LeMonds, Horness Begin Quest for 71 @ 71

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Bob and I had planned this as a 70th birthday ride, but the pandemic forced to cancel. We are back and training hard and will make an attempt at doing 71 miles in July. Last year, I thought our chances of finishing were 50-50. I am revising that to 60-40. Regardless, we are going to give it our very best shot.

We will be starting at midnight on July 23rd. We are doing this because we would rather ride in the dark while we are fresh rather than at the end of the day when we are weak.

The logistics of simply getting to the trails and the physical demands of covering 71 miles of tough terrain, in combination with our advanced years and beaten-down bodies, make this a significant challenge. And that doesn’t take into account the possibility of mechanical or physical breakdowns during the ride.

That said, we are naive enough to think it’s doable.

Ben McCormack will serve as Ride Team Captain. He will be in charge of everything from having lights charged to deciding who will carry gear, food, and fluid to assigning people to move the cars. We will be supported by a stellar ride team that includes Andy Crump, Scooter Sutterer, Lizzy Fitch, Darryl Kent, Dave LeMonds, Jeanine Ciazzo, Kelley Hinkle, Kim McCormack, Ben Milstein, and Jeff and Dara Muldoon. Kim and Jeanine will split the pacing duties on the first leg at Marble and Ape Canyon. Ben will take the difficulty job getting us to the Lower Falls and back at Lewis River. We are hoping that Kim and Jeaine will be recovered and ready to pace us at Falls Creek.

If the numbers hold up, we expect to finish with 71.1 miles and just under 9,000 feet of vertical. To put this in perspective, the STP road ride has approximately 3,000 feet of climbing over 201 miles. We will finish with nearly triple that total in about a third of the miles. And we will not be riding on pavement or gravel. The ride route:

• Marble Mountain/Ape Canyon - We’ll start in the dark with lights, ride up the new line from Marble to the Ape Canyon trailhead, climb up to the Plains of Abraham, and ride across toward Windy Ridge, stopping at the Lunch Log and then heading back to Marble. Estimate = 30.5 miles with 5,400 feet of climbing
• Lewis River - We will start at Curly Creek, ride up to where the trail hits the pavement, continue to the Lower Falls, and then head back. The first leg is long and difficult, but we expect this one to be the deal-breaker. Lewis River has a ton of challenging interval that can turn legs to jelly. Estimate = 22.5 miles with 2,250 feet of climbing.
• Falls Creek - If we make it this far, we will be hanging on by our fingernails. We will do it as a shuttle. Estimate = 17.1 miles with 1,250 feet of climbing.

In addition to completing the ride as a personal milestone, Bob and I plan to use this opportunity to raise money for several worthy causes, two local and three national. We will be contacting you at a later date to see if you might be interested in contributing. Think of the benefits - This will allow you to participate in the 70 @ 70 event without suffering any physical pain!

Training is well underway, but we could also use a little luck and some good thoughts from you. We will keep you in the loop.

As I told Bob - One chance to be a legend.