Until this week, no one had ever ridden the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest聽race course on a bike. The sled dog race is known as one of the toughest competitions on earth鈥攊t鈥檚 a two-week slog through snow and ice and over remote ranges from Fairbanks, Alaska, southeast to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory.
Then Jeff Oatley, a civil engineer and renowned fat-bike racer from Fairbanks, pedaled his fully loaded rig across the finish line on Tuesday, becoming the first person to do so. It took him just over 16 days鈥攁bout a week longer than it takes the race鈥檚 top dog聽sledders. He pedaled between 12 and 18 hours each day, covering anywhere from 40 to 80 miles at a time.听It wasn鈥檛 Oatley鈥檚 first rodeo: the 46-year-old began riding fat bikes in 2000, he twice won Minnesota鈥檚 prestigious Arrowhead 135 winter race, and he holds聽the record for the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Invitational (10 days, 2 hours, 53 minutes).
The Quest marked a personal triumph for Oatley.听A close friend of his died聽in a hunting accident in November and the blow聽left Oatley reeling. Out of shape and struggling to come to terms with his grief, Oatley knew he needed a spark. 鈥淚 was hanging out, drinking whiskey with a friend around New Year鈥檚, and just was like, 鈥業 gotta do something. Fuck it, I鈥檓 going to ride the Yukon Quest trail,鈥欌 he told 国产吃瓜黑料.
鈥淚 was hanging out, drinking whiskey with a friend around New Year鈥檚, and just was like, 鈥業聽gotta聽do something. Fuck it, I鈥檓 going to ride the Yukon Quest trail.'”
Taking on the trail is easier said than done. Here, Oatley discusses how he did it, why he didn't bring a tent, and what it's like聽spending two weeks alone in North America鈥檚 most desolate landscape.
OUTSIDE: What's it like聽riding an 80-pound bike for 16 straight days on snow?
鈥婳ATLEY:聽I guess if you鈥檙e not interested in seeing the country that you鈥檙e going through, then there鈥檚 probably not much for you. The Yukon Quest is a dog race that I鈥檝e followed pretty closely, and it鈥檚 tough country, but it鈥檚 beautiful. It just so happens that the only way for me to do it is on a bike. I was high as a kite when I finished.听I had a freakin鈥 amazing trip. It was more beautiful and way better than I expected it to be.
What separated this from other long rides you鈥檝e done in winter?
The Quest is a different animal. The terrain is harder and the weather is potentially more dangerous than on the Iditarod Trail, especially for a human-powered racer. Just because you can鈥檛 carry the weight that the mushers carry out there, yet you鈥檙e traveling through this country that can be minus聽60 degrees. My bike weighed almost 80 pounds.听You can鈥檛 go into that country with a light bike, because you won鈥檛 have the gear you need if the weather goes sideways. It鈥檚 too risky.
Were you pitching a tent to sleep?
I didn鈥檛 carry a tent. I think I slept outside three or four nights, with a sleeping bag on the ground. Every other night I got to some kind of shelter, like a shack or abandoned cabin or a trapper鈥檚 cabin. Three nights in a row, I stayed with people who live out in that country, who鈥檝e been there for 40 years. There鈥檚 a network. They knew I was coming.
How much did you end up walking?
I got lucky with trail conditions. I certainly walked more than 50 miles, but probably less than 100. And the longest stretch that I walked was only about five miles. It was a whiteout from a really dense cloud鈥攜ou couldn鈥檛 see anything. There was a good trail, but I couldn鈥檛 maintain my balance well enough to stay on my bike. So I just had to walk and feel the trail.
How do you handle the isolation? What do you think about?
I hit these really lonely, far-out-there sections. It鈥檚 remote. Especially in the winter. Some of that country sees some people in the summer, but in the winter, there鈥檚 nobody out there. I was just like, nobody gets to experience this. The mushers don鈥檛 even get to be that alone out there. Going up to Yukon, the northern lights were going off. I was having the time of my life. You鈥檙e surprised by the sound of your voice when you start talking again.
Did the ride help you sort through your grief?
I don鈥檛 know if it did or not yet. But I didn鈥檛 do this as a tribute to Brian, or dedicate it聽to him, or anything like that.听I did it for me. I just needed some time and felt like I had to get moving again. I thought about him a lot on the trail, but it wasn鈥檛 really extra motivation. I鈥檓 plenty motivated. One of the reporters at the finish asked me, 鈥淒id you ever think about quitting?鈥 No, man. At one time I was thinking it would be sweet if I could ride back to Fairbanks when I finished, just so I could stay out there longer.