Shannon's story: Cheaha Challenge Gran Fondo

BaseCamp athlete Shannon Scanlon shared her experience at the 2026 Cheaha Challenge Gran Fondo in Alabama.

Last weekend I competed in the Cheaha Challenge: 96 miles with 8000+ feet in elevation. This was my spring "A" race this season, with the main objective to have a better race than last year. The result was not measured by a podium finish, but on having fun and feeling like had a successful race to the finish.

Last year I went out too hard to stay with the lead group, pushing well above FTP for more than one hour. So my number one goal this year was to get over the first climb with the lead group and dial back the power if needed before hitting the parkway. Turns out I was able to stay with the lead group till the parkway, picking good wheels and not burning matches unless really needed.

Once we hit the parkway, my number two goal was in play: push the climbs below FTP and recover on the downhills before the big three-mile climb to the park at FTP. Here is where my durability (and I have been working on this spring) would come into play. I finished the climb in under my 20-minute goal, taking third on the KOM (at 18:58).

On the backside I ended up cramping before the turnaround and needed to dial back the pace a little to avoid the cramps. Since it was an out-and-back course, I was able to access where I was positioned for the podium. The woman in first was about three miles ahead of me, with a bridge I thought was too hard to gap, but second was less than a mile. I decided here was my chance to up my placement. At the turnaround, I pushed to catch her and used a nice paceline that came by to recover. Once we caught her on the backside of the three-mile climb, I felt this was my chance to take second. I pushed the climb and dropped her before the top.

All that was left was to make alliances with the group of guys I'd been leap frogging all day and stay on their wheels when we hit the flat section back into town. It was great racecraft and made for a fun day. I ended with a second-place finish and a smile on my face. Last year I won the jersey, but this year was much more of a success. I never measure my results by a podium finish but by getting the best out of my performance for the day.