The morning of the Soggy Bottom was crisp and cool with a cloudless blue sky and 27 riders with speeded to burn lined up to start the 108 mile round trip back to the finish line in Hope, Alaska. The route would take these adventuresome and tough riders from Hope via some of the words best and beautiful single track to Cooper Landing where they would turn around and ride back up the beyond insane climb to the Devils Pass trail head and turn around and go back to the finish in Hope via the Resurrection trail !
Darren Mattingly and Eric Parsons immediately jumped to the front and seperated themselves from the rest of the field. Darren arrives at the Cooper Landing 42 mile check point in 3 hours and 29 minutes check Eric arrived 2 minutes later. The next rider, Andy Pohl arrived 23 minutes later. This means that Darren at this point was averaging about 13.5 mph. The clear day also delivered some major heat issues for most of the riders. With temperatures in the early 80's and riders grinding there way up to Devils Pass while fighting cramps and the sun which was baking them into submission and into the dark and dismal thought process of should i quit or peddle on with the ride.The relentless march of the long shadows of the day which turns into chilling darkness of nite was on every riders mind. Mile 70, the Devils Pass trail head check point, claimed several riders. Two riders abandoned due to mechanical failures. Two riders also reported that their helmets failed after unsuperman like landings after being launched from their bikes.
Darren Mattingly, Eric Parsons and Jeramiah Bell arrived at the Devils pass check point which was 70 miles from the start, with identical times of 6 hours and 29 minutes ! All 3 of these riders had perma grins with the speed and fun of pushing each other through the descent and challenging terrain of Devils Pass. The trail did take out one of the 3 bikes, sadly, Jerimaih returned to the Devils Pass check point several minutes after his departure to Hope. His bikes' rear shock suffered a heat stroke and was allowing the rear wheel and tire to smash agaist the frame..... back to the drawing board for Soggy Bottom worthy bike... i dergress. Janice Tower, arrived at the Cooper landing check point in 15th, but the power of Tower was 9th at the Devils Pass CP ! yeeehawww !
The riders arrived at the Devils Pass CP with stories of the relentless heat and tales of the mind numbing climb from Cooper landing to the Devils Pass junction. The riders were battling the issue of the sun setting and the thoughts of riding in the dark back to Hope with cramps every where theres a muscle ( someone told me they had hair cramps) and wondering how they were going to ride in the dark with a 2 1/2 hour battery run time and a 4-5 hour ride back to Hope ! The last rider to leave Devils Pass did so at 8:35 PM, the first rider departed at 4:29 !
Several riders reported that while fixing flats, taking food breaks or just resting, the view of the spectatcular northern lights show ! Only in Alaska, you can be taking a whiz and watch the northern lights at the same time !
Darren Matting arrived in Hope 9 hours and 43 minutes after he started and Eric arrived 16 minutes later. Paul G. finished at 05:30 Sunday morning, 9 hours and 47 minutes after Darren.
A brave and some what crazy guy from Talkeetna (IMO he has spent to much time there) rode and finished the ride on a single speed, no you didn't mis- read, a single speed and it took him15 hours and 59 minutes to do it ! There is more to this story, this was his first long distance race ! Totaly sick !
This race is all about finishing and everyone is a winner who finishes and those who put their wheel up to the start line are also winners in my book !
I would like to also thank all the volunteers, Pam, Brij, Claire, Brendon, Doc, Chris, the Talkeetna folks, and especially to Karol for saving my butt at the finish line ! you guys rock !
Hopefully the results will be in the newspaper early this week !
Carlos
Darren Mattingly and Eric Parsons immediately jumped to the front and seperated themselves from the rest of the field. Darren arrives at the Cooper Landing 42 mile check point in 3 hours and 29 minutes check Eric arrived 2 minutes later. The next rider, Andy Pohl arrived 23 minutes later. This means that Darren at this point was averaging about 13.5 mph. The clear day also delivered some major heat issues for most of the riders. With temperatures in the early 80's and riders grinding there way up to Devils Pass while fighting cramps and the sun which was baking them into submission and into the dark and dismal thought process of should i quit or peddle on with the ride.The relentless march of the long shadows of the day which turns into chilling darkness of nite was on every riders mind. Mile 70, the Devils Pass trail head check point, claimed several riders. Two riders abandoned due to mechanical failures. Two riders also reported that their helmets failed after unsuperman like landings after being launched from their bikes.
Darren Mattingly, Eric Parsons and Jeramiah Bell arrived at the Devils pass check point which was 70 miles from the start, with identical times of 6 hours and 29 minutes ! All 3 of these riders had perma grins with the speed and fun of pushing each other through the descent and challenging terrain of Devils Pass. The trail did take out one of the 3 bikes, sadly, Jerimaih returned to the Devils Pass check point several minutes after his departure to Hope. His bikes' rear shock suffered a heat stroke and was allowing the rear wheel and tire to smash agaist the frame..... back to the drawing board for Soggy Bottom worthy bike... i dergress. Janice Tower, arrived at the Cooper landing check point in 15th, but the power of Tower was 9th at the Devils Pass CP ! yeeehawww !
The riders arrived at the Devils Pass CP with stories of the relentless heat and tales of the mind numbing climb from Cooper landing to the Devils Pass junction. The riders were battling the issue of the sun setting and the thoughts of riding in the dark back to Hope with cramps every where theres a muscle ( someone told me they had hair cramps) and wondering how they were going to ride in the dark with a 2 1/2 hour battery run time and a 4-5 hour ride back to Hope ! The last rider to leave Devils Pass did so at 8:35 PM, the first rider departed at 4:29 !
Several riders reported that while fixing flats, taking food breaks or just resting, the view of the spectatcular northern lights show ! Only in Alaska, you can be taking a whiz and watch the northern lights at the same time !
Darren Matting arrived in Hope 9 hours and 43 minutes after he started and Eric arrived 16 minutes later. Paul G. finished at 05:30 Sunday morning, 9 hours and 47 minutes after Darren.
A brave and some what crazy guy from Talkeetna (IMO he has spent to much time there) rode and finished the ride on a single speed, no you didn't mis- read, a single speed and it took him15 hours and 59 minutes to do it ! There is more to this story, this was his first long distance race ! Totaly sick !
This race is all about finishing and everyone is a winner who finishes and those who put their wheel up to the start line are also winners in my book !
I would like to also thank all the volunteers, Pam, Brij, Claire, Brendon, Doc, Chris, the Talkeetna folks, and especially to Karol for saving my butt at the finish line ! you guys rock !
Hopefully the results will be in the newspaper early this week !
Carlos
