UltraRob's Adventures

Every year about this time, there's a 350 mile mountain bike race. No, it is not in the warm, sunny southern desert. It's in a desolate part of Alaska where temperatures can be well below zero and the snow deep.

It's a race that I've dreamed of doing at times in my life. I then have unpleasant memories of sleeping in a tent in sub-zero weather and decide it's not for me. The race is the Iditarod Trail Invitational and uses the first part of the Iditarod dog sled race course. Jill Homer finished the race last year and didn't get enough. She'll be riding back out into the snowy wilderness this Sunday, March 1st.

The race takes about a week and the equipment and supplies aren't cheap. Last year I donated some of this site earnings to help Jill with expenses for the Iditarod Trail Invitational. I'm helping her again this year.

When you search for cycling and outdoor gear on UltraRob.com and then buy from partner stores, I receive a small commission. Starting today through March 1st, I'll be donating 20% of my earnings to Jill. If you've been considering buying some cycling or outdoor gear, now you can buy it and support an endurance athlete. You can also go to her blog and donate directly through PayPal.

Jill wrote the book Ghost Trails about her experience last year. I hope to post a review of it sometime while she's out on the trail. Check the sidebar on her blog to see the different ways you can buy a copy of Ghost Trails.

In addition to mountain bikers like Jill, there will also be runners and skiers racing the Iditarod Trail Invitational.

Surly Pugsley Fork Price: $116.00

Surly Pugsley Frameset Price: $575.00

Surly Pugsley Decal Set Price: $14.00

Labels: Alaska, endurance racing, mountain biking, snow biking

Last weekend saw plenty of endurance racing action. Mountain bikers were turning out laps at the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo. Ultra road riders were racing a RAAM qualifier in Florida and snow bikers were racing the Susitna 100 in Alaska.

Solo 24 Hours of Old Pueblo Race Results

Solo Men
Place	Name	Laps
1	Evan Plews	18
2	Ian Leitch	18
3	Tinker Juarez	17
4	Steven Yore	16
5	Todd Carpenter	16
6	Chuck Wheeler	16
7	Gattis Tyler	13
8	Dominic Laroche	13
9	Zachary Stanford	13
10	Sean Mcdevitt	13
Solo Women
Place	Name	Laps
1	Sarah Kaufmann	15
2	Terri Wahlberg	13
3	Mary Metcalf	12
4	Michele Bliss	9
5	Melissa Newbrey	8
Solo Men Singlespeed
Place	Name	Laps
1	Dejay Birtch	15
2	Sean Sullivan	15
3	Tom Ament	13
4	Chad Brown	12
5	Leonard Goodell	11
Solo Women Singlespeed
Place	Name	Laps
1	Lynda Wallenfels	16
2	Rebecca Tomaszewski	14
3	Chelsea Mcgowan	10
4	Amy Thomas	10
5	Stacey Kielman	9

Full results

24 Hours of Sebring

No one broke 500 miles this year in the men's non-drafting RAAM Qualifier race, but David Holt came close with 490.4. I crewed for David for the Race Across America last year. I must say over 400 miles on a handcycle is impressive.

Non-Drafting Men
Place	Name	Miles
1	David Holt	490.4
2	Andrea Tosolini	486.7
3	Bryce Walsh	449.1
4	Marshall Reeves	434.6
5	Dave Rudnicki	430.6
6	Gunnar Ohlanders	419.5
Non-Drafting Women
Place	Name	Miles
1	Carolyn van den Bulk	385.9
2	Lori Dailey	370.8
3	Sharon Stevens	362.8
4	Vickie Tyer	359.4
Recumbent Men
Place	Name	Miles
1	Troy Timmons	427.2
2	Gary Carter	419.5
3	John Schlitter	408.7
4	Allen Duhm	382.6
Handcycles
Place	Name	Miles
1	Thomas Lange	403.8
2	Keane West	351.7
3	Viko Merklin	303.3
4	Patrick Doak	292.2

Susitna 100

Jill mentioned on her blog that it rained at the Susitna 100 and the trail was churned up into mashed potatoes. That doesn't sound like much fun to me.

Men Bike
Place	Name	Time
1	Bill Fleming	16:15
2	Greg Matyas	19:17
3	Joe Pollock	21:02
4	Josiah Freeman	21:02
5	Christopher Wrobel	22:45
6	Jim Jager	23:14
7	Paul Lester	26:33
8	Dave Byers	26:42
9	David Hart	27:16
10	Jacques Boutet	27:24
Women Bike
Place	Name	Time
1	Janice Tower	21:02
2	Jill Valerius	30:53
3	Kristin Wolf	30:53

Full Results

Ergon MP1 Mens Grip Regular Price: $29.99 $19.99 on sale

Ergon GP1 Superlight Grip Price: $36.99

Ergon WP1 Womens Grip Regular Price: $29.99 $19.99 on sale

Labels: Alaska, endurance racing, mountain biking, snow biking

Update: Check out race reports for the EastSide Epic from Chris and Marni.

Once again there will be a Winter Mountain Bike Race Series in Leadville this winter. There are 5 races in the series. The first race is on January 17th.

New this year will be a series champion. You must compete in at least 3 of the 5 races to be qualified. Top three finishes wins a Karate Monkey Frame!

Although some racers have nice snow bikes like the Surly Pugsley, a special snow bike isn't necessary. You can use your regular mountain bike with as wide of tires as will fit in the frame. Run low pressure in the tires. If the tires are wide enough, you may be able to run as low as 5 psi.

2009 Leadville Winter Mountain Bike Series Schedule

• The EastSide Epic - January 17th
• Tennessee Pass Night Jam - February 7th
• Golf Course Chaos - February 21st
• Mineral Belt Mayhem - March 7th
• Tennessee Pass Spring Fling- March 28th

Find more information on the series at Cloud City Wheelers.

Other Snow Bike Races Including Ones Much Tougher

• Arrowhead Ultra - MN - February 2
• The Frozen Hog - UT - February 7
• VaMoose 25 XC Winter Race - AK - February 8
• Susitna 100 (100 miles or 50k) - AK - February 14
• Iditarod Trail Invitational (350 or 1100 miles) - AK - March 1
• Moose Drewl XC Winter Race - AK - March 8

Surly Pugsley Frameset Price: $575.00

Surly Pugsley Decal Set Price: $14.00

Surly Pugsley Fork Price: $116.00

Labels: Leadville, mountain biking, snow biking

Mike Curiak has been trying to make it to Nome on the Iditarod trail without any outside support. Last year bad whether forced him back. He won't go inside at any of the checkpoints or accept food or water. He's not doing the Iditarod Trail Invitational but is riding at the same time.

He's testing out his gear for something bigger. He won't disclose what it is but some of guessed he's planning to ride his bike across Greenland. Whatever he is planning there won't be much chance of getting help if something goes wrong so he wants to make sure everything is well tested.

He is now in McGrath. According to the report on his blog today, he has a broken stove and his tent has failed. Not having a stove is a big problem for him since he needs to melt snow for drinking water. He's trying to get replacements and head on to Nome.

Big Parka Mens Price: $575.00

Mens Sub Zero SL Parka Price: $295.00

Ptarmigan Parka Regular Price: $220.00 $149.95 on sale

Labels: Mike Curiak, mountain biking, snow biking