Introduction

Welcome to my most extreme adventure, and my first Ultra, The 2023 Edition of The Silk Road Mountain Race. My trail name is Rusty Crank, and I'll be racing with cap #92.

I'm an artist and college professor from Brooklyn, NY. In 2018 I rode the TransAm and it completely changed my life. The following summer I rode the Northern Tier. January 2020 I cycled the Carretara Austral in Patagonia, and then that summer, as COVID and political protests raged, I pedaled from Brooklyn to Astoria Oregon. The following spring I rode the first segment of the Southern Tier and later that summer the Western Express. The Great Divide had become a goal, but the Canadian border was closed because of COVID. January 2022 I rode from Mazatlan to Mexico City, and that spring I did the second Southern Tier segment. Summer of 2022 I finally rode the complete Great Divide from Antelope Wells, NM to Jasper, AB. January 2023 I cycled from Mexico City to Oaxaca, and this past June I completed the Southern Tier.

Why Kyrgyzstan? I've done numerous art projects in Russia through CEC ArtsLink, an organization dedicated to sharing cultural ideas and practices between Western and former Soviet Republic artists. One of the projects I did was to cross every singe bridge in St Petersburg Russia on a unicycle. Several of my colleagues have done projects in Kyrgyzstan and my interest was piqued. I'm drawn to the traditional Kyrgyz felt appliqué, and I was captivated by descriptions of the people and landscape.
Last summer on the Divide, I passed the Tour Divide racers pedaling in the other direction. They seemed both miserable and ebullient, and I was envious. My itinerary didn't offer the same challenge or comaradere. My friend Chris, whom I had met in Glacier National Park on the Northern Tier had done the Divide a year ahead of me. Chris and another Brooklynite named Conan, raced the Silk Road in 2022. I followed their dots religiously and poured over their photos when they returned. The Silk Road Mountain Race became an obsession for me.

My second Mexico tour this past January from Mexico City to Oaxaca was the most difficult bike packing experience I had ever undertaken. I arrived two days behind schedule, the roads were bad, the climbing steep, I suffered from a poor diet, and I almost ran out of power. When I got back to Brooklyn I applied for SRMR2023 and qualified. The nightmares, stressful planning and gear prep, and rigorous training began.

I'll be riding my Salsa Fargo, the bike I brought on the Divide and took on my second Mexico segment. I'm accustomed to drop bars and I prefer a steel frame. I like dual-sided pedals, and favor riding in sandals. I have a newly broken in Brooks B-67 saddle. I'm accustomed to a handlebar bag and organizing my things in panniers. My sleeping bag, tent, and air mattress will be strapped to my front forks. I had a dynamo hub installed to solve the power issue, but it hasn't gone as smoothly as I had hoped. After many trips back to the bike shop and a set of gold spade connectors gifted from Chris, I was finally able to charge my phone. The power output is minimal and it only works on long flat sections. It's not going to charge on hills. My lights are now dynamo powered. My friend Isaac got me training on Mount Beacon, a gnarly 15% gravel road upstate from the city. Here I realized that I needed a better brake system, so I switched to hydraulics with 180mm rotors. I'm running tubeless tires again, and now have lightweight Tubolito spare inner tubes. My clothing kit is all new and was tested during the winter months. I was told to expect a temperature range between 10°-110°F.

I've been training with the Century Plus Crew all spring, and I became addicted to Strava. I led my club leaderboard during my June Southern Tier Tour, and full-on training began when I returned. I Joined an elevation challenge with the Island Lunatic club, which I assumed I'd easily win. I became so obsessed with training that I got sick and my body shut down. I was able to conclude my training last week with a brutally hot CPC century to Sandy Hook, NJ, and a successful series of Mount Beacon hill reps.
I read every blog I could get my hands on. I watched every video, several of them numerous times. I studied photos for surface conditions, bike types and components, plus rider clothing. I pored over equipment lists, and studied powerbanks chargers, and cables. I've researched the maps, replaced my GPS, and even purchased a spare. I've got a brand new rear wheel and bottom bracket. I even had my bicycle blessed at Cathedral Church of St John. I've been laser focused on this endeavor for seven months.

My goal is to finish the course. There will be four checkpoints with cut-off times that I’ll need to stay ahead of. The race leaders will certainly finish in half the time it will take me. Many of the riders will scratch. I can’t fully express how difficult the course is. The elevations are extreme, and the roads are in bad condition. There is little resupply between checkpoints, and I will have to carry food and filter water. There are no repair shops along the course, and racers are not allowed to assist one another. The race is 100% self-supported. I don’t know if I’m cut out for this or not. It’s the toughest thing I’ve ever thrown myself into. A lot of it will come down to luck. Either way, it’s an extraordinary place and a once in a lifetime opportunity. I'm extremely privileged to be doing this.