ITI 2025 Day 1: Knik Bar (Start) to Hooligan’s Retreat (71.6)

 

ITI 2025 Day 1: Knik Bar (Start) to Hooligan’s Retreat (71.6)

After breakfast with Ryan’s Alaskan family (thank you for your friendship and hospitality as always Tim & Alice!),Ryan headed to the Hyatt (race hotel) to load himself and his bike.  I have to imagine the bus a lot like lunch time in elementary school, where everyone whips out what snacks were packed and start trading for the good stuff…looks like Perry had the good stuff (caribou jerky and smoked salmon I believe)!!

Race kicked off at 2pm AKST and the takeaway for Day 1: Bad. Fast.

There’s currently very little snow, meaning the rivers the race travel on are essentially “snow pavement” © Kari Gibbons, 1000 mile foot competitor.  While glare ice is terrifying to me, it’s perfect for fast pedaling with the right studded tires.  It appears everyone’s got the right studded tires, as we’re currently witnessing a record pace for the bike: he course record to Puntilla is 19:11(John Lackey, 2015)....The lead group of four (including Lackey!!) arrived to Puntilla in 18:49. Boom.  h/t Matt Webb :-)

While not quite as fast, Ryan’s cruising (all times in AKST):

*Butterfly Lake (26.8) @4:46pm (10min stop) ~ 2hrs. faster than 2024

*Yentna Station (56) @ 9:02pm (1:10hr stop) ~ 4:15hrs. faster than 2024

*Hooligan’s Retreat (71.6) @ 12:13am (7hr. stop) ~ 11hrs. faster than 2024

Ryan “rested” at the new stop, Hooligan’s Retreat…and by rest I mean share the space with 17 other racers.  That’s a lot.  I asked Ryan how the new digs were: “Cramped”...I added that I hoped they were equally as stinky ;-)

Goal for Day 2 is Finger Lake (123.9).  Weather should be uneventful, maybe a touch warm (High 34/Low 19, cloudy, 5mph crosswind).

Now for the fun part!! 

Inspired by a survey the Wild Winter Women Collective sent out to get details on racers they’d soon be writing about (if you haven’t checked out their new video recaps, head on over and subscribe to their YouTube channel! Written updates will be shared on ITI’s race communications), I asked Ryan a series of questions before he left (getting a response was almost as much of a feat as his race!) and will turn them into a multiple choice question for y’all to guess his answer :-) So, without further ado… What Say You Ryan?

What was the last thing Ryan purchased prior to the race?  

(Hint: He purchased it in Anchorage)

A. Black Diamond headlamp (left his at home)

B. A new bike (broke in transport)

C. A sweet new cycling cap (always on the hunt)

D. A lynx pelt for a new snap ruff (can’t pass up the lynx)

Comment with your guess and I’ll reveal the answer tomorrow!!