Steve McGuire, professor of for the Design, Build, Ride program at the University of Iowa and long-time fat bike ultra competitor mentors Bike Talk with Dave host Dave Mable as he readies for the 2025 Arrowhead 135 next January.
The two met in 2019 while McGuire was halfway through the
Iditarod Trail Invitational 350 from Anchorage to McGrath Alaska, a 350-mile fat bike race along the Iditarod Trail and Mable was filming for his films
1000 miles to Nome and
Down the Kuskokwim. A year later the two met along the trail once again while Mable was filming his upcoming film 60 Hours and McGuire was riding the 135-mile late January Arrowhead 135 which starts in International Falls, Minnesota.
Mable is the host of a weekly podcast; Bike Talk with Dave, and while working on an episode about McGuire and the Design, Build, Ride program, McGuire invited Mable to ride the Arrowhead 135 with him, "Only if you teach me everything I need to know!" replied Mable.
Starting in December of 2023, McGuire and Mable have begun the conversations about how to prepare for, not just the Arrowhead 135, but any winter adventure. To date the two have recorded two episodes; one introducing the year-long project and a discussion on appropriate clothing needed to survive temps as low as negative 40. The other to discuss lessons learned during the late December 160-mile Tuscobia Winter Ultra in northern Wisconsin.
To help paint a complete picture of the Arrowhead 135, Race Director Ken Krueger was a guest on episode 105.
One of the pieces of equipment helping Mable ride through the cold nights in this frigid Iowa winter are the
BIKEIOWAPogie Lites. Whether you bike, ski or row, Pogie Lites can help you keep your hands warm!
Enjoy these episodes to help you prepare for your next big adventure!
Be sure and stay tuned as Steve McGuire continues to share his wisdom, expertise, knowledge and experience on Bike Talk with Dave!