Departing Shaktoolik began one of the most nervous days of the ride, for both dot and dot watchers! From Shaktoolik Ryan would bike 13.7 miles to Little Mountain Cabin, the last respite before the Bering Sea crossing over the exposed Norton Sound. I detailed this in the last post, but it bears repeating that this section is notoriously finicky. A much talked about storm is brewing to the northwest, one similar to the 2020 storm halting the race for eight athletes.
Ryan said he was feeling better and better each day, had a great stop in Shaktoolik, and was eager to get to the crossing. The trek went so well, he stopped only to pump some airs in his tire and have a little video fun!
The crossing went swimmingly (in that he didn’t have to swim, among other things) and he celebrated with a run to grocery and dinner in the Shaktoolik school’s home ec kitchen. This entire purchase was a steal at $44, with his only regret that he didn’t get those little frozen chicken appetizers (not really sure which ones he’s actually referring to).
He had a late night FaceTime with best bud Sam, dried and repacked his gear, cooked and ate ONE POUND OF BACON, and hit the trail towards Elim (853.9).
The plan was 44 miles to Elim tonight, bypassing the shelter cabins of Kwik River (831) and Moses Point (842.9). The storm has all the remaining racers on the move (Ryan and the 3 on foot…the Bike Gang just rolled across the finish line in Nome!!!), so we’ll see where the next few days lead! He's currently just outside of Elim, seeing biking speeds of 4-7mph. consistently. At least we know he's feeling good!
No comments:
Post a Comment