The 2005 Wilderness 101 proved to be the most competitive running to date for the epic mountain bike event that covers 101 miles of trails and forest roads in Pennsylvania’s beautiful mountains.
The race started at 7am in Coburn, Penn. when promoter Chris Scott roused the racers from their tents by running through the campsite banging the event’s ceremonial gong.
The 101 has been five time 24 hours of Adrenalin World Champion Chris Eatough’s (Trek/VW) final test before heading off to Canada to defend his title in September. This year it was much more then that. It was a rematch for many of the US’s top 24 hr hot rod’s. Eatough had suffered from nutritional issues in his most recent 24 hr race, the NORBA 24 hr National Championships in May. His body shut down and he was forced to withdraw from the event. This opened the door for Gary Fisher rider Cameron Chambers first National Title. Cameron took his momentum to West Virginia’s signature 24 hr race, the 24 hrs of Big Bear one month later, only to have his winning ways ended by a local racer Ernesto Marenchin. (Speedgoat). The Big Bear event took down another top contender- Michigan’s Mark Hendershot (Santa Cruz Syndicate), a proven top 3 finisher in any ultra event. Big Bear was also the coming out for Steve Schwarz (Independent Fabrications) who pulled off a big 2nd place ride.
See the complete race report, results and pictures here.
