Here at Twenty Nine Inches we are fans of all sorts of bikes. We love our 29″ers, gravel road bikes, bike path cruisers, and we really like fat bikes. Fat bikes just happen to have an over all wheel diameter of approximately 29 inches, (or more in the cases of the bigger tires), so we have often reported on fat bikes here.
We also love inspired, adventurous types of rides, and what is more inspirational and adventurous than riding 350 miles on snow bound trails in Alaska in February. Not much! This past Iditarod Trail Invitational was even more special since it was done in a record time. Check out the following press release from Salsa Cycles.
Petervary Wins Alaska’s 350-Mile Iditarod Trail Invitational
Six-Time Race Veteran Sets Course Record On Salsa Beargrease
Bloomington, MN — Salsa-sponsored rider Jay Petervary took the top spot on the podium at the 2013 Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI) race in Alaska, setting a course record in the process.
Petervary finished the 350-mile self-supported race in two days, 19 hours, and 16 minutes, taking 10 hours off the previous record.
“The race definitely came down to sleep deprivation, which is something I’m both very familiar and comfortable with,” said Petervary. “I have dealt with the sleep monster so much and actually enjoy seeing where it will take me. Of course, there is always the safety balance to contend with as well.”
Petervary rode a Beargrease in the event, Salsa’s fatbike racing model. “The Beargrease was simply amazing,” said Petervary. “It’s very stable and doesn’t need constant steering correction. I love that about the bike. It feels like my summer race bikes.”
A six-time veteran of the ITI, Petervary raced with the lightest load he ever carried in the event. “The bike was 46 pounds loaded, including a Thermos of water and my edible calories,” he said.
The crew at Salsa was thrilled with Petervary’s success. “Jay is a special breed of athlete that is capable of pushing himself farther than most of us can ever dream of,” said Mike Riemer, marketing manager at Salsa. “He works very hard for these moments, so it was very fulfilling for us not just to see him win, but to see him win on the
Beargrease.”
Petervary’s victory marks the second big win for the Beargrease. Earlier this year, Todd McFadden of Duluth,Minnesota won the Arrowhead 135 on a Beargrease.
“Jay’s win at the ITI 350 is confirmation that we’ve done our homework and brought a exceptionally capable bike to the market. This is the first year for the Beargrease and it is out there helping folks win races. That’s something we feel good about,” said Riemer.
Twenty Nine Inches would also like to congratulate Jay Petervary on his outstanding achievement.
Note: The information and images in this post were provided by Salsa Cycles.
Awesome… Congratulations Jay!
Cheers,
MG
Eszter Horanyi also set the women’s record, making her certainly the most dominant ultra distance female mountain biker and arguably the most widely accomplished multiday MTB racer of either sex, at least in the US. Unfortunately she only gets a tiny fraction of the accolades.
Comfortable with sleep deprivation? That’s cool, you’re hired. 3 very small/young children and on-call weekdays and weekends….and that’s if all are healthy. Sounds like you’re the right person for my job. Cheers (a Dad)
Hey, I’ve been beaten by that guy (Cascade Creampuff)! Really great guy to race with.
We were riding in a pack of 3 when the eventual winner came breezing by on a road climb. Jay looked at the other two of us and asked “want to chase?”. I replied that I was already chasing, and that was the last I saw of him until beer time at the finish line.
Nice job, Jay!
I’d love to know what gear he was carrying for weather/conditions like that. Any chance of a ‘gear’ follow-up interview like the one Salsa did with Kurt Refsnider after he won the TD?