Shenandoah 100k

Summary

What a day! My first attempt at the Shenandoah Mountain 100k was a grand success! I didn’t make it on the podium this time, but I was happy with how I rode.

I was incredibly excited to be racing the Shenandoah Mountain 100k this year, as it was the first race I added to my calendar for the 2021 season and seemed like a fitting capstone to the year in which I moved to Virginia and started racing marathon-distance. Unlike most other races, I had the opportunity to pre-ride (most of) the course and was more excited than nervous going into it.

Training

I came into this race better prepared than either Mohican or Wilderness, as I felt neither over-trained nor over-stressed. I had managed to settle into life and training in Virginia, and had even gotten a few weeks of school under my belt and felt pretty at ease there as well. My final big ride before the race, however, did not go so well. It was 97F at the start of that ride and I completed barely half of what was planned due to feeling overly affected by the heat. I chose not to let it bother me and focused on coming into the race as fresh as possible.

Gear

During my pre-ride of the course, I strongly considered riding my hardtail due to the large amounts of gravel and paved roads. As I debated it, I considered the chunky descent down Wolf (do-able on a hardtail, but likely a bit slower–and a higher risk of flats) vs. the speed of climbing and eventually settled on riding the S-Works Epic (full-suspension) for yet another race. (It also turned out that my hardtail is still out of commission due to a brake warranty issue, so I didn’t really even have the option…though I did approach it as if I could have ridden either bike). I did, however, change up my tire selection. This time, I opted for Specialized Fast Trak GRID 29×2.3 tires, preferring the puncture resistance and stability of the GRID tires for confidence against flatting on some of the rockier descents. AKA, I wanted to be able to SEND IT and not worry about ripping open a tire.

As has become custom, I wore my Osprey Duro 1.5 hydration vest, carried two bottles on the bike, and my Leyzne top tube bag (for fig bars!).

Nutrition & Hydration

Having had a great experience with the drop bag system during the Wilderness 101k race, I was far more confident for this race. In addition to having pre-ridden most of the course, I also had a slightly better idea of what to include in my drop bag.

I chose to use just one drop bag, at the middle aid station. I filled it with jalapeno chips, Osmo single-serving packets, peanut butter crackers, and a stack of Maurten gels. The rest of my Clif Shot Bloks, fig bars, and Honey Stinger waffles I carried from the start. Thanks to the cooler weather, I pushed through the first and third aid stations, stopping only the one time for a water refill.

Planning

Because this was a “local” race, just under two hours away from home, I worked a full day on Friday, then left after work for Stokesville. After picking up Chik-Fil-A for dinner, I listened to a combination of performance and mindset podcasts and my “Time to Ride” music playlist during the drive (which is GORGEOUS btw). I met up with two friends, Jon and Cameron, once we all arrived and set up camp for the night.

Reflections

As expected, I got dropped off the lead group on the initial gravel climb (maybe someday I’ll have the brute strength to climb road/gravel like the rest of the ladies out there right off the start, but right now, I am just not that fast). The next ten or so miles were a bit chaotic as I dropped my first Honey Stinger waffle (tragedy!) and got off course twice thanks to some course markings being tampered with.

In both instances, I was grateful for the work I’ve done with my mindset coach, enabling me to stay focused on the moment / the race ahead rather than wasting valuable mental energy getting angry at the inconvenience.

Once back on course, I was stoked that I was able to ride nearly 2/3 of the infamous Lynn climb before dismounting, then put a solid descent down Wolf. The volunteers at Aid Station #2 were phenomenal and made me feel like a NASCAR driver as they rushed to get my drop bag, fill bottles, and even added new Osmo Nutrtion to my Osprey Hydration vest in the process—all while I stood there eating jalapeño chips.

Then it was up Hankey Mountain, where I finally caught the next female rider right before we hit Dowell’s (a RIPPING descent). It was incredibly fun descending with Teresa Laird (also a VA rider!)—it’s not often I get to ride with other ladies who are total shredders! Once we hit the road at the bottom, it was a bit of a battle (as much as one can battle when you are 45+ miles into a mtb race).

As we were trading places back and forth, I got a short draft off a friend’s wheel, and the encouragement of seeing a friend. That short break was enough for me to put together a strong effort and create a gap. As I climbed Hankey for the second time I could only repeat my mantra “Ride Fierce” over and over, hoping against hope that I’d be able to hold the gap to the crest of the mountain. I hung on through the final (gnarly) descent and finished 6th and feeling the best I have in any race this year.