The spring semester started off with a few good Fairbanks cold spells, perfect conditions for getting out and enjoying the thrills of wintertime in Interior Alaska.  The short frigid days, curse of the dainty, are a playground for skiing, skating, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowball fighting, snow-angel making, snowmachining, dogmushing, skijoring, ice fishing,... and, of course, winter biking.

If you tour the racks on campus, you'll see plenty of bicycles hibernating under cozy mounds of snow, waiting for sunny days and clear roads; but you'll also see a lot of bikes out and ready to go.  Some of them are even dressed for the cold, wearing big mitts on their handlebars.  In fact, lots of folks on campus and in the community cycle all year long, for all kinds of reasons.

Commuting

Graduate student Ross Coen owns a car, but he prefers to bike whenever he has time to make the distance. 

"There's nothing like a 30-minute bike ride to empty your mind," Coen said, "You reach a sort of zen state when the steady cadence of pedaling allows your mind to find a natural rhythm." 

Most cyclists agree that an invigorating ride is a great way to start the day.  Not only is it a chance for some morning exercise, but it's also a chance to avoid the frustrations of hurried driving. 

"I'm refreshed when I get to school and everyone else is stressed out," Coen said.

Getting around by bike can take a bit more time but with a little planning all of Fairbanks is within reach, even in the winter.  Some people, like myself, get on the bike because they don't have a car.  Others, for one reason or another, are not allowed to drive a car.  But for many people, the advantages of some healthy exercise, which saves gas money, are enough reason to brave the cold.  And winter biking in Fairbanks is... well, it ain't summer.  ASUAF vice president Lilly Capell went through the trouble of making homemade studded tires with hundreds of screws, but she still admits that she's a much more avid summer cyclist. 

"I really don't enjoy biking in the winter," she confessed. 

Nevertheless, she and president Thom Walker often ride to campus.  He pointed out that "neither one of us owns a car."  

Trail riding

Most people stick to the roads, but the Fairbanks trail systems offer a great opportunity for snow riding.  Snowy trails are rarely any fun without a good setup:  wide rims, wide tires, and lower tire pressures increase flotation and make mushy trails more rideable.  Some bikers commute by trails, but for others the trail is the destination. 

"The hardest part is getting out the door," said Keely Willert, who sticks to trails when she can, including on her commute to work. 

The weather sometimes makes it harder to get motivated and get going, but she said every ride ends up being a worthwhile experience.  And there are some underutilized trails around town, especially the Noyes Slough.  This is a great way to get off the streets and get around town in a somewhat natural setting.  There are other trails around the university campus, in the Goldstream Valley, and out in Ester.  For maps and descriptions of many local rides...

Socializing

...check the Fairbanks Cycle Club website at www.fairbankscycleclub.org.  The club organizes lots of local events throughout the year, including trail rides in the Goldstream Valley on Sundays during the winter.  The members are people with different ability levels who are enthusiastic about riding and sharing their knowledge and experiences.  Although their hotline is not always up-to-date, you can try calling 459-8008.

"You should be writing more:  you're going to forget everything," Simon advised me while giving a concise survey of biking in Alaska.  A central figure in Fairbanks biking, with a long record of participation and support, Simon has had his hands on a high percentage of the bikes riding around town.  He works on all things bike-related, and he helped to develop Snow Cat rims for use on snowy trails. He maintains the winter biking information on the All Weather Sports website at www.allweathersports.com and encourages all cyclists to get out and try the trails, especially at the Sunday cycle club rides.

Whackos

And then there are the cyclists who go a little bit further.

Tony Torti likes winter cycling and keeps a webpage at: home.gci.net/~winterbiker/ of trips he's taken.  When I contacted him and mentioned I was writing an article about winter biking, he was enthusiastic. 

But, he added, he hoped that I wouldn't "approach it from the 'look what some whackos do' angle which is often the case in press coverage." 

That would be a tough approach for me to take, because I'm openly jealous of the kinds of trips that he takes.  (And as the Sun Star editor will tell you, I'm not responsible enough to be a member of the press.)   

There's a bicycling story in the lore of gold rush Alaska:  back in 1900, a young miner named Ed Jesson rode over 1000 miles on the frozen Yukon River from Dawson City to the Bering Sea and then on to Nome. 

Today, not only do adventurers retrace such routes with hardcore expeditions, but there are also organized long-distance races for serious winter bikers. Three races took place in February.  Alaska hosted the Susitna 100, 100 miles long, and the Alaska Ultra Sport, 350 or 1100 miles along the Iditarod Trail.  Just over the border, the Yukon Arctic Ultra started on Valentine's Day in Whitehorse, 100 or 300 miles along the Yukon Quest Trail.

Adjunct professor of geology Rocky Reifenstuhl was planning on riding in the longer Yukon race again this year after winning the inaugural event last year.  In that race, he covered the first 100 miles in 26 hours with his wife, Gail Koepf, then continued toward Pelly Crossing where he finished in about 98 hours.  Reifenstuhl is well known in biking circles.  He's been doing this kind of thing, as well as running and snowshoeing, for over twenty years.  Although Cary Keller/Sports Medicine Fairbanks sponsors his racing, he's not a professional athlete.  He does his training before and after regular work hours, which includes riding to work, as he's done for 22 years.  But he doesn't ride just for the sake of training.

"I commute for fitness.  I commute because I like the idea of human-powered transportation, and I don't think I need to take 3000 pounds of metal with me to work every day.  I commute for the relaxation that it gives me."

Practicalities

For the well-prepared, winter biking retains the joys of summer riding (except perhaps the warmth), while adding the beauty of winter scenery, the challenge of riding on snow and ice, and the exhilaration of the cold temperatures.  Extreme weather conditions can be wonderful, tolerable, miserable, or dangerous, depending on forethought and preparation.

Cyclists have the right to share the roadways with cars, but this is sometimes a dangerous proposition in the winter:  before the roads are plowed, deep snow can be unmanageable, and the shoulders (often pencil-thin to begin with) may not be clear for weeks.  Some sidewalks won't be clear until summer.  These difficulties make it even more necessary to maximize visibility and unobtrusiveness when biking.  A few motorists will be downright antagonistic toward bikes on the road, and there's little reason to provoke them.  Still, bicyclists have a right to travel on the roads when there isn't a decent alternative.  It should be noted that UAF has been doing a great job of clearing its bikepaths after heavy snows.  Anyone who rides on these paths knows what a difference a clear path makes.

Being well prepared for winter biking can mean clothing, hydration, nutrition, bike gear, and bike maintenance.  Many folks continue to ride all winter, some of them with a lengthy daily commute.  The level of hardcore cycling gear that they use varies greatly.  Short days often mean a morning ride before sunrise and an evening ride after sunset.  Front and rear lights, required by state law, are a necessity for any kind of safety when it's dark.  All of the dedicated bikers I interviewed emphasize this point.

"Cyclists have the responsibility of getting lights on that bike," said Coen, "Light yourself up like a Christmas tree!"

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