LOUDONVILLE — The cyclist who won the men’s open of this year’s Mohican MTB 100 race had never ridden a bicycle in Ohio before.
Kyle Trudeau, 28, of Tucson, Arizona finished the race with a time of 7:31:11. Moments after finishing, the professional cyclist said Ohio’s terrain was a bit different than the cacti and loose desert dirt he’s accustomed to. And the horse trails were different, too.
“Some spots were saturated and thick with mud, and you’re just tractoring through it — you could tell horses had just walked all through them and dug it all up,” Trudeau said. “Other than that, just nonstop hills out there. Nothing super long, but steep, and they come the entire race.”
Saturday’s event marked the National Ultra Endurance race’s 20th anniversary.
“The first year was 30 guys who all got lost,” said Ryan O’Dell, the race’s director.
He said organizers used pie plates to mark trails back then and most of those riders were his friends. Each year, the race has grown along with the appeal for ultra endurance races around the country.
“We were doubling in size every year and the growth was hard to manage,” O’Dell said. “We also had very little volunteer support. That’s when New Hope (Community Church) came.”
The church began volunteering for the race around 10 years ago. On Saturday, around 200 volunteers manned aid stations and helped with other aspects of the race — which drew nearly 600 riders from around the country. One rider traveled from France.
O’Dell said the race was made tougher this year with the addition of more single track, eliminating around 20 miles of road along the route.
“We expanded the trail out at Camp Mohaven, so there’s a 5.1-mile loop there now. And the biggest news is there is an 18-mile loop on four private properties outside of…
