Wild Times at the Wild 100

After a whirlwind tour through Wisconsin to see Trek's 2008 offerings, I was relieved to camp out in a field looking at the Milky Way
and waiting for the start of the Wild 100.

The Wild 100 is one of the trickier courses of the season due to the fact that map navigation is required to find the finish (and the five checkpoints in between, for that matter).

Armed with some food, a few tools and our trusty bikes, my team-mate Jim Schulz and I rolled out of the Elk River Touring Center at 7:25 a.m. Inn owners Gil and Mary Willis couldn't stymie us with the first checkpoint -- I know Gay Sharps Knob pretty well at this point.

The second checkpoint was a ways off so Jim and I moved out as fast as we could and did not refer to the map as much as we should have. That resulted in a little extra loop, and we lost some time in the process. That was our only mistake for the day, and we were able to get some time back later on thanks to a suggestion from Greg Moore.

Unlike many previous years, this course consisted of mostly singletrack. Usually you are bumping up and down gravel roads to access different parts of the trail system. This year we rode Bear Pen, Boundary, Crooked Fork, Props Run and Gauley Mountain Trail (the latter three times). Good trail conditions and great fun at the checkpoints ruled the day. Thanks to all the volunteers for making this race happen!

— Pete, Aug. 20, 2007

Click on the thumbnail images below for larger images and captions.

Return to top of page