< Day four: Gulkana Airport to Sheep Mountain Gravel Pit (camp)
Day five – 67.3 Miles
Ride officials and an Alaska Sheriff made an announcement at breakfast. There was very heavy fog, and the road we’d be cycling had a narrow shoulder. Also, there would be a fair number of large trucks passing us today. We were to strictly obey the single file rule and ride with the utmost care. As a precaution, ride officials would let only bikes onto the road one at a time, staggered a few seconds apart.
Away from camp, the fog was so heavy that we could barely see the rider ahead. I covered both brakes with my hands, wondering if they were warm enough to react, and used my full concentration on the 10 feet in front of us. It was exhilarating and scary. Although I felt good about our skill level and the bike, the shoulder was unpredictable and things sneak up in the fog.
About halfway down the first descent, we had to stop, Ami’s hands were freezing. We put her hands in my armpits and danced on the roadside. We got a few strange looks, but riders knew what we were doing. Others had done it at the mingle on day two. We finished the descent and as the road leveled off the fog disappeared, revealing a long and steep climb ahead. We walked it.
At the top of the grade we were warmer and got on the bike. We were still hurting, and thinking solely of reaching the first outpost. After only a few minutes we needed a break for Ami’s knee and my ankle.
Toward the end of the last descent, I had noticed that the front brake lever was touching the bars, so I decided to make the adjustment while we were stopped. I think my brain was frozen, because instead of just twisting the barrel to adjust the brake, I had loosened the cable. While we were doing this, the sheriff that had spoken to us at breakfast pulled up slowly behind us in a patrol car. They were the sweepers. We were dead last. We made it to the outpost with the patrol car driving patiently behind us, and waited for the SAG bus.
We camped that night in Palmer at the state fairgrounds in a big field. It was the first night we made camp on something other than rocks, and I put all the tent stakes in just because I could. Since it was a balmy 60 degrees, we decided to check out the fair. It was just like all state fairs.
Day six: Palmer Fairgrounds to Anchorage >
