Two Mile Run Mountain Bike Race

Two Mile Run Mountain Bike Race

I drove five hours to Franklin in Northwest Pa to compete in this 20 mile MTB race. I arrived a day early with hopes of pre-riding the course, but the officials were not done marking the trails. I arrived early in race day, got my race package and installed our new anniversary gift to each other. Our GoPro Bike Camera to document the entire race. As we stood there for the pre-race meeting, we were told that this was not actually set up as a MTB race but as an adventure race. The officials then instructed us that we would ride out the entire course anyway, but to stay away from the deep water crossings. There would be alot of hike-a-bikes, where trail running was to actually take place, but we could manage. We got started with a LeMans Style start and jumped on our bikes. I took an extra second to turn the camera on, which I put on the seat post between my legs. It was noon, so the sun was already over our heads and the humidity was high.



As we started out, I was in the front half of the pack, out pulling alot of the other riders on the first two really big hills. As our pack started to pull away, we noticed that the course was not marked all that clearly. One of the other riders said that as he was talking it over with the officials, he found that most of the course is what he calls bush-whacking. (This is where there is a ribbon or paint on the limb of a tree, but no trail. You just ride through the woods making your own trail) So we started doing this and immediately ended up in a camp site where a family was sitting down eating lunch, surrounded by approximately 25 racers. We quickly departed and found the right "trail" and started with our third crueling hillclimb. Several racers were able to get ahead of me at the camp site, so I had to play catch up and make my way to the front of the pack. This was hard at first because several riders were riding off in different directions thinking that they were on the race course. I made it up to second place with most of the front pack coming down on my heels. I noticed that first place was slowing down to a stop and saying that he could no longer see the race course. I started to slow down also, when (it must have been at the same time) third place and I noticed an orange ribbon hanging from a tree limb about two hundred yards down. We both started sprinting towards it, but he overtook me. As we flew to the bottom of the hill, we both made a left where we seen a race volunteer. The volunteer started yelling "NO THAT WAY, I WAS ON BREAK" while pointing back up the way we came. First place started to slow down to turn, so I accelerated, passed him and took first place. As I started to climb back up the hill, the volunteer yelled "NOW GO LEFT" so I did.
I stayed in this position for approximately another 16 miles, when I started to outpull second place. I was really hurting because even though it was not a fast race, all the technical stuff was starting to wear on me. At the next down hill, I opened it up even though it was extremely rocky. Seeing an orange barrel on a service road, I quickly rode to it. Seeing an orange mark on the road up the hill from the barrel, I started up the long uphill towards it. Just as I got next to it, I noticed that the orange mark read "County Water Service Mark Here" I stopped and studied the writing on the ground, like it was some forgotten ancient language when I heard a four wheeler coming up from behind me. It was several race volunteers muling water to several checkpoints. I ask how much further to the end of the course and was greeted with "Buddy, you are about three miles away from the trail" "S#*T", I got better directions from the volunteers, said some choice words to the paint on the ground and quickly rode back the way I came.



Flipping off the orange barrel, I noticed a rider ducking into the woods and rode in behind him. I was able to overtake him on a narrow trail, he was starting to cramp badly. At mile 19 a cramp snuck up on me, but being so close to the end I decided to ride through it. At the end of the ride, I crossed the finish line in 7th place overall. The race officials were there to greet us as we crossed the line asking us if we had any trouble. I told them that it was a great race and that I would not change a thing. This race was something different, bush whacking, but it was extremely fun.





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Hanover Century

Hanover Century


I was nervous about this one; not because of the mileage but of the headcold that I was trying to kick. Hard to train, ride when you can't really get a breath. I arrived a little early, so I started to warm up under the stars and a slight sliver of the moon. The tempature was holding around 48 degrees so I grabbed my arm and leg covers and started to warm up. The organizers arrived at 0600am and started to get the preregistered riders accounted for which I am glad one was me. It was cold!!! Soon after Jeff, Jon and Jeff's buddy Steve from Hampton, Va. arrived and got registered. I ride with Jeff and Jon on Tuesday nights at the Gung Ho Shop. At 0700am they got us started and I rode with the other three guys so I could see how the pace was going to be. Jeff then told me at mile 5 that Steve's first real hill he had ever ridden was Saturday because they really don't have hills in Hampton. We got passed by several Catagory 1 riders (three) riding in a paceline at mile 10.47 which is the same time that my cycling computer's battery decided to die. It was good to see them ride this way, one blocking the 25mph winds that we had and the others drafting. I did the only thing I could think of; I unzipped my jersey (man it was COLD) and took my chest strap off for the computer's heartrate monitor.
I was able to do this and only lost two miles off my total distance ridden so I would have to live with doing the math in my head as I rode. Not enjoying the fact that we already got passed by three riders, I took the lead in our own paceline and set it at 22.0mph. With the other riders it was hard to not clear my nose as I rode so I did the obvious. It was beautiful to see the sun coming up over the trees, with a fine mist rising from the fields. We talked about riding, life, families, kids, The Wounded Warrior Project.....which made me think of my own bike accident. I talked about that with the fella's and then told them about the ride at Rocky Ridge where I was feeling sorry for myself. That was the ride that I witnessed God's work at it's finest.....The handicap man riding his own bike with his son.

With this going on, we reached the first water station before I knew it. Jeff and Steve said the pace was too fast for them so they were going to take a break. Jon and I slogged on, we were determined to try to reel in the three other riders. As we left the water aid station, it spit us out on the battlefields of Gettysburg. It was humbling to ride there knowing the terrible price that the families paid to give us our country. We rode past the Fifth Regiment Field Hospital, which I got confused with the Pa Regiment that Ray Doolittle told me about. Ray, I was thinking about that young Sergeant and Lt. as I rode, glad that the Lord had given me the strength to ride at this pace. I WAS FLYING!!! Soon, I pulled away from Jon who is a heck of a rider/runner despite suffering from Type I Diabetes.

Alone with my thoughts, the cool morning air, the battlefields of Gettysburg, I started to think about my children. Who would they become? Am I really doing everything I can as a Dad? Alot of people who know me ask me what the scariest thing about being a cop is? I tell them (matter of factly) Being a Dad. Just then, it dawned on me that no other riders were around, I was completely alone in this majestic place. Hey, I can finally clear my nose (no disrespect) So I did. It was great not having to mouth breathe, so I did it again, with alot more force. Too much of a good thing I guess, I did not know at the time, but I gave myself one heck of a bloody nose. After leaving the battlefields behind, I felt what I thought was my nose running and being alone, I just let it run. What the heck, I am not there to impress anybody. I did not know that it was blood going back the sides of my face and everytime I would try to clear it out; it just made it look worse.

At mile 63.8, the next water aid station loomed and I decided to stop since I had to pee so bad! As I pulled in, I ask where the bathrooms were at and the volunteers just stared at me and said "I don't think you need a bathroom" Confused by that I ask "How many people in front of me? A guy held up three fingers and pointed down the course saying, "They left about two minutes ago" So off I went. I had plenty of fueling in my jersey pockets, but started to get worried about my liquids. I was down to my last water bottle, but I wanted to catch them badly. I rode hard, the average pace was 23.0mph, which is some of the best riding I had done in a while. Soon, I noticed that a motorcycle ridden by an older gentleman and a young girl pulled up next to me. The girl ask me what my mileage was and I told her. The older gentleman then said "You are the first century rider!!" This was truly motivating since I was riding against Cat 1 riders. I rode so hard that they girl kept asking me if I was alright. Still not knowing I had a bloody nose I said "Yes" There were a few hills that slowed me down to 18mph and a few that got me 15mph. But as I crested each one, I would rise out of the saddle and hammer the cranks to get the pace back up.

The wind was no joke either, I guess the reminants of Hurricane Earl were still around because the older gentleman told me that the winds were being clocked at 25mph. This hurt because I had nobody to block for me. He also told me that the final water station was coming up at mile 85 and I really had to pee plus my water bottle was almost empty. I motioned that I was going to pull in and again with the stares!! The first thing I did was literally run into the church to the bathroom. That's when I noticed the blood on my face!! No longer would I clear my nose, I would go back to doing it the old way. I ran back out, filled my water bottles with Orange Gatorade, grabbed a banana and back on the bike. I explained to the girl that I was suffering from a cold and told her what happened. I must be out of touch with the opposite sex because the look that she gave me back!!

I was again riding at a great pace, but now my legs were starting to cramp up and my pace was lagging. The hills though not that steep, really started to slow me down. I started to pop Endurolytes, Cliff Blocks, and sucking that Gatorade down. The only problem with that Gatorade is that it was like gulping syrup down. Plus it was starting to bloat me out. Soon after we came back out to a main road and the motorcycle had to break away. This was because of the free flowing traffic on the course!! The older gentleman told me again that I was still in first place, but other riders were quickly gaining on me. There was only about 10 miles left, so I gave everything that I had left. The cramps were getting so bad that it literally brought tears to my eyes. They snuck one last final water station in at the start of mile 5. Two young girls were working this station as I yelled "How much further?" They yelled back "Five miles" and I thought that's just great, my legs hurt so bad, I can't see the riders that the motorcycle told me about, when is this gonna end. These last five miles were the worst, but I got them done. The older gentleman said that he was only joking about the other rides coming up on me, just got me to ride faster! I rode straight up to the Officials and ask how many finished before me. The woman said "What?" "What happened to your face?" I told her and she said that she was just picking, she heard the story over her radio. She told me that I was the first to finish at 11:58am. That means that I completed 101.7 miles in 4 hours, 58 minutes with an average pace of 20.9mph. I know that this is nothing to really brag about, but with this cold I will take it. On a side note, my family was not able to be there so I called them immediately to tell them that I had broken the five hour mark. This one sent me to the well.....The deep well of suffering. Loved every minute of it though.


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