This event was fire, literally and figuratively. I didn’t know how I’d respond on the bike the morning after going so deep at The Long Bridge Swim, but I was hyped to race this event—the biggest two wheeled showcase in Big Sky Country.
Kamiah and I were riding the wave of our strong swims at the Long Bridge as we rolled into Whitefish—but our race optimism quickly faded as the Flathead was shrouded in smoke. The smoke index read 147 as we rolled into town and with no wind or rain in the forecast it wasn’t looking like the race would even happen. We had to eat Amanda’s Dead Swede registration (work), the Robidoux Rendezvous canceled the morning of (tornadoes), and it sure didn’t seem like this race was in the cards.
But we awoke to clear skies Sunday morning, with a slight breeze and misty rain—and it was on. We both lined up for the 50 miler (my favorite distance), got in our respective chutes and gave it a rip. I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun racing than I did at this one on Sunday. Chunky, North Idaho/NW MT fire roads were served in plenty. I got into the pointy end of the race and the action was fast and furious in the chase group of 10-12 riders. I spent most of my day with Christian from CDA (a badass Columbian), Emily from Reno (so damn strong and steady) and Isaiah from VA (the kid had wings). I spent time with Kai from Chicago, George from Santa Fe, Anthony from Virginia and Eric from Seattle.
It was a 3+ hour threshold/sweet spot effort. I emptied the tank on the climbs and bombed the descents on my drop bar mountain bike, knowing the asphalt sections would be a slog. I stayed on the front of the chase group, trying to rip the legs off as many people as I could, until the final kicker when Emily, after two and a half hours of riding together simply had more in the legs and then it was a fight to the finish, battling it out with the young flyer from Virginia, Isaiah Morrison.
I was so impressed by the quality and strength of the riders. I always say that results are relative and a matter of perspective—but I couldn’t be happier or feel better about my result, race and and most importantly, my experience. I went 3 hours and 8 minutes, taking a top twenty (19th overall) in a stacked field of riders. We rode 49 miles and climbed 4,000 feet of elevation on a rough, rowdy and at times gnarly course.
I stuffed my face with the best post race food of all-time as Kamiah and I cheered on Amanda and her sister at the finish. I’m so proud of how deep Amanda dug—she’s definitely got the bug. It was truly a family affair.
The people, the community, the vibe, the pace, the terrain, the food, kombucha and after party—everything about this event was dope. We don’t see much diversity at bike races in Montana, but this race brings riders from all over the country and clearly places a premium on inclusivity and diversity, which made for a rad energy.
It looks like our lockdown on the first Saturday in August (Long Bridge Swim), just got a companion as this one will be a regular on the Leach calendar, so we’ll be going big, back to my roots in North Idaho and NW Montana the first weekend in August each summer. The stoke is so high! Thank you, Last Best Ride!
WNbL, mwl
