Story by Joe King, a MadNorSki loony-tune
Photos by Pat King
Special to Channel 3000

The Ski Bikeski isn't a race or even an event. It's just a word-of-email gathering of crazies who like bike to ski. The Madison Nordic Ski Club has kindly given us timing and express race check-in for their Tuesday night race which is what makes the whole thing worthwhile.

The general format is a 2.4 km ski at Odana, under the moon. After that first leg we gather our skiing gear and ourselves onto our bicycles for a 3 mile (~5 km) bike commute to Elver. There we pick up a MadNorSki bib and put our skiing gear back on and ski the 5 km race course. Race director Ned Zulesdorf was kind enough to time us from our start at Odana until our finish of the 5 km ski at Elver.

This time around we added a new wrinkle -- judging. Arthur Ross kindly added his expertise and experience to the event by judging the participants cycling gear for winter-commuting worthiness. He also gave points for style. Style points are earned entirely at his whim but are based on the transition from ski to bike at Odana. How participants carried their skiing gear on their bikes may turn out to be the deciding factor when the results are finally tabulated.

We had no crashes or injuries but I dropped out. My hands got cold and like a big baby I quit. Fortunately for me I have no problem being a big baby because that proved to be the right decision. Andy Swartz and Aaron Tarnow took a wrong turn while on their bikes in the parking lot at Odana and ended up on a service road. This is all completely understandable because access to the bike path was blocked by a wall of plowed snow. I guess I didn't make it clear enough to folks that they'd have to make their way over that wall one way or another before we started. Most did just that, however, and had a smooth bike ride to Elver on the bike path and Hammersley Road.

Andy Swartz earned lots of attention by using a tandem outfitted with a Yakama ski rack to carry his skis and poles. The rack was placed just behind the captain's saddle and held the very tips of the skis and poles which stretched behind him in a V-like pattern. They were also strapped to a milk crate behind the stoker's saddle. The crate was used to carry his skiing boots and extra clothes.

Sherren Clark was a master at the transition from ski to bike at Odana. She simply used a standard ski bag and biked in her skiing boots. I was talking to Steve Goldstein when she skied up behind me. In what seemed like only a few seconds, she was biking off with her ski bag slung across her back. Meanwhile, Steve was still putting on his biking shoes. She was also one of two classical skiers and finished 7th out of 9 starters. The other woman to participate, Ann Pollock, skated to a speedy 5th.

The last time this was held, Mark Harms took second to Mike Cockrem's rapid transitions and strong skiing. This time around Mark crossed the finish line well ahead of the other participants based mostly on a strong ski at Elver.

Tye Gribb was the other classical skier and was the third person to cross the finish line. He was obviously moving very quickly on the good snow conditions, finishing just behind Aaron who skated into second. Steve Gaffield rounded out the top four with quick transitions and good skating technique.

Steve Goldstein gets the award for the longest and perhaps smartest transition. After facing the bone-numbing wind during the first two legs, he used the shelter at Elver to warm up fully. He also earned a bunch of style points in my book by bringing up the rear of the biking leg as I had intended to do.

Everyone who took part was great and had a good attitude. When asked to pause for photos during their transitions, they all smiled for the shot. A special thanks to Pat King who started us off and took photos. Thanks to Ned and his crew for the timing and allowing us express check-in. Arthur Ross was a soldier, braving the cold with a pencil and a clipboard while he asked people about their setups during their transformation from skier to biker. It occurs to me that some of the transformations we experienced on that Tuesday night, will last for years to come.

See more pictures at http://www.madnorski.org/SkiBikeski/.