Sunday, February 12, 2012

February 2012 - The Arrowhead 135


Bill vs the Villain Part II

Bill riding on a fast trail just after the start of the 2012 Arrowhead 135

This is the sixth time that I have lined up at the start line of the Arrowhead 135. On my previous five attempts I have always finished. Each time that I have done the race I always said that my goal was simply to finish. I’ve had about enough of that. This year my goal was not to finish. That may sound strange but it’s true. Given enough time, anyone can pedal a bike 135 miles and at the Arrowhead you are given 60 hours. That’s heaps of time. So this year my goal was to push myself way outside of my comfort zone, to take big risks and throw caution to the wind. Isn’t that what racing is all about?

There is another issue that motivated me this year and that is the Villain. I was wronged by a person during a race last year and I’ve nicknamed that person “the Villain”. At the end of my story about that race I wrote, “So thanks Villain. I hope to race against you again someday and kick your ass, again.” To be honest, when I wrote those sentences, I never thought that the situation would come true. About a month before the start of the Arrowhead I checked the roster and was shocked to see that the Villain was on the list. Training suddenly took on a whole new level of focus. The pressure was on. The Arrowhead is “my race”. There is no way that I could be defeated by the Villain in my own backyard!

Two days before the start I arrived in International falls, MN. My first stop, like always, was the race registration and mandatory safety gear inspection. As soon as I walked in I saw the Villain standing in line to have his gear checked. I wanted to see if he would even recognize me so I walked right up and started talking to him without introducing myself. The Villain had absolutely no idea who I was. I wasn’t surprised.

The next 36 hours were pretty routine: pack everything onto the bike, go for a test ride, dial in tire pressure, sleep, eat, drink, sleep.

7:00am, Jan 30 - The Start
Some light snow fall overnight covered the trail with about an inch of fresh snow. Just enough to cover the tracks from the day before but one inch was not really enough to cause any problems. The temperature was +9F which is pretty much perfect for snow biking. +9 is cold enough to keep the trail firm but not so cold that it makes things too uncomfortable for the people riding.

Race Organizer, Dave Pramann, started the countdown and we all lined up on the trail. There were about 60 bikers this year. Dave lined the bikers up first to allow us to get ahead of the runners and skiers. There is a lot less potential for broken equipment that way.

The gun went off and we were on our way with blinking lights and reflective equipment stretching up the trail as far as the eye could see. As much as I would like to go right to the front and ride with the lead pack I know inside that doing so would be a recipe for disaster for me. It takes me a little while to get going. I settled into a pace that was just a bit uncomfortable but not so high that I felt like I would blow up.

The first 18 miles of the course are flat and if the trail is in good shape you can really set a fast pace in this section. A guy named David Cizmas seemed to be riding at the same pace as me so we started taking turns leading. We were going fast enough that it actually seemed to be helpful to take turns breaking the wind. We were having a blast and by riding this way we seemed to be catching and passing people quite regularly. It was a beautiful start to the race.



8:10am – A Close Encounter
David and I had been riding together for just over an hour, slowly catching and passing people and chatting about various topics that I can’t really remember. It was nice to have someone to ride with. Another rider was in sight ahead of us and we were slowly reeling him in. David was in the lead when we caught the other rider. He passed immediately but the other rider seemed to be keeping up with David so I stayed behind.

Something looked familiar about the other rider. I don’t know if it was the boots, or the bike, or the way he pedaled but is seemed like I should know this person. Then it clicked. I knew exactly who it was ahead of me, the Villain.

David started pulling away but I stayed behind to memorize everything that I could. What he was wearing, where his lights were mounted on his bike and what parts reflected most. I wanted to be able to recognize him from a distance in the dark later in the race in case there was a need.

As soon as I was satisfied that everything about the Villain was burned into my brain I moved out from behind him and pulled up alongside.

I said, “Hi”.

He said, “Hi” back. Wow, that’s a lot more conversation than I got out of him the last time we rode together. We exchanged in idle chit chat about the mild conditions and fast trail.

Finally I said, “I’ve met you before. We rode together during a race last year and spent some time together at a checkpoint.”

He responded with “Really? What’s your name?”

I told him my name. The time for chit chat was over. I’ve been holding this grudge for a long time. In my mind, it was now time to put up or shut up. I dropped down two gears and pedaled away. I looked at my clock. It was 8:10 am.

Onward to Gateway – Mile 36
David had opened up a pretty big gap so I had to really hammer to catch up to him. That was perfect since I was hoping to put some distance between me and the Villain. I caught David and we began riding together again. I kept up the higher pace and he seemed content to ride faster as well so we continued to stay together. All conversation stopped between us. The pace was too high to talk, at least for me anyway.

I’ve often ridden with people at the start of races who seemed evenly matched with me and it seemed like we would ride the entire race together. David was one of those people. I also know that it rarely works out that way. One of us was likely stronger and we would most likely separate at some point. That time came sooner than I thought it would.

We caught a few more people and David began to pick up the pace even more than when we pulled away from the Villain. I held on as long as I could but he was too strong. I let him go. It was actually kind of nice to be riding alone. I could just set my own pace without any concern that I might be slowing someone else down.

Before I knew it the first check point came into sight. This checkpoint is a store called Gateway. There is a short out and back section of trail which took us to the checkpoint from the main trail. This was the perfect opportunity to see how much distance I had gained on the Villain. The total distance out and back was about a half a mile so if I made it back to the main trail without seeing him then I knew that I was at least a half a mile ahead.

When I arrived at the checkpoint I did not even unclip from my pedals. I just shouted out my race number, did a u-turn and head back down the trail. There was no Villain in sight. I had at least a half a mile lead.

Melgeorges – Mile 72
After the Gateway checkpoint I continued riding alone. It was nice. The trail was in good condition and I was feeling strong. I kept the pace as high as I could. A few hours passed and I noticed a rider catching up to me. It was David Gray, the race winner from back in 2007. David and I are usually pretty close to each other with him almost always ahead. Today would be no exception I realized. He came by me riding pretty fast. I tried to keep up as best I could but he was too strong, just like in all the other years that we have ridden together. I let him go.

Not long after David Gray passed me, I met Lindsay Gauld riding toward me. Lindsay has been doing this race for several years and I have gotten to know him pretty well. He is quite a character. At 63, he is one of the oldest competitors in the race. He is an Olympian from the ‘72 Munich Olympics. He generally has always placed in the top 10 of the Arrowhead. I feel honoured to be able to call him a friend.  He was not feeling well the night before the start so he decided to not start. Now he was riding out on the course for fun and checking up on everyone. He told me that there was a group of riders just ahead and they seemed to be taking their time. I thanked him for the information and rolled on.

As I moved through the hills closer to the Melgeorges checkpoint I started to see David Gray again. Usually he was at the top of a hill just as I came to the bottom of the same hill. I must be gaining on him which seemed a bit odd.

By the time that we got to the checkpoint, I was right behind him and we entered the cabin at the same time.

There were five other racers at the checkpoint when I got there including, David Cizmas. In keeping with my goal of staying outside my comfort zone and take big risks, I decided to push on. I refilled my Camelbak, loaded my pockets with food from my drop bag and walked out the door. And just like that I moved up five positions in the race. The other people at the checkpoint seemed pretty surprised that I was leaving right away but wished me well and said words of encouragement like, “Go Bill!” It doesn’t seem like that should be a big deal but these were people who are my friends and also normally always finish ahead of me in this race. It felt great to be cheered on by people that I had so much respect for. I left the checkpoint feeling totally re-energized. My total time there was eight minutes. I didn’t even sit down.

Darkness, Freezing Rain and the CHASE
There was of course one other reason that I felt re-energized after leaving the checkpoint. During the eight minutes that I was stopped there was no sign of the Villain. I desperately wanted to stay ahead of him so I decided to use the boost of energy that I was feeling and set a fast pace for as long as I could. The race was more than half done. I sure didn’t want to lose the lead that I had worked so hard to create.

Several more hours passed and I continued riding hard and feeling strong. I was having a blast riding up as many steep hills as I could and then flying down the other side. Just before dark I was caught by one of the people that I passed at the checkpoint. I figured that this would happen eventually and didn’t let it get me down.

A short time later, another person caught me. It was Josh Peterson. Josh is the only person to have started all eight Arrowhead races. Last year was his best finish ever at fourth. Josh is a very strong rider. He went by me and I asked about the others who were at the checkpoint. He said that they weren’t far behind. We chatted for a bit more and I settled in behind him, content to try to match his pace for as long as I could. I didn’t last long. Just before I let him go I yelled out for him to have a good race and I would see him at the finish. He said goodbye, went around the corner and was gone.

The hard pace set by Josh had taken a bit of a toll on me. Nausea was starting to rear its ugly head so I backed way off the pace, drank a bunch of water, ate a bunch of food and just generally tried to regroup. I was just starting to feel better when yet another biker from the checkpoint caught and passed me. It was David Cizmas. He went by me like I was standing still. “Good evening,” were his only words as he screamed past. I was a bit depressed and demoralized. I thought that my fast checkpoint time had gained me a huge advantage but now I was almost right back where I started. On the other hand, who knows who else would have caught me if I had stopped for a rest? And besides, I was still ahead of the Villain and that’s all that really mattered anyway!

Darkness came and I cycled between feeling great and feeling nauseous. Each time that I started feeling sick I would back off just a bit and soon felt better. I was definitely right on that razor thin edge.

At around 9:30pm I saw the lights of another bike stopped on the trail ahead. It was Josh. He said that he had enough and was going to bivouac for the night. He was gathering wood to make a fire and settle in for a good sleep. It was a beautiful night for a bivouac. I wished him well and carried on. Josh is experienced and I had no doubt that he would be just fine.

Not long after passing Josh, it started to rain, freezing rain. I’ve experienced rain before in winter races but never in the Arrowhead. I was really happy that I had my clear glasses with me. The ice was sticking to everything. I had to scrape off my headlight several times so that I could continue to see the trail. As this was happening I thought about Josh trying to bivouac in the freezing rain. It was no longer a nice night for a bivouac.

I also couldn’t help but wonder how this was going to play out for me. So far the rain was not slowing me down but if it got worse and then turned cold things would change. As I thought about this it almost felt like I was looking down at someone else, like my mind and body had somehow become separated. My mind was wondering how my body would cope but I wasn’t really worried about it. It was more of a curiosity, like, “OK, what’s he going to do now?” And “he” was me. The whole experience was kind of weird.

The rain eventually stopped and did not create any problems at all but it was quite interesting, fun even.

At 11:30pm I arrived at the third and final checkpoint. The checkpoint was a tepee set up beside the trail. I stopped, said hello, and said goodbye. My total stop time was about 10 seconds. It felt great to have such short stops at the checkpoints.

Just after the third checkpoint is the last major hill on the course. We call it Wakemup Hill and it is a monster. I’m always happy to be climbing it because I know that it is the last one. Today was no exception. I was sure glad to be climbing that last hill.

With only twenty miles to go and all of it flat, the only thing that I could think about was that I had to go flat out in order to stay ahead of the Villain. He couldn’t be very far behind me and he would almost certainly be moving very fast on this flat section.

I put my head down and kept up as high a pace as I could. At ten miles to go I started to see a glow up ahead. The glow seemed to be getting closer. Suddenly a bright light appeared on the trail ahead and I figured out what was going on. The glow was a bike head light and the bright light was the rider of that bike looking back at me. I was catching someone and now they knew that I was there. The glow stayed in sight but I stopped getting closer to it. The biker ahead had obviously picked up the pace when he saw me. I picked up the pace some too.

A minute or so later I saw very bright lights appear again on the trail ahead. This time they appeared to be coming toward me. I rode up to the lights and saw that it was Lindsay Gauld again. He was out for an evening cruise apparently. Did I mention that it is 2:00am at this point? I asked about the rider ahead and Lindsay told me that he was about 400 yards ahead, looked good and was highly motivated to stay ahead of me. I thanked Lindsay for the valuable information and put the hammer down. It was time to throw caution to the wind. THE CHASE WAS ON.

There are some very long straight sections on this part of the trail and each time that I came to one I could see the glow up ahead. Unfortunately, I did not seem to be gaining any. At the end of these sections I also looked back to make sure that the Villain wasn’t chasing me down, not that I could do anything about it since I was already at max. Fortunately there was no one in sight.

When the turn off for the Fortune Bay Casino came into sight I accepted that I would not catch the rider ahead. He was too strong. The consolation was that as a result of the chase it looked like I would finish the race in less than 20 hours as long as I kept the pace right to the end. The other benefit was that no one caught up to me during all this activity.

I kept up the high pace right to the end and crossed the line at 2:58am in 11th place. My total time on the course was 19hrs and 58 minutes, over six hours faster than my previous best time. The rider ahead finished one minute ahead of me and was still standing there when I crossed the line. It was David Cizmas. How appropriate.

After the Finish
The Arrowhead was gentle on us this year. The warm weather allowed bikers to race with reckless abandon without concern about frozen water, frozen digits, or worse. I even saw some people with their hydration packs on the outside of their clothing. There is no way that you would get away with that during a cold year. While I certainly enjoyed the warm temps as much as the next person, I also found myself missing the struggles that come with the extreme cold normally associated with this race.

My Fatback bike worked perfectly. This was the first time that I used it at the Arrowhead. It won’t be the last.

David Cizmas thanked me for pushing him so hard at the end. I kind of enjoyed it too although it would have been nice to have caught him.

David Gray finished about an hour after me. I think that he had a good race but I did not get a chance to talk to him.

Josh Peterson finished at around noon. I’m guessing that he had a good sleep but I didn’t get a chance to talk to him either.

After a bit of rest I went for a huge breakfast with some of the other racers. As I looked around the table I couldn’t help but reflect on who was there:
Jay Petervary - current men’s record holder of many different events including the 1100 mile Iditarod Trail Southern Route
Tracey Petervary - current women’s record holder of both the North and South route of the 1100 mile Iditarod trail.
Eszter Horanyi - current women’s record holder of the 470 mile Colorado Trail Race and new women’s record holder of the Arrowhead 135.
David Cizmas and Todd McFadden - two local gravel road racers who decided to give snow biking a try and ended up dominating most of the field.

I was in the presence of greatness. It was a pleasure getting to know all of you.

The Villain finished several hours after me. Having the Villain behind me for most of the race sure did keep me motivated. I couldn’t or wouldn’t have done what I did without him there. So thanks Villain. I really enjoyed kicking your ass, again.

February 2011 - The Iditarod Trail Invitational


Part III of my 2010/2011 winter season

 Feb 27, 2011 in Knik, Alaska – Bill on fast trails near the start of the race

  

Mar 2, 2011 at 11:00pm - 10 miles outside of Nikolai, Alaska
It is 81 hours and 290 miles into the 350 mile race. The temperature is around -30F and I can’t help but ponder the situation that I have found myself in. My bike is in pieces. My gear and tools are scattered up and down the narrow trail for 15 feet in either direction. I’ve just spent the best part of an hour putting a new tube in my rear tire and now the new tube will not hold air. My hands and feet have gone completely numb.  I’ve run out of ideas on how to fix the tire. It is the low of lows.




Feb 24, 2011 – Anchorage, Alaska
Participating in this race has been 10 years in the making for me. When I last completed it in 2001 I said that I would definitely come back and do it again someday. Well, it took me a while but I made it back. I followed the race every year since 2001, always wishing that I was there. In early 2010 I got serious about returning and got myself entered into the race. After a full year of preparations, here I am.

Now that I am actually in Anchorage I can’t help but have a bit of cold feet, figuratively and literally. “What the heck am I doing here? Who do I think that I am attempting a race that will take up 10 days in double digit freezing temperatures the whole way?” Even though I’ve done this race once before, it is still daunting. 350 miles is an awfully long way to travel on a trail that is often nonexistent.

My home away from home in Anchorage was the Alaska European B&B, a cozy B&B that hosts racers from all over the world. The owner, Irene, speaks five languages which makes this a popular place to stay for out of country racers. There were 11 of us staying there from all over the place: 7 from Italy, 2 from Canada (including me), 1 from Scotland, and 1 from the UK. It was pretty tight quarters but it all worked and we certainly got to know each other really well!

Race day at Alaska European B&B                                                    


Garage full of gear at the B&B
                                                            
The race didn’t start until the 27th so I had a few days to get to know everyone and get used to the time change. There were two pre-race parties in the days leading up to the race. Both were hosted by local racers and were very generous, pretty much all you can eat smorgasbords. I know that all of the out of town people really appreciated it. Thank you to Anne Ver Hoef, Michael Schoder, and Greg Matyas for hosting these parties. They are really the only opportunity for the racers to get to know each other or in some cases ever see each other! With all of the great food at the B&B and at these two parties I did not have to eat out at a restaurant once during the days leading up to the race. Quite amazing.

Feb 27, 2011 - Knik, Alaska – Race Day
The race start is at 2:00pm but it ends up being a full day; up early for breakfast, final gear check, second breakfast, bus ride to the start line, lunch in Knik, nervous anticipation as 2:00pm approaches.

350 miles over multiple days is just too big for me to get my head around so I decided to think of the race as a bunch of 40-50 mile races which just happen to be back to back. That seemed much easier to manage mentally. 40-50 miles in one stretch sounds easy. 350 miles sounds impossible!

2:00pm finally came and we were off. For some this is just an adventure, an opportunity to travel by human power in a remote part of the world. For others this is a hard core race where they are willing to take big risks in order to place higher in the field. I think that I fall somewhere in the middle. I want to move along as quickly as possible and do as well as I can but I also want to enjoy the ride and arrive home injury free. I carry quite a bit of extra stuff to make sure that happens. I’ve done my homework for this race (10 years worth!). I’m not the lightest rider out there but I’m also not the heaviest and I believed that with what I was carrying I could overcome most obstacles that the trail could throw at me. I also recognize that sometimes you get thrown a curve ball that you just have to deal with. I could only hope that there wouldn’t be too many of them.

Ready to roll –Bill Shand at the start line, Knik Lake, Alaska

Day 1 – Fast trails and big winds
The race started fast with clear skies and fairly warm temperatures. The forecast was for strong northerly winds. Since we were headed north this meant that the wind would be right in our face, not something that I was looking forward to.

We rode single file across Knik Lake and into the forest on the other side. It wasn’t long before the field was spread out and I found myself riding with one other person with no one in site either ahead or behind. Our paces seemed evenly matched so we stayed together until the trail intersected a road at which point it became unclear which way to go. The obvious trail ahead had no bike tracks on it and the road was hard ice so bikes would not make tracks on it. We had passed a couple of snowmobiles just before we got to the intersection so I figured that they likely wiped out the tracks on the obvious trail ahead.

There is no designated course for this race. You simply need to check in and out of the mandatory checkpoints but you can take whatever route you want. At the beginning of the race this rule plays a big part. There are at least three different routes to Flathorn Lake, some of which travel on roads and are much faster than the traditional trail route. I only know the way by following the trail route so I was hoping to be lucky enough to be riding with someone who knew the road route when I got to the appropriate intersection. It appeared that we may be there.

We stopped at the intersection and I asked if he knew the way but got no response. Not even a “hello”. This was a new experience for me. In any race that I have ever been in, everyone has always been very friendly, even in the most competitive summer races. This person would not even speak to me. Maybe he was deaf? I tried again to make conversation but no response. He consulted his GPS, hiding it with his hands so that I could not see it. Then, without warning, he took off like a rocket down the road. I tried to follow but was too slow on the draw and the road had lots of curves. He was gone. I had no confidence that I would be able to find the road route on my own so I went back to the intersection and decided to wait for another rider to come along. I couldn’t believe what had just happened.

I’ve written a lot of stories over the years about the various races that I’ve entered. One thing that I’ve realized is that most good stories have a villain but my stories never do. Well, this one does now!

I didn’t have to wait at all at the intersection. Just as I arrived, Mark Ruda, a biker from Colorado, arrived and stopped and we discussed which way to go. Mark only knew the trail route just like me so we decided to go for it. Better to be on a longer route and know where you are than be lost on a shorter route. It soon became obvious that we were the first people to take this route since we never came to any bike tracks, even after several miles. It didn’t matter to us, the trail was fast and we were making good time.

It wasn’t long before John Ross from the UK caught up to us and the three of us travelled together. John was riding strong and took the lead. Mark stopped for a break so now it was just John and I riding the trail that no other bikers had been over. We came to an intersection called Four Corners. It is well marked on most maps and I know that you have to take a hard left at this intersection. John went straight. I followed for a short time thinking that John knew where he was going since he had done the race before but I knew that it was wrong so I tried to catch him. He was too fast. I tried yelling. He was gone. I turned back.

Once back at the intersection I met up with Mark again as well as three of the Italians from the B&B. We headed down the proper trail and I could only hope that John discovered his error sooner rather than later.

We stayed together and eventually came out on Flathorn Lake. I was still fuming about what took place at the road intersection which I think was actually making me ride faster than normal. We set up a nice paceline up the lake, taking turns at the front. The Italians were so strong. I could barely keep up.

After the lake comes an area called the Dismal Swamp. It is wide open and susceptible to high winds. Now we met the head winds that had been forecast. It was really blowing. I estimated it to be 30mph with gusts much higher. Our paceline fell apart. The Italians were too strong and I couldn’t hold on. Mark stayed back with me even though I think that he wanted to go faster. We stopped to put on some extra layers. This turned out to be a bit tricky with the wind. Everything went flying; gloves, helmet, glasses, everything. If it wasn’t pinned down, it was gone. We got our layers sorted out and carried on as best we could taking turns in the lead and eventually made our way to the end of the swamp.

The Italians never really got that far ahead so by the time that we got to the Susitna River a few miles down the trail, we had regrouped and were riding together as five once again. This really helped on the river since we were once again facing the same headwind as on the Dismal Swamp, though not quite as strong.

The Susitna River eventually meets the Yentna River which is the river that we needed to follow. This can often be a tricky intersection but this year the trail was obvious and we had no difficulty with route finding.

The Italians seemed to back off the pace a bit so I wasn’t having any trouble keeping up anymore. We travelled the Yentna River as a group with everyone sharing the work of breaking the wind at the front. As darkness fell it started getting colder but our pace stayed about the same. We didn’t talk a lot. With the wind blowing, our full face masks, and a bit of a language barrier, we mostly just pedaled hard, stopping every hour or so to eat or drink or pee or whatever. The time and miles passed quickly. Our five little lights were the only thing that we could see in any direction.

Mark Ruda on Flathorn Lake

 Bill on Flathorn Lake – hard to tell the wind was blowing but it was!

We came to a riverside resort called Luce’s. Mark needed water so he went in to refill his bottles. The Italians had slowed a bit so I found myself travelling on my own. It was only a few more miles to the first checkpoint so I figured that we would all regroup there.

Yentna Station was the site of the first checkpoint, 57 miles into the race. It is a very rustic camp on the bank of the Yentna River. I arrived at 10:25pm. I had been out on the trail for over 8 hours. A good meal and some rest were definitely in order. Some beef stew and a coke really hit the spot.

The Villain was already at the checkpoint when I arrived. Once again there was no conversation. I really had no interest in making conversation by now. I went to hang my clothes up to dry in the drying area. He immediately rushed passed me and said “That’s my room and I’m leaving at 3:00am!” I guess that he thought that I was going to take his room or something? I finished hanging my stuff up to dry and went to see if there were any beds available. There were so I laid down in a bunk in the hope of getting a couple hours of sleep. I don’t know why the Villain told me that he was leaving at 3:00am but I now knew that I had a mission in this race: finish ahead of the Villain no matter what the cost. I set my alarm for 2:00am.

The Italians and Mark arrived while I was sleeping. Mark decided to stay for the night. The Italians decided to leave with me. I hoped that we wouldn’t be too noisy and wake the Villain.

The Italians and I left together at 2:25am. I really wanted to put some miles between me and Yentna Station. The wind was still strong and it was even colder outside now than before. I actually put on my ski goggles. I’ve always carried them with me but never had to use them. Well today I did. First time for everything! We pedaled through the night making good time in spite of the strong winds.

Just before dawn we came to a torch burning by the side of the river. Beside the torch was a sign that said “Ultra Sport Rest Stop” and a trail leading up off the river to a lodge. Very cool. The Italians were cold and hungry so they decided to stop for a coffee. I was fine and really wanted to keep moving so we parted company.

Another two hours of riding and I was in Skwentna, the site of the second checkpoint and mile 90 of the race. Skwentna is actually a small village. The checkpoint was in a lodge where they served meals and had some rooms for rent. I arrived at 8:30am, about 6 hours after leaving Yentna Station. I was the only one there so they treated me very well. A hot breakfast, cinnamon rolls and coffee really hit the spot. I didn’t really want to sleep and lose prime daylight riding time but I did want little break so I laid down on the couch with the intention of closing my eyes for about an hour. I didn’t quite make an hour when I heard the Italians come in, then a few other people, and then I heard the voice of the Villain. I had overstayed my welcome. It was time for me to go.
Skwentna Roadhouse with only one bike outside, mine.

I cleared out of there as quickly as I could, never making eye contact with the Villain. My total time spent at the checkpoint was 2 hrs and 21 minutes.

Day 2 – Into the Mountains
The trail out of Skwentna was smooth and fast. There was some road construction going on for a new gold mine so the trail had been made wide and smooth. After crossing a few frozen swamps the trail goes up and through the Shell Hills and into Shell Lake. It was another blue sky day except now there was no wind. Pretty much a perfect day for snow biking. I made it into Shell Lake early and the person inside the lodge asked if I would like to come in for some lunch. I hated to turn her down but I knew who was behind me so I decided to keep moving. Lunch would have to wait.

After Shell Lake the terrain varied from swamps to forest. I could ride almost all of it so I felt like I was making good time. I made it into Winter Lake Lodge, check point #3 and mile 130 of the race, just before dark at 5:20pm. It had been a long night and day and I was ready for a longer break than what I had been taking at check points up until now.

A fast trail out of Skwentna toward the Shell Hills

The trail through the Shell Hills wasn’t quite as smooth.

Moving through the swamps toward Winter Lake Lodge

More of the trail between Skwentna and Winter Lake Lodge


Winter Lake Lodge is big. They have a large main lodge and several cabins surrounding the main lodge. I went into the main lodge and found a gourmet kitchen in full operation. They immediately whipped me up a meal which I badly needed. The first of two drop bags for re-supply was at this checkpoint so I decided to get the task of re-supplying the bike with trail food done right away. Mark Silverman and Brian Hartman were both at this checkpoint when I arrived but they were the only other racers there. They said that they were planning to move on right away. My plan was to sleep.

The race organizer had two heated tents set up at this checkpoint for us to use for sleeping. I couldn’t believe my luck. I had the whole tent to myself and it was quiet. I should be able to get some quality sleep. By 7:00pm I was in my sleeping bag with my alarm set for 11:00pm. I hoped to be back on the trail by midnight. I slept soundly.

Just before 11:00pm the Italians entered the tent with plans to sleep. I told them that I was getting up so they could have my spot. All my gear was nicely dried out so I was feeling good about leaving now and travelling through the night even though the next section is notoriously tough. As I left the sleeping tent I saw that the Villain’s bike was sitting outside the other sleeping tent. It was definitely time to get moving. I went back up to the main lodge, had a bowl of cereal from my drop bag and a coffee. The coffee tasted so good.

By 11:55pm I was out the door, slightly ahead of schedule. This had been a really good stop for me. It was my first real sleep since the start and I felt great!

The section of trail from Winter Lake Lodge to rainy pass lodge on Puntilla Lake has some very steep difficult sections. I took my time being careful not to break anything going downhill and worked my way back up the equally steep uphill sections. It was a long haul.

It was at about this time that I encountered the first of my mechanical problems with my bike. I noticed that it seemed like the seat was tilted up. At first I thought that it was just my imagination but when I stopped to inspect it I saw that it was indeed tilted up. I fixed it but after only an hour is was tilted up again. I fixed it again, this time putting as much torque on the bolt as I dared. I just kept thinking “Please don’t break, please don’t break, please don’t break.” It didn’t break but I had to adjust and retighten the seat bolt eight more times before the end of the race. I’ll definitely be fixing that before the next race.

Night eventually turned into day and each time that I rounded a corner I thought that I could see a building off in the distance. At one point I was so sure that I was at the checkpoint that I actually got off my bike to go in. But the building was just an illusion of light and trees and snow. I continued thinking that I was seeing a building all morning until eventually I just started ignoring them. When I finally did get to the checkpoint, I wasn’t even sure if it was real or not. When I saw all of the dog food for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race then I figured that it must be real. It was good to finally be there. I arrived at 9:00am, over nine hours after leaving Winter Lake Lodge.

Dog food – this must be the checkpoint!

Rainy Pass Lodge on Puntilla lake is 170 miles into the race and is the site of the fourth checkpoint. It is similar to Winter Lake lodge with a main lodge and several sleeping cabins. Our checkpoint was in one of the sleeping cabins. Mark and Brian were still there when I arrived. Lance Andre was also there. I know Lance from the Arrowhead and Tuscobia races but I had not seen him since the start in this race.

Our checkpoint cabin at Rainy Pass Lodge on Puntilla Lake


The main lodge at Rainy Pass Lodge

All three left just after I arrived. The checkpoint person (can’t remember his name) served up some hot clam chowder which tasted really good. It was daylight outside and I hated to stop during daylight but I needed a break. Once again I was the only one at the checkpoint. I set my alarm for one hour and was out like a light.

I reluctantly got up with my alarm and headed out the door. It was so hard leaving with only one hour of sleep and knowing how difficult the next section is going to be. Once I got moving I felt better. I only spent 2 hrs and 15 minutes at the checkpoint, my shortest stop so far. No one else arrived at the checkpoint while I was there. Maybe I was finally gaining on the Villain?

The next leg of the race is up and over Rainy Pass. I was happy to be tackling it in the daylight. The trail climbed steadily above the tree line and into the Alaska Range. I have to say it was a bit intimidating but the trail was good. This section is often 100 percent walking but I found myself riding quite a bit of it. As I neared the summit, the wind came up making the trail very difficult to find at times. I didn’t like that at all. If the trail was disappearing in front of me then that meant it was also disappearing behind me which would make going back difficult. I came to a small lake with a cabin beside it which was a huge relieve. There were tracks going to the cabin which told me that it could most likely be used if necessary. I kept going but just knowing that cabin was there gave me confidence. I figured that I could always go back to it if necessary.

The trail toward Rainy Pass well above the tree line


Rainy Pass Summit


I kept climbing and reached the summit of the pass, the wind rising constantly as I went. There was a small sign at the summit and I stopped to take a picture of it. I wanted to make a short video at the summit but when I tried my camera shut itself down due to the cold.

The trip down the pass on the other side of the range was certainly much easier than the trip up. The wind dropped and there was no problem with finding the trail. It got dark as I was heading down and I started finding it difficult to tell just how steep some sections were. At one point I was riding and came to what looked like a steep section. I hit the brakes but soon realized that it was a lot steeper than I thought. I locked the rear wheel but it had no effect. I skidded the bike sideways but it had no effect in slowing me down. Time to abandon ship! I jumped off and landed in the soft snow beside the trail. The bike went onto its side and flipped over several times. I think that the pedal digging into the snow eventually stopped it. It was quite a wild ride. I gathered myself and the bike up and decided to walk down the rest of that hill.

The trail follows the Dalzell George to where it combines with the Tatina River and then follows the Tatina River to the checkpoint in Rohn. This section is famous for being quite difficult but today it was great. I was able to ride virtually all of it. The river was mostly all frozen and I didn’t have to cross any open water. It was ideal conditions.

I arrived in Rohn just before midnight, very tired but really happy to have just completed what is usually the most difficult section of the entire race. It had taken me 12 hours to cross the mountain pass.

Rohn is the site of the fifth check point and marks the 210 mile mark in the race. There is a small cabin there which is used by the Iditarod Sled Dog Race organizers. Our checkpoint is a small heated tent. When I arrived, the checker in Rohn, Rob Kehrer, was still up and he invited me into the tent for some hot food. Two bowls of ravioli later and I was a happy camper. Mark and Brian were already asleep in the tent. Lance had already moved on so it was just the three of us there. Rob told us that if anyone else arrived during the night then he would have to kick us outside to sleep but for now it was fine to sleep inside the tent. I like to get all of my chores done before I sleep so I got to work refilling my camelback, restocking my bike with food (Rohn is the second of two drop bag supply points) and hanging all of my wet clothes to dry. I set my alarm for 4:00am, rolled out my sleeping bag and crawled in. Sleep came instantly.

My alarm woke me from a deep sleep. Everyone else got up too and within a few minutes, Rob had the wood stove roaring and the tent heated back up. It took a little while to get all packed up but by 5:00am I was all dressed in dry clothes and back on the trail. I had slept for a solid four hours and felt great and ready to tackle the longest section of trail between checkpoints, 85 miles give or take. Mark and Brian weren’t quite ready to go so I left without them. They have been faster than me all along anyway so I figured that it wouldn’t be long before they caught up. No one arrived at the checkpoint while we slept but I figured that the Villian couldn’t be far behind and would not likely stop at Rohn for long if he arrived during daylight. I needed to put some miles between me and Rohn so I shifted into a high gear and let’er rip. I planned to ride hard for a few hours and then back off. It was going to be a long day.

It got pretty cold during the night, somewhere around -20F. This is when I encountered my second mechanical problem. My shifters would no longer shift. They moved just fine but nothing happened. I figured that the ratchet mechanism must not be engaging so I held my bare hand on it to warm it up a bit and finally got it to shift. I found a good gear and then just left it alone. I would have to be a single speed until the temperature warmed up some. It wasn’t really a big problem but just an annoyance. Many people do the entire race on a single speed so a few hours wouldn’t bother me any.

From Rohn, the trail heads mostly north across a couple of lakes and rivers and across two forest fire areas, one old and one new. It is kind of eerie riding through the new burnt area. All the trees are still standing but they are all black and dead. It was both beautiful and scary at the same time. 

I worked my way along the trail, mostly riding but also walking some on the steep hills or soft sections. In general, I felt like I was making good time but not great. I came around a corner and came to what is called “the Post River Glacier”. It’s not really a glacier but that’s what it looks like. It is basically a steep uphill section that is frequently a complete sheet of ice. I think that it is a river in the summer but I’m not sure. This happened to be one of those years in which it was a sheet of glare ice.

Spooky trail through the burn


Many racers have spiked shoes or carry some kind of slip on spikes just for this section. I chose neither and just hoped to be able to make my way through. I slowly worked my way up the glacier. There were no tracks to follow so I just had to find the best route that I could. I looked for soft spots that I could dig my feet into which seemed to be working and I climbed higher and higher. As I worked my way up, I realized that with one slip, I would likely slide all the way to the bottom and have to start over. Be careful Bill.

I eventually got to the top and really, it wasn’t all that bad. I was feeling pretty smug about how easily I negotiated the glacier when I came around a corner and met a wall of ice. How the heck was I going to get over that? It looked impassable. I looked for tracks and could see a few scratch marks in the ice where people with spikes had gone so I did my best to follow. Finally I got to a point where I couldn’t go up any higher. The ice was just too slick to get any traction. I looked around for other options and could see where at least one other person had made it to the edge of the glacier where it met rock and snow. It looked like they were able to climb up that side. The only problem was that it was at least 10 feet away from me and glare ice on a 45 degree slope separated me from the edge. I figured that I could just throw the bike and then jump/slide myself but there was a high likelihood of damaging the bike when it crashed into the rocks. Plan B was to push off with the bike and kind of slide down and over at the same time. If I pushed hard enough I would make it. If not then it would be a long and wild slide to the bottom. I decided on plan B and started moving toward the edge to see how far I could get before pushing off. Suddenly I felt myself starting to slide. Time to commit! I pushed off as hard as I could. I slid down but also across and within seconds I was on the edge buried in deep snow. I scrambled up the rocky edge where the tracks before me had gone and before I knew it I was at the top. No big deal. I will never do this race again without spiked boots!

For some reason I forgot to take any pictures of the glacier which is too bad because they would have been impressive! The trail after the glacier was easy to follow but very rough. Many moose and buffalo had trampled the trail sometimes making riding impossible. I was walking about as much as I was riding. It was frustrating but this is all part of the game. You have to deal with whatever the trail throws your way.

The next obstacle that I came to was a frozen river with some open water on the surface. I was prepared for this one. I had been carrying some waterproof Neos Overshoes since the start of the race for use on just such an occasion. I slipped them on and presto, water proof right up to the knees. It turned out that the water was only ankle deep and I most likely didn’t even need the overshoes but I couldn’t tell how deep the water was when I stepped in it. Besides, carrying them gave me a lot of peace of mind.

Right after the overflow crossing I encountered my third mechanical problem. My brakes stayed on each time that I applied them. I had to stop and manually force them apart. Even though I carried my bike across the overflow, I must have somehow got some water into the brake mechanism and now it was frozen and sticking. I started using my brakes very sparingly and eventually found that I didn’t actually even need them. If I needed to slow down then I just put a foot down. If I needed to slow down more then I put both feet down. Occasionally I would lose control and just steer the bike into the soft snow on the side of the trail which stopped me instantly. So the brake problem was solved, sort of.
With the river cleared, it was back to the moose trampled trail. Brian and Mark passed me. I felt like I should be able to keep up to them but they were moving just a little bit faster than what I was comfortable with. This was going to be a long day and going too hard was only going to make it even more difficult. I decided to just stick to my own pace which had been working well for me. After Mark passed it occurred to me that Mark and Brian were the first people that I had actually seen on the trail since I left the Italians on the Yentna River two days prior. No racers, no snowmobiles, nobody. There were people at the checkpoints but in between I was completely alone.

The trail continued to be slow and I came to the realization that this section was going to take a lot longer than what I had originally intended. I was hoping to complete it in 12 to 16 hours. Now it looked like it would be closer to 18 hours at the pace I was travelling. The entire race course had been fast up until now and I was optimistic that I might even be able to complete the race in under four days. That goal was slowly slipping away from me but there was nothing that I could do about it. The trail is what it is.

I eventually came to a milestone along the Farewell Burn called the Buffalo Camp. The Buffalo Camp is a tent camp used by buffalo hunters each year. It was vacant this year and we had mixed reports at the start of the race as to whether the camp was even still there. Well, for the record, the Buffalo Camp is still standing. I didn’t even bother to stop. It was still daylight and I wanted to keep moving.

At about 12:00noon I decided to stop and have a bit of a break and eat a little more than my normal hourly ration. My lunch consisted of one Hersey chocolate bar, one caffeinated Power Gel, a handful of trail mix, a big drink of water and two Advil. Yummy!

Well, it was no Ruth’s Chris but it did hit the spot and the short rest did me a world of good. The slow pace was getting me down a bit but now I felt much better. I kept moving as quickly as I could and just before dark I arrived at another major milestone on this section of trail, Sullivan Creek Bridge. It is just a bridge that crosses a creek but for me it is an important place. I took a picture of my bike beside this bridge back in 2001 and it has been on my computer screen saver ever since. Finally I was back. The bridge is different now than it was back then but I put my bike in roughly the same spot and snapped a photo. It’s time to update my screen saver!

 Sullivan Creek Bridge – 2011


Sullivan Creek Bridge – 2001


Day 3 – The low of lows and the high of highs!
After Sullivan Creek Bridge, it is still a long ride to the next checkpoint in Nikolai. The trail was in good shape but just seems to go on forever. As soon as the sun went down it got very cold immediately. I don’t bother to carry a thermometer but I have a good feel for how cold it is when certain things start to happen. For example, at right around -30F, the display on my bike computer becomes very sluggish and stops updating. We were there.

At about 10:00pm I felt the bike getting more and more sluggish. Mechanical problem number four had arrived. I stopped and found that the tire pressure in both tires was very low, especially the rear tire. This is normal when there is a large drop in temperature but it seemed strange that the rear tire was so much lower in pressure than the front. I stopped and put some more air in the rear tire and decided to leave the front alone. It took some fiddling around to get the pump sealed with the valve but eventually I got it working and had the tire pumped up pretty good.

I started riding again but within about 10 minutes the tire was low on air again and almost flat. I’ve changed tubes at this temperature before and it is absolutely no fun. You have to stop constantly to warm your hands and your feet. It can be done but it is really hard. I knew that I was only a mile or two from the checkpoint so I decided to just walk to the checkpoint. At least there I could go inside to warm up my hands and feet whenever they got cold.

I walked for about an hour and realized that I might not be as close to the checkpoint as I thought I was. I turned on my GPS and found that I was still seven miles from the checkpoint as the crow flies. That’s likely closer to twelve miles of trail. I guess that I’m changing a tube. 

It was so hard. But I did it. Tools and gear were scattered all over the trail. I briefly considered what would happen if a snowmobile came along right now but I hadn’t seen a snowmobile on the trail for two days so what are the odds? I expected to see the Villian come along at any minute. He would likely ride right over my tools and tires scattering stuff everywhere. I hurried to get everything put away before that happened.

By the time that I got the wheel mounted back on the bike and my stuff put away the rear tire was flat again. Damn! I’ve just spent the best part of an hour putting a new tube in my rear tire and now the new tube will not hold air. My hands and feet have gone completely numb.  I’ve run out of ideas on how to fix the tire. It is the low of lows.

I needed to warm up so I just started walking. Everything was cold, even my core. I considered putting on my down jacket but decided to hold off on that. The walking should warm me up. It did. The feeling in my hands and feet returned but I was still out of ideas on what to do about the tube. I suspected that the problem was with the valve assembly. The valve core of the type of tube that I’m using sometimes comes loose and it can be difficult to seal when this happens, particularly when it is very cold, like now. I decided to just walk.

At this point things got a little strange. What you are about to read did in fact happen as best I can recall. I started to get sleepy. This isn’t really all that unusual for me in races like this. I dosed off as I was walking and on several occasions woke up just standing in the middle of the trail, not even moving. I would look around a bit to get myself oriented as to where I was and then keep walking, only to find myself standing in the middle of the trail a few minutes later. During this sleep walking I had a vivid dream that I was in my basement with my bike and my floor pump that I normally use to inflate my tires. It is a solid pump that I’ve owned for over a decade. It has never failed me but one little quirk is that it requires an adapter in order for it to fit on the valve of most of my bikes. In my dream I fitted the adapter to the valve of my bike that I had with me now and quickly inflated the tire with my floor pump. No problem.

I woke from the dream, standing in the middle of the trail again at somewhere south of -30F and thought how nice it would be to be in my warm basement right now with my trusty floor pump. And then it came to me. I carry a valve adapter with me and the pump that I have with me right now can convert into the same style of pump as my floor pump at home. It was worth a shot!

I kept walking to stay warm and carefully considered the sequence of the steps that I would need to take when I stopped. First, remove my tools (pliers, rag, pump, valve adapter), next tighten the valve core using the pliers and rag so that I don’t damage the threads, next try threading the adapter on and off to see if it will work without disturbing the valve core, next convert the pump head so that it will attach to the adapter, next inflate the tire, finally put everything away and get moving.

I went over the steps again and again in my head. I knew that my hands would be numb again by the time that I was done so the more efficiently that I could do this, the less numb they would get. Finally I started. I executed every step. Success!!!

The tire held air! I was riding again! It was the high of highs for me! The tools to solve my problem were with me all along but it took a dream to tell me how to use them. My hands were really cold but I knew they would warm up quickly now that I was riding. I wasn’t stopped long enough for my feet to get cold so everything was fine down there. Most importantly, the Villain did not catch me through all of this.

It didn’t take long to get to Nikolai. Nikolai is a small village and is the 300 mile point in the race. Our checkpoint is at the house of Nick and Olene. At the pre-race meeting they told us the route to Nick and Olene’s house is usually marked. I guess that “usually” means that sometimes it isn’t. This was one of those years that it wasn’t. I generally remembered where to go from when I was here before. I headed in what I thought was the correct general direction making sure that there were always some bike tracks ahead of me. There were lots of houses but luckily some people were still at the checkpoint so I saw their bikes outside.

I arrived in Nikolai at 3:00am, a full 22 hours after leaving Rohn. It had been one heck of a long day. I was ready for a break. Also, my rear tire was almost flat again. I didn’t really care. The relief of finally making it to the checkpoint overshadowed everything.

The heat inside Nick’s house was incredible. He had it up to about 90F. Nick greeted me and offered me some pork chops and some kind of potato and rice mixture. It was incredibly good. I was surprised to see that four other people were at the checkpoint when I arrived. I spite of all my troubles it seemed as though I had actually made up some time on the competition. Also, several other people had only just left the checkpoint before I arrived. I thought that my ride from Rohn to Nikolai had been horrible but in the end I was actually further ahead.

Jay Petervary left the checkpoint shortly after I arrived. Mark, Brian and Lance were all still there. I told them that I was going to sleep for a couple of hours and leave before daylight. They said that they would most likely do the same. I was definitely short changing myself on sleep but the finish line was close, I didn’t want to waste any daylight, and I was pretty sure that the Villain was right behind me somewhere. I hoped to leave Nikolai before he arrived. Before I laid down, Nick told us what I considered to be some devastating news. It had taken the race winner, Peter Bassinger, 12 hours to go from Nikolai to McGrath. Pete is a fast rider. I figured that 12 hours for him would likely be closer to 18 hours for me. Oh well, it is what it is.

I set my alarm for two hours and sleep came immediately just like in Rohn. I actually woke before my alarm went off. I wanted to get going. Mark, Brian and Lance were already up getting ready to go. I told them about my tire issues and all three suggested that I not fool around and just put a new tube in. I was somewhat reluctant to do this since I only had one tube left. “Problem solved,” Mark said as he handed me one of his spare tubes. “I carry two spares so just take one of mine.”

At this point in the race there are only 50 miles to go. The four of us at the checkpoint were currently in 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th position. Assuming that we don’t catch anyone and no one catches us, this means that three of us will place in the top ten and one of us will not. For Mark to offer me one of his spare tubes at this point in the race knowing that it could actually jeopardize his own top ten placing was an enormously generous offer. I accepted the spare tube and thanked him several times.

I used my last spare and changed the rear tube again. This time I used the pump adapter right from the start and it seemed to work perfectly. I also pumped up the front tire. I pumped both tires right up to about 25 psi, more than double what I normally use. I didn’t want to have any risk of more flats and the higher the pressure the lower the risk. It could mean that I would sacrifice some speed but I didn’t care. With Mark’s tube stored as a spare and my tires pump to the max I felt like I was ready to take on the last 50 miles.

Mark, Lance, and Brian were ready to go while I was still fiddling with my tires so they left without me. I decided to have a coffee a before leaving and ended up having coffee, a Pepsi, and a piece of cake. I wanted to let the bike sit for a few minutes anyway to make sure the tires were holding air.

I left Nikolai at 7:30am, just before daylight. No sign of the Villain. The tires were both good. I was hoping to have no more bike issues so I made the following commitments to myself: don’t touch the tires, don’t touch the brakes, don’t sit on the seat when going over bumps, don’t shift gears.

The not shifting part was easy. It was still very cold out when I left Nikolai so I couldn’t shift anyway. I could only hope that by taking these measures I wouldn’t have anymore bike issues.

I felt great leaving Nikolai. I think that the caffeine and sugar may have had something to do with that but whatever the case, I was feeling good and moving fast. I was only on the trail for about a half hour when I caught up to Brian and Mark. They were moving slow. Brian’s leg was sore and Mark was having front brake issues.

I went by and immediately caught up to Lance. Lance had hurt his arm and leg earlier in the race but I didn’t realize how serious his injuries were (they were both broken). He was going slow so I went by and kept up a good pace. The trail was in perfect condition so I wanted to put some fast miles in since I knew that the trail would most likely become horrible later on.

After about an hour I stopped for some food. Lance was still right behind me. He seemed to be doing better. We discussed the whole top ten finish issue and the need to stay ahead of Brian and Mark. What Lance didn’t know was that there was one other person that I needed to stay ahead of, the Villain. If he arrived in Nikolai during the daylight then he most likely would not stay which means that he could be right on our tail.

Lance Andre on the trail between Nikolai and McGrath – note the large icicle hanging from his mask


I led the way keeping the pace as high as I dared. We stopped only to eat but I did manage to snap off a few pictures along the way. It was a picture perfect day, the trail was hard and fast, and we were feeling great. A tail wind came up at times and pushed us up over 10 mph. We were screaming along. At one point Lance said, “Bill, you will go even faster if you let a little air out of those tires!”

My response was short and simple, “No way.”

Don’t step off the packed trail or you could find yourself chest deep in snow!


I kept waiting for something bad to happen; for my fragile bike to collapse, for the trail to turn to mush, for the wind to turn on us. But none of this happened.

Before we knew it we were on the plowed road which leads us into the village of McGrath. It was great riding with Lance to the finish line. We crossed the line together in a tie for 8th place in a time of 4 days 2 hours 10 minutes.

It was a perfect way to end the race.

Lance at the Finish Line in McGrath, Alaska


Bill at the Finish Line in McGrath, Alaska

After
The Villain finished more than a full day behind me. I think that not knowing where he was at the last three checkpoints actually made me leave the checkpoints earlier and go faster.

Brian and Mark finished a couple of hours behind Lance and me. They tied for 10th place. So in the end all four of us did place in the top ten. Well done guys. It was great riding with you.

The Italians, Daniele, Sabastiano, and Ausilia, all finished the next day. It was good to get to know them and I had the pleasure of getting to know them even better when we got back to the B&B in Anchorage. On my last night in town they made a traditional Italian meal. It was a perfect way to end our time together. Ausilia is the first women to ever complete this race on a single speed (as if the race isn’t hard enough already!). I’ll never forget how she dropped me going across the Dismal Swamp.

I have no one to blame but myself for the mechanical problems that I had with my bike. It was a new bike that was custom assembled to my exact specifications. I personally picked every component on the bike including the shifters, brakes, seat clamp and yes, even the tubes. I failed to properly cold weather test the bike before the race. It’s my fault and no one else’s. No excuses. I feel lucky to have been able to work through all of the problems and still finish. In the end, the bike problems did cost me some time but I don’t think that they cost me any positions in the race.

I enjoyed every minute that I was on the trail, even the low of lows but especially the high of highs. I find it interesting that the two were only separated by a couple of hours.

The race finishes at the house of Peter and Tracy Schneiderheinze. They are famous for their hospitality and I’ve now experienced that hospitality twice. I didn’t even have my jacket off when Peter already had a plate of food prepared for me and an ice cold beer. It was so good. Words can’t adequately describe it.

I would most of all like to thank my wife Joanne for putting up with the months (years?) of preparation that went into this race. There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow with this race. The winners may get an interview with a magazine and maybe even some sponsorship for future races. For everyone else, all you get is the personal satisfaction of having completed a very difficult event. I’m the first to admit that it is a highly selfish endeavour and there is no way that I could have done it without her support. Thanks Joanne.

I would also like to thank the Villain for his actions on the first day of the race. He made me feel embarrassed, belittled and most of all, angry. Anger can be a powerful tool when properly harnessed and channelled. I’m convinced that if the events of the first day had not occurred then I most likely would not have finished in the top ten of the race. So thanks Villain. I hope to race against you again someday and kick your ass, again.

Note: Exact times of my interactions with the Villain have been changed to protect his identity, but you know who you are.