Stokesville Shenanigans: Some Suffering & Savoring the Singletrack
The Stokesville campground woke me up with a brisk slap this morning – 47 degrees in August? Rude, Virginia. But hey, first things first: caffeine. Gotta plug that Nespresso into the truck and get the coffee flowing. Camping isn't an excuse to ditch the good life, people!
We lined up at 7:50am for an 8:00am launch. Big thanks to Chris and the crew for bringing back the OG course! 2020 was the last time I last raced the SM100K, and I was itching to see if my Leadville fitness could conquer those 60+ miles and nearly 8,000 feet of climbing. Let's do this!
The start was a mellow roll out, a police escort guiding our pack of 190 riders for a solid three miles. Then, BAM! We hit the dirt, and the race exploded. A lead group of maybe 20 zipped off, leaving the rest of us to find our rhythm in a scattered mix of riders.
Climbing the first dirt road up towards Narrowback, I had a moment of "Uh oh, too spicy too soon." Ben, Assaf, and I were hanging together, then Ben caught a friendly wheel and sped off. The climb continued for a few miles.
Then came the reward: Tillman Trail! Flowy, fun, full of berms and little jumps. I was totally in the zone, ripping it, even passing Ben near the creek crossing. (Thankfully, the water was low this year.) Back on the dirt road, no time for the aid station yet. My Leadville nutrition plan was locked in: USWE pack filled with Infinit Go Far, planning to swap packs every ~3 hours and supplementing with gel blocks and Larabars.
Settled into a groove on Tillman, even caught up with a single speeder for a bit. Then, a hard left onto Briery Branch Road – a four-mile grind uphill. Ben and a couple of other guys caught me. One dude, Jigawatt, shot ahead. The three of us hung together until the Lynn Trail. Ah, Lynn Trail. AKA "The Wall." One mile, 1200 feet of climb, pitches over 25 degrees. It was a hike-a-bike party, and I wasn't about to burn all my matches this early. I pushed my bike on and off at a sustainable pace, eager to hit the top and bomb down Wolf Ridge – a rocky, technical rollercoaster.
Passed a guy at the summit, so I had an open track. Yeeehaaa! But wait, back to climbing? What?! I needed more descending, less ascending after that slog. The trail got a little sketchy. Nearly ate it a couple of times, grabbing handfuls of brakes and narrowly missing a tree. The racer behind me was all “Dude, that was close! I didn't even see the tree!” "Me neither," I snorted, heart racing. The sun was blasting right in my face, making it tough to read the trail. Adrenaline pumping, I ripped the rest of the way down, hoping to claw back some lost time. Had to chug the rest of the drink mix in my USWE bladder, too, before I hit Aid Station 2. Back on plan.
Rolled into AS2 ready for a lightning-fast stop. These guys were calling out bib numbers, so my drop bag was ready and a volunteer swooped in, swapped my bladder, and handed me a Larabar and a "Hot Shot" bottle from my drop bag. No cramps today, dammit!
Back on Tillman road, just shy of halfway at 24 miles, feeling pretty good. Legs were a little tired, heart rate in check, a little bit of recovery on the descent. I settled in, with 11 miles of rolling dirt road ahead. Head down, grabbed the bar tape in my preferred aero position (a Leadville addition that stuck), and tried to cheat the wind as I climbed towards the dam and New River Road.
Time for the main event: Hankey Mountain. This course is a bit twisted. You get to climb it *twice*.
The Garmin showed me the grim profile: 4+ miles, 1700 feet of elevation. The first two miles are a steady dirt road climb. The last two? Steep, semi-technical singletrack to the summit. A twinge of potential cramps so I took some electrolyte pills and downed the "Hot Shot" Whoa, that's spicy! Should probably tried that before a race.
Channeling my inner Leadville zen, I settled into a steady, sustainable climbing pace. Two riders caught me: a woman and another dude. I could hear them breathing down my neck. Not today! I pushed the pace, determined to be the Hankey Express. Reached the steep and technical bits and picked the grassy lines to avoid those chunky rocks. Worked like a charm. Caught Jigawatt again, passed him, and kept grinding, surging on the steeper sections just to stay upright.
Hankey is a mental beast, full of false summits. You think you're there, then BAM, another climb. But then comes the payoff: Dowel's Draft. Two miles of pure descending bliss along the mountainside. I was grinning like a Cheshire cat, with a clear trail ahead.
Aid Station 3 at mile 44. Grabbed a shot of Coke and headed off, miles of gravel and pavement before round two with Hankey. Glanced back and saw one racer chasing me. A few minutes later, she caught me. We caught another racer, and the three of us worked together like a well-oiled machine. This was my first pace line in this race! She mentioned that she thought she was the women's leader. I nodded and said I was happy to help her secure her spot on the podium. We turned left up Hankey again, they stuck to my wheel as I set a pretty strong pace and we passed several racers on their first Hankey climb, cheering them on as we did. This time around on Hankey was only part of the full climb, 2.6 miles of double track. About a half mile from the turn towards the finish, I glanced back and realized we'd dropped the other racer, so we pressed hard for the Lookout turn. As we crested the summit, I asked her if she wanted to lead the last section and she said, "It's all you. I just have to not flat or crash." I told her I was shooting for a 5:30 finish and hammered down the trail. Again, I was hoping for a steady downhill to the finish line, but there are several short and punchy uphills in the last few miles. I caught and passed another racer a mile from the campground. I looked at the time, I was pretty sure I'd make my 5:30 goal and thought, "Will 5:30 be good enough for a podium spot today?" There were some strong racers on the start list.
Blasted down the final steep section, let off the brakes, and flew into the campground trails way too fast. Whoops! Got it under control and hit the last grassy section. A quick look over my shoulder, nobody there. I crossed the finish line at 5:29:49, grinning. Chris announced my finish, and I was greeted with a few smiles and claps. The women's race winner crossed the finish line a minute later.
First thing I said? "That was way more fun than Leadville!" The trails were epic, the weather was perfect, and I nailed my nutrition plan. Unlike Leadville, I rode my pace instead of getting stuck on slower wheels between climbs. The SM100K is a fantastic event – well-organized, challenging, and loads of fun. And my Cobalt Hellbender with SRAM AXS XX1, Flight Attendant, and Zipp HiTop wheels? Flawless. Climbs, flats, descents – it never let me down.
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