June was grandparents month in our house. Both sets came for a couple of weeks each.
One sunny Saturday my dad and I biked Resurrection Pass, 38 miles from Hope to Cooper Landing. I’ve been over that pass a number of times, but this was the first time it hasn’t been covered in snow. What a great singletrack ride!
I wonder what the 70-and-up age group record is for the 20 mile climb from Hope up to the pass? I bet my dad crushed it!
Last year’s inaugural White Mountains 100 ultra race was lauded as being one of the best organized, most scenic, most fun races that most of the participants had ever done. In fact, the only two complaints I heard from racers I talked to were that it was very cold and there wasn’t a lot of snow (which created obvious problems for skiers but also overflow problems for bikers and runners). Well, race directors Ed Plumb and Ann Farris are so good at their jobs that, for 2011 they even took care of those issues. Somehow they managed to bump the temperature about 30 degrees and add a few feet of snow.
In every way possible, this year’s WM100 was perfect. The organizers had everything running smoothly. The volunteers were fun and enthusiastic. The racers were friendly and high-spirited. The weather was mild and sunny. The trail was well groomed. And the White Mountains lived up to their reputation for expansive vistas and jagged limestone crags. I mean, really, what better way to spend a warm, sunny weekend than out in spectacular, remote country with a group of fun, adventurous folks. It’s almost a shame that it is a race because I wish I could have spent more time getting to know each person I met and each place I saw. During the race I was suffering physically and I just wanted to be finished as soon as possible. But when it was all over, I wished I had been able to enjoy it longer. It is truly a one-of-a-kind race experience.
I’ll probably end up writing another post about my race, but for now a few thoughts on the race in general.
As I said, the trail conditions were perfect. That trail was probably as close as one can get to an even playing field between skiers and bikers. At least 80% of the course was really good for both. It was a little soft in places for biking, but in most of those same places it was narrow for skiing, so it evened out. So hats off to the bikers who took the first four spots. Those top three guys had a nice battle for the win, with the top woman close on their heels. Very impressive.
Also close on their heels, was Rob Whitney on skis. I cannot say enough about Rob’s performance. I am still in awe. I skied the first fifteen miles with Rob and I thought he was going way too hard. I thought there was no way he could continue to average 10 mph for this whole race. Well, he didn’t. His average speed dropped all the way down to 9.1 mph over the next 85 miles. Incredible. He may not have won overall, but I have no doubt that Rob had the performance of the day. Given the perfect conditions and the way he attacked that course, I will not be surprised if his record time stands for many years.
The other performance that sticks out in my mind is Kate Arduser, the first woman skier. Kate is a very accomplished ski racer, but she now lives in Cordova and didn’t ski much this winter. She showed no signs of rust, scorching the course in 13.5 hours.
Thanks to all the organizers, volunteers, race fans, support crews, and fellow racers for a fantastic weekend. It’s been three days since I finished, and I am still on a post-race high.
We’re about to leave for a month-long trip back east, which means Saturday’s cyclocross race was the only one for me this year. Too bad because this race was not up my alley. A very wet and super-slick course, combined with lots of tight turns, put bike-handling at a premium. I prefer lung-busting courses. After I crashed twice, hit one tree, and skidded out on numerous corners, I decided that not getting hurt was more important than doing well. So I backed off the throttle and just tried to survive. In that respect, the race was a success. But the white-knuckle experience made me a little less sad that I will miss the rest of the series.
RESULTS – ArcticCross #1
Last week, I mentioned the new Alaska Birkie bike race. I wrote that even though I thought it sounded like a fun race, I wouldn’t be able to do it this year. I also thought they should change the name of the race.
Well, I just saw an announcement that this year’s race is cancelled because of low registration numbers. So much for my attempt to promote it! But get this – they will be changing the name of the race for next year:
We will instead focus on a 2010 race. Our website will be the source of official information for the next year. There will be changes for the 2010 event starting with the name of the race. The race will not be called Birkebeiner. Stay tuned…
I hope they come up with a better name than the suggestions I offered!
So maybe I’ll get to do the inaugural race after all. But then again, maybe not. Summer in Alaska is really short, and as I’ve said before, we’ve already got a ton of fun summer races. Not to mention the other non-racing activities to choose from (hiking, packrafting, road trips, etc). It’s hard for a new race to get a foothold. The Powerline Pass running race – a favorite of mine and many mountain runners – has bounced around for seven years , trying to find a date to call home. That’s why I think this bike race should try September, or even early October. Or maybe the first weekend of June, as soon as the trails open to mountain bikes.
But then again, what do I know? I tend to gravitate towards events that don’t have a ton of participation. So maybe I’m not the best guy to offer promotional advice.
Linda did the Ride for Life this past weekend. Its a two-day ride from Anchorage to Seward with a campout at Summit Lake in the middle. 80 miles the first day, 40 the second. Its a ride, not a race, and the organizers treat the riders right, with huge spreads at the aid stations and a big barbecue on Saturday night. It’s a pretty fun deal. For many of the participants, its the longest bike ride they’ve ever done.
The kiddo and I cheered Mommy on (via car) along the way, and met her at Summit Lake after day 1, where we had the tent and her dry clothes waiting. We camped out and enjoyed the band, barbecue, and evening program. On Sunday morning, Linda got up and finished off the ride into Seward.
The weather was kind of miserable – a steady headwind and frequent rain. I had grand ideas for my own adventures each day after Linda finished her biking. I had a hike near Summit Lake and a mountain bike ride in Seward all planned out. But Mother Nature unleashed her nastiest in the afternoons, so I bagged both days. My weekend was an O-fer.
Fortunately, Linda picked up my slack. She raised money for cancer prevention and rode 120 miles. We all had a lot of fun, even in the wind and rain. We talked about how it would be fun to do this ride as a family. Too bad there is no way we’d risk pulling a Chariot on the Seward Highway.
Photo: George Stransky
Last fall I wrote that, as much as I enjoy cyclocross, I would like to see more interesting ‘cross race courses. The go-around-in-circles format is just not my thing.
So I was excited to learn about a new bike race here in Anchorage, the Great Alaska Birkebeiner Mountain Bike race. The race starts in Chugiak and traverses 90 kilometers of pavement, dirt roads and ski trails to get to the finish at Kincaid Park. Its a unique event that offers good tests of fitness, strategy and gear selection. This year’s race is on Saturday August 8, 2009.
It sounds cool but I’ve got a few small quibbles, mainly with the name of the race. Why is an Alaskan bike race named after a Norwegian ski race? Is someone going to be towing the infant king in a Chariot? Plus, they call it a mountain bike race even though its about two-thirds pavement. But then again, I guess they don’t want some roadie trashing his $7,000 Cervelo on the Spencer Loop.
I think this race has the potential to be really fun. It will be interesting to see if it catches on. I could see it becoming a hit with recreational riders looking for their once-a-season big challenge, a la the Tour of Anchorage ski race.
Having said all that, I doubt I will do the race this year. I’m not sure my Achilles is ready for four hours of racing. Plus, August is looking like a very busy month for me as I try to squeeze an entire summer into about five weekends. (Another quibble - Hold the race in September!).
We are fortunate to have a ton of interesting races here in southcentral Alaska, and I am glad to see the Alaska Birkie join the ranks. I just wish they’d call it something else. How about ‘Crossing Anchorage? Municycle? Cycle to Kincaid ( Cy2K for short)? Hmm, maybe Alaska Birkie isn’t that bad after all.
So maybe you’ve been checking out the Fireweed 400 bike race coming up this weekend. Or you saw the article in yesterday’s Anchorage Daily News. In either place, you might have seen my name listed as an entrant in the 400 mile race. The newspaper even put me on the short list of notable racers, along with Jeff Oatley, Rocky Reifenstuhl, and Janice Tower. Not bad for a guy who hasn’t done a road bike race in 18 years.
As you know if you’ve been reading this blog, I haven’t exactly been training for a 400 mile ride. Even though I am on the mend, I think my maximum distance right now is about fifty miles. Maybe 75 if I really push it. I’ve ridden about 100 miles total this summer.
So why am I on the start list?
I set up the online registration for the Fireweed races, and I had to enter myself to test the system. I figured that when the organizers saw my entry come in, they’d know it was a test. But somehow my name still ended up on the website. I mentioned it, so they could remove my name, but they were probably busy with more important matters. So my name stayed up.
I guess I will be a “Did Not Start” on Friday. I have been known to do some stupid things to my body, but I am going to sit this one out. I’ve had my fill of stupid for a while.
…for “This Year’s Adventure I Envy Most”: Nabesna to McCarthy bikepackraft
I’ve been following the two Continental Divide mountain bike races that are currently taking place in the Rocky Mountains between the Canadian and Mexican border. The races (I’m not going to get into why there are two separate races, its a rat’s nest) caught my attention because a few Iditarod Trail Invitational racers (Pete Basinger, Jay & Tracey Petervary, Jill Homer) were competing. Jay & Tracey just finished the race on a tandem, which is just insane. Pete wasn’t so lucky.
About a year ago at this time, Pete basically saved a girl’s life after her now-infamous bear attack in Anchorage. This year, Pete was on the other end of a nasty mountain bike accident. He was descending a pass in southern Colorado when he was hit by a truck towing a horse trailer. Luckly, it sounds like he escaped with only a broken clavicle. That’s good news, but a broken clavicle is still a bummer unless you’ve got Lance Armstrong’s medical team.
Before the crash, Pete was absolutely crushing it in BOTH divide races. In typical Pete fashion, one 2,500 mile race wasn’t enough, so he worked some logistical magic in order to do both at the same time. He started in Banff (the start of the Tour Divide race) by himself and then managed to make it to the Montana border in time to offically start the Great Divide Race as well. He was possibly setting course records along the way, but it was hard to tell because he was in stealth mode. It took days before people even figured out he was on the course. It was a really cool feat and was the most interesting story line of this year’s race. It’s a shame he didn’t get to finish it off.
Pete is a remarkable athlete and a great guy. I feel very lucky that got to ski near him for this year’s Iditarod Invitational. Get well soon, Pete!
My wife and I both wish we could commute to work by bike everyday. But because of our daycare arrangement and that pesky “You must work 8 hours a day” rule, it simply isn’t possible.
So instead we’ve worked out a complicated compromise. I bike to work early in the morning. She drives in later after dropping the kiddo off at daycare. In the afternoon, I bike over to her office and get the car. I go pick up the kiddo, and she bikes home later. So we each get to bike one way. It works out pretty well, except for one hitch: there is no good route to get from my office to her office on a bike. Its only about a mile, but I have to take my life into my hands and cross the worst of midtown traffic.
I am constantly looking for a new route that is safer, more scenic, or at least shorter. This past winter I heard about a new path being built in a lesser-known park in midtown. Could this be a missing link I needed? Earlier this week I decided to give it a try. I found the park easy enough, but I couldn’t find any trails. So I started busting through the tall grass, carying my bike.
Midtown Anchorage - Anyone know where this is?
The bad news was that in a matter of minutes, I was up to calves in muck and it was getting deeper. The good news was at least this covered up my fashion faux-pas of wearing argyle dress socks with cycling shoes. Turn around? Are you kidding? I was not about to accept defeat from a tiny park in midtown. I pushed on.
I felt bad that I was probably disturbing the wetland habitat, but I have to admit that I was loving it. The best summer adventures usually involve some degree of bushwhacking or mud-slogging, but since I’ve been injured I’ve been missing out on all that fun. I desperately needed up up my slog quotient.
It only took a few minutes to cross the bog and I found the trail (still a work in progress) on the other side. I didn’t find a magical corridor through midtown, but I did find a nice little slice of the outdoors hidden in the middle of the city. I like living in a pace where my commute from work can turn into a mud-filled adventure. And besides, its not really summer in Alaska until you’ve bushwhacked through a mud bog.
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