Friday, November 1, 2024

My Big Wild Ride (2013)

The Big Wild Ride Rides Again?

 For 2025. Denali Randonneurs has scheduled an 1,199 km RUSA brevet called the "BWR Meander" following the route of the Big Wild Ride 1200k, which was held in 2011 and 2013. They are offering no event support, but with some suggestions as to sleep locations, etc.

Since I rode BWR'13, now seemed like a good time to share my story. I will finish with some thoughts about riding this route without event support.

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Catherine Shenk rode the inaugural BWR in 2011. I decided to ride it if they held it again, which fortunately they did!


The Big Wild Ride route is a horseshoe starting on the coast in Valdez, topping out at Fairbanks, and finishing in Anchorage.




ANCHORAGE TO WHITTIER

Most riders and staff congregated in Anchorage. From there, it's a 5½-hour drive  overland to Valdez, according to Google Maps. But you could also take the Alaska Railroad train to Whittier (2½ hours), and from there the ferry to Valdez (6 hours). Scenic and interesting, one of the highlights of the event. Some of the most stunning scenes of the trip, and the only seascapes and ocean views.

On the train along the cloud-shrouded coast.

Turnagain Arm 


Turnagain Arm through rain-splattered window.
The actual ride would be dry except for a few sprinkles the first morning.
This is not typical!

A glacier

The final stretch to Whittier is through a one-way (alternating direction) train and car (alternating vehicle type) tunnel: "at 13,300 feet (4,100 m), the second-longest highway tunnel, and longest combined rail and highway tunnel in North America." (Wikipedia) The tunnel is the only land access to Whittier, the other access being by sea.

Train pulling up in Whittier.
An easy walk to the ferry.
The entire town lives in the building on the left.

After a short picnic of Alaskan dockside delicacies, it was time to board the ferry!
Julie Gazmararian and Carl Anderson in front.

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WHITTIER TO VALDEZ


By now it had become sunny and bright, perfect for sitting on deck, visiting, and soaking up the wonderful views.




Kevin Turinsky, BWR organizer
and Alaska Randonneurs RBA

RAAM Finisher and Randonneuse Kitty Goursolle (#3301)
flanked behind by Kevin and my wife Pat.
I think they are discussing birds.

There was plenty to see in all directions!

A glacier.

A mountain range.

A whale.

An icebergette.

A fishing boat.

We also saw sea otters swimming behind the ferry, and puffins (!).

It was good chance to socialize. And who knows whom you might run into?

Pam Wright and Dan Driscoll

All too soon it was time to retrieve our bikes and gear, disembark in Valdez, and roll our bikes and baggage to the hotel.

Bikes and gear below decks.

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VALDEZ TO DELTA JUNCTION

The next day was a chance to relax in Valdez, stretch one's legs, and - if you were smart - get some sleep in the afternoon. (Veterans warned you can get sleep deprived prior to the event if you simply stay awake during the long, long days of an Alaskan summer.)

Pat chatting with Dan and Pam

BWR'11 had departed at 6pm. It seemed like another time might be optimal for sleeping at the sleeping venues during the (short) hours of darkness. So Kevin moved the start to just before midnight, which worked out well, but meant that Kevin had to change arrangements with the roadhouses up the Richardson Highway. One downside of the nighttime start was that we transited Thompson Pass (2,600 ft.) in the dark, and missed whatever views it may have.

Night falls over the ride start.

Dawn heralded by a brief sprinkle.


The route to Delta Junction and then to Fairbanks was on the Richardson Highway, and roughly follows the course of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Or vice versa. When the pipeline was being constructed, there were more active restaurants, lodging, and other business, but it's pretty quiet now, hence Kevin arranging the local business support we had.

Our first roadhouse stop - about 75 miles into the ride - was at the historic Tonsina River Lodge, "a rambling, shambling, gravel-covered spread, with weatherbeaten buildings." (Wikipedia)

  one of the numerous Alaskan establishments with Russian roots.

In front of the Tonsina River Lodge

They had set up an elaborate buffet of many tasty and filling treats.

Tim Mason (RUSA #1843) on left

The rest of the day to Delta Junction proceeded uneventfully except for a few minutes' delay when staff evaluated a gravel roadwork segment. After the one convenience store on this route - at a junction with the highway to Canada - it was a succession of idiosyncratic but friendly roadhouses.

As evening fell and we left the last of the settlements behind, we kept a keen eye out for moose and grizzlies.

I reached Delta Junction at dusk, close to 11pm, and was one of the early riders to arrive. We'd been slowed by headwinds throughout the day, but still, the start time worked out well for a swath of riders. Overnight was at a school. Event staff offered us moose stew, and then we bedded down on gym mats.

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DELTA JUNCTION TO FAIRBANKS TO HEALY

On the road by around 4:30 am in daylight, an uneventful trek to Fairbanks. This was the first actual navigating we had to do of the ride so far. The checkpoint was at the Safeway, the only supermarket we passed on the route. 

On the return from Fairbanks, we got some fabulous mountain range views, plus summer flowering vegetation.


Our only dirt/gravel miles of the ride were a construction zone coming into Healy. Some riders, like Spencer Klaassen, had tires big enough to float comfortably over the soft earth, but everyone did ok.

Next overnight was at a church in Healy, tubs of hearty food provided by the volunteers, and a scattering of places to sleep. And brisk cold-water showering.

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HEALY TO TALKEETNA

These roads had more traffic in places, but still beautiful. We actually saw Denali, which is usually shrouded in clouds.

We also saw more strange sights of Alaska, including the Igloo City Hotel. (There were actually 3-4 of these built but all are now defunct.)

Igloo City Hotel, Cantwell AK
courtesy Wikimedia Commons
I haven't found my photo of this.

Talkeetna is out a spur from Hwy. 4, nice rolling terrain. You can take helicopter and fixed-wing sightseeing tours from here to Denali and other spots. I believe Pat had taken a Denali tour the day before.

We arrived early evening, about 7:30 pm. Lodging was in the only actual inn of the trip, with beds. They also had a restaurant, with tables, tablecloths, and food from a limited menu. We had been looking forward the whole ride to sleeping in a bed, but it turns out there weren't enough bed spots for all the riders. Still, we had hot showers and a meal.

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TALKEETNA TO ANCHORAGE

The final day was just a pleasant trip into the finish. We were ferried across a construction zone, but otherwise no issues. 

Julie Gazmararian

Kevin had been keeping an eye on bikepath construction coming into Anchorage, but they had finished things up, and we glided into the finish hotel on a brand new bike path. 

At finish with Lois Springsteen

At finish with Julie Gazmarian

Dan and Pam

At finish with Deb Banks and Drew Carlson

At finish with Ron Himschoot, Julie, Carl, and Tim

BWR has turned out to be one of my favorite 1200k's.  

A hearty thanks to Kevin Turinsky and Alaska Randonneurs for a fantastic ride. Kevin and his volunteers really cared about the riders, and were great to deal with. He also managed to engineer perfect weather.  At the airport, we asked Deb Banks if she might come back for another BWR, and she said no, who could ever expect a repeat of such great conditions?

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UNSUPPORTED?

A few thoughts about the proposed unsupported 1199k event ... 
  • We didn't need much support between overnight locations. But on the way to Delta Junction, that was in large part because Kevin made arrangements with the roadhouses, some of which may no longer be in operation. As mentioned, I only recall one convenience store on this 270-mile stretch. 
  • Our overnights in Delta Junction and Healy were at a school and a church, respectively, but these towns do have restaurants and lodging.  Talkeetna has various lodging possibilities. 
  • In terms of stores and restaurants along the route, while the days are long at this time of year, that doesn't mean that establishments will be open when you arrive or transit.
  • Drop bag service could be another reason for personal / shared support.
  • We thought carefully about what start time would work so that we would be sleeping during those few dark hours (and circadian low) in Delta Junction, and on down the line. Starting just before midnight worked great for us. With a 4:00 am start, riders should do their own calculations, which may mean having personal support at some checkpoints they transit at night (when things are closed).
♦ ♦ ♦

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

CHC'24 Day 1 - Photos from Walden

 First day of the High Country offered heat climbing Poudre Canyon and an unaccustomed headwind, finishing off with a cooling shower just coming into Walden.

Conor O'Brian

Colin Allen


Just the tip of the food-and-drink iceberg!

Finishing with a cooling shower.

Colin Allen heads towards Saratoga for his sleep break.

Dave Brillhart

Amy Andrews and Stephen Wasmund - the only tandem.



Mike Turek and friends

Paul Liu


Tal Katzir (lower left), and clockwise Mike Turek, David Weigel, 
Kevin Klaes and others enjoying Italian Nite

Tranquil end of day in Walden

-jle

Saturday, June 15, 2024

Rashid's Colorado High Country pre-ride report

Rashid Khan and Jenn Moore pre-rode the 1000k option of the Colorado High Country on June 11-13.

Day 1

0:00  Louisville Departure
2:15  Platteville
4:35  Carter Lake
6:10  Horsetooth
14:00  Cameron Pass
15:52 Walden Arrival

Sandy’s was out of burritos. And it wasn’t long after that tragedy, while climbing Horsetooth, that the carrier that holds cogs 6 & 7 on my rear cassette failed, taking out those gears and another adjacent. While there was a bike shop 2 miles off the route, my house was only 5, so I hammered home, swapped a new cassette and returned to the route where I left it. I caught the gang at Ted’s, costing myself 40 minutes, but gaining 10 bonus miles.

All that, and Ted’s only had bean and cheese burritos remaining. Bummer. 

We took our time climbing Poudre towards Cameron Pass, trying to keep the heat from getting to us, but it did anyway. Hotel reception, who held our drop bags, would close at 10pm, so the decision was made to send Jenn and I as a forward team to check-in, collect bags, and source food from Corkel’s across the street, which also closed at 10pm. Fortunately things went smoothly, with Vernon and Dustin rolling in just 20 minutes or so behind us. Pizza was baked and sleep was had

Carter Lake


A break in the shade in Powder Canyon


Jenn & Vernon at Cameron Pass



Sunset descending into Walden


Day 2

24:09 Walden Departure
28:43 Saratoga, WY
35:15 Laramie, WY
41:26 Walden Arrival

Departing promptly at 5am, er 5:09am, we waved to the Trans Am racers riding into Walden, their race having started in Oregon 10 days prior.

After a hearty pasta salad we grabbed packaged sandwiches to go and rolled out of Saratoga with a stiff side wind that turned to a welcome tailwind as we headed into Snowy Range. Unfortunately a bodily mechanical would rob us of one of the team, but the wind would continue to carry we remaining three all the way to Laramie.

Of course the route makes a sharp, nearly 180deg turn in “Laradise”, as Jenn would affectionately call it, and we’d work hard taking short pulls all the way to the foot of the climb back into Colorado. With the Woods Landing store closed, we filled bottles from a, perhaps ill advised, tap and pressed on. We pulled into Walden late, well after all had closed, agreeing to catch a bit of extra shut eye tonight.

Rolling out of Walden at dawn


Jenn returning to her homeland


Snowy Range is snowy


Donning reflective gear at sunset

Headed back in Walden


Day 3

48:47 Walden Departure
53:08 Steamboat Springs
55:39 Yampa
59:23 Kremmling
66:11 Walden Arrival

67:03 Walden Departure
68:04 Gould
69:07 Walden

Getting out a bit after we planned we slow pedaled the gentle grade out of Walden headed southwest for Rabbit Ears pass. We paused at the gate to Jenn’s cousins ranch before tackling the fast descent into Steamboat. The well stocked store (with TWO microwaves!) provided the fuel we’d need to get to Yampa, over Gore Pass, and on to Kremmling. 

Having researched ahead, we knew Sulphur Springs wasn’t a food stop we could depend on. Filling ourselves on generous portions of microwave mac & cheese in Kremmling, we took what we could carry and hoped to at least source water and ice cream in Sulphur Springs. We passed yet more Trans AM racers as we left town, including one in a PBP vest.

The Sulphur Springs Mini Merc had decided to close at 2pm. We were on our own for the next 60mi over Willow Creek Pass. We began the climb in the golden hour, the canyon washed with warm evening light, a slight breeze keeping the temperature down. As a light rain began, the breeze stiffened. It seemed the inevitable summer thunderstorm had arrived. But as quickly as it started, it passed, leaving the road damp and a fresh scent in the air. We crested the pass at sunset, donned reflective gear and enjoyed the fast descent on a quiet road all the way back to Walden, uneventfull save for a startled family of foxes yipping in the dark.

Parting ways with Vernon, who would ride back to Louisville to complete his 1200k in the morning, Jenn and I had a snack, knocked out the last 40k of the 1000k and finished up our final Randonneur 10000 award qualification.

Near Rabbit Ears

Descending Gore Pass

Bottom of the climb to Willow Creek Pass



Top of Willow Creek Pass


Carl Gillies & Raphael Bernardo, Trans AM racers arriving in Walden the next morning. 


- Rashid Khan