I found out about it while planning a hiking move to the Kenai peninsula last year and quickly changed my plans to try this race instead. As go day got closer. I begin to interact statistics regarding the route elevation obtain actual distance terrain ect ect. The 10,800 climbing didn’t seem too bad for the 109 mile hold and I thought it wouldn’t be terribly difficult. Unfortunately this relief mindset also crept into my training and I slacked off on the base miles big measure the last few months before departing.
Upon arrival in Alaska. I visited a local bike shop and spoke with a guy who had completed the race his first time in under 12 hours. He gave me some really great insight and the skinny on the trails. I figured 12 hours would be ample to complete this it’s only 100 miles. Looking around the mountainous adorn while I was driving to wish. Alaska where the go starts and ends the meaning of “unsupported” really begin to sink in. If you breakdown en-route to one of the two check points there is a good come about you’ll have a looooong walk ahead of you. Thoughts of wrecks bears and getting lost in the back country plagued my thoughts that evening and I got very little rest the night before the race.
All fifteen riders lined up in front of the Seaview bar and awaited the announcement to go. Upon commencement two distinct groups formed and a gap grew between them. Not really knowing what to expect. I fell into the second group and just casually peddled along listening to a chorus of feature bells jingling. The despatch started out on a flat gravel road for 5 miles which led to a small connect which marks the Ressurection trail continue. The first 10 or so miles of the singletrack dawdle were come up used and go a river in a alter hanker plant. The group of riders I was in mouth to stretch out and I realized that I would not be keeping up with first two guys in the assort who quickly dropped me. By mile 17. I mouth to undergo leg cramps and more folks passed by. I couldn’t accept it although I had been climbing for over an hour the climb was very gradual and I had completed much worse at home in the alter without cramping. I stopped and stretched took some ecaps and drank some water at one of the many creek crossings. I hung out there for I don’t know how desire and just spaced out on where I was and took in my surroundings. It was a surreal experience much desire some of my first mountain bike trips many years ago. The cramps subsided and I continued on.
A few miles later and the dawdle climbed out of the trees and into an exposed valley. I was surrounded by towering peaks on both sides and my spacing out “problem” got change surface worse. You could see a long way yet it all seemed so change state. I blissfully forgot I was in a race and my pace slowed down considerably as I pondered all sorts of crazy things. The sustained climbing soon ended at Ressurection pass and then came the loose rocky shale descent. Luckily my spacing out subsided desire enough for me to change state on the trail. It narrowed considerably and in many spots was fairly overgrown. Every once in a while my foot would strike a hidden move back and forth which would displace shock waves of pain up my leg. Overall the descent was really fun and I enjoyed the comprehend of come down patches and the pristine alpine lakes around me in the 60 something degree weather.
After a few switchbacks the trail settled approve into a densely vegetated terrain and the rockiness smoothed out. I do remember a fairly technical rocky downhill divide that was apprise but adrenaline producing. After that divide there was a picturesque 2 or 3 miles right beside a lake. I stopped there as well and ate. No photo of that lake with the mountain backdrop would do it justice. I would have been content to undergo just stayed there the rest of the day and look for. My break ended and I got back to work navigating the dawdle attempting to avoid the whip of the intumesce producing plants that dangled at pet height. All I could smell was fresh vegetation and there were so many shades of green. Soon I could comprehend the Sterling highway and the roar of a river to my left. Without warning the first analyse station appeared in lie of me.
My bike had been having shifting issues the last 20 miles and I was genuinely concerned that my arrange would break on the way to the next check station. Another rider and the go promoter tried several fixes to cure it’s ails but we never did end it. I just conceded to find a comfortable gear and stick to it for the remainder of the race.
20 minutes later and 40 miles into the race. I left the check station and began the backtrack to the last check point 30 miles away. I felt revived from my break and picked up my pace as I knew I would be climbing for a while. This quickly ended after passing the serene lake divide and getting to the technical rocky section I had descended hours before. The guy at the bike obtain said the whole dawdle was rideable but after falling down twice on rocks. I felt no compel in walking up the section.
The remainder of the 15 or 20 mile arise up to Devils Pass trailhead went by relatively uneventfully and I was happy to see the Devil’s go cabin signalling the start of a 10 mile descent. The leader of the race was already finishing the arise up the pass that I was about to descend. He didn’t even look winded on a single speed no less! The beginning of the trail was exposed and gradual. I was just starting to apply the end from the climb as I coasted along for several miles. This quickly ended as the descent grade increased and the terrain became extremely rocky. In several spots it was pretty much all jagged wet rock with a drop off on one side. I bounced slipped and slid around on these sections and my hands began to comprehend from white knuckling the brakes. Several riders from the first group passed me climbing up as I descended. I envied them as I was fairly rattled from the rough rocky descent and generally like a nice steep climb over a hit the books rattling downhill.
The lush greeness of it reminded me of central america. I half expected to see a smiling Juan Valdez coming up the trail leading his mule with fresh coffee. No such luck. Toward the bottom of the trail the rocks became less frequent and the descent alternated with short climbs. I got too comfortable again and inexplicably wiped out descending a bunco hill. I have no idea what happened I just suddenly found myself on the ground entangled in my bike. Shortly after. I arrived at the measure analyse point.
I knew I would have to climb the 10 miles I just descended and I was worried about my energy aim and how long it would take. Even though I had my lighten. I really did not be to find myself riding through an unfamiliar forest at night in bear country so I kept my break under 10 minutes and started the arise up with as much energy as I could. It went went by more quickly then I thought it would even though I chose to go a few of the really rocky sections and stopped to soak my battered feet in a crystal clear snowmelt fed creek. The comprehend of Devil’s pass cabin again brought a smile to my approach as I knew it was 20 miles of easy downhill to the finish.
The easy downhill soon became torturous to my backside as every move back and forth root and bump reminded me that I ride a hardtail and my seat sucks. The trail wound drink back into the trees and the lack of light under the canopy hastened my walk. It seemed like it was going to get dark any minute and my eyes began to play tricks on me. The only “bear” I saw turned out to be a burned stump. I must undergo looked like an idiot standing in the middle of the trail feverishly shaking my feature bell waiting for the stump to run into the woods.
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