Napping biker finds his wheels gone
While stealing a few winks, long-distance cyclist has bike stolen
By KRISTI ALBERTSONThe Daily Inter Lake
Dave Nice may never nap again.
While dozing alongside the road outside Bigfork on Sunday, the 25-year-old Denver native's bike was stolen. Nice was one of eight men competing in the Great Divide Race, a 2,490-mile, solo, unsupported bike race along the Great Divide from Canada to Mexico.
It was 8:30 a.m. on June 25, barely two days into the race. Nice had ridden his bike about 30 miles that morning, and after a hearty breakfast, he was drowsy. He was headed to Bigfork to replace his chain but figured most bike shops wouldn't open until 10 a.m.
To kill some time and get some rest, Nice pulled into a turnout along Montana 35 about a mile outside Bigfork. He pulled a pad off the back of his bike, used his backpack as a pillow and fell asleep.
When he awoke an hour later, his $1,100 bike was gone, along with all his camping equipment attached to it. Nice was stranded in a strange state with no transportation and no money.
"I guess I was really out," he said when he dialed the number racers use to give updates. "Someone nabbed my bike while I was out, taking a nap, just on the side of the road.
"So I guess that's it for me this year. I'm going to have to figure out how to get home."
Nice walked to Mountain Mike's Rental Bikes in Bigfork, where he used a phone to call the police. From there he walked to Polson, remembering a bus he'd taken to Kalispell had a stop there.
In Polson, Nice used his last $5 to buy a phone card and call his friend Scott Taylor. Taylor, who runs a bike shop in Denver, wired him money to get home.
Taylor also started a fund to replace Nice's bike. In just a few days, 37 people donated money to the PayPal account.
"It's up to about $1,200, which completely covers the bike because I get everything at cost," Taylor said, "and it will give him a little cash to replace clothes and things."
Nice doesn't have a driver's license and depends on his bike to get around Denver. He also needs it to
get ready for next year's race.
The Great Divide Race runs from the U.S.-Canadian border station at Roosville to Antelope Wells, N.M., on the Mexican border. Eighty-five percent of the route consists of dirt, gravel, two-track or fire roads; 1 percent is single-track. The rest of the race is on pavement.
There is no entry fee, but riders must raise all the money they need to compete. They carry camping gear and food on their bikes and can only advance by "human-powered means" - which means if their bikes break down, they continue on foot. In emergencies, competitors may hitch a ride backward on the route or off the route, but they must resume the race exactly where they left it.
The first race was held in 2004; four of seven racers finished. The winner, Mike Curiak, set the still-unbroken record when he completed the ride in 16 days and 57 minutes.
This year's competition began at noon June 23. In addition to Nice, two competitors have dropped out because the race is so grueling. The route follows the Continental Divide through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico and involves about 200,000 feet of climbing.
Nice trained for the race for about a year.
"I put some serious time and planning into doing this," he said. "That was almost more disappointing than the material losses."
Nice's bike is a Surly Cross-Check with a 58-centimeter frame and a single-speed, six-gear drive train. It has pink brake housings, a black frame and a leather Brooks saddle.
The bike has a rear rack with a bag strapped to it. The gear, tent and camping equipment on the bike are valued at approximately $300. Nice had about $380 on the bike as well.
More information about the race is available at www.greatdividerace.com.
Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.