By Michael Border
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Cohutta 100 winner Mark Hendershot, with Shey Lindner (left) and Garth Prosser. Hendershot finished just 20 seconds ahead of Lindner
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Give it throttle: Kent Davidson, Little Rock, AK, takes on the singletrack home stretch down from Big Frog Mountain, 12 miles to go.
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Breather: Carey Lowery, Athens, TN, Team Outdoor Store, 2nd place, Cohutta Women's 100, gets brief downhill relief heading down Big Frog Mountain.
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Leapfrog: Garth Prosser, Dublin, OH, Team Cannondale, Cohutta Men's 100 3rd place, labors on the sweeping climb up to Big Frog Mountain.
The maiden run of The Cohutta 100 and Epic 35 in the Smoky Mountains followed three nights of thunderous torrential downpours that washed sticky red Georgia clay over much of the forest race course. The course skirts two federal wilderness areas, Cherokee in S. Tennessee and Chattahoochee in N. Georgia; where black bears, wild boars, snakes and other creatures are the primary inhabitants, and where no bike has raced before.
Riders in the namesake 100 faced 65 miles of ever-curving steeplechase, up-and-down fire roads, and 35 miles of singletrack dirt paths through thick hardwood forest. In addition to the often slick conditions, gnarled roots and rocky outcroppings studded the sodden paths. At the race's low point, Jacks River, riders faced a dark, clammy river bottom nestled between mountains. Overhead, the canopy of mature yellow poplar trees, fighting for sunlight hundreds of feet above, cast a gloomy twilight at high noon. The loud rush of trout streams and cascading rainfall racing down from the mountaintops muted exotic wild bird calls of the dozens of species in the area. Mud and clay were ankle deep at some points.
At the pinnacle, Big Frog Mountain rises in a gain of some 11,500 feet. Around tight mountain shoulders the course abruptly opens to broad lofty panoramas, quickly plunging back into the closely encroaching forest. Mountain banks exposed to the thunderstorms partially washed out, leaking muddy puddles of red ooze onto the race course.
Rain fell darkly at the Ocoee Whitewater Center, site of the 1996 Olympics kayaking events as the race started at 7 a.m., giving way to bright sunlight by midmorning. Braving the challenging conditions were more than 50 cyclists in five events. Riders were supported by six aid stations in the 100 mile event, each site staffed by volunteers to provide medical, mechanical and nutritional services to the laboring cyclists.
Veteran endurance athlete and New Leaf Adventures founder Barbara Border welcomed the field, noting that this is the first sporting event allowed on the edge of the two wilderness areas. She asked everyone to clear the area of all trash before leaving, and sag volunteers rode the entire course the following day to remove signs, markers and all evidence there had been an event.
The winner of the men's Cohutta 100, Mark Hendershot of the Santa Cruz Syndicate, finished the demanding 100 in 7:49:23, closely followed by Shey Lindner, 7:49:43, Cannondale, and Garth Prosser, 7:59:49, Cannondale.
Karen Masson, Litespeed, completed the Cohutta 100 in 8:36:38, and finished 11th overall. Carey Lowery, Team Outdoor Bike, was 2nd in the women's 100, finishing at 9:18:49, or 20th overall.
In all, 33 men and six women finished the inaugural run of the Cohutta 100.
In the singlespeed division, Rich Dillen, Team Dicky, finished first at 8:42:42. Kate Cook, Bad Lasses-Sorella Cycling, won the women's Epic 35 at 3:41 and Jason Howard, Outdoor Chattanooga, won the men's Epic 35, finishing at 2:42.
Barbara Border of New Leaf Adventures said she expects the race to be an annual spring event. New Leaf Adventures donated a portion of race proceeds to the American Association of Adaptive Sports, an organization that helps physically challenged children participate in sports.
COHUTTA 100 RESULTS
1. Mark Hendershot (42 yrs old)...Santa Cruz Syndicate...7:49:23
2. Shey Lindner (33)...Cannondale...7:49:43
3. Garth Prosser (35)...Cannondale...7:59:49
4. Peter Joski (36)...Atlanta Pro Bikes...8:11:04
5. Nicholas Kindt (27)...Land Rover-Vespa...8:20:49
6. Alex Dolpp (31)...American Cycle...8:24:20
7. Andy Sanidas (32)...Crank Racing...8:24:56
8. Jeff Whittingham (31)...Western Cycle...8:30:08
9. Scott Chambers (35)...Founders Ales...8:32:35
10. Harvey Minton (39)...Independent-Western Cycle...8:35:37
11. Eddie O'dea...Cartecay Bikes...8:45:36
12. Chris Hansen (38)...Yeti Cycles...9:00:58
13. Marvin Mason (41)...Georgia Spinal-Atlanta Pro Bikes...9:07:05
14. Mike Moore (34)...Team Moab...9:10:29
15. Taylor Sullivan (36)...South Park Cycles...9:18:46
16. Stephen Omilianowski (30)...Middle Tennessee Velo...9:24:24
17. Bradley Cobb (37)...Motor Mile Racing...9:28:52
18. Chad Smith (31)...Hammer Nutrition...9:36:26
19. Jamie Dial (33)...Hammer Nutrition...9:43:30
20. Greg Casteel (43)...Knoxvelo...9:47:49
21. Kent Davidson (55)...9:52:42
22. David Cook (35)...10:07:37
23. Doug Milliken (40)...Stamford Bikes...10:11:47
24. Doug Smith (49)...Gator Cycle...10:12:24
25. Mark Stewart (36)...Cartecay Bikes...10:18:05
26. Patrick Jones (37)...10:30:59
27. James Hurst (37)...Motor Mile Racing...10:31:47
28. Lee Shimril (40)...Litespeed-Inov8...10:37:38
29. John Shook (35)...10:41:22
30. Tim Barnack (43)...Monte In Sano...10:49:50
31. Chad Wamack (34)...GDI...10:52:46
32. Roger Dunn (41)...11:32:33
33. Mike Cooley (37)...Los Locos...11:35:39
TOP COHUTTA 100 SINGLE SPEED RIDERS
1. Rich Dillen (37)...Team Dicky...8:42:42
2. Jason Morgan (34)...ABRC...8:55:05
3. Zachary Broussard (30)...Chaos Engine...8:55:46
4. Brian Blair (28)...Warrior's Society...9:28:51
5. Quinn Hershburger (37)...Black Water Bike Shop...10:04:38
6. David Branch (33)...Black Sheep Cycles...10:13:54
tOP COHUTTA 100 WOMEN
1. Karen Masson (37)...LitespeeD...8:36:38 (11th overall)
2. Carey Lowery (37)...Team Outdoor Store...9:18:49 (20th)
3. Danielle Musto (28)...Slingshot Bikes...9:52:37
4. Brenda Simril (38)...Litespeed-Inov8...10:11:57
5. Lisa Randall (27)...Cherokee Bike Shop...10:43:10
6. Sandra Gross...Litespeed...11:12:23
TOP EPIC 35 RIDERS
1. Jason Howard (31)...Outdoor Chattanooga...2:42
2. Jeremy Dowlin (39)...3:11
3. James Behning (45)...GTC...3:15
4. Thomas Becktold (28)...3:29
5. Adam Jones (27)...The Hub...3:32
WOMEN
1. Kate Cook (28)...Bad Lasses-Sorella Cycling...3:41
2. Renee Passinault (34)...3:49
3. Lorna McGee (36)...4:17
4. Mary Jane Hershburger (37)...Black Water Bike Shop...4:25
5. Joy Johnson (29)...4:37
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