2018 Mohican 100
Ana-Maria Bogatan and Joanne Beattie competed in the Mohican 100 this past weekend in Loudonville, Ohio. Ana-Maria had a great race, managing to keep things rubber-side down despite the slippery and muddy conditions. Ana-Maria completed the 100 KM course with over 2,000 meters of climbing, in 8 hours and 20 minutes.
Joanne Beattie was very excited to earn a position on the podium. She finished in second place in the 100 Mile Women’s Open race after over 3,000 meters of climbing and 10 hours and 13 minutes in the saddle!
The race began with a slow, neutral mass start through downtown Loudonville, with six hundred racers being funneled from a 2-lane wide peloton to a single lane, in order to pass through bridge construction. From there, the group started to spread out throughout the first 7.5km of hilly road climbs before being constricted again when the course turned into a steep single-track climb. This was the start of a continuous 25 kilometers of flowing, narrow trails through the Mohican Forest, with the pace being limited by the long train of riders ahead. Joanne rode straight through Aid Station 1 at the 33km mark, in order to get ahead of the large group that had been limiting her speed in the first section of the race and to create a gap between herself and 2 other female competitors that were close behind. From there, she was able to start passing riders in the single-track as there were larger gaps between them, enabling her to pick up the pace, making the next section of single track more fun to ride.
The rest of the course had a mix of challenges including a steep downhill section with water bars across the trail, stream crossings, a suspension bridge, a hike-a-bike hill and thick, tire-sucking mud.
The level of volunteer support at each of the Aid Stations was very impressive. Drop bags were allowed at 2 of the Aid Stations where volunteers radioed in race numbers as riders went by. A volunteer was waiting at the aid station with riders drop bags in hand, ready to help with anything from filling water bottles to lubricating chains. Fellow riders on the course were also generally quite courteous and willing to offer assistance.
The event was topped off with a post-race party at the finish line! Great Lakes Brewery was there filling bottomless glasses for the 100K finishers and growlers for the 100 Mile finishers. It was a fantastic way to end an epic day of mountain biking and a perfect women’s weekend road trip!