Many years ago, back in 2010, I celebrated the summer solstice by riding my bike the length of the Denali National Park road. Solstice is the one day a year you could get maximum sunlight overnight. The road's public access is shouldered by snow and large camp busses rage all day long during the summer, making it unridable most of the time. This is the one day a year that biking is at its best. It was an epic adventure that I will never forget. I only really remember the never ending rain and mud. Luckily I found the report I wrote after the ride. Below is that exert of my experience at the time:
So Glad I did it. So Glad I'm Done
“What’s a girl to do who loves cycling, but lives in a place with only one road? She rides that road from end to end! I pretty much told everybody here that I will take them up on any ride offer they would ever have. This was my first. We rode from camp at mile 89 of the Denali Park Road to the McKinley Airstrip at the east end of the park.
We planned on starting at 3 PM Wednesday night. However, we didn’t get out until 4 because Bob had to install a rack on the bike he was using, Martha’s just flat out busy, and I had to scramble to find a bike to use. I tested a bike out the night before, decided to use that one, only to find it gone the next day. Most guests at North Face Lodge are the “cruise ship” set, not the type you would find biking. But, for some reason today, every single bike had been used! What were the odds! I ran up to Camp, found a bike that seemed suitable, and off we went!
The start was slow, slow, slow going. The hills were intense and I was not feeling like I could pedal at all. My legs felt like lead weights and my lungs felt constricted. We spent almost an hour at Eielson Visitor Center and just as we were ready to leave, the rain started coming down. I greatly enjoyed this next stretch of road. There were at least a few downhills, much more rewarding than the first stretch. I loved the feeling of the rain coming down, splattering mud on my face and clothes. I finally started feeling like this ride would be worth my while.
The ride went on. It was long. It rained a lot. Martha and Bob, who both sped past me on the uphills, saw 2 foxes. I, who sped past Martha and Bob on the downhills, saw a weasel, and a ground squirrel. Both of us saw an endless number of snowshoe hares. The fact that we spent 15 hours on the park road without seeing any big wildlife was quite discouraging, considering you are essentially guaranteed to see at least a dozen various animals during the 6-hour bus ride in.
Early on, I found the beach cruiser seat of my bike horribly uncomfortable, and the welts and burns from chaffing smothering my legs prove it. I also found within the first 10 miles, that my right-hand grip shift was so tight that I could not turn it without cranking with more force than I could muster one-handed. This is the shifter that controls my rear derailer. Did I mention that this is a very hilly ride? Well, I had the front derailer, so that’s what I used for about 85 miles of the trip. With just 30 miles left to go, the mud packed on the entire drive train caused my chain to seize several times an hour, as well as causing the gears to grind for about a minute before latching. Looking back, I am amazed I survived.
At about 3 AM I hit the first flats, near the Teklanika River. This is where I really started to feel good. The ground was hard-packed dirt, and felt more similar to road riding than anything I’ve done thus far. The feeling kept me from feeling tired, it was so excited to get a taste of something I love so much. While I continued to drag at the snail race pace for the rest of the ride, I felt good, invigorated, happy.
At this point Martha slowed her pace, but not anywhere near enough for me to catch up with her. Bob started to feel considerably tired, but continued to ride strong.
We rolled into the airstrip, where Anne’s pickup was parked. Anne played a big part into the logistical success of our trip; lending her bike to Bob and her vehicle for us to drive around. I can’t imagine how our ride would have dragged on if 2 of us had to use company bikes. Just me doing it made us slow enough!
It’s a wonderful thing that our employer integrates recreation, fun, and favors so seamless into their daily operation, for we were able to drive to the office at the east end for a much-needed shower and nap. From here on out, our trip was nothing but luxurious. We grabbed some lunch at the local Creekside Cafe, and then caught an air Taxi flight back into the park. It was hard to experience our 15-hour ride reduced to a 20-minute plane ride, but the sun, warmth and great views kept us in good spirits. Not only that, but after flying us to Kantishna, our pilot, Andy drove us right up to the front door of camp! Just in time for dinner!
RIDE STATS:
start time: 3:50 PM 6/30/10
elapsed ride time: 15 hours
distance: 90 miles
net elevation loss: 154 feet
approximate elevation change: 5860 feet
useful gears on bike: 3
sandwiches eaten: 3
plastic bags used to keep feet dry: 6”
Rainy views of the mountains
Bob, Martha, and I ready to fly back home