Mike Piker sums up the Togwote Winter Classic Snowbike Race

2010 Togwotee Winter Classic Race #2 Report
Submitted by Fitzgerald’s Top Shelf Rider Mike Piker

Most cyclists would think 14oF is too cold for riding a bike. However, for the 15 starters of the Togwotee Winter Classic, it was perfect. The trails were freshly groomed and firm, the wind was calm and the sun was shining. There was a record turnout and it was going to be a memorable day for snow biking.

From the moment our gallant race director, Dave Byers, said “GO” the craziness began. Our local “off the couch” athlete and bike shop owner, Scott Fitzgerald, launched a blistering attack 200 yards into a 25 mile snow bike race. Imagine the shock and awe as all of the other “trained” athletes in the group watched helplessly as Fitzy applied his massive power to the pedals and accelerated ahead while yelling “See you at the finish line”. The only problem was that Fitzy’s drive chain didn’t get the memo and couldn’t hold its end of the deal. As a result this massive display of wattage ended in a loud snap of the chain bringing a collective sigh of relief from all the other riders who thought they might be racing for second.

With the threat of Fitzy behind us it was time to get down to some good ole snow bike racing. I quickly decided to turn in the screws and see who was going to respond. After getting a decent gap I settled in for the long haul at my standard endurance pace. However, it wasn’t long before I had company and Gabe “Fiddie Cent” Klamer had closed the gap with authority because that’s how he rolls. At first I felt a little disappointed that my supreme endurance pace could be matched but then I was happy to have someone to talk and work with. I also knew that after pushing the bike up the “V” wall, 6 miles into the race, it was going to be a hammer fest. The “V” trail is approximately 11 miles and mostly down hill; with firm snow it would be faster to work together. I was actually hoping to have someone to work with but as the old saying goes…be careful what you ask for because you may just get it.

During the “V” hike-a-bike both Gabe and I noticed a dark object in the distance rapidly closing in on our position. A minute or so after cresting the climb and starting into the down hill, Mark “I rode a snow bike for the first time in my life last night” Hershberger was on us. I thought to myself, “Damnit!!! how did he close the gap that fast?” After my initial surprise seeing Mark I kwew I had to make the best of the situation. There were now three of us and the firm conditions and downhill grades made it possible to form a pace-line. I never thought I could go fast enough on a snow bike to feel the effects of drafting but the three of us were hauling the mail and it was exhilarating. It was during this section I knew the course record would likely fall.

The smooth and fast descent ended abruptly when the trail intersected back into the Continental Divide Trail (CD) and started a long arduous climb back to the highway. I had thoroughly enjoyed working with my two friends on the silky smooth backside of this course but the vacation was over and this was a race. It was time to let the dogs out and unleash a furious attack to the finish.

I thought of Lance and the “stare” he give to Ulrich before attacking on Alp de Huez. I would time it perfectly and, unlike Fitzy’s ill-fated attempt, I really would leave my competitors in a state of shock and awe.

The time to drop my whole bag of hammers came and two things happened. First, as I was about to give the “stare” I hit a soft rut and crashed like a rookie. I quickly stood up and brushed the snow off my ass then remounted the bike. I thought to myself, “No problem, Piker, you’re not hurt so just collect yourself, get the mojo back and continue with the plan”. Secondly, and most important, I was mostly pinned and couldn’t go any harder without dire consequences. So my plan to leave Mark and Gabe choking on a rooster tail of snow slinging off my rear tire evaporated and I just tried to maintain a hard pace hoping my pain wouldn’t be noticed. No matter how hard I pushed I couldn’t get a gap and constantly heard Gabe and Mark behind me breathing and shifting. I had to accept the fact that after two hours and 25 miles it might come down to a sprint finish.

As the three of us rounded a sharp right-hand turn parallel to the highway I knew the finish was about a half mile away. With no more hammers in the bag and my book of matches almost done, I still had two determined guys behind me that wanted to be in front of me. The three of us came into the dip by the tunnel under the highway and started up the short hill on the other side. I heard labored breathing behind me for a second then I didn’t. Fiddie came around me on the hike-a-bike so fast I thought I had been passed by a Polaris RMK 900. He gapped me by 40’ before I could say “What the F&*K?”. However, I didn’t give up and immediately started striking all the matches I had left. The trail had been churned up by snowmobiles and was barely rideable. Gabe was struggling ahead and this gave me a sliver of hope. I could see his line wasn’t good so I worked the bike to the other side of the trail finding a little traction. It was just enough. I shifted into a bigger gear then proceeded to take my heart-rate into uncharted territory. As we approached the highway on our way to the lodge I had gained back the lead by a margin of maybe ten feet. We sprinted across the parking lot into the lodge and over to the sign-in sheet at the front desk. Somehow I made it in first with Gabe just a step or two behind. Mark arrived seconds later to claim third place. After tucking my lungs back into my chest and allowing my heart rate to drop back below my old “max”, we all signed in, congratulated each other and high-fived.

When it was over and all the riders were in a new Male and Female course record had been established at 2hr 22m and 2hr 31m 30s respectively. We also congratulated our oldest finisher, Don Alsted. At 64 he is a true inspiration.

The Togwotee Winter Classic was “Top Shelf” in every way. Dave Byers and the sponsors (Fitzgerald Bicycles, Baffin Boots & The Bunnery) deserve special thanks for their efforts to put on this “grass roots” event. They provided exceptional prizes for a “friendly competition” that has no entry fee and an honor system clipboard posting the finish times. The course itself is considered a vacation destination by millions and we are fortunate enough to call it our back yard. Even the post ride celebration and awards is an exciting event with riders sharing stories while refueling on buffalo burgers and good beer. With 15 starters, great organization and dedicated sponsors I know this event will grow each year as snowbiking appears on the radar. Finally, I can’t think of a better event to officially begin my 2010 cycling season.

Togwotee Winter Classic 2010 #2 - Two new Course Records!

I just wanted to post that both Mike Piker and Jill Damman set course records yesterday at the Togwotee Winter Classic Snowbike race.
Get full race results HERE.
Look for pics as soon as I get them. In the meantime, check out this video about snowbiking from Park City. They clearly get it!

The Petervary’s Begin their ride to Nome… yes, AK.

Once again the dynamic duo of Jay and Tracey Petervary have left us for an epic adventure. The pair is once again racing their bicycles in the famous Iditarod Trail Invitational aka Alaskan Ultrasport aka Iditabike. After racing separately to the finish line in McGrath (350 miles), with the goal to win both the Men’s and Women’s field, they will regroup to head North to Nome and complete the entire 1100 mile race! This is crazy if you haven’t figured that out yet, but more importantly, it’s SUPER fun to follow along. There are great daily posts including leaderboards, message boards, pod casts, and blogs that make you feel like you’re there with them. Here’s a go to source for all the resources:
Leaderboard
Recent News
MTB Cast - Pod Cast’s including phone calls from the racers!
Jay P’s Blog
Tracey’s Blog

GOOD LUCK JAY AND TRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jay Hoots - Hinton Bike Park

Jay Hoots / Hoots INC designed and built the Victor Bike Park. Check out this vid to see what future phases could look like in Victor! We don’t have the grade that Hinton does, but there is some more room to work with!

Snow Biking Night Thurs Jan 7th @ the Shop

Fitzgerald’s Bicycles presents:
Snowbiking 101
with Jay Petervary, Tracey Petervary, & Dave Byers
Thursday January 7th 5:30 - 7:30p

5:30p Beers and Apps - Check out the Gear
6:00p How to Gear up - presentation by Jay and Dave on how to have a successful day out on the snowbike
6:30p Snowbiking Slideshow - Jay & Tracey Petervary’s Alaskan Ultrasport experiences

Stop by the shop this Thursday to learn everything you always wanted to know about snowbiking. Jay and Dave will bring all their gear and explain why they use what they do to have a successful day out on the bikes all winter long. After the gear discussion, sit back and enjoy the amazing tales and images of biking the famous Iditarod trail in Alaska by Jay and Tracey Petervary.

This event is geared to both the snowbiking newbies and those of you who have already dropped in on a snowbike purchase. Learn what it’s all about and maybe even get tempted to join us next weekend for the 3rd annual Togwotee Winter Classic Snowbike Race.

Jay Petervary: 2008 Iditarod Trail Invitational, 350 Mile race to Mcgrath, AK - 1st Place
Tracey Petervary: 2009 Iditarod Trail Invitational, 350 Miles to Mcgrath, AK - 1st Place
Dave Byers: Snowbiking and Endurance racing junkie

Snow Biking up Cache Creek is on!

In the past few weeks I’ve ridden Cache Sidewalk, Putt - Putt, and Hagen on my Surly Pugsley Snowbike.  The walkers, skiers, and bikers have kept the trails well packed down and the lack of heavy snow means that you can even drift off trail and not immediately eat it.  I would have to say that the snow biking conditions in Cache Creek are almost as good as it gets.  Of course a specific Snowbike like the Pugsley is ideal, but I hear that people are still riding their regular Mt Bikes with studded tires and doing pretty ok.  I went out with Chris E last week for a Sidewalk / Hagen loop and he shot a bunch of video.  Hopefully he can figure out the wonders of video editing and get me some footage soon!

posted 12/19/09

GSKA and Teton Pass Trails Coordinator Weekly Update - Sept 26th

Submitted by Erik Jacobsen
GSKA and Teton Pass Trails Coordinator
Hello everyone. What a week! After winter, of course, this is my favorite time of year out here. The trails are in excellent shape, the temperatures are cool, and the colors are vibrant. I had the pleasure of touring much of the Greater Snow King Area logging sign locations and what they say. We will be putting up fresh signs next year on all the directional posts. Some were a little confusing and I’m trying to clear that up. Also Linda and I are looking to rename a few things to avoid confusion, namely the whole Hagen complex. We looked at Galen’s new worker map and noticed that Sink or Swim now continuously travels from Josie’s to Hagen proper. It is my intention to call that all Sink or Swim eliminating “High Hagen” and calling that Sink or Swim as well. Instead of calling Hagen Highway what it is now, I want to call that the Hagen trail; since it also runs continuously all the way to the Cache Creek trail and Putt Putt. Also, I want to call the Hagen River Trail simply the River trail. Now when folks ask us how to get to the Hagen trail, we won’t have to say “which one”.

The Jackson Trail Crew and Galen continued on the switchbacks this week. There are just two left! Unfortunately the shear pins broke late in the day on Tuesday while gripping out a large stump shutting down operations. I express ordered 30 new pins from Bitchin’ Bob of Ramussen Equipment in Salt Lake City. Switchback operations recommenced on Friday. Chris Owen and I set up a 2 to 1 mechanical advantage and got that sucker out.

With the grip hoist temporally out of service Galen took the crew into the lower Ridge section and did some more clearing this week. We had quite a few new blow downs and a couple of adjustments to make. They also cleared a tree on Hagen and Josie’s Ridge for me.

I met with Scott Neison this week, and he brought to my attention a little battle that has been going on in the KC, Sink or Swim, and Josie’s area. There is a very ambitious “Stick Man” up there. He has good intentions. He is closing a lot of the multi-braided side trails in that area with sticks. Unfortunately he is just going a little overboard with it and laying down just about every stick he can find. He also places some sticks in dangerous locations. Some are too small and very pointy causing the infamous “pungy stick” danger. Scott and I walked with his dog, and I saw what is going on. The dogs like to grab the sticks and inevitably some of them fall in the trail. This can be very dangerous when encountered on a bike. Scott has been pulling a lot of the more dangerous ones all summer, but more a more reappear and so the battle goes. I will be taking the crew up there this Fall and work on a solution. My plan is to plant rocks and sage in the spurs. These will stay and not fall into the trail. I thank Scott for bringing this problem to my attention.