LOUDONVILLE — After winning his second Mohican MTB 100K title on Saturday, Drew Purcell considered competing in the 100-mile version of the race.
“At the beginning (of the race) I split off from the 100K guys and then I was with a group of eight for a while. They were all 100 milers. I never really noticed other 100K riders,” Purcell said. “I was just running scared. You don’t really know how big your lead is.
“I guess I’m going to have to move on the 100-mile status.”
Purcell won the Men’s Open 100K in 2015 with a time just under two hours. This year he said he beat it by 16 minutes. Loudonville is his hometown — he said he felt the pressure this year to win it again.
“I really wanted to defend the title. I always want to do well. It’s basically in my backyard,” Purcell said.
He said he rides the area three or four days a week, so his familiarity with the area gives him an edge in this particular race.
“It lets me lay back and take it easy at some points or I know when to kick it in to make a good jump,” he commented.
His goal is to finish the year as one of the top three mountain bike racers in the National Ultra Endurance Series. To do that, he needs to finish as close to first place as possible. The racer with the least amount of points accumulated throughout the racing season wins.
This weekend’s race was Purcell’s second race this year. Finishing first earned him a point, and the last race he finished seventh, giving him a total of eight points.
According to NUE rules, points will only be tallied for a racer’s best four race standings. Purcell plans on racing at least two more times later this year.
“The next one is in July in South Dakota, so that’s a possible race,” he said.
He is also looking at the Hampshire 100 on Aug. 21.
