Another Brevet Report: The Antelope Island 300k

[Brady Smith]

A few weeks ago I wrote about my first brevet of the season, in which good training and great conditions produced a 200k for the ages, at least for me. 

Yesterday's ride was a challenge of a different sort. 

The real Antelope Island 300k sets off this coming Saturday. I decided to pre-ride the course because I'll be in Washington DC with 80 8th graders this coming weekend, an endurance test, to be sure, but of a somewhat different kind. 

We've had beautiful weather this week in the Salt Lake Valley, but it's been, quite literally, the calm before the storm. As I did some final planning on Friday, I started noticing winter weather advisories for the Wasatch mountains Sunday into Monday. At first I didn't make much of it, since I was planning on riding on Saturday, and since winter weather can happen all the way through May in this part of the country. But then I remembered what always happens when big storms roll through the valley--big winds come along with them. 

I noticed almost as soon as I started up Emigration Canyon alongside our RBA, who graciously volunteered to accompany me for the first twenty miles or so of the ride--a gusty, noticeable breeze from the east, the opposite direction that winds usually blow in these parts. It calmed a bit as we got to the middle of the canyon--a 7 mile climb or so--and then disappeared as we made our way up towards Big Mountain Pass, a 7400 foot summit that marks the end of the first big ascent on the route. 

Ken, our RBA, had wondered aloud about continuing on, but decided against it due to family obligations. He did not miss the fast descent that usually greets riders on the east side of Big Mountain Pass, because, as we had suspected, it had not yet been cleared by the UDOT, probably because, like us, they could read the forecast, and saw that a foot or two of snow was due to fall over the mountains in the coming days. It was not completely covered in snow, but there were five or six significant snowdrifts impeding progress down the mountain. A ten minute descent turned into thirty minutes of intermittent riding and hiking. 

It didn't seem to be a particularly big deal at that point, and the next 35 miles or so were nothing short of serene. From the base of Big Mountain one continues past East Canyon reservoir and along the vast expanse of the Morgan Valley, a 30 mile downhill section, at which point the 20 mile, 3400 foot ascent that greets riders at the start of this route seems to be redeemed. I blew through this section, finding myself in Mountain Green well before lunch, and then up and over Trapper's Loop Road, the second big climb of the route, in fairly swift time. 

After meandering through the upper Ogden Valley, I came across, around mile 80, what I hoped was the last big test of this ride--the North Ogden Divide. You can see it clearly as you approach the backside of the Wasatch Mountains, a tiny line etched precariously in the mountainside, only 2 miles long from where the climb really starts to the top of the mountain, but a 2 miles that proceeds upwards at a steady 10%. It's also narrow, and presaged by a sign saying something to the effect of "Steep grades and sharp curves. Not Recommended for Cyclists." (As if in penance, there is a "Share the Road" sign immediately after, but based on the angry shouts of one pickup driver heading down the mountain opposite, not one motorists pay much attention to.) 

I shifted immediately into my 30-32 low gear and started upwards, one eye on the road ahead, another in my mirror, making sure that the occasional vehicle coming up behind me looked like it was going to give me adequate space. It's fair to say that this was the hardest climb I've ever completed, at least when accounting for the fact that I'd already done 80 miles and 6000 feet of elevation at this point in the ride. It was borderline nauseating making my way up the mountainside, the stress of the ascent only partially atoned for by the stunning views of the valley off to the south. When there was space I occasionally started zig-zagging up the mountain, trying to relieve some of the strain on my legs and lungs, then getting over when traffic appeared in my mirror behind me. At long last, I made it to the top. 

The descent was exhilarating. The speed limit is 30 mph, but I had to lean on my brakes to stay at 35mph, and the cars lined up behind me seem to have no problem waiting to pass until we got to the bottom. In my head, the worst of it was over. I'd done almost 7000 feet of climbing in 80 miles. After 8 hours in the mountains, I was back in the Salt Lake Valley, with a flat 100 miles or so to go before I'd find myself back at home. For a few miles, it seemed like this easy prognostication was true. It's a long, shallow descent from Ogden to the shorelands of the Great Salt Lake. You can go really fast. I covered ten miles in a little over half an hour. 

Then I turned south, straight into a 15-20 mph headwind that would dog me for the next 90 miles. My 20 mph cruising speed turned into 12-13mph, then to 10-12mph as the wind got stronger. I had about 40 miles to cover between the end of the descent out of Ogden and the entrance to Antelope Island State Park, a beautiful preserve in the lake that is home to antelope, coyotes, and a sizable herd of bison. It seemed to go on forever. My progress ground to almost nothing. In suburban Davis County, it seemed like I was always being crowded by quad cab pickups or grotesquely large SUVs. I rode in the gutter, then got a flat. I took extra breaks, trying to relieve the monotony, but as I entered the park, I seriously considered calling it quits. It's maybe 12 miles from the start of the causeway across Farmington Bay to the control on the island, the historic Fielding Garr Ranch; if I omitted the island, it would be a mere 35 miles home. 

I was deeply tempted, but I figured I'd already ridden 120 miles, I should at least go see some bison, which I did, and after another hour or interminably slow grinding against the wind, I found myself at the far reaches of the island, able to turn around and enjoy some powerful tailwinds back to the causeway, though my spirits fell again when the turn back south and east had me facing winds even stronger than I did before. I actually texted my wife as I approached the mainland, saying that I'd ridden 150 miles at this point, I had an exhausting week ahead, and that I would not be opposed to being rescued at a Chevron about five miles down the road. She said she'd leave in ten minutes, and so I pressed on, turning straight south, and then finding the wind, all of the sudden, just barely tolerable. 

The 10mph I'd managed back to mainland suddenly became 13mph, not a huge difference, but just enough that I thought to myself, "If I can keep doing this, I'll be home in about three hours." I called her back and canceled my rescue request, assuring that I'd be home eventually. After some good-natured argument, she relented in her insistence that this ride come to an end, knowing, after fifteen years together, that I am capable of remarkable acts of stubbornness. 

The final three hours of the ride were not exactly pleasant. The wind never really let up. There were hordes of midges out pelting my face and flying up my nostrils. But as day settled into night and I started navigating by the light of my dynamo lamp, the frustration and fatigue I'd experienced for most of the afternoon turned into calm. It would not be a fast ride. This would not set any personal records. But after snow-covered passes, steep climbs, and hellacious winds, I knew at least I could finish.

I rolled back to the start around 10:30pm, about 16 hours and 20 minutes after I'd started, having completed 185 miles and around 9,500 feet of climbing. I ate some pizza and drank a beer while my family slept, and by the time I got up this morning, randonnesia had already set in. The 400k is only a month away!

BMS

BMS

[Cyclofiend Jim]

What a brilliant adventure. Thank you for sharing the details and the images. 

Jim

[Patrick Moore]

Brady: Congratulations on the epic ride. Bill Lindsay just recounted his also-difficult, headwind-plagued 200K on the Boblist. 

I had to look up "randonesia." One meaning was the name of a rando series in Indonesia, but I know that you meant the other meaning.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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When thou didst not, savage, know thine own meaning,

But wouldst gabble like a thing most brutish,

I endowed thy purposes with words that made them known.

[Toshi Takeuchi]

Congrats for persevering through the crazy climbs, crazy roads and crazy winds.

Toshi

[Patch T]

Great effort and great report! You really persevered through some hard stuff. Thanks for sharing and inspiring!

Patch in Oakland

#17002

[RichS]

Brady, I admire your fortitude. That's a ride to remember. Thank you for sharing your story and the photos.

Best,

Rich in ATL

[Brady Smith]

Thanks everyone! As it happens, the storm the blew in on the heels of my ride so buried the pass that we had to swap routes for Saturday, and I’m the lone Antelope Island 300k finisher for 2024. Hopefully everyone is blessed with tailwinds for Saturday.

Happy trails!

BMS

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