[jimmyboy]

Tell me what do you think was the hardest 100 mile race or 24 hr course that you have done in the last 25 years? Please keep fireroads races out of it, there for roadies. Most technical, single track, long climbs, and bomber downhills.:madman:

 

[Ranger Pride]

Lumberjack 100

I've done the Lumberjack 100 and Shenandoah 100. Shenandoah was epic and fun with a lot of climbing and then very fast long downhills. The aid stations were great and there were enough that you could keep fed and well hydrated.

Lumberjack was a great event but by far the harder of the two. It was 93 degrees and muggy and less than 1/3 or the field was able to finish. I made it to the 75 mile mark completely dehydrated and throwing up any water I tried to drink. What made it difficult besides the heat and humidity was the fact that there weren't many places that you could just sit up and relax to drink and eat. It is mostly singletrack where Shenandoah has plenty of spots where you could sit up and spin.

That said I will be back this year for Lumberjack. It is a quest at this point and I have to complete this race.

 

[carlhutch]

strathpuffer,held in scotland during january.16 hours of darkness,scottish winter weather and a technical course to boot.A small grass roots event but it has alot of character.

 

[teamdicky]

Gotta be the E100.
Almost 95% singletrack, arduous climbs, fast descents, predawn start, everything you're asking for.
I'd say even though the Lumberjack had a high dropout rate it's for other reasons than difficulty. Convenient quitting. You passed by YOUR CAR twice every lap. Yes it was hot and miserable, and the course required constant pedaling. For me it was kinda boring. I like to climb and descend, and there was none of that.
Why did I quit after 50 miles? I spent the previous night in the back of my Element with my drunk and snoring friend. It was a kajillion degrees that night, and I couldn't even crack a window because Michigan's atmosphere is 5% mosquito. I didn't sleep. At any other race quitting would have been hard, because I would have had no idea where I was or how to get back. I considered laying down in the woods for a nap, but the ground was teaming with ticks so it was not an option.
Now I'm not saying they didn't promote a good race. Just definitely not my cup 'o tea when it comes to hundies. I always judge the difficulty of a race by how many times I wished I were dead while out on the course. While the Lumberjack did suck away at my will to live, I didn't ever wish for a quick death. I just wished I were doing something else.
At the E100 I wanted to die numerous times. There were feelings of desperation, isolation, being lost and far away from the next checkpoint and civilization. That's how I want to spend my money.

 

[hairball_dh]

Tell me what do you think was the hardest 100 mile race or 24 hr course that you have done in the last 25 years? Please keep fireroads races out of it, there for roadies. Most technical, single track, long climbs, and bomber downhills.:madman:

100 miler: E100, no question. Dicky nailed it.

24: 24 hours of Steamboat. It has completely wrung me out 2 years in a row. A mostly non-technical climb from 6900' to 9000', followed by dreamy singletrack to the base (and it ain't all down). It's gonna take a real talented stud to challenge the Jakomonster!

 

[MarkoInTheBoat]

The E100 has the most impressive stats. over 20,000 feet of climbing/descending and 95 miles of world class singletrack. The race was more intimidating then difficult for me. After I got through the first 2 loops I knew I would survive the day, then I had sooo much fun that I dont even remember it as being hard.

Montezumas Revenge has the hardest race course, but thats more of an adventure race. Race date hasn't been announced yet but my guess is July 27th, at 4pm.
http://www.montezumasrevenge.com

24 hours of Steamboat is described as being "The climb of your life", its definitely hard. I bet Tinker could beat the Canadian stick boy.
Race is June 9th, registration is open- http://www.rockypeakproductions.com

I want to see Boris put on a 24 hour race in Park City where you would ride a series of different loops for 24 hours. Just like the Revenge but without the jeep roads and Grays peak.

 

[Roger___]

Creampuff is the hardest course...

I've done. From those that have done both the E100 and Puff, the Puff appears to be a step below E100 in difficulty. Nat Pellman is one of the mentally strongest guys I know and I recall him telling me, at about 80 miles in, he was muttering to himself and mentally cracked from the E100, in a way he'd never been before.

For 24hr races, I've done three different courses, Laguna Seca, OP, and Cool. All different type terrain, none too technical, but each demanding in different ways.

If I rated them by the duration of extended hand and foot numbness after the event, Cool wins.

PS, Jim did you get my email about OP?

 

[LyndaW]

E-100 is the toughest I've done. I had to do it a second time just to remember how hard it was the first time around.

 

[mtbalaska]

Alaska's Soggy Bottom 100

I did this race last summer, it's 110 miles with 100 miles of singletrack. check it out at www.aksoggybottom100.com .

 

[Soloracer]

Montezuma's Revenge

Hands down the hardest. I've done over 20 24s in the past 6 years and MR is by far the toughest. Middle of the night 14er combined with more elevation than Everest.

Just my opinion,

jim

 

[SquidBuzz]

How about a winter one

I think the Arrowhead 135 might rank up there as a tough one. Northern Minnesota in the winter.

http://www.arrowheadultra.com/

 

[jimmyboy]

I think MR is more of a Adventure race.

MR has allot of packing and pushing of the bike." Not if your a goat" Not taking anything away from the race, its hard. Very hard.

 

[Soloracer]

I think the Arrowhead 135 might rank up there as a tough one. Northern Minnesota in the winter.

http://www.arrowheadultra.com/

I'll let you know next week That is if I don't freeze to death.

jim

 

[jimmyboy]

You are cazy soloracer!!

I here its been around 12- or above there? my hands of to you please let us know what the race was like.You got balls man' thats all I have to say.:madman:

 

[wilks]

the 24 hours of allamuchy race course is always technical with lots of rocky, rooty north east singletrack - unlike the buff stuff you see regularly. a 5" trail bike is not too much bike there in my opinion......whereas lots of other courses could easily be ridden on a cross bike

 

[EnduroDoug]

Nothing to really add to this from personal experience YET other than my brother did 24 Hrs of Allamuchy twice and I imagine he would concur with Wilks -- he said it was brutal at times. He actually rode a Christini AWD bike on that course though and considered buying one for future courses like that.

Hey Dicky, I've had that problem with the mosquitoes and car camping too -- then I installed the screen window cover for the hatch in the roof of the Element. Money well spent. :thumbsup: Lets the air in and keeps the bugs out.

 

[teamdicky]

Hey Dicky, I've had that problem with the mosquitoes and car camping too -- then I installed the screen window cover for the hatch in the roof of the Element. Money well spent. :thumbsup: Lets the air in and keeps the bugs out.

I spent the latter half of the summer looking for some magnetic strips so I could secure a screen to the front windows, but I never could find any. I don't have the moonroof, as I opted for the 100,000 mile warranty instead.
This year for sure.
I'm also gonna have a little fan hooked up to an inverter and a timer to help me fall asleep (or I'll just get a damn room).

 

[Doughboy2]

It's kinda fun to see Steamboat and Allamuchy mentioned here as I've been ping-ponging back and forth between the 2 as my favorite of the ones I've done. Allamuchy was my first solo, 3 yrs ago. The heat, rain and humidity that's always there in August makes it a tough one - not to mention the absolutely awesome miles of rock garden heaven. I also grew up about 5 miles away from the course, so I may be a bit biased, but most western courses (especially here in Cali, except maybe for the defunct Tahoe race) cannot touch it for difficulty.

Did Steamboat the year after and got my butt kicked by that damn climb, not to mention (as a flatlander) the altitude. Rip roaring fireroad descent - good times. Some moderately techie singletrack interspersed within.

However, August found me "vacationing" back at the Mooch again this past year. And for what it's worth, I puked at each of them

 

[BSIDE]

Hey Doughboy2! What is the length and vertical of that initial climb on the Steamboat course? I can't seem to find a course profile for that race. One place I read said 2000' in 4 miles, the other said 2400'!

 

[jimmyboy]

Did anyone do the old "worlds Toughtest Mt. Bike Race" Auburn To tahoe?

The old auburn to tahoe was hard back in 1991 and then in 2004 the course was not the same. About 30 cazy's did it for a few years. Carry all you own food and water, many racers lost. Almost rocking in some area's.:madman: