Part 2 - A Decade of Diligence - Nome

NOME

350 miles was not enough for Petervary, so the second year he went to Alaska, he signed up for the 1,000-mile route to Nome. “It’s a personality thing. Even though I had the most challenging 350 miles of my life the year prior, that second year I didn’t hesitate to sign up for Nome. I needed to see, feel, and experience all things beyond McGrath.” Just like the event’s attributes that got him interested in the ITI in the first place, the extra distance to Nome and being in even more remote areas was compelling. “I wanted to engage and see what the different villages were and what they were about. I wanted to see the Yukon River, ride on sea ice, experience a blow hole… I just wanted to see if I could do it! I have never grown or learned so much than I did by going to Nome.”

Leaving McGrath that first year was nerve-wracking for Petervary. “Even though I had a clean run to McGrath the year prior, even won, the distance on to Nome didn’t go nearly as well.” He left McGrath with a fellow competitor, and a couple others left shortly after that. It wasn’t even a day later, and they were all together pushing their bikes down the trail. “We pushed for several days together as it was one of those remote overland sections.” It was so cold during the day that they’d built fires to melt water because they were running out of fuel for the stoves. “I also drank some overflow and ended up with giardia. Things were coming out of both ends for days. That year I think I pushed my bike for six-plus days non-stop and finally pulled the plug. I learned a ton from that experience and decision. It was the only event in my cycling career, over 20 years to this day, that I have stopped short of the finish line.”