Aiden Takes Home Second Place at 4 Peaks Gran Fondo

Aiden all cleaned up post-race after he cleaned up at 4 Peaks!

Aiden had a great day in Inkom/Pocatello today, ascending all four local climbs in record time to take home second place in the 4 Peaks Gran Fondo. 

Sponsored by several local businesses and benefiting the Pocatello Pioneers NICA MTB team, the 4 Peaks Fondo makes great use of the iconic Pocatello climbs in a fun and challenging format. 

John, Aiden and I woke with the early morning thunderstorm and hit the road before daylight, arriving in Inkom, where the Start/Finish was located at the local park. We had plenty of time to get outfitted before the announcements and neutral roll out from Inkom up to the intersection of the Mink Creek Road. 

The format for this Fondo is to time only the climbs, with most starts and finishes correlating closely with now well established Strava sections. 

Over the years, we’ve ridden variations of these climbs in a variety of ways. Usually we start in Pocatello, riding Buckskin, Pebble Creek, Crystal, and Scout Mountain in that order. 

Since this ride starts and ends in Inkom, avoiding some of the more heavily trafficked areas in Pocatello, the order is as follows: Crystal and then Scout Mountain, Pebble Creek and then the backside of Buckskin. 

Aiden was in the lead group from the start, while John and I hung out with some veterans in what I jokingly called the second chase group. As John and I ascended Crystal, Aiden must have passed us by descending, as we didn’t see him again until the top of Scout Mountain. 

Each summit sported a well stocked aid station with very helpful volunteers. There was plenty of cold water, Gatorade and goodies for hungry riders. After John and I topped off our bottles we descended Crystal still a bit chilly in the shade. 

The climb up Scout Mountain was scenic and well paced with some of our second chase group tapping out a challenging cadence. John and I ended up finishing the climb with a fellow on a custom bike with a 1x setup that featured a monster cassette on the back which topped out at 50 teeth on the largest cog. We would soon be envious of his setup on the climb to Pebble Creek Ski Area. 

After a nice break at the Scout Mtn. Campground we descended with gratitude for the break all the way back to the intersection with the road back south to Inkom. There was a stiff headwind from the South that would only blow harder over the course of the day. John and I paced ourselves reasonably here until the rest of our chase group caught us up and helped pull us into Inkom. Some dropped off there at the aid station, while John and I continued up to a shady spot where he could make a quick saddle adjustment.

The climb up Pebble Creek was, as always a slugfest.  The initial climb up along East Green Canyon Road is exposed and steep.  Most of us were just trying to find a cadence that was sustainable, and more than a few riders put a foot down to rest on the way up.  As the sweat poured off of my brow, the meager padding inside my helmet was not enough to stem the flow of salty drops into my eyes.  

Somehow we powered our way to the switchbacks and enjoyed a respite both from the lesser grade as well as the brisk breeze that pushed us south to north.  This breeze was a double edged sword though as it turned into a headwind at each turn of the road.  On the last turn north, a little sign taunted us that the summit was only 500 meters ahead.  Beyond the KOM line there was another well stocked aid station with lots of salty and sweet items, water and sunscreen.

Aiden and his leading pack were still at the top when I arrived, and as they rolled out, John rolled in.  I briefly had a thought to take a picture, but that thought fled quickly in the haze of heat.  John and I turned downhill to follow the leaders, and enjoyed cheering on the other riders headed up as we made swinging turns down the switchbacks before hitting the straight sections that I’ll now always mentally refer to as the “Bombing Run”.  

Aiden told me later that in an email there was a note to riders not to exceed 35 mph on the way down.  With my son’s new Trek Emonda with under me, I’ll confess that in my ignorance I broke some regs.  For a couple of moments I watched the speedometer tick up past 49.9 to 50 mph before gently bringing the throttle down on my craft with the help of excellently engineered SRAM hydraulic disc brakes.  Discs on a road bike?  Yes.   

The end of that run found me christening the sleek matte black steed the B2 (aka Stealth Bomber). We may not be as fast ascending as we’d like to be, but we can certainly descend with stealthy and well controlled speed.  

After the quick return trip to the valley, John and I again found ourselves in a chase group pretty much alone on our ascent up the east side of Buckskin.  This is a long slow false-flat up Rapid Creek before turning west and then climbing up towards Buckskin.  The timed portion of the climb was interestingly positioned just above a little downhill section, and was much closer to the final summit that we’d guessed.  At the same time, after pedaling it out in the noonday sun few if any were complaining.

John and I worked our way up the final climb to the summit of Buckskin and enjoyed a few minutes of rest in the shade at the aid station there before turning back towards Inkom, taking a moment before saddling up to snap a picture. 

Topped Out!: John and Jeff at the summit of the last climb up Buckskin

On prior rides we’d almost always made this descent in the early morning, but on this ride we were having to pedal our way downhill against the wind which was gusting close to 20 mph at times. We took turns taking pulls into town and were happy to make our way onto the streets of Inkom and out of the gusts that were funneled up the canyon. 

The finish area had a picnic lunch of BBQ pork setup and cold drinks waiting for the finishers. We were welcomed in by a small but enthusiastic crowd of spectators and students handing out finishers medals. 

All in all it was a great day on the bike: a challenging route with good support and great riding companions. Aiden represented the Rexburg crew well, and we made friends with fellow riders representing all the local bike shop rides in east Idaho. We three chose to cap our day with a visit to the favorite 5th Street Bagelry in Pocatello. 

We hope to have many more join us next year!