Wheels on Ice

Jessica Cherry is a geoscientist, writer, aerial photographer, and commercial airplane pilot living in Anchorage, Alaska. She writes a literary column for the alternative weekly Anchorage Press. Frank Soos (1950–2021) is the author of Unpleasantries: Considerations of Difficult Questions, Bamboo Fly Rod Suite, and Early Yet and coauthor of Double Moon: Constructions and Conversations. He was a professor emeritus of English at the University of Alaska–Fairbanks.

• List of IllustrationsPrefaceJessica CherryIntroductionFrank SoosPart 1. Bicycling in Alaska, 1898–1908IntroductionTerrence ColeFrom Dawson to Nome on a BicycleEdward R. JessonA Broken Chain and a Busted Pedal: Max Hirschberg’s 1900 Bicycle Ride to NomeMax HirschbergCycling the Arctic: Levie’s Bicycle Ride from Point Barrow to NomeH. B. LeviePart 2. New Wheels, 1980s–2000IntroductionJessica Cherry and Frank SoosIditabike, 1987Charlie KellyIditasport Extreme: 350 MilesRocky ReifenstuhlIditasport, 1991Gail KoepfHellbikes on IceRoman DialBiking the Haul RoadDan BuettnerPribilofs by Bike, 1994Bill SherwonitRough-Terrain Unicycling, 1997Michael FinkelPart 3. Wheels Now, 2001–2021IntroductionJessica CherryThe Wind Grooms Our TrailsDaniel SmithSkagway to NomeJeff OatleyThe Government SignCorinna CookLast Ride of the SeasonDavid A. JamesA Winter Bike CommuteMartha AmoreThe Bike ThiefDon ReardenThe Killer HillAndromeda Romano-LaxCryo-Cave! An Ode to Indoor Training in AlaskaEric FlandersThe Iditarod Trail and MeClinton Hodges IIIThat One Magnetek Time I Jumped Over Five CarsM. C. MoHagani MagnetekWhen There’s No One Left to FightRachael KvapilThe Books I CarriedAlys CulhaneGoing Long, Going SoloCorrine LeistikowPhysical EducationJessica CherryThere Is No TomorrowBjØrn OlsonA Positively Memorable Mountain Bike Ride(ish)Eric TroyerBack in Alaska to Share the Story of the RoadsLael WilcoxNulato Hills: Biking Musk Ox Trails in Western AlaskaLuc MehlGrowing Old with My BicycleKathleen McCoyThe Magic Bus on Stampede TrailTom MoranTell ’Em about It: An Alaska Cyclist at LargeEarl PetersonAcknowledgmentsSource AcknowledgmentsContributors

"This book is an important contribution to understanding how northerners and southerners alike have engaged with the Alaskan environment. This book will be of interest to northern environmental historians as well as northern cycling enthusiasts."-Glenn Iceton, H-Environment "However often you ride bikes, you'll find something beautiful in this 320-page collection. You'll probably also find something inspiring. I certainly did, and when I finished reading, I pulled on my boots and went for a long ride."-John Messick, bikepacking.com “Ever since bicycles were invented, intrepid Alaskans have set out through wilderness, over mountains, along frozen rivers, over thousands of miles of trails. This spirited and lively collection gives us history, starting in 1900, with Ed Jesson’s thousand-mile trip Dawson to Nome. We witness the development of mountain bikes and fatbikes, of pogies and GPS systems. We watch a Tuesday evening cycling club get bogged down, literally, so their ride lasts until the wee hours. From everyday bike commutes to weeks-long wilderness rides, Alaskans continue to push the pedals and their own limits. This book will delight hardcore riders, weekend riders, and readers who’ll enjoy vicariously these wild adventures on wheels.”-Peggy Shumaker, author of Just Breathe Normally “Thrilling! This entertaining and thoughtful anthology captures the joys and adventures of bicycling in Alaska. From urban rides in Anchorage to perilous winter journeys above the Arctic circle, and from the earliest bicycles brought to Alaska during the 1890s Gold Rush to contemporary rides on fatbikes taken to help cope with our current pandemic, herein is a wide-ranging selection of essays filled with surprises at every turn. Readers will experience not only long pedals through the landscapes and wildlife of this most beautiful state but also the personal introspection that only a good ride can inspire. At turns humorous, inspiring, and thought-provoking, and all so beautifully written. It’ll make you want to ride, even at forty below.”-Daryl Farmer, author of Bicycling beyond the Divide