Last Best Ride gravel race sees success in second year

The Last Best Ride celebrated its second edition two weeks ago, welcoming to the Flathead Valley almost 550 cyclists from forty-three U.S. states, the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands, and five Canadian provinces.

As participants took to the start line early on the morning of Sunday, Aug. 21 in downtown Whitefish, they corralled along Central Avenue in front of Great Northern Cycle and Ski, energy buzzing throughout the group.

Those who completed the short course, dubbed “The Mountain Goat” by local race organizers, Jess Cerra and Sam Boardman, climbed 4,200 feet of elevation gain over 48 miles, weaving their way through Trumbull Canyon, Canyon Creek and the gravel roads that compose the Big Mountain Resort Nordic Ski trail system in the winter.

Competitors tackling the long course, affectionately known as “The Big Horn Sheep,” would follow the same initial route as the short course riders, but would divert north from Haskill Basin Road in order to begin their trek paralleling East Lakeshore Road and up Upper Whitefish Lake Road all the way to the base of Werner Peak.

From there, participants ascended to the picturesque ridge line overlooking the entirety of the valley, traversed to the backside of Big Mountain, and finally made their way to the summit via the now-infamous “Big Horn Sheep Scramble.” A road used almost exclusively for service vehicles and rarely trafficked by local cyclists, the climb to the highest point of the long course tops out at just around 6,800 feet above sea level and requires riders to scale gradients in excess of 45% several times, often needing to shoulder their bikes in the process. Once at the top, riders dove down Taylor Creek Road to intersect back with Upper Whitefish Lake Road, and proceeded to return to town, capping off a day totaling 92 miles ridden with 8,200 feet of elevation gain.

For the racers of both courses hoping to cross the line first in their respective categories, it inevitably was a day of attritional racing given the grueling nature of the routes. However, as Cerra is keen to stress, “whether you compete or complete, both are legitimate ways to enjoy our ride and enjoy the scenery our home has to offer. We just want people to come out, enjoy themselves and celebrate the wonderful community of cyclists and the amazing community of Whitefish.”

For Cerra, community is at the core of The Last Best Ride. As a Whitefish-native and a former recipient of education award grants funded by local neighbors that allowed her to attend college, Cerra has always wanted to give back to the community that she says raised her. Accordingly, with the help of local educators and counselors, she created the Barbara Mansfield Champion Scholar Award Program, which uses money raised by the race alongside supplementary donations to provide financial assistance to qualified women pursuing post-secondary education. This year, the race raised over $40,000 and has provided six scholar awards.

“This is more than I thought we would ever get when we started this project,” says Cerra. “I can’t express how grateful I am for all the support of the participants and the volunteers. They all just made the lives of young women better, and we did that together.”

Results:

The Mountain Goat Women’s Overall Podium:

Cassie Nelson (Frontiers Racing p/b Big Sky Blues) - Missoula, MT

Amber Steed (Sports and Ski Haus) - Kalispell, MT

Reese Ruland (Cervelo) - Fort Collins, CO

The Mountain Goat Men’s Overall Podium:

Benjamin Grass (Frontiers Racing p/b Big Sky Blues) - Missoula, MT

Neil Shirley (ENVE) - Ogden, UT

Justin Rose (Team George’s p/b RF Foundations) - Garden City, ID

The Mountain Goat Women’s Paracyclist Overall Winner:

Meg Fisher (Cannondale|Rapha|SRAM|ZIPP|POC|Panaracer|Gu Energy Lab|Hydrapak|Chamois Buttr) - Missoula, MT

The Moutain Goat Men’s Paracyclist Overall Winner :

Kai Luan (XXX-Racing Athletico) - Chicago, IL

The Mountain Goat Non-Binary Overall Winner:

Kailin Gregga - Seattle, WA

The Big Horn Sheep Women’s Overall Podium:

Rose Grant (Juliana/SRAM Pro Team) - Columbia Falls, MT

Stella Hobbes (Great Northern Cycle and Ski) - Whitefish, MT

Serena Gordon (Liv Cycling) - Bend, OR

The Big Horn Sheep Men’s Overall Podium:

Andrew Talansky - Truckee, CA

Caleb Swartz (Giant Bicycles) - Missoula, MT

Bradyn Lange (Pinarello Scuderia) - Prinveville, OR

The Big Horn Sheep Non-Binary Overall Winner:

Kai Sakimoto - Lakewood, CO