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Norwil

Pat Calls from Nikolai
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This is Pat (Norwil) and I'm talking to Jon Kirschke, 2nd-place winner of the Extreme. So Jon, what were the highlights on the trip?

Kirschke: Highlights? Highlights, or low points? I would say the highlights would be the stretch from Rohn to Nikolai, after two days of pushing from Finger Lake up to and over Rainy Pass. Getting on my bike at 3 o'clock in the morning from Rohn and actually being able to ride again was quite a treat.

Norwil: Yeah, you caught me down there. You had a good ride off of Rohn down past Egypt and then onto the Burn.

Kirschke: Yeah, that was probably my best ride of the whole course.

Norwil: So, what was the night like?

Kirschke: Which night?

Norwil: The night going over Rainy Pass.

Kirschke: Going over Rainy Pass? Let's see, I think we headed out from Rainy Pass Lodge at about 1 o'clock in the morning. And halfway up to the Pass, I was heading up with Mike Madden, and both of us were thinking it was a really bad mistake to leave that early because we were hurting pretty bad. We got up to the mouth of the Pass right around dawn, but like always the sun came out and pretty much lifted the spirits and I started feeling a lot better. Through the Pass we waded through sometimes knee-deep and sometimes higher snow drifts and it was kind of hard to follow the trail that the two in front of us had left, because it was blown over. But we got up over the top and walked down and I think the first time I was able to ride my bike at that point was once we hit the Dalzell Gorge.

Norwil: Yeah, that had a lot of avalanches.

Kirschke: Yeah it did. It was a little scary, I guess, riding through, but it was a very beautiful, beautiful section and the trail was soft but rideable. I had my tires almost down to nothing and was able to ride most of it. It was pretty. It was very pretty.

Norwil: Right, that was pretty awesome. What did you think of the Farewell Lakes and just the ballroom ice, frozen lakes?

Kirschke: That was scary. Every time I hit the lakes or hit an ice spot I kind of went into panic mode and just went at a real slow steady pace. The last thing I wanted to do was wipeout and break something on the ice and then, of course, there's always the interesting cracking sounds that tend follow you as you're going across. That makes things a little unnerving.

Norwil: Yeah, look ahead and pedal at a clean cadence.

Kirschke: Yep, that's all I did. I'd set my sights on the other side and just try to ride as straight a line as possible and hopefully not wipeout. I wiped out I think two or three times on the ice but nothing too bad.

Norwil: So, what did you think of the Farewell Burn and going into Nikolai and then the last stretch going into McGrath?

Kirschke: Farewell Burn was a lot of fun. I caught you just as we were heading out of Farewell Lakes, I guess after bivying out and hit that section of Burn. The first half of it was just awesome, incredible riding. Climbing or pushing up the hills and then just screaming down off these mogul sections. After the Buffalo Camp, it got a little more drudging. It got flat and you're just riding a straight line and the snow got a little more punchy. And I was trying to keep a good pace and as the hours dragged on my legs started to weight down and finally got into Nikolai and I was smoked. I remember you came in and you were laughing at me and your words were, "Good ride, but you don't know what's coming next." And you were very right

Norwil: That next section to McGrath is just pain.

Kirschke: The night from Nikolai to McGrath was by far my lowest point of the entire race. I've never been so delirious and so totally out of it, to the point where I was seeing things that I knew weren't there. I couldn't focus on the trail — it was horrible...[transmission fails]

So Jon we were talking about the section from Nikolai to McGrath and you were telling me that it was a low point and that you were having visions. What kind of visions were you seeing on the trail?

Kirschke: Man, I mean, to tell you the truth, I don't even remember. I was having a real difficult time just trying to focus on the trail itself. My eyes would go in and out of focus; sometimes I'd be looking at trail and other times I'd just see nothing. I'd see lights and forms out in the distance and think there was something there and there wasn't. And it was just funny. I remember — I can't remember how many times I just rolled my bike right off the trail and into the knee-deep snow and buried myself.

Norwil: Yeah, I was in that section, with no light, and walking, and I could hardly find that trail. I'd wander off and be thigh-deep in snow and have to crawl back on the trail.

Kirschke: Yeah, it's horrible. I think it's because that section is just so monotonous and, you know, it's after 300 miles of hard riding. You get to Nikolai and you think, 'hey, man, I'm on the home stretch...'

Norwil: Yeah, 50 miles.

Kirschke: And it's a long, long home stretch.

Norwil: And the trail, it winds around so much. I know when I'm out there, I'm just thinking 'God, why can't they just make this thing go straight?'

Kirschke: Exactly.

Norwil: Yeah, it's pretty trippy. So we were talking here in the room about the waterfall out of Rohn, and how you've got to up and over this waterfall. And what was your game plan on that?

Kirschke: Well, I bought some, on a whim, things called Yak Tracks, and they just slip over your shoes and give you a little more traction. And I bought a set and had them sitting in my bag for the whole ride. I hit that waterfall and as I'm looking up this - what? 30º glade of frozen glare ice, wondering how I'm going to get up it. I suddenly remember that I had these in the bag. I threw them on and started walking up the hill. I was actually kind of tickled that I wasn't carrying these for dead weight, I actually got to use them, which made it worth carrying.

Norwil: Yeah, that's a real sick trail, that section, just that whole (part) out of Rohn and the the part that parallels the Kuskokwim, and then you've got to cross it, and the Kuskokwim is just glare ice. You get across that and then all of a sudden you go up this waterfall. It's bizarre.

Kirschke: It is. It totally threw me off guard. I was like, "What on earth is a ice waterfall doing out here in the middle of nowhere?'

Norwil: So, you're a rookie this year. And you did really well.

Kirschke: Yeah, it's my first year I'm doing the Extreme. I did the 100-miler twice: last year and then I did it again this year.

Norwil: How did you do in the 100?

Kirschke: I came in 8th on this year's; I think I placed 9th last year. I had a pretty good race. I mean, my main goal in the 100-miler was to do kind of a last big training ride and make sure my gear and everything else worked and actually get used to riding in snow. Coming from Arizona, I don't get a whole lot of winter weather. So in that respect, it turned out pretty good. I had a few gear problems on the 100-miler that I managed to fix before I started off on the Extreme.

Norwil: Yeah, so the rookie coming into the Extreme, you did really well.

Kirschke: I had a good race. You know, I feel fortunate. I think it was probably the best race I've ever had. You know, there are just so many variables out there, some that you can control and some you just absolutely can't. And I think it was just one of those cases, that my gear selection worked out for me and you know, things just went in my favor. You have good races and bad races, and this one happened to be a good one for me.

Norwil: So you think by holding back a little bit in the beginning of the race really helped you out in the home stretch?

Kirschke: I think so. That was my goal, as I started out, trying to keep as steady a pace as possible. And I think on day three, when we headed out of Rohn is where I noticed that it had paid off. Because I'm going on my third day of racing...[transmission fails]

Norwil: We were talking about holding back a little in the beginning of the race and them pouring it on for the home stretch. And what were you saying about that, Jon?

Kirschke: Right, yeah, I tried to ride just a pretty slow and steady race up to that point and, like I said, I think it paid off. Because I left Rohn – I got about five hours sleep there – so I'm on my third day of racing, I've had seven hours of sleep in that last three days and I'm feeling probably better... as good if not better than I did in the beginning of the race. That was my best day of the entire race. I felt strong and I just rode.

Norwil: You went non-stop all the way from Rohn until the end.

Kirschke: Sure, if I had to do it again, knowing what that stretch from Nikolai to McGrath was, I probably would have tried to catch an hour or two at Nikolai. But that's one of the prices you pay for being a rookie, not knowing what's coming up.

Norwil: Well, it paid off for you. You had a great race.

Kirschke: Thanks. Thanks a lot, it's an awesome event.

Norwil: Well, good luck on the way to Nome.

Kirschke: You too, bye.

—Pat Norwil, MountainZone.com Correspondent

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