Mud, Blood, and Revenge! 2014 Syllamo's Revenge

Deep in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas lives the legend of Syllamo, a Native American who slaughtered hundreds of early settlers in revenge for the devastation of his Tribe.  For the last 10 years his spirit has been returning to those rugged, wooded areas to seek his revenge against the Mountain Bikers who arrive every spring to race on his land.

The Syllamo's Revenge Mountain Bike Race in Mountain View, Arkansas is considered on of the most technical, physically demanding off road races in the country.  Nearly 50 miles of roots and rock gardens await those who enter this singletrack gauntlet.  This race has a special place in my heart as It was one of my very first races.
This was my 3rd trip to Syllamo's.  I keep coming back because i also love the area.  Mountain View, AK is a cool Ozark town and folk capital of the world, but what i really love is the remote area surrounding the Syllamore National Forrest.  There are campgrounds, cabins, and a cavern, but....... No Alcohol!  That's right!  The entire county is dry as a bone.  So always come prepared!

Race Course

This year I made the trip with my fiancee Rebecca; we split a cabin with our good friends Emilie(Wonder Woman)Flanigan and Mike(I can build my own furniture)Flanigan who arrived not long after us.  After chatting, eating, and stressing bike set up we went to bed early for our 7:30am start time.  Unfortunately, not long a after falling asleep, i was awoken by a massive thunderstorm that would be the ultimate game changer for the race the next morning.

6am came way too soon.  It was an absolute struggle to get moving in the morning.  The rain was still coming down steadily and it was cold for May in Arkansas (in the mid 40's).  Not a recipe for race day excitement!  I barely manage to get my act together in time for Rebecca to drop me off in the campground to register and line up.  But i did have time to share some STL pre race love with all of the awesome people who showed up!  Not long before we were supposed to line up, the word went out that they were postponing the race start to 8am in hopes that the rain would let up.  It did not......

On the way to the race.  Not motivating. 

This race starts with at 1 mile climb up pretty steep forest road.  You can usually tell how the race is going to go based on how you feel after this climb.  Your positioning and your legs need to be excellent before entering the gauntlet.  This year, all i could think was "this is going to get nasty" as we made our way up the hill.  The rain was still falling and even this relatively tame forest road was was causing issues for many of the riders.  After entering the trail things only got wilder.  Besides the miles and miles slippery rocks and roots, this year boasted the addition of calf deep mud bogs, rivers of water flowing down trail at you, extra deep river crossings, and bike destroying sand.  Oh and i forgot to mention mud.  The kind of mud that slowed your cadence to a crawl and removed any of the grip your tires could have provided for the on coming rock gardens.

Pain Face

Now i know this sounds awful, and at first it kinda was.  But when you finally accept that this is more of an adventure than a mountain bike race, it really made all the hiking and water more tolerable.  I had finally made this shift in my mindset around 14 miles in, just after i was forced to slow down in a rock garden and fell in a 3 foot hole off the trail.  I am happy i decided to focus on enjoying myself on this adventure, because after the crash and a punctured tire that would require additional air every few miles, (A big thanks to Steve Friedman, for giving me all of his inflation devices!) a good race time was out of the question.

The most difficult aspect of race like this is defiantly keeping your spirits high.  Its easy to get caught up in the excitement of the race.  Everyone comes to these races with some type of expectation or goal to meet, and when things don't unfold in your favor, it's easy to get upset.  Being upset only wastes precious energy and zaps your concentration.  You have to teach yourself how to shift your focus and adjust your goals as you move forward, not dwell on an idealized result.  Adversity come up quickly and without notice, typically the best way to deal with your situation is to accept it, find a reliable solution, and move on as quickly a possible.

Way to go Hunter!

It felt extra amazing to cross the finish line. Covered in mud, slices all over my legs from overgrown, evil vines, and a bike that was sounding its death call. Today to every ounce of focus to complete.  It was awesome to see Rebecca and many of my favorite people from the STL race scene.  The war stories were pretty good that day!  So was the massive plate of spaghetti I inhaled immediately afterwards.  Huge congrats to my fast friends Hunter Henry for a top 10 overall finish and Emilie Flanigan for an awesome 4th place finish!
Despite the difficult conditions, i still love this race!  It's just plain hard.  Thanks for taking the time to read, until my next adventure!

2014 Cohutta 100 vs. Team Noah Foundation

My teammate Emily closed her eyes briefly on the car ride home from her 1st crack at the Cohutta 100 mtb race.  Moments later she awoke, laughing, not "ha ha funny" laughing...... but the kind of snicker that happens inside yourself when you cant put into words what you just experienced.   When we asked her what was so funny, she said..... "when I close my eyes there were never end ribbons of trail climbing upward forever".

Even hours after the race I was still trying to deal with what had just happened earlier that day.  Mentally and Physically.  Just like Emily, I also felt that everything had a certain upward facing angle to it..........

The Cohutta 100 is a leg burning, mountain climbing extravaganza, with amazing views and screaming downhills.  Nestled in eastern Tennessee near Cohutta wilderness and crossing into the Georgia Chattahoochee wilderness, this race really showcases the scenery this area has to offer!
Our Journey Starts Here:

Ocoee Whitewater Center

Thursday:  With the arrival of our teammate Trevor from Iowa, Team Noah Foundation Racing scheduled an emergency meeting at......where else......Strange Donuts, for a glazed reunion before leaving in the morning.

Friday: After driving for most of the day.  Trevor, Maria, Emily, and myself arrive at the Ocoee Whitewater Center in plenty of time to register and hand in our drop bags.  First, let me say the staff putting on this event from Trail Head Outdoors were some of the best i have ever encountered!  Not only, making a great experience but also rooting on every finisher.   Did if forget to mention the free swag, including a swanky Cohutta 100 Stem from the fellas at SRAM.  It's this type of attitude and environment that encourages racers of all abilities to take on these types of challenges, inspiration was all around!

After socializing for a few, we found our way to the ThunderRock campground to meet with our friends from Toasted Head Racing (again, amazing people in the MTB community) to set up and turn in for the night.

Saturday: 
 5am is wake up and morning ritual.
 6am at Ocoee center to scramble our bikes and supplies together in a panic.

7am is race start.   Everyone is excited and you can feel the energy all around.  The race starts off in a hurry climbing (of course) on pavement to get the chance to touch some of Tennessee's best trails.

From what i heard, the front group pegged it from the get go.  Many maintaining a heart rate of 180 BPMs for 40 mins!  Woah!         Not me......  I probably hit that tying my shoes.  I was happy in the middle of the pack, pursuing a better time for my 3rd attempt at a NUE Series 100 miler.  In my last attempt i DNF'd due to stepping on a hornets nest. So I was on a redemption mission.

Anyway.....  The opening singletrack is fast and wide open! Racers were making moves everywhere, I witnessed 1 of these moves result in a painful looking wreck.   We were only 3 miles into a 100 mile race! But as trail riding can do, racers began to string out as they dipped, dived, and climbed some more.  16.5 miles later the trail dropped riders onto a fascinating network of Forrest Service roads which would lead us across the Tennessee/Georgia Border, over a mountain, to some more singletrack at the other end.

The climbing was tough.  Plain and simple, 70 percent of the race was spent climbing.  Then just as your legs were about to go numb, you roll across something like this...... and you forgot about all the pain.

Thank for the Pic Maria!

This is the view from the overlook on top of "Potatopatch Mountain".  After this view, the trail went down...... for a long time.  I passed the lead group of racers returning, on the way down this section.  Jeremiah Bishop, Gerry Pflug, and I was happy to see my teammate Trevor Rockwell right behind.   They were about hour in front of me at this point.  I really soaked in the single track at the end of this section because I knew I would be heading back up that mountain soon.  

Timing it from top to bottom, it took about 1hr 10min to climb 2000 ft in 6+ miles of that mountain.  It hurt.  Alot.  I saw my teammate Emily pass me just after this section, as she pedaled her way to an 8th place finish!!  I hadn't eaten nearly enough, and was now having trouble getting the food down.  I knew I was going to suffer...  

Finally reaching the last section of single track called the "ThunderRock Express", you feel elated to know you're so close, and when you finally hear cowbells ringing in the distance you somehow find a 7th or 8th wind to carry you to the finish line.  Crossing the line feels amazing for two reasons.  You finally get off your bike and typically someone hands you a plate of food and a beer.  Every single person who crosses that finish line is amazing whether it takes 8 hours or 15 hours.  To even try something so crazy is more than many can handle.  Maybe we are crazy?  But there are very few times in our lives when we can embrace the unknown and embark on a journey of this magnitude.  Truly disappearing into the wild, to emerge a little different every time.  This is what keeps bringing me back.

When everything was said and done Trevor had won 5th place Single Speed category.  Our new friend Dan Rapp from Toasted Head Racing took 2nd.  Way to go...... FAST!   And Congrats to all of Team Noah who were out doing their thing!

100 miles is a long ride on a mountain bike.  To race this distance means to push yourself as hard as you can until you finish, with as little breaking as necessary.  Sometimes things go well, and you feel good the whole time.  Other times, not so fun times happen.  I've experienced many of these not so fun times. 

It takes as much mental strength to complete one of these races as it does fitness, and no one is immune to pain.  Especially when every little thing adds up... a missed opportunity to eat/drink.  A wrong turn, resulting in added mileage.  A flat tire.  Anyone of these items seems like a reason to quit 8 hours into a mountain bike race.  It takes a great amount of internal power to be able to deal with the suffering.  I guess that's one of the things our team has in common with the little warrior our team is named after.

It was an amazing experience and until next time, I've never been prouder of my coffee mug.

You've got to earn this mug!

2014- This year is gonna be HUGE!

Wow!  It's crazy to see how fast this year is already moving for me.  It seems like every time I look up from the course i've set, another month has gone by!

With that being said, i wanted to take a moment to recap what 2014 has already given to me and what I am looking forward to coming up!

The StL gang at Spa City

First things first:  I had several superb bike races i attended at the beginning of this year.  First was the Iron Mtn Man in Arkadalphia, AK followed by the Spa City 6 hr in Hot Springs, AK.  I love riding in Arkansas, the trails are amazing, it's usually warmer during the early months of the year, and it no more than 6 hrs away from St. Louis.

The next big endeavor i completed help me reach two of my personal milestones, while help a friend celebrate the 30th milestone.  So, in February I agreed to participate in an overnight 12hr trail run/race.  In reality, i had never really ran more the 5 miles in a sitting, never hiked more than 7, soooo i knew i would be in for a world for hurt.

Team Noah Trail Runners!

What i didn't expect was to enjoy myself as much as I did.  Maybe if was the company (Team Noah's Dwayne and Emily), maybe it was the weather (Freezing temps, ice storms), or maybe the lack of sleep.  Whatever it was, the hour ticked away very quickly out in the Grafton, IL bluffs and before i knew it i had traveled over 30 miles! 

The latest big adventure was the Tour of Hermann Gravel Challenge.  Which was a BLAST!  Two days of Hermann, Mo (think wine country) with about 200 miles of gravel and paved roads to go adventure out onto!  I again got to ride with alot of friends from St. Louis.  Team Noah Racing was in tow, as i was joined by my two favorite "Queens of Pain"  Maria and Emily.  The weather was perfect both days and even thought i had to cut my second day short (family obligations) i felt like i could have ridden all week out there an never get board.

Im sure ill have more things to reminisce about, but for now i'm focusing on big fish!  In particular a whale of a ride called the Cohutta 100 in Cleveland, Tn this weekend.  

Until next time!  

Everyday is your chance to live better

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone.  I created this blog to chronicle, share, and relive the many adventures I have the opportunity to experience in my life.  In these writing I hope to convey one very simple message;  "Adventure is the Spice of Life".

To me, this phrase has many meanings.  I hope to both reveal and discover what those spices are, to figure out which one's taste best.

I chased adventure in many forms; sports, music, art, spirituality; blindly moving to my next opportunity available.So I can appreciate that everyone has a different idea of adventure.

At the moment, my muse is cycling.  So expect to hear a lot about being on a bike!  You can also expect to hear many opinions, comments, and other items that are controversial.
I've got all kinds of things to write about, but those are best for another post!