Last winter, our own Jill Martindale took on the Iditarod Trail Invitational. If you think that sounds like riding your bike on the famously frozen and brutal Iditarod dog sled route, well, you're exactly right. 

And she didn't just ride 1,000 miles. She won it. In a blistering time of 22 days, 7 hours, and 30 minutes. Rob Meendering sat down with her to get all the details, or at least those she can remember! 

1) Did you use Velocity hubs? Any issues with them?

I used our Velocity fat bike hubs laced with double-butted spokes to 26” HED alloy rims with LIME GREEN alloy nips! I used studded 45nrth Dillinger 5 tires and was really happy with the float in such loose conditions. Another racer’s rear hub failed in -45 degrees Fahrenheit, the grease froze and caused some of the internal bits to break. My hubs were fine and I was really impressed with how durable they were in such cold conditions.

2) How many doggos do you think you saw and how many did you have the chance to pet? 

Oh man, I was in heaven! Each sled team starts with 14 doggos and we essentially got passed by ALL of the Iditarod teams, so by my estimates quite a bit!! It took a few days for all of the teams to pass us and I was so happy that the dog sightings were spread out. There were 11 teams stuck in Elim with us when we were waiting for the trail breakers to put in a new overland route along the coast. I was a little shy and wanted to be respectful towards the mushers, so I didn’t puppy pile like I wanted to, but I did my fair share of cuddles and snoot boops along the way.

3) Biggest fears while out there? 

I am always worried that I’m going to get frost bite and will always try my best to avoid it. I have not had it yet and am quite proud that I’m trail savvy enough to stay hydrated, focused, and to take care of myself out there. I try to stay conscious of my body and take care of myself, and I’ve done a good job so far because of the nagging fear that I might make a mistake and cause irreparable damage to my hands or feet. With proper gear like my Wolfgar boots or a good pair of lobster claw gloves, I’ve been able to keep my biscuit warm!

4) What were your thoughts on the current pandemic while trying to concentrate on finishing?

There were a few times when we thought we were going to get pulled from the course due to the pandemic. We were only hearing bits and pieces about the coronavirus and once we were past McGrath it was like the whole thing exploded! We went a few days without hearing anything and when we got to Galena it was wild how much it had spread and how sporting events were all being cancelled. We heard Tom Hanks and his wife got the virus, that the Barry Roubaix would have to be postponed, and that the after parties in Nome had been shut down. I felt like I was holding my breath a little bit every day, like each ride could be our last, and I think that helped to keep motivated to keep going. I wanted to push as hard as I could and to take advantage of being out there, because Covid-19 is still such a new and weird thing that I didn’t know what it would mean for any other bike races beyond ITI.

5) Did you ever have to bury your own poop in the snow? 

I did. Four times. No, five times. Two of those times it snuck up on me and I was really glad I wasn’t around anyone when it happened.

6) How much weight did you lose? 

Somewhere around 10 pounds. It’s mostly all back now, except my butt is still smaller.

7) What were the top three songs stuck in your head? 

I made a song that I sang out there and it still gets stuck in my head all of the time. “When you’re having a hard time pick up a bootie, think of a cutie to give it to.” I picked up over 20 dog booties. I also sang stupid songs like 99 bottles on the wall and button factory Joe. Rosa’s album “I Mississippi You” got caught in my head for days at a time. Mostly “Chapel Hill” and “Leah’s Song” on repeat.

8) What was your best and worst meal? 

Best meal: Moose Chili, fresh fruit and veggies, and cranberry cream cheese bread in White Mountains. Worst meal: A frozen cheeseburger in Takontna, the cook was right, the burger was shit! “It’s no McDonalds!”

9) How terribly did you miss everyone at Velocity?

 Terribly, so terribly.

10) Other than your Dan and doggos, what did you look forward to the most when you got home? 

I was looking forward to coming back to work at Velocity USA and having Nancy bake me a cake!! I wanted to see and to hug my frands and to celebrate surviving the whole dag thing with them.