The Wild 100, located in Slatyfor, West Virginia along the Elk River, allows MTB racers the opportunity to ride on what is known as the Eastern America's riding Mecca.
The Short Hard Way or the Long Hard Way
By Jim Mitchell, Potomac Velo Club, August 16, 2008
Last weekend my friend Mark and I raced in the Wild100, which is a back country, checkpoint style MTB race put on by the Elk River Touring company right outside of Snowshoe mountain in Slatyfork WV. Mark and I signed up as a solo’s for this race, but we planned on riding it together. I was a bit apprehensive about riding this race with Mark. He has really been tearing it up in the adventure race circuit this summer, but to my relief, we came to a gentlemen’s agreement the night before the race that we would make it more of a tour of West Va. than a race.
So not surprisingly, we were about the only ones not suited up to blaze up the trail as soon as the maps were handed out. Matter of fact, it was a good 15 minutes before we determined there were no more pancakes to be had and threw a leg over the bikes to begin the long grind up Props Run. Having done some these longer events before, we knew that keeping a steady, consistent pace was the best way for us, um ‘senior’ riders to reel back some of the more junior competitors.
The climb up Props run lasted 7 miles and gained us about 2200 feet. In several places you had to ride through stream beds and negotiate rock gardens. The grade was fairly consistent, and we pushed up to the top at steady pace. In the first 6 miles we were able to overtake about 10 of the rabbits that had bolted ahead of us at the start . We checked in at the first checkpoint as we neared the top.
Tea Creek
On the top, we jumped on a fire road to find the next trail. We almost made a bad turn, but a rider behind us kindly corrected us and we headed for the Tea Creek trailhead to hit checkpoint 2. Tea Creek is famous for it’s tech features, and we had fun riding it. Aided by gravity, we bombed down the trail, avoiding folks coming up back from the checkpoint in the opposite direction. After checking in at 2 , we did our best to ride out again. Mainly because Mark loudly proclaimed to the CP crew that we would be riding out of there (many racers were walking out). We did have to walk a few short sections, but we rode most of it and that made the old dudes pretty happy.
On the way to checkpoint 3 we traveled on the Crooked Fork Trail, a very long and very overgrown track with quite bit ascending to it. There was but a single narrow passage through it, and the stinging nettles were tall and painful. Luckily for us, the riders before us had born the brunt of their sting and had pushed most of them over.
Jim and Mark's 2008 Wild 100 Route mapped via GPS
Now for the record, Checkpoint 3 stymied me when I did this race 8 years ago when was I forced to abandon after not locating it. As we pulled up to a barn, I got an eerie sensation of deja vu, and told Mark the barn we were at was the same place I got lost last time. The trail that was supposed to be there tapered out to nothing but a cow pasture. After riding around a bit trying to orient ourselves, we noticed the same rider that earlier had kept us from making a wrong turn was heading up a hill in another direction. We caught up with him and consulted the map. He told us the checkpoint was most likely over the top of a large steep hill, and the trail was totally overgrown and had disappeared. There was really no trail for us to follow, but not having another solution, we joined him and beat through the brush up the hill. Just when we were losing faith, he found a XC ski marker that had marked the old trail, so we knew we were on the right track. We pushed on some more and came across a co-ed couple that had been wandering around in the weeds looking for CP3 for what they said had been an hour. Reaching the top, the five of us spread out , and we finally located the CP3 just below the crest on the backside.
CP3 was a fully staffed CP. They had plenty of snacks, drinks, and sandwiches (PB’J's!). We ate and took on more water. Leaving on a dirt road, we headed for a short paved section. The hardball was an easier roll, but all uphill. Road racers from a race being held at Snowshoe resort shot by us in the opposite direction as we ground uphill. We made the turn to the trailhead and threw our bikes over the locked gate (one of several locked gates crossed that day) and started a long uphill grind on some more overgrown double track to CP4. The co-ed couple from CP3 came by us, and then we played leapfrog for a bit as there seemed to be trees down across the trail every 100 yards that would allow us to catch up to them again. We rode behind them for awhile, then the 4 of us stopped to consult the map.
Two Ways to Go
There were two ways to CP4, the short hard way or the long hard way, the difference being the longer way allowed you to ride a very technical trail DOWNHILL, which is important if you want to keep rolling. The co-ed team opted for the short hard trail that was uphill (read that hike -a bike) and we elected to go longer route that began on the smooth and fast Gauley Mt. trail and connected us to the Red Run trail which on our map was simply marked “not recommended”.
Now when IMBA does not recommend a trail, there is a reason. This trail was could really not be called a trail at all. It was strewn with large rocks, roots and was so rough in places you really couldn’t tell if you were still on it or just riding in the middle of the woods. Mark and I struggled through it for two miles. It was exhausting , as every on foot of trail you were attacking and lofting your bike up and over rocks and logs. There were no breaks, and we were not making good time, but we were riding it most of it, and that made it bearable.
We finally rolled into CP4 exhausted and starving . We really had been burning up the calories. I grabbed at some of gels that were lying in a pile on the ground and started wolfing them down. Civility finally kicked in, and I suddenly stopped to make sure they were for racers, and did not belong to the CP crew. We knocked down a Cliff bar and stared at the map, more choices to make. I was feeling pretty toasted by now and was looking for the easiest way, even if it was longer. We set out on what we thought was an “easier” trail.
After 2 miles of really hard going, we were cooked again and decided perhaps it would be better to reroute and take a trail depicted on the map as harder than the one we were on, but shorter in distance.
Full Camelback Number Four
I figured we would walking it, but it turned out to be much nicer and totally ride-able. We made it to CP5 (with 2 flats along the way) 1 hour ahead of the cutoff time. The nice CP crew made us some more PBJ’s while we fixed a flat. We took on some more water (full camelback #4) and I put on a light set we had staged at the CP “just in case”.
The best route back to the finish looked like 5 mile single track climb, followed by a long run on fire road. Refueled and now a bit recovered, we jumped on the Bannock Shoals trail and set up a nice climbing tempo. The trail gains about 1000 feet in 4.5 miles, and in about 40 minutes we were at the top. The rest of the route back had us on well groomed fire roads. We still had climbing to do, but the smooth surface made it much easier this time. The last few miles were particularly sweet as we rode 30mph+ down a sweeping fire road that would dump us out on a paved section with just two miles to go to the finish.
All Down Hill From Here
Mark and rolled up together to the finish tent and checked in. I’ve never finished a race where a pretty girl hands you an ice cold oatmeal stout before you even get off your bike (thanks Patti!) but things are different in WV.
For the record, my GPS tells me I burned up 11340 calories over 11hrs and 41 mins. No wonder I was always hungry. Mark and I rode for 70 miles and climbed @ 8500’, much of which was single track. This was probably the longest and hardest ride I’ve done. I done longer distances in adventure races, but the riding here was much more difficult due to the terrain.
To experience some of the best single track WV has to offer. I’d highly recommend staying at the ELK River Touring Center, who have hosted this race for 13 years. They have basically put Slatyfork, WV on the map as a premiere MTB ride destination.
The 2009 Wild 100 Mountain Bike Endurance Race will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2009.