2007 LEADER BOARD
Iditarod Trail Mileage Southern Route
www.athinwhiteline.com
Race Route Description
GPS coordinates
Cabela's Iditarod - The Trail - Southern Distances
March 20, 2007 8:00 PM
Jose arrived in Nome at 6:30 pm (5:30 adjusted for the time change) to
claim second place in the 1100 mile race to Nome. He plans to stay in Nome
through tomorrow night and attend the Iditarod Red Lantern banquet.
Congratulations Jose for a great ride.
Jose's arrival is also the finish of the sixth annual
Iditarod Trail Invitational. Thanks to all the racers who participated
this year and to all the friends and family who supported them throughout
the race. It is all of you who make the race what it is. Thanks also to
all the sponsors and friends of the race both on and off the trail without
whom it could not happen.
Kathi and I both look forward to seeing all of you again next
year when we hope to be back on the trail with you racing to Nome.
Good trails and tailwinds to all of you
Bill and Kathi Merchant
Thank you, Kathi
and Bill.
Your effort produced during the long race was fantastic!
Whenever I checked on this web-site, it made me warm.
Because there are a lot of messages described in many different languages,
I feel that we live in the same world, on the earth.
I guess you are so tired. Take care of yourself.
Message
for Jan and Jose
Congratulation
for getting to Nome!
I think both of your families felt relieved at the news.
I really respect of you both.
You two are brave men!
From Masaru's mom
March 19, 2007 10:30 PM
Jose made it in to White Mountain at 8:30 PM. He said he had a great day of riding. When he arrived in Golovin he was invited to have dinner with a local lady before heading for White Mountain. He said not to worry if we didn't hear from him tomorrow because he plans to enjoy this last leg of a great adventure. He's hoping he has a light tailwind all the way to Nome.
March 19, 2007 6:04 PM
Jan called and confirmed he has arrived in Nome to win the 1100 mile
Iditarod Trail Invitational. He arrived at 4:42 pm corrected time.
Congratulations Jan for a great race!!! Jan wanted me to be sure and
post that he thought about Masaru a great deal during the race. He said
Masaru was not as fast but was the strongest racer to go so far with so
little equipment. Jan said when he was having a tough time it was thinking
of Masaru's strength that helped him get to Nome. He had time
to think about things from Safety to Nome. His off drive side crank bolt
came out somewhere and his crank arm fell off in Safety. He could
only pedal with one leg the last 22 miles. What a super effort that takes
at the end of an 1100 mile race. Again congratulations Jan. Can't wait to
see you here for that beer!!!!!
Should hear from Jose soon. We will post when we do.
We just looked at the Nome webcam and saw a biker under the burled arch.
We are pretty sure it is Jan Kopka. Congratulations Jan!! We hope to hear
from you soon to confirm your finish in Nome
Kopcoune,
tak jsi to dokazal, jses HRDINA. Moc ti s Rencou gratulujeme a prejeme ti,
at se das co nejdriv do kupy, aby jsi si svoje nadherne vitezstvi mohl
zaslouzene uzit. Protoze vim, jak vitezstvi chutna, tak taky vim, jak je
ti
krasne. Mej se kamarade, Sedlon.
Jéňo , gratuluji i když se neznáme , dopřáls mi lepší zážitek než Tour de France ! Několikrát denně sledovat kde jsi , jaké nástrahy asi překonáváš , jaké budeš mít počasí ...
Dopřál jsi nám všem spoustu radosti a oceňuji Tvou pokoru s jakou jsi ke všemu přistupoval !
Užij si To ! Pořádně a dlouho , zasloužíš si To . A už se těším až drobty z tvých zážitků rozhodíš mezi Nás , doma v Česku .
Vše dobré přeje Jirka
J.T.
Ahoj Jeno,
sledoval jsem tvuj vykon celou dobu a mooooc gratuluji k dosazeni
vysneneho
cile! Jsi borec! K Aljasce mam pomerne vrely rodinny vztah (viz. vzkaz od
Jarci) a jsem na tebe hrdy. Mezi krajany na Aljasce se budu chlubit tvym
perim ;-) Jestli budes mit chvilku v Anchorage, urcite se moji mamci ozvi
(zelvicka@ak.net,
domu: (907) 9299340, prace: (907) 2726051). Moc rada te
uvidi a uvari neco dobreho od nas z Ceska a pivko taky bude. Hodne jsem ji
o
tobe napsal a zavod prozivala se mnou. Preji stastny navrat domu.
Honzo,
smekám zimní kulich. Lidi jako Vy ukazují druhým cestu a dodávají nám
sílu pozměnit svoje stereotypní životy nasycené konzumem, falešnými
vzory a virtuální pravdou.
Už když jsem četl Vaši knihu jsem si říkal, že jste neskutečnej magor,
pokud dokážete to, co jste dokázal. A dále mi potvrzujete můj názor.
Máte můj ohromný obdiv.
Marek
Vydržte! Držíme Vám
palce a smekáme své klobouky!
Blanka a Jan Dubnovi
Jéňo Paráda s velkym P. I přes přísný zprávy o protivětru, kdy sem si vzpoměl na jednu společnou podzimní vyjížďku, když si řikal že "vítr je radost" sem prostě nepochyboval, že to prostě dáš. Gratuluju! si drakouš. Honza mAk Svoboda z JBC
Čau Jéňo,
gratulujeme k vítězství,
jsi borec. Doufám, že o tom bude zase knížka, abychom měli co číst,
nejlépe v parném létě. Petr, Monika a taky Standa z Ústí.
Jéňo
, gratuluji i když se neznáme , dopřáls mi lepší zážitek než Tour de
France ! Několikrát denně sledovat kde jsi , jaké nástrahy asi
překonáváš , jaké budeš mít počasí ...Dopřál
jsi nám všem spoustu radosti a oceňuji Tvou pokoru s jakou jsi ke všemu
přistupoval !Užij si To ! Pořádně a dlouho , zasloužíš si To . A už se
těším až drobty z tvých zážitků rozhodíš mezi Nás , doma v Česku .
Vše dobré přeje Jirka
Message from Masaru for Jan:
Congratulations!!!!!!
I am very, very happy to hear you from Nome!!!
I'm pretty sure how tough your way was, but finally you
made
it!!!
I give you my best cheers what you have done.
Now it's time to have a good, good rest!
And please remember that because of your good suggestion,
I could make it as far as Eagle Island.
Again congratulations!
Jéňo,
Gratuluju k dojetí do cíle Nome. Moc pěkný závod. Užij si oslavu, dnes si
na
tebe připijeme Bernardem.
Ládík
March 19, 2007 1:48 PM
We expect to hear from Jan late this afternoon or evening arriving in Nome. 22 miles before Nome is the Safety Roadhouse, open during the winter months only as a checkpoint for the Iditarod. I have some fond memories of that place from the year of 2003 when we had to switch our race route north to Nenana using the original Serum Run Route (768 miles). Bill and I rode on a snowmachine all the way to Nome ahead of the 8 racers that continued on to Nome that year. We stopped at the Safety Roadhouse ahead of Roberto Ghidoni the Italian walker leading the race. In the dark we saw the two lead mushers come through in a ground blizzard, one of them Robert Sorlie from Norway who won the race that year. It was clear skies above with the stars sparkling, but on the ground one could hardly see because of blowing snow and winds gusting 60 mph. A man from Nome showed up with a track vehicle and a reindeer named Velvet. She walked inside the roadhouse like any other visitor joining the crowd at the bar. She was eating cigarette butts off the floor and eventually laid down on the couch to take a nap. When Roberto came in later that night she had a wrestling game outside with him since he was trying to pet her head. She liked this challenge and opportunity to demonstrate why four legs are better than two in a pushing match. It was quite a cultural experience for me in my second year in Alaska and first time on the Iditarod Trail.
Kathi M.
March 18, 2007 7:24 PM
Back on duty!! Jan called from White Mountain. He arrived at around 5:30
pm and planned to leave and ride for a while longer. He plans to stay in
one of the shelter cabins. He said the frozen bay going into Golovin was
so slippery it was almost impossible to walk with the bike. Jan said other
than that it was great riding. He also said he has met many wonderful
people on the trail and that has been a great part of his race.
Jose called from Elim. He arrived there at 5:10 PM. He left
Koyuk at 1:45 after being invited to stay at the home of a local Iditarod
volunteer. He slept there for 11 hours after what he said was his toughest
leg of the race. The winds were bad crossing the sea ice. It was a
quartering head wind that kept pushing the bike sideways on the bare ice.
Jose said the stomach virus has run its course and he feels much better.
He plans to leave Elim around 10 AM in the morning.
More news when we here it.
Bill M
čau Jéňo, ve čtvrtek jsem byl v tanvaldu na operaci s kolenem a prvni co jsem uviděl, když jsem se probudil, tak byly Tvoje dva plakáty na zdi. To bylo fakt symbolický. Tak hodně štěstí. Doufám, že příští rok na SixNumbers budeš o Aljašce zase vyprávět. Báža
Ťěšééééééc Ty draku!! Podle všech zpráv o Tvým výkonu ( ale i ostatních) se nám všem pedálistům (ale i gaučařům) z Tvý sc-fi bitky s Aljaškou a zbytkem světa točej nohy už i ve spánku, abys to v pohodě docvaknul na tom prvním fleku do Nome. Tak moc nechoď a toč, ať si nemusíš nechat podrážet podrážky na nějakej další extrem rejs. Hodně sil, morálu a dobrý čásko na zbytek "projížďky" Aljaškou a s pozdravem "zdraví, sílu, najdeš v píííííívu" Ti přejem do těch posledních majlí, ať to dáš.!!! Pavel, Pája,
Jarda Startér.......Čus!
Zdravím Tě Honzo a držím pěsti!!!Ten Amík
asi ani neví,kde jsou Čechy,tak se snad podívá na mapu,když ho
donutíš!!Jste oba borci a já doufám,že mu to nandáš!Snad máš ještě
pivo,jinak by tvá cesta neměla konce a výsledek by byl ohrožen!Ahoj
Koták z Chomutova
čau Jéňo, ve čtvrtek jsem byl v tanvaldu na operaci s kolenem a prvni co jsem uviděl, když jsem se probudil, tak byly Tvoje dva plakáty na zdi. To bylo fakt symbolický. Tak hodně štěstí. Doufám, že příští rok na SixNumbers budeš o Aljašce zase vyprávět. Báža
ahoj Kopčoune,
mám zatajený dech, každej den, kdy ráno kouknu na to, kde jsi.
Radek a naši kamarádi už jinýho než Bernarda nepijí:)), aby ti
vyjádřili
solidaritu a podporu. Míle do cíle už jsou na dohled, a tak se brzy
najíš i
ohřeješ:-)). Hlavně si je ve zdraví a druševní pohodě vychutnej.
Výkon je to
excelentní!! Jeď, jeď....fandíme dnem i nocí Hana a Radek
www.cykloserver.cz
Asi vyhraješ
nám stoho běhá mráz po zádech...
http://usti.blog.cz/rubriky/nazory-clanky
March 17, 2007 7:00 AM
Jose called from Shaktoolik last night after a windy ride dropping down
out of the hills onto the coast. He said the wind was gusting to 40 mph.
Jose is still battling what he thinks is a stomach virus but he made great
time from Unalakleet leaving at noon and arriving in Shaktoolik at 6:30
PM. He was cozy in the Iditarod checkpoint where like Jan he was invited
in for dinner and rest.
Jan called at 12:30 AM from Koyuk. He fought the wind all the
way across the sea ice and said at times it was hard to keep his feet on
the glare ice. It was blowing steady at 30 mph with 45 mph gusts when he
arrived.
There will be a little gap in coverage from this afternoon
until tomorrow afternoon. Kathi and I need to get outside for a bit of
fresh air. We are going to ride out with our bikes and spend the night out
in the wind. Can't let Jan and Jose have all the fun. Sorry about the
interruption. We will be back on line Sunday afternoon.
Bill
Čau Jéňo! Držíme pěsti na posledních pár kilometrů a nakopej tomu ,,amíkovi" za tebou prdelku=)! Na oslavu tvého vítězství počkáme až se vrátíš do Čech, protože tady točí určitě lepší pivo než v Americe.S úctou k tvému výkonu Zrůsťáci
Message for Masura.
I am sorry to here about your toes, better to save the toes and return
again. Your nonstop relentless effort was very impressive, I can't believe
you made it to McGrath with one 16oz water bottle and as far as you did
with
those skinny tires. Job well done and take care of yourself.
Eric Warkentin
Jan and Jose,
I find myself checking the web all the time to see where you guys are.
Your
both doing awesome. Don't forget to take a few pictures Jan and I hope you
are finding plenty of beer along the trail. I hope you find a tailwind all
the way to Nome!
Eric Warkentin
March 16, 2007 11:00 AM
Jan called to let us know he was leaving Shaktoolik at 10:30 this morning.
The wind has calmed down to the normal 15 to 20 mph breeze that feels like
an icy hurricane at below zero temperatures on the exposed sea ice. We
called Theresa's where Jose was staying in Unalakleet this morning and got
no answer so we are guessing Jose is headed for Shaktoolik.
Jan sends this message to Masaru. "My hat is off to you Masaru for what you accomplished. You have a stronger head than anyone to go so far with the equipment you had. I have the greatest respect for you!"
Message for Masaru:
Congratulations on an unbelievable ride on your
skinny tires! Best wishes for a complete recovery of your frozen toes.
And to Jose & Jan -- you guys rock, and there are still many of us
following your great journey. Congratulations on your ER Match, Jose!
Take care & love to you both -- Jose's mom.
And thanks again, Kathi & Bill, for all your dedication & work:)
čau Yéťo,
...dneska jsem kupoval v samce mraženej špenát, tak sem si na Tebe
vzpomněl...... Nevíš, proč ?
Seš bůh, vodvaluj dál ! Viki
March 15, 2007 9:09PM
Jan Kopka called from Shaktoolik. He arrived at 7:15 PM and was invited into the Iditarod checkpoint for dinner. After descending into flat terrain from the Blueberry hills he said the wind increased to where it would knock him down. He plans to spend the night and hopes to have better weather tomorrow to travel 58 miles to Koyuk which includes 30 miles of sea ice. Jose had some stomach problems this morning and was going to wait in Shaktoolik until he felt better.
March 15, 2007 5:56PM
I finally heard from Masaru but his call did not come from Kaltag as I was
expecting. The night before last he had ridden through the night looking
right at what he described as curtain after curtain of Northern lights for
hours. He arrived at Eagle Island at 10:30 in the morning. He was invited
into the Iditarod checkpoint where he discovered he had frozen his toes.
Stephanie who had also been in Rohn and took care of racers there was in
Eagle Island. She contacted an Iditarod doctor who checked Masaru and said
he could do serious damage if he continued. After sleeping on the
recommendation of the doctor he decided this morning to take care of his
toes and come back to race again. He called me from the doctor's house
where he will be staying for the next couple of days. Our hats are off to
Masaru for sticking with it through tough conditions and making a wise
decision not to do further damage to his toes. I am sure he will be back
with fatter tires.
No word yet from Shaktoolik. If seeing the coast at
Unalakleet is a shock to the senses after 750 mile of interior trails,
seeing Shaktoolik sitting on a tiny little spit of land exposed to all the
elements is awe inspiring when you try to imagine what it takes to live
there.
More when they check in.
Bill M
Dear Bill and Kathi,
Hello.
How are you today?
It is such a long and tough event! I admire your job!
we supporters from all over the world and you organisers and volunteers,
and of course the amazing racers are keeping to share this special
feeling/experiences.
this is such a beautiful, miracle and mysterious thing!
I can't say well though.
I am so glad to share this feeling with people whom I have never met and
probably I will not.
yeah I am anxious about Masaru, (may be too much)
but the same time I am really surprised at human being itself through what
he and others have/had
done.
Please keep fine and enjoying.
Thank you very very much for everything!
haruka
by the way, doggies are soooo cute!
Masaru-san, You are my dream. (anata wa watashi no
yume desu.)
(Hayaku Buji ni Kaette kite kudasai.) Please come back safely and soon.
Tomoko
Masaru, what a
wild ride! Incredible!!! Send my best regards and good luck! and some
sunshine from
Australia! BE :)
Jan and Jose, I
am so happy that Masaru has you two. good luck and enjoy the rest of the
way, which is getting shorter and shorter.
Haruka from japan ;)
Eric, your message hit me deeply. I was so much moved. and it has a hint
to understand my boyfriend a
bit. Haruka
All racers,
thank you very much for giving me so many things. My life has changed
little by little,
probably as same as yours.
Before race and after "your goal (decision)" must be something changed...
Thank you all, Keep warm and cool!
Lou, your
existence especially gave me a lot! Haruka from japan
Ma-kun, Muri shinto yasumi yasumi susumi-. attakai toko haittara,
todokootta chi ya ki wo megurasu
beku, neru ka suwaru ka shite kokyu wo yukkuri mitara iiyo. chanto zenshin
sasutte agetene. love,
haruka
March 15, 2007 11:45 AM
I enjoyed listening to Jose describe the ride over the Portage from
Theresa's house in Unalakleet. It is hard to describe the transition from
Interior Yukon River into the mountains above Kaltag, out into a high
arctic valley through the coastal mountains at Old Woman. Drop then of a
gentle slope to the Unalakleet River for a ways until you realize you are
looking at the Bering Sea. I once guided four photographers on snowmobiles
through the portage and it would have been easier to herd cats with each
of them seeing the perfect photo in a different spot. If you actually have
time to look around and the weather permits it is an amazing stretch of
trail.
Jose did send good news back for Masaru when he gets to the
Portage he should be able to ride most of it easily if the weather holds.
Jose planned to head for Shaktoolik or possibly a bit further today.
I expect to hear from Masaru sometime today and will post
when he calls me.
Zdar Kopcoune,
zase jsem si dneska pocetl zpravy z prubehu a nezbyva mi, nez smeknout
pred
tvym vykonem. Drzis se skvele a humor te neopousti, jen tak dal. Doufam,
ze nejsou tve omrzliny vazne, to by ti jinak Iva dala. Pozdravuj u oceanu,
"tam kde vane vichodni vitr" a natrhni konecne tomu (jak nekdo vtipne psa)
Krokousovi prdel. At vidi, ze i na sirokejch gumach nema sanci. Makej a
porad ti i s Rencou drzime palce.
Ahoj Sedlon.
March 14, 2007 6:04PM
Jan Kopka and Jose Dundee made it into Unalakleet, a small eskimo village on the Bering coast. The trail overland was good for riding. The two spent last night at old woman cabin, a shelter cabin managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The weather was sunny, but cold and later into the ride windy. Jose called from Theresa Hickerson's house a family that has offered their hospitality to the weary racers for many years. Thank you Theresa!
Both Jan and Jose were asking about Masaru and where he was at on the trail, but we are still waiting to hear from him from Kaltag since he left Grayling on march 11th.
March 13, 2007 10:21AM
Jan called from Kaltag last night. He came in about 4 hours behind Jose. From the sound of it he might swap his 2.5 29ers for something a bit fatter if he had the choice. Jose sounded excited and upbeat about crossing the Portage to Unalakleet. He and Jan both planned to leave this morning. Masaru called from Grayling planning on spending the night and leaving this morning. He has had it rough with his 2.1 tires. He said he pushed all the way from Iditarod to Grayling and Jose with his fat tire set up rode 80% of it. He was relieved to hear Jose had made such good time on the Yukon and hopes to finally ride instead of push. Depending on the weather (wind especially) we could hear from Jose or Jan by tomorrow from Unalakleet.
Ahoj Jeno, do sve knihy jsi mi napsal, at mi to stale vrcholi (nejen na kole...:-)). Tak ja Ti ted preju, at Ti to ztuhne (hlavne pod kolem...:-)), aby Ti to na tech ziletkach trochu uhanelo. Drz se, jedes skvele a jsi stale pod dohledem... Hodne stesti, Sohajik
March 12, 2007 6:15PM
Jose Dundee called from Kaltag. He had made it to Eagle Island yesterday where he spent the night. His total riding time was 15 hours and he was averaging 9 mp/h at times. At one point he caught up with some mushers on a 20 mile stretch where the wind had shifted behind him in a river bend. After the slow trail from Anvik to Grayling that took him 4 hours for 18 miles he said the trail was hard packed and fast. He said he was glad to get off the Yukon River after 130 miles.
Jan Kopka had arrived shortly after Jose at Eagle Island and should arrive in Kaltag tonight. Jose was in good spirits and exited about tomorrows ride when he gets on the 90 mile passage overland to the Bering Sea Coast. The Kaltag Portage has been used by Athabascan Indians and Eskimos for centuries as a trading route and leads over the coastal mountains to Unalakleet a small Eskimo village. Unalakleet means " where the eastwind blows".
March 12, 2007 11:09AM
Masaru called this morning from Shageluk and planned to leave at 11:00 AM. He hopes to be in Grayling a small village of about 200 on the Yukon River. We hope to hear from him again tonight. Jose and Jan left Grayling yesterday morning and it could be 3-4 days before we hear from them again. Since there is a prevailing headwind on the Yukon River most times they might have to push their bikes in places where the wind has created wind drifts.
Ahoj Honzo,držím Ti palce, jsi borec!!!
Radek ML. BOLESLAV
Hey connichiwa Masaru!!!!
Your bikers friends from 26 street hostel.
Keep strong my friend!!! Remember that a wonderful BBQ is waiting for you
back in Anchorage. Enjoy your challenge and don't think stopping any
time. You can do it well !!!! You are Masaru ( the Samurai). Cheers
Florencia, Sebastian and Marcela
Caro Marco la
Mara si occupa di te come di un nenonato...ogni ora
controllla le novitŕ del tuo sito. Comunque sei sempre monitorato !
Neanche in Alaska puoi farti i c... tuoi !. I "vecchi" stanno benone.
Tutto OK, ciao Ugo, mara , Mariachiara e Giovanni
March 11, 2007 10:51PM
Masaru called us from Shageluk. He had mostly pushed his bike from Iditarod and only rode the last 20 miles to Shageluk. He has some second degree frostbite on one of his fingers. It has been very cold and windy on the trail, at Iditarod it was -35 F when he left. After spending another night he plans to leave tomorrow and continue on to Anvik.
Marco Berni has decided to finish in McGrath this year. Delays have put him too far behind his schedule to continue this year. He said he will be back in two years for another go at the Southern Route.
This
website was designed by Larson Graphics
It
is the property of the AlaskaUltraSport.