Furnace Creek 508 Fixed Gear Solo Race Report Part 5

Here is the main elevation chart. The section you are about to read is from mile 325 to Mile 382

Part 5 or 7

Stage Five: Shoshone to Baker, 56.3 miles. Elevation Gain: 2186'.

Arrived Baker Sunday 4:38pm, 33 hours 38 minutes Avg. Speed11.33

From the 508 website

"After an easy 750 feet climb up Ibex pass (Mountain Section Seven), there’s a killer, long downhill, then the road to Baker is mostly flat and straight. The crew should stock up on gas, ice and food in Baker as no supplies are available until the finish".

Once I turned right onto the 178 East/South 127 (same road) I was treated to a nice tailwind. It was the same last year. A short stop at Shoshone and a short chat with the “Ostrich” and off I went. But not until I ordered a “cheeseburger …add bacon”. It was daylight and I could ride without the need for direct support. My crew stayed behind gassed up got my cheeseburger and met me down the road just before Ibex Pass.



my usual Ultra comfort food "cheeseburger...add bacon"

I was very hungry by the time the crew showed up with the cheeseburger and I just devoured it. My feet were hurting just as last year. ONCE AGAIN THE FACT THAT I COULDN’T COAST OR TAKE MY FEET OUT OF THE PEDALS MADE IT VERY HARD TO GIVE MY FEET ANY RELIEF. My feet were killing from the terrible road surface and it would only get worse in the next 2 stages

As I rolled into Baker I felt relieved that I was going to make it. Somehow psychologically I always feel better once I’ve made it to Baker. It was warm not hot and I thought the next couple of climbs will be fine.

As I was leaving Baker Tom Parkes reminded me that none of the fixed gear riders had ever DNF’d. No pressure Tom. But it truly made me feel that I needed to step up my game because I couldn’t go down as the “only” fixed gear rider to ever DNF!


Arriving in Baker I had completed 382.9 Miles and 26,856 feet of climbing