I built my Surly Puglsey into the War Rig for gravel races back in 2016. I put on Salsa Woodchipper handlebars, Gevenalle shifters, and Panaracer Fat B Nimble tires. This bike has done the Almanzo 100 twice, the Heck of the North twice, the Ragnarok 105, the Freedhem 76 (fastest fatbike), the Westside Dirty Benjamin two or three times, The DAMn (fastest fatibke), and a number of other endurance gravel races. All of these rides were on the same set tires, Panaracer Fat B Nimble. These tires are at the end of life after 8 years (uncounted miles), and Panaracer doesn't make Fat B Nible tires any more. I was bummed out and didn't think I'd find a tire I'd love like the Fat B Nimble. But needing to find something new for some big ride this year, I did a kinda sciency test ride with my Panaracer Fat B Nimble tires and some Schwalbe Jumbo Jimmy tires (thanks to Lisa for letting me borrow your tires).
My drop-bar Pugsley at it's first race with the Panaracer Fat B Nimble - the 2016 Almanzo 100.
My test was to ride the same Strava segments with my Panaracer tires and again with the Schwalbe tires. I worked to keep variables to a minimum, like riding in the same position (hands on hoods), holding the same power (targeting 200 W), two segments (one eastbound & one westbound), same tire pressure (15 psi), and both tires labeled 26x4. The only thing that wasn't great was riding paved trails on tires meant for gravel roads, but this was my best option since the paved Cedar Lake Trail has no stop lights or road crossings.
The Arrowhead 135 is recognized in the book “The World’s Toughest Endurance Challenges” by Richard Hoad and Paul Moore as one of the 50 toughest races in the world. It is a human powered Ultra Marathon taking place in the coldest part of winter in the coldest city in the lower 48 states.
The average finish rate for the Arrowhead 135 is less than 50%, in 2014 & 2019 the finish rate was 35%; and the finish rate for new racers is much lower.
The race is 135 miles in deep winter across Northern Minnesota on the rugged and scenic Arrowhead State Snowmobile Trail from Frostbite Falls (actually it's International Falls MN; and commonly referred to as I Falls) to Tower, MN. Pick mode of transport at start: bicycle, ski, or foot. 2024 is the 20th year of the Arrowhead 135, it began with 10 entrants in 2005; and up to 150+ starters 2024, featuring some of the best winter ultra-athletes in the world, including some Olympians.
Race rules include: No outside help except other racers or race officials.This means no support crews of any kind, no pacing, and no rides/tows accepted from snowmobilers, trains, planes, automobiles, llamas, or other vehicles except in emergencies. If you take a ride or enter a nice warm vehicle (or bar) you are disqualified but hopefully still alive. Participants encouraged to help each other. Buddy system good way to race dark and cold. We encourage spectators but no assistance allowed any time, no teams greeting you at every possible spot. No snowmobiles following you, meeting you, or breaking trail for you. Arrowhead is about you, the wilderness, your inner dogged spirit and self-sufficiency. Camera crews not allowed to follow the race on Snowmobile except within 1 mile of checkpoints. Racers can be penalized due to actions of their camera crews/snowmobile friends/family. Do not accept hot coffee, food, warm vehicles, clothes etc unless it is from a race official. (outside help can be as simple has holding up a racer's bike for them)
My Journey to The Arrowhead 135
I started dreaming about this challenge roughly 10 years ago, after seeing the stories from some of my bike friends that took on this event. I knew I needed to learn a lot; and beg, borrow, or buy a lot of gear.
Over the years, I'd get out for training rides any time the temps in the area dipped below 0°F/-18°C. Back in 2019, I was so excited for the polar vortex that delivered -28°F/-33°C air temps; and that just happened to be the same day the Arrowhead 135 was starting, and racers had much colder temps at the Canadian border. I felt badass for riding in these conditions, but I was out less then 2 hours, while my friends were out for 24+ hours in colder conditions in the remote northern woods.
Selfie after 90+ minutes riding in -28F conditions
2024: A Year Without Winter
As we got closer to the start of the race, it was very clear, we would not have very much snow and very mild temps for the event. It was understandably stressful getting prepared to be out in sub-zero temps for dozens of hours, but it became oddly stressful trying to adapt to these warm temps. The trail had so little snow there'd been extremely little traffic and little to no grooming. Some folks posted pictures of the trail including open water from a flooded stream and tons of uncut brush on the trail. Adapting to these conditions, I made a couple last minute changes, included a tire repair kit and extra tubes in case the brush trashed tires; and some shower booties for a cast to cover my boots in case I needed to walk through some ice-cold water.
Prerace: Arriving in I Falls
We drove up on Sunday morning, getting to I Falls for the race check in and equipment check. We pulled into the Backus Community Center right behind good friend, Trenton Raygor, that was a great thing for me, to see a friendly face as we arrived.
Racers are required to show that they have all required gear (see gear list below with all required equipment for this event).
Showing my required gear at the Backus Community Center
After gear check, we headed to our hotel for a couple hours before the racer's meeting. This allowed me time to set up my bike, loading and mounting all of my bags.
Later, we went back to the community center for the racer's meeting. The meeting had a lot of good and critical information. The organizers also had a great sense of humor, I was laughing nervously to hear the race director saying they had bets on the number of racers that could finish in this unique winter. A couple of funny quotes from the racer's meeting: "There is no budget for the Arrowhead" (so true); and "I paid for 60 hours and I intend to use all of them"
Some statistics shared at the racer's meeting about the 2024 race: 166 racers signed up, 30 female, 136 male; roughly 45 volunteers; 86 bikers, 73 foot, and no skiers due to the lack of snow; 28 unsupported; 46 rookies; & 2 A'trois (anyone finishing Arrowhead 135 3 years/3 disciplines bike/run/ski eligible for unique Arrowhead a’Trois Award. Only 22 ever issued).
Me and Pugsley resting up the night before the race
The Start to Gateway (36 miles)
Dozens of nervous and excited racers show up at Kerry Park before dawn to check in and start the race. The check in is quick and easy: give your race number, confirm your race division, and confirm that both your tracker is on and your lights are on.
The race starts with a great fireworks show!
Video Credit: Lisa Nelson
The first miles were smooth and fast, but there's only one good line, so riders are all in one long line. As good as the trail is at the start, it still offered some challenges, and if you lost focus (try to get a drink or adjust something) you'd quickly lose the line and bog down to a crawl. I'd just stop and wait for a break in the long line of riders and jump back in. And for a little humor, you'd pass another rider standing, waiting for a gap to get back in the line, it was like this for the first hour or two of the race.
The early miles out of the I Falls start (photo credit Jamison Swift)
After nearly 10 miles of this single-file riding, we took a hard left turn and the trail turned to tough snow conditions. Some folks would bike, but the rough ground with only a few inches of snow cover made it exhausting to bike it. This was the first of many long slogs of hike-a-bike (walking while pushing 80 lbs of bike & gear). After about 10 miles of these conditions, the first few of the runners caught up to us walking our bikes.
Lead runners mixing in with the bikers
There were so many miles with brush covering the trail, it would normally be weighed down by the snow and the snowmobiles and groomers would have totally buried the brush. Sometime you'd ride through it and get whipped by the branches, other times you'd just mash through pushing your bike.
An example of the brush in the trail
One of the benefits of the mild temps was electronics (and specifically their batteries) would hold up much better than in the sub-zero cold. This allowed me to keep my Garmin Edge 1040 on my handlebars; I had planned to keep it inside my layers if we had typical Arrowhead temps. I set up a very simple display with the course map on one page and few data fields on the second page. The data field that I typically enjoy is ETA (giving an estimate of when you'll get to the end of the route based on your average speed), but on Monday, the ETA wasn't helpful ... it'd show "7:42", leaving me to ask: "7:42 AM or PM?" and "is that today, or tomorrow, or Wednesday?" LMAO
Rolling into Gateway was fun with so many friendly faces cheering. I made this checkpoint quick, I had a short list to do at the stop: change socks, fill my hydration pack, and dump my trash. A bonus was Lisa greeting me with cheers and a hug!
The Gateway minnow water is the best hydration on the Arrowhead 135 ... just kidding, but too funny having the fresh water tap next to the minnow tanks
Gateway to Melgeorge (34 miles)
I left Gateway feeling good and strong, but I was aware my arms were suffering from pushing the bike and handling the rough terrain. This section of the race is where I was pushing my body too hard. I had a stupid thought I could make up some time from walking so many early miles. This lead to me crashing too much, and wasting energy to get on the bike and only pedal a couple feet before bailing out again.
Here's a the classic hike-a-bike tracks: bike on the right and boots on the left
Not too long after Gateway, I caught up to Leah Gruhn (star of "40 Below"; see info below), she was stopped talking with a couple racers. She'd taken a hard fall and was worried she injured some ribs, she said she was good enough to get to Melgeorge and reassess there. Leah's crash should have sobered my 'speedy' energy, but I continued to push too hard to find any speed the trail offered and taking some avoidable falls as a result.
On trail bike adjustments are something I was prepared for; and from early in the race, I was noticing my left thigh was getting chaffed, and my bike kept pulling to the right. This was all quiet odd. I got off the bike and eye-balled the saddle to see the saddle was clearly twisted to the left. That was a quick and easy fix, but the damage to my left thigh was not great especially so early in the race and with the rough terrain continuing to abuse my 'saddle zone'.
Amanda caught me recovering from one of my falls
Around mile 50, I stopped a couple time after hearing a spoke pinging sound. I looked for a branch or something stuck in the wheel or frame, without anything showing up. It was the third stop when I found that my front wheel had come loose in the rough terrain. That was a quick fix, and a little stressful to know that the wheel had come loose. On the other hand, with all the weight on the bike, there was basically no chance the wheel would simply drop out of the fork.
The warm temps meant there was a fair amount of melt puddles to navigate
The miles after sunset were getting long, I kept taking dumb falls, and there are some long steep climbs to push the bike up, I think one climb had to be the longest and steepest of the whole trail. And right before the resort, the course takes you across Elephant Lake and that meant you had to ride into a strong and unprotected headwind. I found myself walking a short distance on the lake because the headwind was that challenging ... and I was that worn out.
Long break at Melgeorge
I got to Melgeorge at 9:30 on Monday night. I was feeling totally wrecked, and couldn't see a way to move forward. I had thoughts of dropping out, but gratefully, Lisa texted that she wasn't going to pick me up until morning.
As I got inside the Cedar cabin (the check-in location), and pealed off my layers, but I couldn't stop sweating. I was seriously worried there something wrong with me, but when asked a volunteer working the checkpoint and they said it's like 90F in the cabin. I went shirtless to the unheated porch and laid on the floor with my feet up for a while to cool my body down.
After a few minutes, I went to the loft in the Cedar cabin and claimed a twin bed for an hour or so, this got me feeling OK again. I realized I'd need to recover in the cabin for a few hours, maybe all night, so I wanted to get my electronics off my bike to save batteries. After getting everything inside, I went back to the loft and moved to the only open bed in separate room with door. A volunteer asked if I wanted a wake up call at a specific time, I told her my theory: if I can sleep through all the noise in the cabin, I need the sleep. And if I can't sleep through the noise, it's time to hit the trail! I was also informed that there was a second cabin (Tamarac) available for folks that wanted to sleep in a quiet place, but moving to another cabin seemed like too much work at this point!
After sleeping for awhile, I heard someone come into the private bedroom and lay down on the floor next to the bed. I told him the queen sized bed was big enough to share, and as he was getting into the bed I asked if he preferred big spoon or small spoon (it was a positive sign that I felt good enough to make dumb jokes).
After getting roughly 3 hours of sleep between a couple naps, I was feeling like it was time to get back on the trail. The cabin crew made me a wonderful grill cheese sandwich, and a bowl of soup too. I grabbed my drop bag of food to keep me fueled for the last 63 miles and checked out of Melgeorge at 3:45 Tuesday morning.
The overnight crowd at Melgeorge
As I checked all my electronics before walking out to the bike, I found that my 1040 lost my first 72 miles of my ride. I was upset to find this and the best I can guess, when I arrived, I paused the ride while I was inside the cabin; and I think the rain drops hitting the touchscreen hit the right spots to delete the ride .... or at least that's the best theory I have.
Melgeorge to Embark (40 miles)
I rode out of Melgeorge well before dawn and I was by myself, the woods were quiet and beautiful in the darkest part of the night. Before dawn I caught up to good friend Sean Mattner, we shared a ton of miles through the morning. Lots of walking, talking, and some biking when the trail conditions allowed.
Sean and I both suffered ice building up on the bottoms of our boots. Sean was riding with clipless pedals and was really challenged to get the ice off his cleats so he could clip in. I was riding with platform pedals, but left my cleats in my boots. Getting ready for the Arrowhead, I didn't think the cleats would cause any issues, but the ice build up was enough that the icy chunk was taller than the pins on my pedals, leaving my boots slipping around on the pedals. This was a unique challenge with temps just below freezing, call it the perfect conditions for icing up your cleats.
This IS the trail!
Sean and I were back and forth with a couple other riders, but when we hit an especially long hike-a-bike section, I found I'd walked away from the group and was all by myself again. I was getting annoying with the last mile into Embark, I thought the check point was closer than it actually was and there was a 4-5 mile long hike-a-bike section of trail that hadn't be touched, the racers were breaking fresh trail.
The Embark (checkpoint 3) with Lisa and Eric the Embark Fox
Embark to Fortune Bay (25 miles)
Coming out of Embark, there are two more big climbs before a long stretch that's a gentle grade but constantly going up.
The view from the last big climb
The trail was better in a lot of ways that allowed you to stay on the bike, and I was passing many runners that had passed me while I was at Melgeorge. But this section of trail had little snow and was very rough for long sections. I was going back-and-forth with other riders, we'd all take a break every mile or two, leap-frogging each other. We'd check in with each other when passing, and it was always the same thing, we were all just exhausted and sore.
The damage from the saddle pounding me was getting difficult to ignore, and with only 15 miles to go, I stopped to apply some more Chamois Butt'r (single pack to the rescue!).
This looks inviting and fast, but the ground is so lumpy
The last mile or two to Fortune Bay required some focus as daylight dwindled and trail offered options for making mistakes. And racers get to climb one last rise to get to the finish line. I look at the small climb and thought about walking it, but a little surge of pride got me to dig deep and pedal up to the small crowd cheering me on.
The cheering crowd at the finish included Lisa and I was so honored to find my DAMn buddy, Elizabeth Powers, made the trip to cheer my finish!
After crossing the finish line, I let the bike rolling a little too long and the race official checking my gear was worried I knew I'd finished ... I knew I'd finished, I just wasn't sure I could safely stop and get off the bike.
Photo credit Elizabeth Powers
Fortune Bay
Like everywhere on this race, the volunteers are THE BEST! The volunteer that did my gear check at the finish line noticed my Birchwood Café vest, he grew up in South Minneapolis near the creamery that became the Birchwood Café (West River Racing's former title sponsor). That was a fun small world connection at the end of this long journey!
The back hall of Fortune Bay where racers show they finished with required gear
Lisa had a room for us and it was located right next to the hospitality room, I was thankful for the short walk. I was happy to get a shower and get on some fresh clothes.
The racer's lounge at Fortune Bay and the finishers photo op
We packed out right away with a goal of getting home Tuesday night, Lisa needed to be back to work for Wednesday morning. Lisa did a great job driving us home safely, I stayed awake as long as I could, helping with directions from Tower to I-35, and once on the highway she knows so well, I kept her company until I couldn't fight off the sleep any longer ... I think I made it to Forest Lake (about 45 minutes from home).
Once we got home, I needed to get my bike off the rack, and take the rack off the car (our garage is too small to close the door with the rack mounted). After that, I had one last thing to do before crashing ... I had to keep my Wordle streak going... LOL!
My Finish
I finished in 34 hours and 51 minutes, making me 41st place for the bikers. There were 84 bikers at the start line in I Falls, and 60 finished at Fortune Bay (24 DNF'd). Here's the full results.
The Arrowhead was my longest duration bike race by a long shot, even if you just look at the roughly 29 hours biking/hiking. Also the first placed runner finished minutes before me, that was seriously impressive runner!
I want to return to the Arrowhead 135 to ride it in true winter conditions, it may sound silly, but I spent years preparing for sub-zero weather and damn it ... I want to challenge myself on this course in those conditions!
Ken's Recap
Race director Ken shared the following on Facebook:
And that's a wrap, folks! The last racer finished at 17:57 today (5:57 PM Wednesday, 58 hours after the start).
We started 84 bikers, 60 finished. 71 runners started, 46 finished. Total finish rate of 68%. That is waaaaay higher than predicted given the conditions.
There is very little snow on the trail and the weather was warm. The bikers took much longer to finish but the runners were not slowed very much.
Ken and Jackie would like to thank all involved - racers, volunteers, and sponsors.
The Duathlon
I knew I'd walked A LOT on the Arrowhead Trail, but wasn't sure how much walking I'd done. The day after there race, I noticed my Garmin watch tracked nearly 80,000 steps over the two days, or in very rough numbers, 40 miles of walking. I didn't trust that number and look a little deeper into my stats.
The real number of miles walked is between 30 and 50 miles, so the Garmin watch step counter is in the right range. Here's more details from my nerding out on this detail:
Speed data from VeloViewer (this is an app that gives deep data analysis of your activity), I spent 30.73 miles at 0-4 mph (definitely walking pace); and 51.58 miles at 0-5 mph (clearly includes some slow biking). I'm sure some of the data reported at 4-5 mph was slower in reality because the data I'm working with includes 72 miles recorded on my inReach satellite tracker that only captures my location once every 10 minutes.
VeloViewer data on the left showing percent of time spent at each speed, the right side is my spreadsheet converting the time into distance
Screenshot with my inReach tracks into and out of Gateway, inReach is the orange line and the blue line is the trail
Data Nerd Stuff
After seeing that my 1040 lost the data for the first half of the race, I spent too many hours thinking of ways to capture that data. When I got home, I was able to export the data from the inReach satellite tracker for I Falls to Melgeorge; and merged it with the data from my 1040 for Melgeorge to Fortune Bay. The inReach data lost 6+ miles of the race by clipping corners with only one data point every 10 minutes, but this was better than nothing.
Post-Race Odds & Ends
Lost one NiteRider light in a crash, didn't notice it was gone for many miles
Also lost my iconic white Rock The Garden swag sunglasses in a night time crash
I suffered nerve damage to my right shoulder/arm causing numbness in my fingers, the combination of handling the heavy bike over extremely rough trails, and every time you'd push the bike, you'd walk on the left side of the bike; therefore, your right arm was extended adding to the fatigue ... and subsequent inflammation. As I recover and the inflammation goes down, the numbness is fading and everything is getting back to normal.
The big toenail on my right foot suffered from all the miles of hike-a-bike, I found blister/puss under the nail bed a couple days after the race. This toenail hasn't been right since the 2015 Westside Dirty Benjamin when the nail totally bruised and months later fell off. YUCK! (if you wanna see gross stuff, look up "runner's toe")
Thanks to an extremely rough trail, I'm nursing some saddle sores, I rarely suffer saddle sores, so that's a statement to conditions. Plus the saddle being twisted added pressure unevenly and more damage on my left ... um ... cheek.
Arrowhead Documentary
Keep an eye out for 40 Below - The Toughest Race in the World documenting the 2019 Arrowhead 135 when air temps were -40F/C. The film has been on tour in 2023 and 2024, and I understand it will be available for streaming soon.
Thank You!
Lisa: I could not do The Arrowhead 135 (or so many other challenges) without her loving support. She is my best friend, biggest fan, travel agent, driver, CFO, nutritionists, dog mom, and too many other roles to remember and list here. Seriously, I've heard too many stories of support crews falling short of the athlete's needs, Lisa has never left me wanting for anything on these endurance challenges (sorry folks, she's not available for hire).
Ken and Jackie, as well as all the volunteers: I was so honored by the amazing care and support everyone offered.
Bill Brandt event medic: Bill was super supportive and knowledgeable. Leading up to the event, Bill organizing a couple on-line meetings with Arrowhead veterans, the conversations covered a wide range of topics. Plus he was there throughout the race, I had a great conversation with him on the couch at Melgeorge and he offered help loading my bike while we packed out of Fortune Bay.
Tonka Cycle and Ski Team: Brett, Tyler, and the whole crew did great work helping me get my Pugsley ready for this challenge and some extra equipment for this big ride. One quick story about their help, I found my seat post was seized in December, Brett worked for days to extract the seat post and got me set up with a new seat post; and in the process, found my bottom bracket was at the end of its life, getting that replaced too.
Dr Paulie Glatt GO Physio: A couple months prior to the race, I had a minor but nagging pain in my knee. I'd typically give it time to see if it's sorting itself out, but with the Arrowhead 135 right around the corner, I wasn't willing to risk it getting worse. Paulie's consultation was super informative and helpful, and I'm happy to report that with some light PT and minor changes, the pain is all gone.
Risa & Verse Racing: Risa Hustad and Versus Racing put on a winter bike camping trip in December. This was great for a few reasons: I had the opportunity to test out my fully-loaded bike, test out my winter sleep system, and we had a great conversations about the Arrowhead 135 as well as other winter bike events. I learned so much and gained a ton of confidence.
My Pugsley fully loaded on the Arrowhead Trail
The Overly Detailed Gear List (*means it fulfills mandatory gear requirements):
Bike:
2015 Surly Pugsley the original fatbike! This bike is mostly stock, here are my modifications: Ergo grips, Brooks C-15 Carved saddle, and Salsa Guide carbon seatpost.
Dillinger 4 Tires started with 6 psi, but stopped a few times early Monday to dump pressure. Checking the tires after the finish, I was at 3 psi. The low pressure helped 'float' over the soft snow, and suck up the rough trail. The tires felt awful anytime you'd cross a road (there are very few roads to cross, so that wasn't a problem).
Tech stuff:
Garmin Edge 1040 Solar
Garmin inReach Mini 2 | Satellite Communicator*
NiteRider Lunina 750 & 700 | bike headlighs*
Black Diamond headlamp
Planet Bike Superflash Turbo (x3) | bike taillights*
Toolbox, with my multi-tool, patch kits, and other field repair stuff, in the container in the seat tube bottle rack - it's so old and I have no idea what it's called
Clothing:
Podiumwear Arrowhead jacket (but that spent most of the ride strapped to my trunk bag)
Podiumwear lightweight vest
Woolly tank top base layer
Smartwool midlayer
45NRTH Naughtvind bib knickers
Smartwool socks (x4)
45NRTH Wölvhammer boots
45NRTH Greazy hat
45NRTH Nokken gloves
Patagonia puffy jacket (never left my stuff sack)
45NRTH Naughtvind shell pants (never left my stuff sack)
My sleep system deployed on a the "winter" camping event with Versus Racing
Miscellaneous
Spare tubes (x2) PocketRocket 2 stove * GSI Outdoors Isobutane Fuel Canister * (1x 110g in my CamelBak & 1x 230g in a fork bag) Windproof matches * 1 Pint cup/pot * Whistle on a string * Reflective safety sash *
Melting water test when it was -10F
Here’s the required gear list; racers must have the following on them at all times during the race:
-20F degrees sleeping bag or colder rating
Insulated sleeping pad
Bivy sack or tent
Firestarter (matches or lighter)
Stove
8 fl. oz. fuel at ALL times (either gas, alcohol or 2 canisters of propane/butane 100 g. each or 12 Esbit tablets)
Pot (min. volume is 1 pint)
2-qt (64 fl. oz.) or just under 2 litres, insulated water container
Headlamp or flashlight
Flashing red LED lights, both on front and back of sled or bike (or on backpack if skier).
Everyone have at least 10 square inches of reflective material on front and back of the person for this race.
Two lights total are required, one on the front of the bike, sled or racer (runner or skier with backpack), one on the back of the bike, sled or racer (runner or skier with backpack). Each light must have a minimum of three flashing red LEDS.
Whistle on string around neck to call for help, because your mouth is too numb to yell.
Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaiʻi. Its peak is 13,803 ft (4,207m) above sea level, making it the highest point in the state of Hawaiʻi. Moreover, measured from its base at the bottom of the ocean, Mauna Kea is 30,610 ft (9,330 m), and some argue the largest peak in the world. Along with all that, Mauna Kea is "Biggest Climb" you can do on a bike (Strava Mauna Kea Segment).
The sun rising over Mauna Kea from our Airbnb
There are five volcanoes on Hawaiʻi that are revered as sacred mountains; and Mauna Kea's summit, the highest, is the most sacred. For this reason, a kapu (ancient Hawaiian law) restricted visitor rights to high-ranking aliʻi. Hawaiians associated elements of their natural environment with particular deities. In Hawaiian mythology, the summit of Mauna Kea was seen as the "region of the gods", a place where benevolent spirits reside. Poliʻahu, deity of snow, also resides there. "Mauna Kea" is an abbreviation for Mauna a Wākea and means "white mountain," in reference to its seasonally snow-capped summit.
With its high elevation, dry environment, and stable airflow, Mauna Kea's summit is one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observation. Since the creation of an access road in 1964, 13 telescopes funded by 11 countries have been constructed at the summit. In 2023, there are 11 observatories active and operating. The Mauna Kea Observatories are used for scientific research across the electromagnetic spectrum and comprise the largest such facility in the world. Their construction on a landscape considered sacred by Native Hawaiians continues to be a topic of debate to this day.
The observatories at the summit of Mauna Kea
A July 2022, state law responds to the protests by removing sole control over the master land lease from the University of Hawaiʻi. After a joint transition period from 2023 to 2028, control will shift to the new Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority, which will include representatives from the University, astronomers, and native Hawaiians. [1]
Biking Mauna Kea This is hands down, and by far, the hardest bike climb in the world. My route begins at Waikōloa Beach, with the waves of the Pacific Ocean lapping at the shore, and my goal is the summit of Mauna Kea, 55 miles away and 13,803 ft above sea level. This ride is nearly always going up, along the 55 miles, there are only 275 ft of descent.The environment on this route is ever changing, starting at manicured resorts and golf courses to lava fields and up to the lunar landscape in the final 10 miles of the climb. At the top of Mauna Kea, you will have 42% less oxygen available as you climb the final miles at grades reaching 16%. The last 14.5 miles, on Mauna Kea Access Road, goes from 6,588 ft to the summit at 13,802 ft averages 9.5% (this segment alone qualifies as the #4 hardest world bike climb).
Something for the number nerds, statistics for the climb from Waikōloa Beach to the summit of Mauna Kea:
1.02miles at -7.5 to -2.5 %
15.27 miles -2.5 to 2.5%
25.94 miles at 2.5 to 7.5 %
7.88 miles at 7.5 to 12.5 %
2.97 at 12.5% and more
Planning
Biking up Mauna Kea has been an idea in the back of my head for many years. The ride was spurred into action when Cory (an ultra-endurance biking buddy) reached out to a few like-minded folks to schedule a trip. Cory and I made plans to ride it together in late-February 2023. This worked great since this is our traditional week for vacation and Hawaiʻi is our favorite destination. Cory was working with a local service for ride support and I was happy to have Lisa's support. Support is a key part of this ride since there are no places to stop for water or food along the route and you should expect it to take over 8 hours on the bike and likely 10+ hours total time.
We had Lizz (our daughter) and Shea (our son-in-law) to join us on this trip. Making for a fun family vacation.
Training/Prep
August 22, 2022 I rode up Old Fall River Rd in Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, CO. This was a solo training ride to get ready for Mauna Kea. I had a few goals, starting with making sure my body could handle the effort of climbing at high elevation; testing out my new bike travel bag; and test the tires I bought for Maua Kea.
The day before my ride up Old Fall River Rd, Lisa and I took a 9 mile hike from 7,400 ft to 10,600 ft and back, and my heart rate averaged 100 bpm. So with hiking, I never felt stressed by the thin air.
Early in the morning, I got on my bike at our hotel in Estes Park and rode to Rocky Mountain National Park to find Old Fall River Rd. The 8.5 miles of paved roads getting to Old Fall River Rd were nice and quiet in the early morning and had me climb over 1,000 ft just to getting to Old Fall River Rd.
Old Fall River Rd is a one-way gravel road that climbs from 8,600 ft to over 11,500 ft with an average grade of 6.8%. I could feel the effort of the climb, but never felt over stressed or unusually out of breath. Also, I was grateful to have Lisa follow me up the road with our rental car to offer support and capture some great photos.
Old Fall River Rd above the tree line, near the top
Reviewing my training goals:
I'm totally happy with my fitness and ability to handle biking steep roads at high altitude.
My new Thule RoundTrip bag worked great for my bike, and this bag includes a simple bike stand making assembling/disassembling the bike so much easier.
I was very happy with my Bianchi on 32mm GravelKing SK tires, but after this ride I talked with some experts that let me know that the unpaved parts of Mauna Kea will demand 38mm or larger tires ... since my Bianchi is maxed out with 32 mm tires, I'll bring my Breezer gravel bike with 50mm gravel tires (sorry Infinito).
The Ride | February 27, 2023
Starting at Waikōloa Beach
The Start at Waikōloa Beach
We planned to meet Cory and his support driver at Waikōloa Beach for a 6:00 start. But Lisa and I could not find the public access to the beach (the entire Waikōloa resort area is a maze of dead-ends with security gates, not the Aloha Spirt at all!) I contacted Cory and told him that he should start without me, and this worked out best for both of us, because Cory is a stronger rider than me. We saw Cory rolling out but still couldn't find the beach access ... pro tip: just look for the Lava Lava Beach Club to find the public beach access. We finally found the beach access after many wrong turns, and I rolled out at 6:20. The first couple miles getting out of Waikōloa had me very focused on my map, there are so many options to get lost with a gate blocking your path, but I was able to get out without a wrong turn. Of all the things I obsessed about for this ride, finding the start point was never on my mind, not once.
Waikōloa Road
The first leg of the climb felt great and I was so happy that the winds were mild after days of gale warnings. Lisa stopped to check on me right before Waikōloa Village, about 45 minutes into the ride. I felt great and wanted to push on, getting as many feet below me as possible while I was fresh and the day was cool.
Mamalahoa Hwy
This short 3-mile leg was very stressful, with narrow/no shoulder and highway speeds. Traffic was light and only a couple stressful vehicle passes. This road offers the only significate breaks in the relentless climb.
Daniel K Inouye Hwy - Saddle Road
This road has a nice wide shoulder but with 60 mph speed limit. Saddle Road was a long slog of 6% grades with long stretches of 7% and 8%. I felt fine, but had a hard time keeping my power down to my at my target pace, and my heart rate was above my goals. I'm not sure exactly why I was riding above my pacing targets, and I knew it at the time and still couldn't get myself to slow down without constantly checking my numbers on the Garmin. Around mile 39 (4 hours from the beach), the road flattens out for a short while, but I was hit by a strong headwind and some light rain. What should have been an easy section of the route was anything but easy battling into the wind.
Saddle Rd and one of the countless trucks passing
Mauna Kea Access Rd
Turning on to the access road, I felt good, but I knew I had put a lot of work into my legs. Lisa was stopped there and I used this stop to get my warmer layers out, including long-sleeved wool jersey, wind vest, and gloves. Also she let me know that Cory was at the visitor's center, waiting for them to reopen the summit access road, it was closed due to ice/snow.
As I started up the access road, it didn't take long for the road to kick hard, and I had the first thoughts that this ride was going to be too much for me and my bike on this day.
Riding up the access road, it's amazing as the terrain starts to looks like the Colorado Rockies, and nothing like Hawaiʻi. I rode up into clouds, through the mist, before looking down on the clouds ... I've never experienced anything like that on a bike.
In the last mile to the visitor center, the road holds 16-17% and kicks to 18%. I dismounted to walk the stretch, I was outta gears and I couldn't get my heart rate down. I'd take 5 minute break to recover, and as soon as I rolled out, my heart rate would be right up to the redline in a minute. Adding insult, I noticed that my pace slowed so much that my Garmin went into auto-pause and lost some of my effort on this steepest part of the climb.
Feeling Crushed
Getting back on the bike and started again is HARD with these grades, this helped me understand why the pro riders get a push when the need to change bikes on a steep climb.
Just after remounting my bike, I see Lizz come running down the road from the visitor's center, cheering me on ... making my heart so happy! I rolled into the visitor's center to find Cory under a blanket in the back of the support driver's vehicle. He's trying to stay warm until they reopen the summit road.
Visitor's Center
9,200 feet of climbing from the Pacific Ocean
The Mauna Kea visitor's center is at 9,200 feet, I rolled in feeling rough and decided to call it the end of my ride. I'm happy I didn't wreck myself going too deep. I could've started the ride past the visitor center, but I can't image I would have made it very far.
Chris, Shea, Lisa & Lizz at the Summit of Mauna Kea
I changed into warmer gear and we drove our Jeep to the summit. Only 4WD vehicles can go to the summit, and there are park rangers there to check that your vehicle is qualified and that you know how to use it. The road above the visitor's center is steep, exposed, and very intimidating. At the summit, I was feeling weak and a little light headed with the altitude and fatigue. We saw Cory on his way up, we stopped to get some pictures ... super impressed with his effort climbing to the summit!
Cory near the summit
Thank you!
Big mahalo to Lisa for all the support and planning out our vacation around this crazy adventure. Lisa is a passionate and well-qualified support driver, I couldn't ask for any better! Also loved having Lizz and Shea drive up to join us for the last miles to the visitor's center and the drive up to the summit.
Tonka Cycle & Ski was great help getting my Breezer in top form for this ride.
Lisa with her trusty Jeep Gladiator (rented through Turo with specific permission for Mauna Kea - rental car companies will not approve you using their vehicles past the visitor's center)
Odd & Ends ... and Random Stats
My route
My ride was 5:09 moving time; and 6:22 total time from the beach.
My ride was 47 miles and total of 9,462 ft of climbing (some data lost with my Garmin auto-pausing).
I burned an estimated 3,900 calories.
The roads on this route are heavily traveled, I rode with my Garmin Varia (radar) and it counted 571 vehicles that passed me on my ride.
Temperatures ranged from nearly 80°F climbing the Saddle Rd to 50°F at the visitor's center.
I found it challenging to grab a bottle since there's no freewheeling on a non-stop climb. I had to think more about my hand position while grabbing the bottle to avoid conflict with my leg.
Strava segments statistics, this highlights the limited number of athletes riding Mauna Kea:
The biggest climb I can ride to from my house is 298 ft over 1.3 miles (Ohio St in St Paul)
The biggest climb I've done in Minnesota 1,018 ft over 7.4 miles (climbing out of Grand Marias)
The biggest climb I've ever done prior to Mauna Kea is 4,088 ft over 17.5 miles (Estes Park to Alpine Visitor's Center RMNP)
My climb to the Mauna Kea visitor's center is bigger than Chris Froome's biggest climb! (Froome is four time Tour de France champion, and a long list of other pro wins)
Froome on the left and me on the right from Strava - see the bottom line
Turkey & cheese on Punaluʻu Bakery rolls from the support Jeep
Coke and Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino from the support Jeep
My Bike | Breezer Radar Pro
This is my steel frame gravel bike, purchased new in 2017. This bike has carried my on my longest bike adventures, including The DAMn (twice); The Royal; and The Last Call Challenge.
The drivetrain is SRAM Force 2x10 with 48/32 chain rings and cassette range 11-36 (not enough gears for this climb)
It's rolling 700x50mm GravelKing SK tires, the width is overkill, but that's kinda my thing ... riding extra wide tires (but likely too much for this ride)
I used a new set of Garmin Rally XC100 power meter pedals to track my effort (but still failed to pace myself)
Revisit ???
I'd like to revisit this challenge. I'm debating starting from the beach again or start with the hardest part from Saddle Rd to the summit. Either way, I know a lot of things I will do differently if/when I get to try this challenge again:
I will need smaller gearing, either smaller chainrings or possibly a new bike
Better focus on my pacing
Fewer distractions and more focus on the ride on the trip
Plan for a longer day, somehow I thought I'd get to the summit in 8 hours ... I'll never be that rider!
Ride later in the season, like September or October, this is when I'm at my peak conditions and will have the best fitness for this ride
I'm very grateful that I was able to test myself on this mountain and that there's a chance I could revisit for a second attempt.
YouTube edit
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea and related pages
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