The Trio in Talkeetna 2016

Party time!  The Trio in Talkeetna Fat Tire World Championship Bike Race is put on by Speedway Cycles and Backcountry Bike and Ski.  It's generously sponsored by Denali Brewing and Samurai Cereal.  The locals in Talkeetna are really kind and work around a bunch of goofball beer racers and bike drinkers.

1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Ladies 60 mile division

Laura is a bad ass.  She went out the next morning and ran a lap of the course.

Riding in style!

The skinny on the race, I was really tired.  I've been practicing my drinking more than riding since ITI.  I had a great time and really look forward to staying in Talkeetna for the weekend.  The party afterward was nice too!  After waking up and getting out of the cabin I dropped Laura off at the start so that she could get some Boston Marathon training in.  I went to the coffee shop to finish my ITI report.

I did buy a new frame.  A Glacier Blue Fatback Corvus.  I'll review it at a later date.

Iditarod Trail Invitational Part 3

I'm writing this in a coffee shop after the 2016 Talkeetna Trio.  Laura is out running the Trio course after racing 60 miles yesterday.  Hardcore.  

Rainy Pass hike a bike continued.  The wind drifts weren't giving up yet! As the descent steepened I was able to accelerate hard and just glide through the drifts but it was not what I was expecting. Seeing the headlamp behind me made me a little impatient but the trail got better and soon I was really hauling the mail and if I wanted to build a gap now was the time!   

The pass narrowed and my headlamp started to reflect on the snow and the rock walls that line the trail!  It was incredible!  Seeing the trail light up is something that has to be experienced first hand.   Steep and fast at first, flow and momentum the next.  It is some of the best fat bike riding I've done.

I made it through Dazell and was on the river.  The temps didn't change much but for the first time since leaving Knik Lake I was cold.  I didn't have too far to go till the Rohn checkpoint and so just toughed it out on the Tetina River.  I'm glad I made it through there with no issue.  A foot division participant, Peter Ripmaster didn't have such luck and fell into the river days later.  I'm happy to report that he's OK.

http://craigmedred.news/2016/03/06/near-death-on-iditarod-trail/

I was once again surprised to see Tim and Tyson were at Rohn when I got there.  Tim was gearing up to leave right as I rolled in.  He looked like he was in good shape and we exchanged a couple of pleasantries and he was off.  Tyson came out right after Tim left and we chatted for a few moments then he got his gear together and took off.  I got two famous Rohn bratwursts and some hot tang. Pretty darn tasty.  I grabbed my fluffy jacket after changing into some warmer layers and took a spot on the spruce boughs for a rest.

After I dozed off Jay P came into the tent about 30-45 minutes after I arrived.  He mentioned that he was not feeling well and was considering finishing the race with Tracey (his significant other.)  I wasn't to sure how I felt about this and just went back to sleep.

My alarm went off.   I actually slept fairly solid and the snow bed with spruce boughs were really comfortable.  I got up and had some instant coffee, a bowl of oatmeal and got my second drop bag items into my bike.  Many folks were showing up and getting their sleep on.  When I left the tent I turned to look at the group and somebody let a fart out.  Yup, time for me to leave.  I left the checkpoint and tried to get my mind together for the 130 miles left to go.

As I started going over the South Fork Kuskokwim the wind was picking up.  Before I knew it I was getting a really strong push through some tough trail.  There is very little snow through this area which is sometimes referred to as the "rain shadow" of the Alaska Range.  I was enjoying the tail wind up the hills but it was a little sketchy getting shoved downhill with very little light coming from my headlamp.  I was having a hard time discerning the ice from the gravel/dirt.  Through the eerie Turquoise Lake Burn and the Post River Glacier I went.   Up and down, through swamps and lakes.

I started crossing the Farewell Lakes.  Lakes and rivers can be a blessing or a curse on long races. This time they were the latter.  I had lost a lot of motivation with Jay P falling off the pace and with Tyson so far ahead and riding on lakes in the dark can be a little boring.  I put my iPod Shuffle ear piece in and started playing music. There was no denying this.  The sleep monster was at my door step.  I continued crossing lakes, then into the Farewell hills.  The sun seemed to be taking forever to rise and I was sick of looking at a little beam of light coming from my head lamp.  I had to stop.  I tried to eat some food and drink some water but none of that worked.  I stopped what must have been 10 or so times.  After that I decided it wouldn't be too bad to just put my forehead on my seat and just close my eyes for a few seconds.

Yeah, I fell asleep standing up.

I would wake up and hear a different song playing on my iPod.  I would go back until I heard the last song I remember hearing.  I was sleeping for 5-10 minutes each time I put my head on the saddle.  I probably should have thrown out my sleeping bag and bivy and slept another hour or so.

Bear Creek Cabin tripod

Haha

Sullivan Creek Bridge

I needed a boost.  I tried all things, riding fast, riding slow, standing, sitting, riding on the side of the trail but none of them really got my mind back in the game.  Finally, I decided to just get a few pictures.  Take in some of the sights (all three of them on the way to Salmon River, the old bison cabin, Bear creek cabin sign and the Sullivan Creek bridge.)

I continued on down the mostly straight trail and finally came to the Salmon River turn.  By this time I had slept standing up, hallucinated, bounced over the damn Iron Dog whoops and generally just battled myself for 40 something miles.  After the corner and through a wooded area I popped out into a swamp and was kindly greeted by a headwind.  Just what a tired bike rider needs.  I was in a better spot at this point and just put my head down and pedaled at a consistent pace that I knew I could maintain.  Just about 5 miles away from Nikolai I ran into Craig Medred again. Hearing someone say that I looked like I was riding strong helped me out quite a bit.  He was on his way back over the Range and had to ride all that damn bumpy trail again.    

I pulled into Nikolai and was greeted by Nick Petruska.  He led me through the town to his house where his family had spaghetti and a coke waiting for me.  As I was sitting and eating my food I got a surprise phone call!  It was Laura!  Hearing Laura's voice and chatting with her was great.  I told her about my trip across the interior and that I was having a bit of a rough time.  She is so positive and gave me a good bit of energy that I would need for the next 50 miles.  I finished up my food and soda said my goodbyes to the Petruska family and headed back out on the trail.

The next 15 or so miles I flew.  Even though the temperatures were rising well above freezing I tried to cover some ground.  I wanted to make up for the rough patch through the swamps and tussock fields between Rohn and Nikolai.  Well, I got a little over zealous and not long after one of many swamps and onto the river again I hit the wall.  The sleep monster was back at it!  Man, I didn't know what to do this time, it was the middle of the day and the solar power I got earlier in the morning wasn't going to work this time.  I put my forehead on the saddle and just started getting freaked out that Heather and Jeff were going to pop into view any moment!  I probably stood there for 15 or so minutes trying to gather myself.  I could barely pedal.  I had troubles even keeping my head up.

I had to do something.  I was so close to finishing this thing.  So I got back on the bike and started verbally instructing myself of every single thing I needed to do.  Pedal, pedal, pedal.  Stand.  Grab two gears.  Sit.  Drop a gear. Pick your head up.  I was actually speaking out loud.  I imagined that it would be hilarious to hear me talking to myself like this.  I continued doing this for the next 20 or so miles.  It's really quite funny to think about it now.  How ridiculous.  I enjoyed watching the sunset and was checking my GPS so often that my mileage didn't seem to move.  I removed the distance from my screen and only focused on speed. Soon I came off the river the final time.  I got to the road in McGrath and it really settled in.     

After years of preparation and training this was it.  After so much help from family and friends I was going to be a finisher of the 350 mile Iditarod Trail Invitational.  To top it off I was going to finish on the podium!  I get to Peter's house and everyone was out on the porch.  Man it was awesome!  I went into the house and they had just finished eating dinner.  Peter handed me what looked to be about a 2# brick sized piece of lasagna and a cold beer.  I piled some red potatoes and some bread on top of that and was in heaven.  I was surprised once again to receive a phone call from Laura!  She told me that earlier I sounded like I was in pretty good shape.  Not so much this phone call.

A little funny story, after taking a shower in the most dangerous tub known to bikermankind, I decided that I was going to sit on the couch to wait for Jeff and Heather.  Of course that lasted about 20-30 seconds before I fell asleep.  Tim said he came out during the night and found me with my head cocked sideways and my thumb on my screen with my phone still lit up.  Then when Jeff and Heather came in I tried to put together sentences and communicate in English but it just wasn't happening.  I guess you just had to be there.       

The next morning, Peter made a wonder breakfast.  His GIANT mancakes, sausage omelets, coffee and all the fixings.  There were more racers that had come in through out the night and into the early morning.  We stuffed out faces, chatted about our races, talked about the trail.  Some of the folks were going to Nome.  The rest of us got our stuff together and proceeded to head to the airport.  

We had a great time.  The champs Heather Best, Tim Bernston and Jeff Oatley.  

The iPhone couldn't quite capture everyone on the plane.

It was a great day to fly.  Clear and smooth.  After an hour we were already descending into Ted Steven's International Airport.  We got to the gate and there was a good sized group there to greet us as we got off the plane. We said our goodbyes and headed back home. 

Flying over the Alaska Range

Sleeping Lady

Laura is so awesome!  This was the SECOND chocolate cake I got!

I was happy to see my little puppy Sachi, my Dad and his wife Geri.  I ate WAY TOO MUCH cake, pizza and beer over the next week.  I enjoyed telling the stories of the trail and the race.  I went back to work and saw that my co-workers had written me messages on my whiteboard congratulating me.  

This was the best part of this experience.  The people who invited us into their houses, the checkpoint workers who at the most awkward of hours would literally wait for us and do anything we asked, the friends who spent hours hitting update on the trackleader board and cheered us on from afar, our families who take time out of their life's to assist with our silly obsession with bicycles.  If it was possible, I would put you all in a trailer and pull you along with me.  Know that you all were there with me in spirit and I thank you for that.   

I will always remember my first time on the Iditarod Trail...

Iditarod Trail Invitational Part II

Happy River Valley.  Photo Credit Laura Fox

Happy River Steps.  Moose Tracks.  Third Quarter moon.  Three foot whoop-de-dos.  (Warning, there is a bit of language in this part.  Please don't take offense.)

I've heard race veterans chit chat about the steps, about the climbs, and about Rainy Pass.  One thing is for sure. None of their descriptions quite capture what it's like to ride this section.

The trail leading out of Winterlake Lodge got us right up to pace.  We got a short downhill till we leveled out and started riding on various lakes and swamps.  The sky had cleared and we had great visibility from the Third Quarter moon and stars.  I was enjoying the trail.  Craig Medred came up on his snowmobile and stopped to chat with me for a little bit.  I don't remember much from our conversation other than that Craig mentioned that Jay P had left with someone's boots!  I guess they got it all figured out but it sounded like it created quite a commotion.  I continued on down the trail and started to run into moose tracks that punched through the trail.  I didn't have much trouble with the punchy trail but it sounds like some folks really got tested through there.

Near the confluence of the Funny River and the Skwentna River is a part of the trail called "The Gorge."  Holy Shit it goes straight up!!  I looked up and could see the retroreflective markers (think road sign material) and thought to myself this is fucking steep.  I dragged my butt up the hill and had to stop a couple of times to catch my breath. This was full on hike-a-bike.

Next up was Shirley Lake and Finnbear Lake.  It took me nearly an hour and a half just to cover the climb up and over the two lakes.  Soon enough the sun started to rise right along with the elevation. The tough part about this is that its a rolling section of hills.  You gain some then you lose some. This happens over and over and I'm not what you would call a climber.  I knew that I would be losing time compared to the other fellas but the tracks that Tim and Tyson left told me they were not going really fast and were battling the same elements that I was.  I was also wondering if leaving Winterlake Lodge without any actual sleep was going to start working against me.  

Prior to the race, I told Laura that she should contact our great friend, pilot and photographer Dan Bailey, about taking a flight up the trail to get some pictures.  I know Laura really loves to fly and I know my pilot friends love taking folks up. These are some pictures she took on the second day of the race.

Dan's plane.  Photo Credit Laura Fox

 

Photo Credit Laura Fox

Just outside of Puntilla Lake.  Photo Credit Laura Fox

The push fest begins just outside of Puntilla Lake.

After many hours I finally hit the crest to Puntilla Lake and Rainy Pass Lodge.  The snow was really tough to traverse up there and anything that was out of the wooded areas was wind blown and had to be hiked.  I rolled into Rainy Pass checkpoint and to my surprise there were Tim's and Tyson's bikes! After getting my stuff together I walked into the infamous Rainy Pass Lodge cabin and laid my stuff out to dry.  I was definitely tired but I felt there was a bit of tension in the room.  We were the pointy end of the pack and I was wondering if Jay P would fly in and out of the checkpoint.  I thought his strategy at this point was to sleep well at Winterlake Lodge, make a quick stop at Rainy Pass, get a bit of warm food in his belly, and then leave.

But he came in and started winding down just like the rest of us.  I was excited!  There's going to be a race and I'm in it!    

Tyson started to get his stuff ready about an hour after I got there. He left and then Tim left about 15 or so minutes later.  Before he left, Tim came over to the bunk and told me I was running a great race.  Did I mention that Tim is a nice guy?  :-)

I got about half an hour or so of shut-eye and then I realized that sleeping just wasn't going to happen. It was the middle of the day and some folks started rolling into the cabin.  Craig delivered a couple of message from Dan, Laura, Greg and Chris!  How awesome was that!?!  Dan and Laura flew over while I was zonked out and as Tim and Tyson were leaving.

Jay P left and about 10 minutes later I left.  The info on the trail conditions made it sound like we were going to be hiking for a while.  Sure enough we were walking just about immediately.  

Iditarod Trail Tripods

Funny, I took this photo by accident.  It's a pretty good representation of what we were walking through.

After some miles and some hours we reached the plateau of the Happy River Valley.  We had walked a long way and route finding wasn't too bad.  Most of the way I could distinguish the trail from the wind blown cover.  Three snowmobiles had gone by and less than an hour later the trail from them was almost gone.  To help pass the time and to try and cover some ground I started to do short running intervals.  I would count to a number, slow to a hike, then let a minute or two pass and run again.

My view of Rainy Pass.  I wanted to get a picture of it prior to darkness settling in.

I yo-yo'd from Jay P because I had to replace the presta valve in my front wheel. Stan's No Tubes is a bugger when it plugs your valves up and keeps them from closing.  I took my time, ate some real food, drank some water, and just focused on not dropping my tools or my parts.  I got the tire pumped back up and was on my way after posing for Craig Medred.

To my surprise, the trail started to get solid in a few spots.  This is where being mentally tough really kicks in.  We were able to get on the bike and ride for 50yds, 100yds, 200yds at a time.  Each time I rode as far as I could and when it was time to walk I just accepted fate, hopped off and walked. As I got closer and closer to Happy River crossing we did more and more riding.  By the time I got to the crossing I was pretty stoked and when I pulled up to the river I thought "yeah, I can just ride this little crossing!"

After crossing the Funny River.  I felt pretty bad ass for riding across.  I didn't ice up too badly either.

After crossing the snow got really soft again.  I hiked for a while and then just about the first spot I could ride I noticed a sad Dillinger tread.  Somebody had a flat tire.  I popped over a little hump and there was Jay P putting a tube in his tire.  He had dropped pressure and he said the tires rolled off the bead.  

After hanging with Jay I decided to walk with him.  It's not often you get to follow a Pro.

Another view of Rainy Pass as we approached.

We continued to walk a while and soon we got to a point where I felt I could ride again.  Jay P let me pass and this was my chance.  I had to focus and really be efficient.  Wherever I could ride I needed to ride and wherever I had to walk I had to keep my pace.  We started rolling into Rainy Pass now and the trail was still rideable in spots.  I went as long as I could without my light.  I didn't want him to see how far ahead I was.  I kept looking back wondering where he was at and how fast he was going.  I just hiked my butt off.  Just before the pass it gets pretty darn steep.  I just put my head down and just put one foot in front of the other.

At the top of Rainy Pass.  I was excited for the downhill!

 I took my Rainy Pass photo and got right back on the bike.  I was so excited for the downhill but the wind drifts proved to be a little difficult.  I was in my easiest gear going downhill!  I was a little nervous and tried to get my momentum going.  Finally, I was able to recognize the harder of the two snowmobile trails and got moving.

I looked back up at the top of the pass and I saw a headlamp...

Iditarod Trail Invitational 2016 Part 1

Loaded and ready for whatever comes!

My inspiration and best friend.  None other than Laura Fox.

My furry friends Palmer and Dot.  The guy that put up with my crap for years, my dad.

First, thank you to my family and friends for all the support.  Years of preparation and training were all possible because of you.  I thought of all of you and appreciated everything you've done for me.

Thank you to all the volunteers and the folks that hosted a bunch of stinky racers.  You all were so kind.

Congratulations to Tim Berntson and Heather Best!  You two had great races and really kicked butt.

Now that that's out of the way, on to the race report.  Here's a quick rundown of what I did.  Racers start at Knik Lake on the historical Iditarod Trail.  From there we have checkpoints that we are required to hit in Yentna Station, Skwentna Roadhouse, Winterlake Lodge, Rainy Pass Lodge, Rohn Tent, and Nikolai, and then we finish in McGrath.  There are no gear requirements and the racer can choose the route with the exception of Knik Goose Bay Road. 

We started on the lake and it was wet and muddy as soon as we hit the Iditarod Trail.  I put a fender on my bike and also wore goretex pants and coat.  (This turned out to be a good idea and I actually felt comfortable wearing this all the way till Rohn). We headed down Ayeshire Road where my goal for the first part of the race was to be in "the" picture.  Sure enough when I ran into Angie I was with the lead group!  

The Pack.  Jeff Oatley, Tim Berntson, Charly Tri, Adam Erritzoe, Tyson Flaharty and I think that's Jay and Dan at the back. Photo credit Angie Glover.

After seeing Angie we headed off onto the Gasline straightaway.  The pace was quick and I just tried to keep drinking water and eating.  I saw speeds into the low 20's on the road and into the high teens on the gasline and river later on.  We saw the Speedway crew for just a moment and they hopped on to follow for just a few moments.  Even they had a tough time holding on.  I have never been in a fatbike paceline like this one.  Maybe a Frosty Bottom but that race doesn't involve loaded bikes.  

Selfie time!

Dropping down onto the Susitna River.

We flew across Flathorn Lake were I saw the last of our spectators until Nikolai.  There the pace dropped as we lost the trail and got into soft snow.  We all slowed to a literal walking pace and made our way to the actual trail.  Once there I decided to stop and drop a layer.  It was warm and I was sweating up a storm.  I dropped down onto the Susitna River and saw the lead group in front of me and kept them there until we got a few miles up the Yentna River where I stopped again to check on Adam Erritzoe.  He had to adjust his slipping seatpost and that was the last I would see of the lead pack till Skwentna.    

More Selfie time!

 I checked in and out of Yentna Station and was amazed how quickly we had gotten there. We started at 2pm that day and had already made it to Yentna by about 6pm!

I got back on the river and it was pretty uneventful until Skwentna where I arrived to see Tim B, Tyson and Charly leaving as I was coming in.  Jay P had already checked out after getting some hot water (possibly to rehydrate some food up the trail.)  Jeff O was also in the checkpoint and left a little after those other guys.  I took in some chicken noodle soup, a Ginger Ale and a bicycle cupcake!

Skewentna Roadhouse had some sweets on hand for us!  How cool!

 I am a rookie.  I have ridden up to Shell Lake before but that's as far as I've ever gone.  I didn't really know what to expect going to Finger Lake.  I continued onto the trail thinking that we were going to run into a LOT of snow.  It turns out the trail wasn't as bad as I thought.  The Iron Dog teams' stories of feet and feet of snow were true but enough of them had passed through that we were able to just putt along at a reasonable pace all the way to Finger Lake.  I got up the Shell Hills and after getting to the lodge I noticed Charly with what looked to be a beer in his hand.  Mike at the lodge told me he was dropping out of the race because of his bum back.  Bummer.

I had a little bit of a boost knowing that I was now in fifth place!  I kept plugging along and found the rest of the trail to Finger Lake to be fairly mellow.  It was snowing but the accumulation wasn't too bad.  Just outside of the lake I caught Jeff O and we rode into the checkpoint.  There we found Tim, Tyson and Jay already there.  Jay P came in about an hour before me and was catching some solid snooze time on the floor.  We rounded up our first drop bags and the lodge owner made me a huge burrito with eggs, bacon, salsa, beans, rice and sour cream.  It went down great!  I had some coffee and was debating with myself whether or not I was going to head out to Rainy Pass Lodge.

This was a decision made fairly easy.  Again, as a rookie I had no idea what the heck I was doing. Tim left and Tyson wasn't too far behind him.  Heather, Jeff O. and the winners of the 130 mile race started to pour in.  It was getting pretty busy in the lodge and I figured if Tim and Tyson were leaving then maybe I should leave.  Jay P was still sleeping on the floor when I left, I assumed that he would be flying when he left and would probably catch me on the way to Rainy Pass but either way I was in third place now!