morning complete with omelette's and Belgian waffles. We were only 150 miles from the race finish/ campsite/ race ground zero at Camp Nuhop near Loudonville, OH. We were some of the first racers to arrive and thus had our pick of campsites- we chose a nice spot in the shade beneath mature trees and spent the next few hours registering and finalizing our battle plans for race day. After we had secured our bags for the aid station drops we suited up for a pre-ride. Only two miles in I got my first look at The Pleasant Hill Lake Dam and the scenic single track hugging the Clear Fork of The Mohican River. During the pre-ride I endoed twice but became well adjusted to the Ohio terrain. We returned to camp for dinner and had a great time soaking in the chill vibe that was The Mohican.

Bed time came around 10:30pm, clear skies and mild temps made for a peaceful resting environment...until midnight, at least! The heavens opened and severe thunderstorms were abundant. Camp crew drove by in golf-carts to warn us that the area was under a tornado watch through the early morning hours, they pointed out the most direct route to basement storm shelters. Lightning lit up the sky and the thunder was loud, sometimes rumbling for over 1 minute intervals. As the clock ticked closer to our scheduled 7am race start the rain began to let up. By 5am the the storms had ceased. I was up in my tent, excited and waiting to hear my alarm to go off. To prepare I consumed the following for breakfast: secret homemade smoothie, apple, banana, veggie burger and hummus burrito, espresso hammer gel, cup o' joe, Chinese Herbs, can of red bull, and a spoonful of peanut butter. We piled into the Sentra and drove to the neutral start.

We were almost late, pulling into the parking lot of the Loudonville, OH Elementary School at 6:47am. We lined up...Bang! We were off with the gun, the roll-out led us straight into the first hundred paved feet of climbing for the day. A few miles of rolling rural highway took us to the first fire road and then into the first miles of sweet singletrack. I immediately noticed the effects of the prior evenings precipitation. The trail had a very un-tidy appearance, upon riding it I noticed a considerable amount of its surface being deposited onto my legs and bicycle...oh well, that has been the story for MTB racing in '08. Gino shot ahead and was holding a very healthy pace of destruction and general wrist carnage through the slop. I could not match his pace so I settled in and slid my way on through the course towards Aid Station #1, 20 miles in. I had found my pace, now it was time to find my groove. Out came the ipod, today's tasty soundboard was Phish's The Great Went in its entirety - a full two-day, six-set marathon of a Phish show. This was a great companion, multiple times I found myself alone on the course rocking out, singing out loud having a true ball of a time just like Davey B.

About a thousand feet of elevation before Aid Station #2 (mile 34) I finally caught up to Gino. I am not sure exactly what did it but something was pushing Gino off his game. He told me was feeling fatigued - his energy level was down way low and he was starting to ignore his nutrition plan. Aid Station #2 came at just the right time. We re-grouped and re-fueled, I took the time to wipe the mud from both my drivetrain and mini-Steven's eyes. Gino dug deep to find strength and we took off onto the course with a vengeance, gobbling up the 6 mile pavement section leading us to the next patch of single track. We worked together and rode together until Aid Station #3, the halfway point for us 100 milers. A lengthy stop was necessary to prepare us for the next section of the course, which was the longest. The race field split, the 100k racers turned left onto a paved climb, the rest of us were sent across the street to finish The Mohican Wilderness Race course. It was 26 miles of some SRSLY rough terrain until Aid #4. Gino and I got separated around two miles in and I would not see him again for some five hours, back at Camp Nuhop. During that time Gino missed a turn and personally added a good four miles of paved climbing to his race course. This frustration combined with earlier fatigue pushed his pace down too low. Gino arrived at Aid #4 after the time cut-off and the race directors would not let him continue. With no shortage of Superior Attitude or Superior State of Mind Gino reluctantly accepted a ride back to our car at the start line - he had just wrestled the Mohican for 75+ miles of pure pain...WAY TO GO GINO!

I made the time cut-off and was allowed to continue on past Aid #4. It was 18 miles to Aid #5, and another 8 miles to the finish. I pushed the pace and battled some tough cramping that actually made me scream aloud. Deep down I began to feel the full momentum of the huge adrenaline boost that comes along with the realization that you are 9/10ths of the way though a massive undertaking [such as a 100 mile MTB race]. I was feeling strong and cruised straight though Aid #5 without stopping, all sights set on the finish just 8 miles and 1 damn Dam crossing away. 12 hours and 17 minutes had elapsed since I heard the start gun go off that morning, I passed under the banner and my first hundred-miler was history. I had just claimed what was mine, 23rd position out of 26 single-speed finishers.

Congratulations to a very special new friend of Team Seagal, Mr. Chris Wurster of NYC. Chris is the proud owner of the third place podium in the 50+ Masters class for BOTH the '08 Mohican MTB 100 and The 08' Cohutta 100. A member of Independent Fabrications grass-roots team, Chris is a serious contender for the Masters Division title in the 2008 NUE Series. He is a superb racer who has completed several NUE 100 milers, La Ruta, and the Cape Epic MTB Stage Race in South Africa to mention a few. Chris is also a totally bad-ass dude to hang out with. After a weekend of camping next-door to Team Seagal he is well-immersed in our unique culture. After the race on Saturday evening Gino, Chris and I toasted our newly found memories of Mohican Country [to last a lifetime] with Mezcal, Crown Royal, and delicious PBR. We also paid homage to our fallen Mohican Brothers with an offering of Chinese Herbs and the Tibetan Gogi Berries...tales of snapped wrists and sloppy trails began to flow like the Clear Fork of The Mohican River.

Follow Chris' quest for NUE Series greatness by clicking the link to his blog on the right labeled "New East Coast Syndicate." A true single-speed ambassador, Chris' sweet Ti Indy Fab is equipped with Paragon sliders. After completion of the NUE Series and converting his beloved "Beth" back to her preferred SS orientation it would not be out of the question to see Chris in a Team Seagal kit some day soon.

Results and professional write-up here.

We had a great time in Ohio, thanks for stopping by. Here are some photos of the action listed after the story, ala cyclingnews.com. Enjoy!

-Nico Toscani

Sweet Softride- spotted just a few miles across the Illinois border, just barely hanging on

Loaded Nissan Sentra, the official race ride

Gino and the tents - Team Seagal claimed some prime real estate



Nico's Rig and The Team Seagal Campsite- Thanks for the cranks Mason!

Brand new Cannondale Truck: a warranty replacement when cracks were discovered in the original trailer

Camp Nuhop Lodge: Ground Zero for race operations

Ariel view of The Pleasant Lake Hill Dam - 98 miles from the start line!

Looking down the Pleasant Hill Lake Dam - climb this before you can finish

Finish Line!

Mini-Steven survives the '08 Mohican - Looking Good!

Chris Wurster of Independent Fabrications - Podium Shot!

Blurry Single-Speed Podium, congratulations Deejay!

Spotted near the finish...dont do this to your car!

Marshall Lawson has moved to Illinois and traded his Neon for Geo Prizim

North-eastern Ohio's best breakfast is served here

No pictures taken this weekend of Nico so here is one from the archives...complete with stash and snot bubble.