Aaron Gardner of Victor recently returned from a fat bike race in Alaska, where he rode 350 miles from Knik through the vast interior to McGrath.
In January 2017, Gardner was the only finisher in the 200-mile Fat Pursuit race in Island Park. Incredibly cold temperatures and deep snow felled his competitors and forced him to use all of his mountaineering experience to ride and trudge to the finish. Race director and long-time fat biking veteran Jay Petervary awarded him a free entry to this year’s Iditarod Trail Invitational.
Gardner said that with two kids and a demanding job, his time on the bike is limited, but he felt prepared when he arrived in Alaska.
“The lousy skiing conditions in Teton Valley this winter definitely made training for the race easier. With the combination of a mild snow year and the amazing groomed single track trails we have in Victor (Huge thanks to TVTAP and all of the volunteer groomers!), I was able to be reasonably fit at the start.”
He did extensive equipment testing and research of the route, and said by the time February rolled around, “I was pretty sick of thinking about it and just wanted to start riding. Pre-race jitters are nothing new, but I cannot describe how big of a relief it was hearing the starting pistol fire.”
The Iditarod Trail Invitational course follows the historic route of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and racers on bikes, skis or on foot depend on snowmachine paths that cut through river valleys and over windy passes.
“My reasons for doing the race were to have an adventure and see part of Alaska,” Gardner said. “My plan was to simply ride at my own pace and wherever that put me, so be it. As usual though I did get slightly sucked into the competitive spirit, which led to getting less sleep than I would have preferred.”
On the afternoon of Feb. 25, the race started fast. The field of racers became stretched out after the first day, when the leaders rode through the night and most of the other racers stopped and slept. Wind and deep snow challenged Gardner on the second and third day, but he later learned that racers half a day behind him had it even worse.
“No surprise, but Alaska delivered a variety of difficult conditions,” Gardner said. “It started snowing the first evening but remained rideable until the second day when the wind picked up. The strong winds drifted snow onto the trail and erased it, which led to miles of walking. When the storm cleared out on the third day, the temperature dropped. The coldest temp I dealt with during the race was -28 F, which ‘isn’t that bad’ and ‘kinda warm’ according to some of the Fairbanks, Alaska-based riders I was around. But -28 definitely got my attention and required absolute focus on layering and venting in order to not let it turn into a bad experience. Thankfully, I made it through the cold with hardly any discomfort.”
In an old burn area late in the race, Gardner and a couple of fellow riders encountered bison.
“I had no idea there were bison in Alaska but, like everything else, they were seemingly twice the size of their cousins in the lower 48,” Gardner said. “One bull in particular was watching us. What do we do? Should we shine a light on it? Will that just make it mad? Eventually we tried the light and it made the herd move off the trail enough that we felt comfortable passing.”
He said the final miles were slow because of drifting snow. While riding in soft snow in Victor had paid off, he was happy to see the finish after a long day of pedaling.
“The food and hosts at the finish were incredible and I ate with gusto,” he remembered.
Gardner finished on March 1 in fifth place with a time of three days and 23 hours. He is pleased with the placement, saying it was better than he could ever have expected.
“But hats off to all the entrants in the race,” he added. “It takes a special mindset and a lot of dedication to pursue and enjoy this level of type two fun.”
While Gardner knows that post-expedition depression is a very real thing and has dealt with it in the past, he said this time that coming back to real life has been very easy.
“I’m not sure if it’s experience or my age or my family that makes it easier to come home now, but I feel great,” Gardner said.
Gardner doubts he will attempt the Iditarod Trail Invitational a second time.
“Overall I had a very positive experience, but I’m not someone that likes to do the same thing over and over,” Gardner said. “I tend to move on to new adventures and experiences. Right now going camping and rock climbing with my wife and two boys sounds like a pretty great adventure.”
