Surly Bikes
Greetings, humanoids.
Some sub-zero suffering is good for the soul. It keeps the senses alive. Take it from the Price brothers, Ian and Alex, who recently completed the Arrowhead 135-mile Winter Ultra on the newest Moonlander. We’ve covered Arrowhead before (it’s in our neck of the woods), and we’ve got the blogs and burn holes in our puffy to prove it. But that’s beside the point.
Kick back, relax, and enjoy their retellings from the comfort of your heated toilet seat.
1. Why would anyone in their right mind decide to participate in the Arrowhead 135 for a second time?
Ian: Idk, it’s a cool event and the trail is beautiful.
Alex: That's a good question. I think every time I’ve been out in the middle of the race, I’m adamant I won’t be coming back unless it’s volunteering at a checkpoint next to a warm fire. Then a couple of days pass and I’m already getting excited about doing it again. There’s a strange allure about this race.
Ian: We kind of have to go back for a third time because we still haven't completed it unsupported. This means you aren’t allowed to go inside checkpoints, and you must be completely self-sufficient (carrying all your food and water for the entire race). It’s like beating a video game level on normal mode and then going back to beat it again on hardcore mode.
2. Knowing that you’ve completed it before, how did that impact your mindset going into this year?
Ian: We participated in 2024 and ended up dropping out at Mel George’s. I was going into this year with a bit of redemption in mind. I think we both were. Kind of committing to finishing this year regardless of how long it would take. I also wanted to shift my mindset away from racing it. The last two times I toed the start line my brain was so focused on going fast. For this year, I wanted to make it a priority to enjoy the adventure. To treat it like my everyday bike ride shenanigans.
Alex: I remember leading up to the race us both saying, “we’re not racing it, we’re finishing it.” I felt like I had the experience of knowing what I was getting into and planning for it, I also had the experience of knowing it was going to suck. A lot. I tried to keep my mind set on the one thing I knew I was going to do, finish the race. Everything else would just be a piece of that bigger journey. I knew I had everything I needed on my bike, I had 60 hours to get to the finish line, and I was gonna make it dammit. I was also reflecting on the enormous privilege I have to even be able to get to the start line. This race is not cheap and neither are hotels or -20F sleeping bags. It requires access to a lot of resources that I am fortunate to have access to, and those thoughts would end up propelling me toward the finish just as much as my legs did.
Image credit: Mary Ehlers
3. Did you do anything specific to prepare for this year?
Alex: No rigid training plans or hours dedicated to spinning cranks in Watopia or whatever the kids are calling their new video games. Ian and I have a running joke that trainer miles aren’t real miles.
Ian: Sounds more like a bike joke than a running joke!
Alex: I just prefer to ride outside. I think it’s helpful to dial in layers and find out how much time I have before my water bottle turns into a popsicle. Once I got my new Moonlander built up I committed to riding that bike and only that bike. Commuting to work, group rides, errands, all of it. These were my base miles going into the race.
Ian: Commuting on the Moonlander 2.0 was a great way to train. We also went on a few sub-24 camp outs to figure out how to pack the bikes. I changed my setup a few times but ultimately ended up strapping my gear on the bike how I always do. Sleep system up front on the handlebars, water bottles on the fork, snacks in feedbags/frame bag and one pannier full of clothes. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach.
4. How were conditions during the race?
Alex: Lots of mashed potatoes during the day with a hefty side of warm temps, then cold hard pack throughout the night once things froze over. It was a big range with the high getting close to 30F and the low plummeting to at least 0F on the overnight portion. The big Molenda tires made easy work of the mushy ruts and more than a couple times, we had “fat tire bikes” following in our extra wide tracks.
Ian: You forgot to mention the massive wind gusts throughout the two days.
Alex: Oh yeah, those were wild! Still wish I snagged a video of the trek across Elephant Lake with those 30+mph cross winds.
Ian: I was just stoked that it was essentially a tailwind for the entire ride. The 6.2s defiantly rode through everything with ease. If you had the power to pedal the damn thing, that is.
5. What hors d'oeuvres were on the frame bag menu?
Alex: If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s over packing. I think I probably had enough in my food cache to race unsupported if I had wanted to... good practice for when the time comes. I had some smoked salmon, peanut butter pretzels, cheez-its, PB&J’s, salted almonds, PB M&Ms, beef sticks, some electrolytes, and Spiz calorie drink mix. Liquid calories can be a life saver if it’s tough keeping food down. I also brought some caffeine pills because last time my energy drink froze solid.
Ian: I like to think of it more like, “prepared for anything.” If I’m going to be out in the middle of the woods for two days straight, I want to make sure I have everything I would need if something catastrophic happened. I packed a lot of savory foods. My personal favorites had to be Dot Pretzels and a bag of cooked bacon. Part of me wishes I brought a mini charcuterie board for that midnight bonfire we had.
6. How was riding with your brother? Who bonked first and how'd you get through it?
Ian: Riding with my brother is nothing new, so it felt pretty normal. We ride together all the time and have a pretty similar riding style. I was kind of surprised to see Alex struggling to keep up in the first half of the race. I found myself pulling away a lot more than I would have expected.
Alex: I definitely hit the wall first and I hit it quickly. Big brothers have to be the first to do everything, right? I was just as surprised to see how much I was struggling getting to the first checkpoint at the pace we were going. Then again, the first 9.5 miles were almost straight into a 30mph headwind, and these bikes weren’t exactly aerodynamic. I think a part of me was trying to reel the pace back knowing this was a big heavy bike and an even bigger race. I didn’t want to burn up all my energy right out of the gate. Seems that choice served me well when the night came and Ian was the one bonking hard!
7. What were your thoughts exiting the halfway point at Mel George’s Resort? I hear they make a killer grilled cheese.
Ian: Indeed. It’s always a great feeling to be greeted with a grilled cheese and some warm soup.
Alex: That safe haven at mile 72 is always the best. The volunteers there are true trail angels. I think between the time I walked in the door and sat down at the table they had already put a fresh grilled cheese in front of me. I knew leaving Mel George’s meant our chances of finishing skyrocketed, so that was a good feeling. I also remembered how many damn hills there are between MG and the third checkpoint, most of which I knew we would be walking–pushing 100lb loaded bikes. I tried to ignore that thought and focus the few brain cells that were still awake on staying dry and warm.
Ian: At least we had all the extra food from our drop bags at that second checkpoint. That was the first time both of us utilized the drop bags and it was really nice. Knowing I had a full re-supply of food waiting for me at Mel George’s was really confidence-inspiring.
8. What was it like riding straight through the night without sleep?
Ian: Extremely hard. Pretty soon after we left Mel George’s, I started dozing off on the bike. Mind you it’s probably only 9pm at this point we still had one of the hardest sections of the course to push through. I knew I was in trouble. On top of counting sheep, I had way too many layers on. When we left Mel George's, I thought the temps would start dropping faster than they actually did. My clothes were pretty soaked, and I only had one dry layer left in my bag.
Alex: I remember an hour or two after leaving Mel George’s we were both feeling the sleeps creep in and half-joked we should’ve stayed to nap in the warm beds they had available. Which was exactly why we left when we did, but now we were paying the price. We were due for check-in at our timeshare in the pain cave. I will say it was refreshing seeing the stars every time we stopped to eat though. The sky was perfectly clear and the stars were so much brighter than I’m used to in the light-polluted Twin Cities. I remember one brief stop for food after I was done stargazing, and I looked over to see Ian’s eyelids slowly dropping closed and knew things were about to get interesting.
Ian: I was so deep into the bonk zone that the only thing I could think about was sleeping and changing into dry clothes. Eventually I told Alex that I needed to do something about my soaking wet layers. He brought up the idea of making a fire at the next snowmobile shelter so I could dry out. Perfect.
Alex: That fire was pretty rad. During the hour and a half we were there several other bikers stopped by to warm up and a couple set up bivies for the night. We met Beth and Derrick there who were both going to Alaska for the ITI the following month, and Beth was racing Arrowhead unsupported! Knowing we’d already been hanging out there for too long, we said our goodbyes and set off into the darkness in search of the monster climbs waiting for us.
9. Biggest challenge you overcame during the ride?
Ian: Sleep demons for sure. After we left that midnight bonfire, I pulled out my bag of magic spells and just like that, the demons were gone.
Alex: I’m not sure if I can narrow it down to just one. The sleep was a struggle and that seemed to hit me in waves. The slow pace trying to get to checkpoint 3 seemed to take forever, and I had started to question if it even existed. Did we make a wrong turn and miss it entirely? Where the hell was it?
Ian: You kept saying “I think it’s right after this hill”. After about six of those hills, I stopped listening.
Alex: I knew one of those hills would be the last one! That last stretch to the finish from checkpoint 3 was rough for me though. That sticks out in my mind as one of the toughest pushes. My body ached, I was struggling to sit on the bike comfortably, and my feet hurt walking, but the only way forward was forward.
Ian: That last section to the finish was so monotonous, especially since the trail was slightly uphill the entire time. I remember when we started pedaling up that last ¼ mile spur trail to the finish, I felt so relieved. Alex and I started getting pretty damn excited. I still can’t believe we rode 135 miles on those massive 6.2 inch tires.
10. There’s plenty of talk about preparing for the weather, the miles, having the right gear, etc. We’ve heard all that, but how does one attempt to prepare mentally for something like this?
Alex: In my opinion, the only thing you can count on out there is stuff not going to plan. Get comfortable being uncomfortable and making decisions in that state of mind. I think the only way to learn how to navigate tough situations is to put yourself in them and push on through. If your first time doing this is in the middle of the event, things will be exponentially more challenging. To train for stuff like this I’ll choose to go riding when the weather is shitty and spend some time being cold, wet, or tired on the bike. It doesn’t have to be super long, but spending time doing it and getting familiar can make things less mentally taxing during the race.
Ian: A lot easier said than done, though. But that’s pretty solid advice. The only thing I would add is it makes it a hell of a lot easier if you have a friend to ride with. It brings down the “suck” factor quite a bit in my opinion.
11. Any advice for people thinking about dipping their toe in the frigid waters of winter-ultras?
Ian: Start slow and don’t overthink it. When I started getting into winter ultra events, I was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of gear you needed to have and how expensive everything was. Participating in Arrowhead alone could easily cost you over $1,000. Point being, it’s a huge commitment and starting small was super helpful. First, I started getting comfortable being outside in the cold. Then, I tried camping in the cold. After spending many hours out in the cold, I started to feel more confident in my abilities. Suddenly these winter ultras started to feel much more obtainable.
Alex: I think that’s solid advice. Start small and go from there. I remember the first time I camped in cold weather was in my back yard, so I knew I had a warm place to go inside if things got too difficult. I’ll second Ian’s earlier comment and say that doing any of it with friends seems to make things a whole lot more approachable. I think growing confidence is a key piece and that just means investing time using your gear or being in the cold. It helped me a lot to know what to expect in those environments, how to use my gear effectively, and how to problem solve different kinds of issues in the cold.
12. Anything else you care to share with the class?
Ian: 6.2 is the future.
Alex: For any doubters out there, I can confirm two Moonlanders will fit on a Kuat NV hitch rack if you use Surly Whiplash straps for the rear wheels. The technology exists, right?
Ian: That was a good one. It’s too bad they don’t make stickers anymore. If you want to follow along on our other bike shenanigans you can do so here -
Ian - @make._happiness
Alex - @alex7price
13. Wait–Alex, aren’t you going to tell them about that thing you saw in the trees overnight? That squirrel sized bear or whatever it was?
Alex: IT WAS REAL, OKAY. I looked it up. It’s called a fisher. Wait—how’d you know about that? Who's asking these questions anyways?!
Ian: Not a clue. Definitely not the two of us after being asked to write a blog on our Arrowhead experience.
Alex: Hm, that would be fun though.
Well, there you have it. Alex and I wrote this entire blog. There was no interview, no charcuterie board. No nothing. Take that AI. Now get outside and go ride.