Locals take honors during Mohican Mountain Bike endurance races

Jeff Pendlebury was covered in mud and sweat when he finally rolled to a stop five hours, 20 minutes and three seconds after riding into the Loudonville sunrise on Saturday.

Pendlebury was the third person to cross the finish line Saturday during the Mohican 100 Mountain Bike Race.

Bikers competed in events that were 100 miles and 100 kilometers, which is just over 62 miles.

"The mud was awful," Pendlebury said. "Probably 5 to 6 inches deep in some spots where you actually had to pedal to go downhill. Usually you don't pedal to go downhill. You usually look forward to that, but this year you had to pedal to get down."

The 100K winner was Anthony Grinnell of Harmony, Pennsylvania. He finished in 5:08:19, just a dozen minutes faster than the local favorite.

The races started in downtown Loudonville. The courses went along roads for a few miles, then veered into the Mohican State Forest. Bikers quickly learned that overnight rains had muddied their trails.

'It's the toughest 100-mile course'

Pendlebury ran track and wrestled for the Golden Bears at Waynedale High School. It wasn't until later in life that he discovered cycling. He started racing on roads, then realized he liked mountain biking on trails even better.

He's raced at Mohican five times. Three times he's been in the 100-mile race, and twice in the 100-kilometer event.

"I would say it's the toughest 100-mile course I've ever done," Pendlebury said. "I've raced them in Michigan and Tennessee and other places."

Other places have more hills, but they aren't quite the same as Mohican's.

"This is really punchy, so it takes a lot of power to get over them," Pendlebury said. "You can't really pace yourself for lack of better words."

'We've had as many as 650 racers here'

This year's race was the 22nd, according to Ryan O'Dell, the race's director.

The race is affiliated with both the Ohio Mountain Bike Championship. and the National Ultra Endurance Race Series.

"You get points in both," O'Dell said.

There were 430 men, women and children who competed Saturday in both distances.

"At peak we've had as many as 650 racers here," O'Dell said.

The number of entrants are fewer these days because there are more endurance mountain bike races nationwide, so competitors don't have to travel as far to find a starting line.

"The commitment is, you know, you can do as many races as you want, but it's your best three that count," O'Dell explained. "And if you win, then you get a share of the $10,000 cash purse, you get complimentary entry into all the races and you'll get complimentary trips to race overseas."

'We're the camp and canoe capital'

The races draw at least 1,000 people to the Mohican area every spring, the director pointed out. Each of the 430 competitors brought along family and friends who met them at aid stations along the course.

"We're the camp and canoe capital here in Loudonville," O'Dell said. "The mountain biking brings in a totally different group of people to our town."

One of the race director's goals is to get people hooked on the area so that they return throughout the year for rides through the forest, then come back and compete in the races again the following spring.

"Having these races on weekends that are typically a little slower for the camping and canoeing, you know, before and after Memorial Day weekend, really gets a little punch to the merchants here in town," O'Dell said. "We're filling up the restaurants and the hotels and stuff on a weekend where it normally wouldn't be that busy."

'I guess I must find some enjoyment out of it'

Loudonville's own Brad Rogers was the 8th person to cross the finish line on Saturday.

More importantly, he was the first person aged 50 or older, making him the winner of the master's division. His time was 5:54:18.

He started riding in 1999, but didn't race for the first time until 2010.

"I'd ride with the group in Lexington," Rogers said. "They talked me into it. I went and did a a mountain bike race in Youngstown."

He's been racing ever since. Sometimes, it's not easy.

"There are times out there mentally I’m like, 'Why am I doing this?', but usually it passes," Rogers said. "I guess I must find some enjoyment out of it, but probably the competition."

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This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Locals take honors during Mohican Mountain Bike endurance races