Nebo Mania


Earlier this spring, I made the acquaintance of a local roadie, Brian Whipple. He and I are the same age and we ride very close to the same speed and intensity. He has complained about getting “out climbed” by many of his cycling partners, so this season he was making a concerted effort to work on doing more climbing (& prepare for the LoToJa in September). One of the local favorite climbs is the (Mount) Nebo Loop road, which is a 30 minute drive from us in Sanpete County. Most people start on the north side as it is near the metro area of Provo and Payson. The grade is also less severe starting on that end (the grade going up the south side approaches 14 to 16% depending on who’s GPS you rely on). For us, the southern approach is a shorter drive.
I have done a single crossing of the Loop in conjunction with some organized rides, but never a “double crossing.” This summer, I did two doubles with Brian (and Richard Anderson on once occasion, who was usually off the front and not in the photos). The distance was 75 miles with about 9800 feet of vertical gain. It typically took us seven hours to complete.

This tough duty “double” business reminds me of my ultrarunning days, when I did a double crossing of the Grand Canyon or a double summit bid on Mount Timpanogos — both of which I did solo.

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Author: Rando Richard

I’m an old guy (age 69 in 2023) who enjoys aerobic, endurance sports. I call myself a cardio-junkie. Perhaps the more appropriate term would be “ultra” endurance sports. Since I was a teenager I have always enjoyed “slow twitch” outdoor sports like backpacking, ice climbing, running, mountaineering, hiking, alpine skiing and randonnée skiing (alpine touring, backcountry skiing or skimo). In 2005 I starting running with more regularity — except this time it was not for the intent of getting ready for a mountaineering trip, but as an end to itself. From 2005 to 2007 I managed to eek out two seasons of ultramarathons — that is competitive trail runs up to 50 or 100 miles. Due to a nagging ankle injury from the 80s (an accident while ice climbing in the 1980s where my lower tib and fib were badly broken), I had to cease that grueling, but rewarding activity. I then migrated into ultra distance road cycling or randonneuring. The rides are called brevets (pronounced bruh-VAY, it’s French) and are minimally supported — they are similar to ultrarunning and backpacking where one must be self reliant. Although brevets are non-competitive, they do have have cut off times to qualify as a finisher. They are usually are done in groups, which can have a competitive slant to them. Today, I continue to participate in long distance cycling including some ultra-racing, randonnée skiing (a blend of cross country and downhill disciplines) and still get out on an occasional mountaineering trip. Since 1996 I have been designing, manufacturing and selling camera bags. That is Kinesis Photo Gear (kgear.com). In 2005 I started selling cycling bags under the Kinesis label and eventually expanded it to including other sports like SUP (stand-up paddle boarding and some skimo). Consequently, it become eoGEAR — the “eo” stands for endurance outdoor. My wife and I are empty-nesters now and we live and work out in the boondocks of central Utah, half way between Salt Lake City (great powder) and Moab (great red rocks). Well, I guess that is all for now. Safe travels mate! Perhaps I’ll see you on the road or trail. — Richard Stum

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