This spring I biked from Knik to Nome on the southern route. I will eventually post a write-up about that, but meanwhile, I wanted to say thanks to everyone who has come before me.
The Southern route passes through a bunch of shelter cabins and their walls and log books were fascinating reminders of everyone who has ridden, walked, mushed, skied, and snowmachined the trail before me. So many great adventures, and reading about these adventures inspired me to eventually ride my bike on the same trails so many years later. A big thank you, I wouldn’t have had this wonderful experience without you blazing the trail before me!
Highlights..
Andy Sterns, Frank, and Kevin biked Dawson to Nome in 2003 on normal mountain bikes way before fat bikes.
They even have an old documentary about their ride, a total classic. Andy gets teased a lot in the video, however, it should be pointed out Andy doesn’t have full control of one of his legs from a skiing accident a long time ago, and seeing him push his bike all that way is nothing short of amazing. Andy is the world’s most cheerful human being.
Mike C whose blog details many stories of the trail, and who spent years trying (and eventually succeeding!) to ride to Nome unsupported. No time inside, no resupply, no fires. Amazing!
There were a bunch of entries from 2008..
And a few from 2003, the year the Iditarod started in Fairbanks, and the human-powered race also started in Fairbanks. The stories from that year are epic, with lots of snow and the human-powered travelers getting stuck for days in Kokrine Hills Bible Camp eating endless pancakes.. I clipped Tom Possert entry, alas, not noticing it until reviewing photos much later.
And from 2005, when there were only two finishers in the human-powered race, Carl Hutching and Dimitri Kieffer.
My friends Ned Rozell and Bobby G.
Tracy and Jay Petervary.. I think that year Tracy won both the woman’s division of the McGrath and Nome race.
RJ Sauer, wonderful person and the maker of the “Thin White Line”, one of the first films about the human-powered race…
His film is available on Vimeo, and really worth watching.
A Thin White Line from Brüdder on Vimeo.
Plus lots of other notables..
Thanks – I wouldn’t have been there without you!
Tags: fat bikes, Iditarod, iditarod trail invitational, Southern Route
Test comment, checking to see if comments still work. Hopefully, they do!!
Makes me wish I would have written something over the years. Those are really cool snapshots in time.
Great post, Jay. Thanks for taking the time to photograph all these posts from former racers. Really fun to see.