Florida Endurance series #5 – Hammer Head – Landbridge trailhead – Ocala, Fl
It was a comfortable start for the 18th annual Hammer Head but gradually the day got warmer and warmer and that coupled with the recent dry spell meant that the conditions were going to be on the challenging side for this already tough event. A shout out to the club that builds and maintains these awesome trails, OMBA (the Ocala Mountain Bike Association).
The course is a 26 mile loop that goes West from the Landbridge trailhead and comes back East for the finish and features a variety of scenery and trail types along the way but for the most part it can be summed up as a flow trail. This year however some of the sections were reversed from the normal direction and this tended to make the return leg the tougher of the two.
The E MTB class was first off with a moto paced start leading up to the I-75 overpass for a one lap tour of the trail and it was William Able winning the men’s and Stephanie Lamer claiming the women’s E bike win. The Marathon wave left next and it was stacked with heavy hitters, Ryan Miller seized the day in the men’s open class while Pauline Dockins would take the women’s 50 mile top spot. In the Sprint classes (one lap) Jacob Fernandez was a solid first place in the men’s open and Erica Stehouwer was triumphant in the women’s open. This year was first year that the HH added a Junior class and it was a big hit (hopefully more to come), Anna Nijenhuis secured a close win, congrats to all!
Many thanks to all of the sponsors, volunteers and racers for making the event a success.
Next FLE event is May 24th in Brooksville.