Defining the Ineffable with Kyle Trudeau
Feeling the power within
I met Kyle at the finish line of the Mohican MTB 100 one hot and sticky day in June 2021. When he crossed the finish line, I was standing with another guy who wondered if Kyle was lost.
“Is that the first rider? Can’t be.”
That race marked the 20th year for the Mohican MTB 100, and the first year the race director took out about 20 miles of road to the route and replaced them with singletrack — making the route the hardest its ever been. Maybe even the hardest of its kind.
I remember talking with the race director, Ryan O’Dell, a couple days before the race. He said the addition of more singletrack would likely add around 30 minutes to the pros’ times.
The fastest time for the 100-mile Mohican MTB race belongs to Jeremiah Bishop, who finished with a time of 6:35:33 in 2015, according to National Ultra Endurance series results dating back to 2006.
But the average time to finish that race is right around 7 hours. So O’Dell was pretty accurate.
I was still blown away — and apparently so was the guy I stood with that day. I thought racers would be rolling in at around the 8-hour mark, given the day’s heat. The high that day was 84, according to National Weather Service data.
I was further impressed by Trudeau’s time when I realized he had never ridden the route before. Actually, he had never ridden in Ohio before.
Just goes to show you this dude loves riding his bike, no matter where that is.
Who are you?
I am 29 years old, live in Tucson, Arizona with my girlfriend Samanath and our jack russell named Millie. For a living, I am the Service Manager at Oro Valley Bicycle.
How many races did you compete in this year (2022)? And what were some of your best results?
I competed in about 22 races this year. Some highlights were finishing third in the Whiskey Off Road fat tire crit and following it up with a fourth the next day in the marathon race. I also won the NUE High Cascades 100, NUE Grizzly 100 and Filthy 50 mountain bike race.
How did you get into racing?
My father got me into racing when I was five years old, starting at the BMX track which turned to motocross racing by the age of about eight. I pursued that until I found mountain bike racing at the age of 21. I started working at a bicycle shop when I was 20 and was convinced by my manager to sign up for a race and since then I haven't looked back.
What tools/supplies do you carry with you during a race?
When I race I always carry a spare tube, tire plugs, CO2, chain link, and a multi-tool. It varies sometimes given the race but those items are always in arm’s reach during an event.
Can you list off your steeds?
2022 Specialized Epic Evo aka dEVOlution
2022 Specialized Epic Hardtail aka Torqued
2022 Specialized Aethos aka Baethos
What is the length of your last ride in hours and miles?
My last ride was a point-to-point ride with my girlfriend down to Nogales, Arizona. It was 90 miles and just over five and half hours. https://www.strava.com/activities/8079652747
When did you first consider yourself a cyclist?
I would say I first considered myself a cyclist when I started to choose racing my mountain bike over my dirtbike. This happened when I was 21 and mountain bike racing and cycling in general was becoming a larger part of my life.
Describe the feeling that cycling gives you.
Cycling gives me the feeling of power within myself and when everything clicks it is effortless like there is no limit to how fast I can go. Cycling can also give me a feeling of complete despair which I need or else the flow state feeling would not be as exhilarating as it is.
Thanks for taking the time to share with us, Kyle. Best of luck in 2023.
Next week, we’ll talk to Ashley Hendershot — who in 2022 earned the distinction of being America’s fastest woman on an eMTB. She also leads the Ashland Bike Project, a nonprofit aimed at getting more kids on bikes and trail building in and around Ashland, Ohio.
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