Susitna 100

First things first.  Tim Berntson and Megan Chelf rode great.  Laura Fox, Danielle Dalton, Will Ross and Carey Grumelot (and Josh Chelf :winkwink:) kept those two honest the whole time.  Congrats on the course records too!

The team had a great showing as well!  Revolution Racing had the most teammates racing!!!  Many folks were returning to the Su100 as well as some first timers.  They all did great and we have the best team out there!!!

Thanks again Adam and Angie.  Laura and I drove out Friday night and slept at the Shilman Quest Lodge which saved us a bit of energy that we would surely need the next day.  Thankfully there wasn't any big earthquakes like the last time we were out there.

The best team ever!

Saturday morning rolled around and Laura and I got to the start and checked in for the bike division. The race started and in typical fashion there was a really fast lead pack that headed off down the trail and that would prove to be the last time we would see them till the finish.

There was a pack of about 20 or so folks riding our pace.  We rolled that way pretty uneventful till we got to the river.  At that point there was a bit of a stall in the the pace so I decided to hop up front and crank out some miles.  From there on for Laura, Megan, Tom and I it didn't slow down till Cow Lake.  We absorbed Nico at first just before the turn off for Rolly Creek trail and then about 2 miles before Eagle Quest we picked up Fred West as well.

Ryan and Laura keeping spirits high as we tried to keep the pace manageable early in the race.

We had a couple of freeloaders near the end of Gasline till Flathorn Lake checkpoint.

Fast forward to the river near 5 Star checkpoint.  Laura, Megan and Tom were all that was left of our pack.  Looking back at splits we would have hung in their with David Artega and John Sindell.  That's major league not just for me but both of these rockstars.

We rocked through the Willow Swamp to Eagle Quest where I decided to hit the porta-potty.  I figured that I would line up to sign in and out just as the last person in our group lined up to sign out. That was not the case.  I looked up and Laura was already leaving and no one was left at the checkpoint.  After pulling the pack for quite a few miles I was pretty miffed and pegged it and Tom decided to attack hard through Willow Swamp and I didn't latch back on until Hunter Loop trail. That really drained me and it would cost me a good bit of energy through Big Swamp.  I decided to just sit in and regain my wits.  Tom was riding really strong and many of us were considering letting him go. We all apparently decided to stay attached and continue on.

After a goof up by half the pack at the Fish Creek intersection I found myself with Nico in front and Megan just behind him.  She backed off as we hopped onto the Cow Lake connector.  This is a fun trail with a couple of mean rollers thrown in.  Usually we end up coming through here in the darker hours of the day and I guess I was feeling pretty good and decided to ride up everything that was possible to ride up.

We dropped down into the lake and to my surprise Josh was waiting for Megan.  I had thought that he was racing and to see him there messed with our heads just enough and when it came time to sign out of the checkpoint Laura and I had to take a mental break.  Megan, Josh and Fred took off down the trail with no break and that would be the last time I would see them.  When Laura and Nico left she had dropped approx. 5 or so minutes and I even more so as I left alone.

I am in no way making an excuse or taking away from the winners and the folks in front of me. These races are as much about the mental aspects as the physical.  Tim Berntson is incredible at this racing. He has the right mental attitude and strength as well as the physical training and ability to do very well at 100 mile snow ultra distance races.  To hear stories of how quickly he is in and out of checkpoints is amazing.  I come away from this experience a little smarter and will continue to focus on my race. Just as my father always told me when I was younger and racing remote control cars and later on racing full size cars.  Back to the race report.

I rolled through the hills out of Cow Lake and we were on the worst trail conditions of the race. Which wasn't saying too much as I decided to run Dillinger 5 tires and aired down just after Little Cow Lake.  I also took the opportunity to tighten up my seat tension bolt.  I made it through here without too much trouble.  From there I just pedaled away and caught Nico at the Power line trail just before the Little Su river crossing and the final checkpoint.  I was still chasing Tom and rolled right in after he did at the checkpoint.

From the final checkpoint till the finish Nico and I pulled and gave it our best effort to catch Tom. After trading pulling duties I told Nico that I couldn't just let Tom pull away without giving it a go and he acknowledged so I left.  I didn't quite have enough to close up the gap and we rolled into the finish with me just about a minute behind Tom and a minute ahead of Nico.

I didn't get too many pictures of teammates finishing.  Here is Nico with his new Glacier Blue Corvus crossing the finish line.  He really hooked me up with a great pull out of the last checkpoint.

I'm so happy for Laura.  She really put the hammer down and once again only Tim was faster than her from the last checkpoint to the finish.  That's just amazing!

2016 Susitna 100 and Little Su 50k ADN article

This was a great tuneup and hard final effort before the Iditarod Trail Invitational.  I raced on a nice light bike, with just the right amount of gear.

Quick notes:

I rode without bike shorts and was totally comfortable.  The Selle Anatomica NSX series saddle is heaven for my bottom.  Hahaha

Selle Anatomica NSX saddle

Dillinger 5's are great tires and roll OK until about 11-12 miles per hour.  After that they really start resisting rolling compared to other tires in the 4" range.  I didn't need the newer style studs or the larger tire for this race and that would be the one thing I change next time.  Looking ahead to the ITI there still maybe possible snowfall this side of the range and the 5's might be a better bet than the 4's.

45nth Dillinger 5

I rode the entire race without filling a water bottle or a hydration pack.  Revelate Designs Wampak with a 100oz camelbak bladder brought me all the way to the finish with water to spare.  This is good news for me.  The stretch from Rohn to Nikolai is a long way and this gives me confidence that I can make it without having to melt any snow along the way if the conditions are decent.

Revelate Designs Wampak