Reports of the Women on Wheels rides. All WOW ride routes are on Ride with GPS, which offers free accounts. However, all FCC members can get added Ride with GPS benefits. Find out more HERE. Find out more about WOW rides HERE.
(To see other WOW ride reports, click on the link above.)
07/08/2026
Report by Corrine
WOW Ride #12 - Cleary Summit to Chatanika Lodge and Back
I love this ride, but tonight was probably our swan song to doing it as a WOW ride. We got passed by 9 big ore trucks in the 40 minutes it took us to get up to Cleary Summit. And two more on the way down. That just wasn’t fun or safe, either. We had to stop and get off the road before one truck would pass us.
But besides that, it was a great ride. 3 WOW showed up ready to go. It was cloudy but that made it nicer for the big climbs. We rode in a pace line out to Pedro Monument and then got separated for the climb up to Cleary Summit with me bringing up the rear, although not too far behind the others.
We debated just going back down or heading further out to the Chatanika Lodge and finally decided we should do the entire ride, which we haven’t done for a few years. It was a fast descent all the way to the lodge (which is closed) although I was feeling a bit nervous on my skinny road tires so was slower than usual going downhill.
Then we turned around and pacelined it until it got steeper where we once again got separated with Erica leading the charge up the hill. We had a few sprinkles which just helped keep us from overheating. We regrouped and Erica and I put on our jackets before the final descent.
The pavement on the front side of Cleary Summit was wet, so going all the way to the lodge was the right choice, otherwise we would have been caught in that shower. We made quick work of the descent with Amelia being the most fearless on the downhill. And once we got back to our cars, the rain started again. Perfect timing.
Next week is a mountain bike ride at Birch Hill.
Stats:
Distance: 33.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 3040 feet
Avg speed: 15.4 mph
Fastest speed: 37.9 mph
07/01/2026
Report by Erica
WOW Ride #11 - Ester Dome Singletrack
What another beautiful evening for the WOW ride. Who was going to show? (Question I ask every week). I got a message that Nikki could join on St Pats. I was going to wait until 6 pm, see who else would come. I had a visit from Heidi on break during her UAF police shift. She said she wasn’t sure if it will work to ride with WOW this season. She complimented me on my fancy mtn bike. It was great to see her, even if it was briefly! By 6 pm nobody else had shown up, so I took off to meet up with Nikki.
We met up and decided to ride up Ester Dome Rd. We ended up going all the way to Henderson and taking the Henderson drop-in to get onto the Ester Dome Singletrack. We rode the outer loop counter clockwise, and inner loop clockwise. Every time we paused our mosquito friends caught up and buzzed all around, so our breaks were short and we stayed moving. I managed to eat a few, and we both got one stuck under our sunglasses (how irritating). Tried working on breathing through my nose but got a bugger stuck up there too. So many mosquitoes!
Total Distance: -13 miles
Elevation Gain: -1800 feet
We saw Ellie out riding with a friend on the inner loop. A couple others meant to join us but thought the ride started at 6:30 pm (they rode on their own). Trail was in great shape! What a lovely evening for a ride.
Next week is a road ride, meeting at Silver Gulch to tackle Cleary Summit. Hope to see some folks there!
06/24/2026
Report by Erica
WOW Ride #10 - Skyridge-Farmers Lp-Ballaine-Goldstream
The rain and clouds cleared and it was a sunny evening for a ride. I pulled in to Silver Gulch thinking someone would show up tonight, since it was so nice out. Around 6 pm I still did not see anyone else and my bike was still in my car. Wasn’t sure I wanted to ride by myself tonight. But new to WOW rider Amelia walked over, ready to ride (she had parked in a different spot). She was ready to ride! I scrambled and got myself ready and then we were off.
We rode up Skyridge and paused at the top to catch our breath. Amelia led the charge going down Skyline. I caught back up with her at Farmers Loop, and we rode to Ballaine. We paused at the top of Ballaine and I let Amelia lead the charge down and onward to Goldstream. I took back over leading on Goldstream, and shortly after we were riding down Goldstream, Amelia’s chain fell off (quick fix and she was back on her bike).
We made it back to Silver Gulch. It was a pleasant, uneventful ride. I was grateful Amelia showed up. She got more road biking experience and had a good time. The next two road rides are at Silver Gulch, and hopefully more riders show. It’s always more fun with more women around!
Stats:
Distance: -23.8
Speed: Averaged 16.1 mph
Max speed: 38.5 (from Amelia)
Next week the WOW ride will meet at the Sheep Crk pullout for a mountain bike ride on the Ester Dome Singletrack. Hope to see folks there!
06/17/2026
Report by Erica
WOW Ride #9 - First Mtn Bike Ride!
It was looking like it could be a stormy night, but the clouds only sprinkled very lightly at the start. It was still warm, humid and buggy. Four of us rode the loop tonight; Nellie, Ellie, Ephy and I.
We started off cruising down bicycle bumps, then went up the T-Field and powerline to get to the Skarland. We rode by the muskox farm, and paused for a pic and look at the bison.
We kept going and were cruising following the Skarland. Ellie and Nellie were in front of me. After we crossed Kingfisher I got too excited and rode over some roots poorly, and found myself going over my handlebars and on mossy, spongy ground. Could have been worse, and I am grateful mossy, spongy ground exists on the trails. Ephy came up behind and helped me get back up. I just had a couple bruises but otherwise felt fine from my unexpected stunt.
I followed Ephy to Ballaine and met up with Nellie and Ellie. Told them about my stunt and reminded us all to watch out for those gnarly roots. We carried on, me leading. We rode around to the powerline by Pearl Creek, rode Herreid to Ballaine. Ended up riding the path until we needed to cross to get over to the campus trails. Was able to cruise back to the hut. No other stunts took place, I was the only stunt devil for the evening.
Was so fun to ride trails in a group! And it was a super fun group tonight. We rode fast but also took some time to socialize when on the wider trails.
Stats:
Distance: 10.27 miles
Elevation: 1200 feet elevation gain
Next week's ride the meeting location is at Silver Gulch for a road ride. Hope to see some folks next week!
06/10/2026
Report by Erica
WOW Ride #8 - Birthday Miles Version
Was an absolutely gorgeous evening, no nasty clouds. There was a breeze but mostly bluebird skies. Perfect for a nice long ride!
I showed up at Dog Mushers Hall and got myself ready. 15 min to 6 pm, Pam (visiting from Anchorage) showed up on her gravel bike. She figured she would try and keep up. We waited until 6, and nobody else showed. Guess everyone had other things going on.
I had mapped out a 37+ mile ride (needed a little extra distance to ride my new age of 37 in miles). Pam and I rode up Skyline, I pulled ahead on that climb. After that, Pam was able to stick to my wheel and hang on.
My 37 mile route included half the planned route (rode up Skyline, down Skyridge, along Old Steese out a few miles past Fox, back on Goldstream). Since Pam rode to Dog Mushers Hall from Chena Ridge, we parted ways at UAF. I rode through UAF and back along Farmers Loop bike path (bike path was actually in great shape - hardly any gravel).
I had brought strawberries and cupcakes to share, so I ate my snacks with me, myself and I at the end. You all missed out! Pam proved a strong rider on a gravel bike can keep up just fine. So, if folks don’t have a road bike or feel better being on gravel tires, try a road night on your gravel bike!
Stats:
Distance: 37.6 miles
Average speed: 16.9 mph
Max speed: 35.6 mph
Next week's ride is a mountain bike ride, meeting at the UAF ski hut. Hope to see folks there!
06/03/2026
Report by Corrine
WOW ride #6 – World Bike Day – A really fun gravel ride
What an amazing night for a great gravel ride. Sunny and 70 with a slight breeze and the mosquitos weren’t bad yet, either. 8 WOW showed up to ride including Pam, who is up visiting from Anchorage, Hannah out for her first WOW ride and Carolyn back after a hiatus from having babies. Always great to have more rad women show up to ride.
We got a little separated but mostly stayed together up Ski Boot Hill. It’s such a great climb, not too steep with several places where you can recover. We regrouped before heading down the ridge trail where I mistakenly took the more rooty route and several WOW followed behind me. Not recommended on gravel bikes but everybody made it through intact. Then it was a fast descent down Moose Trail before crossing Ballaine. Another climb followed by another nice descent and then we lost Carolyn who headed home when we passed her road.
We did a quick stop at the Musk Ox Farm. No musk ox nearby but we saw the whole herd of wood bison. We then bombed down Miller Hill where Pam topped out at 41 mph. We climbed back up to the university stopping at the overlook for another photo opportunity before heading through UAF and back on the Farmer’s Loop bike path.
I led the group on a couple of little detours off the bike path for more fun gravel exploring. Hannah missed the last turn-off so she missed seeing the first house that Nikki lived in and the dragon. We stopped for one last photo op at the dragon before heading back to the Musher’s Hall for snacks. A good time was had by all!
Stats:
Distance: 16.9 miles
Avg speed: 11.9 mph
Elevation gain: 1568 feet
05/27/2026
WOW ride #6 Old Nenana/Parks
Report by Corrine
It was a beautiful night for a ride, and we timed it perfectly as the skies opened up when we got home! And breezy enough (i.e. annoying headwind) that it kept the bugs down. Only three WOW showed up to ride but we had a great time.
The long uphill on Old Nenana is always a grunt, especially when you are trying to push hard up it. I was mid-pack, Erica zoomed ahead on every big uphill, Lily lagged a little behind, but she has the power on the flats and caught up every time the grade flattened. We had fun chasing and catching up to each other for the nine miles of mostly climbing.
It was such a nice night that once we got to the top of Old Nenana we decided to head out a few more miles on the Parks Highway, enjoying the views. Then we turned around and made quick time back to Ester Park with a tail wind, stopping only to take photos at the Parks Monument.
Next week will be another gravel ride, this time starting at the Musher’s Hall.
Stats:
Distance: 24 miles
Avg speed: 15.7 mph (not our fastest but also not our slowest on this route)
Elevation Gain: 2100 feet
Fastest speed: 37.4 mph by Lily
05/20/2026
WOW Ride #5 -Gravel ride up Sheep Creek, across OMDR, and back down Murphy Dome Rd
Report and pics by Corrine
Two new WOW showed up to ride tonight, one that had recently moved to Fairbanks. Welcome Ellie and Ephy! It was a great night for a ride. A few mosquitos were out but not too many. Green up has occurred – I love seeing the new green leaves. We had six riders tonight and we quickly separated into three groups of two each for the 30-minute climb up Spinach Creek. We took a quick break at the top to catch our breath and for a photo op looking over the Chatanika valley.
Then it was the steep rolling hills of Old Murphy Dome Road. The views were great, but the gravel was soft in many places causing us to have to concentrate more on the road than the views. Our first hill had a 14-15% grade and we all wanted more lower gears, but we made it up without problems.
About 7.5 miles in, Hannah decided to turn back. She may have been a little overcommitted tonight with needing to run an errand, meet some friends at 9 PM and still pack for a week away. She was worried that an hour in, we had only gone a third of the distance. I tried to reassure her that we had done most of the climbing and the next 13 miles would take about the same amount of time. Not having done this route before, she decided to be on the safe side and ride back to the start. But then a few minutes later, she caught back up as she had decided, what the heck, she would do the whole ride with us.
Once we got to Murphy Dome Road, we put on an extra layer and then bombed all the way back down and back to the start. Once I got back to the pavement, I started hammering but looked back a little while later and somehow had dropped everybody. That was weird but I guess the others decided to ride a little less hard.
It is fun to mix it up and do some gravel rides instead of all road riding.
And I was correct, the last two thirds of the ride only took only a few minutes longer than the first third, just as I had predicted. Trust your ride leaders, Hannah!
Stats:
Distance: 20.7 miles
Avg speed: 10.8 mph
Elevation gain: 2467 feet
05/13/2026
Report by Erica
WOW Ride #4 - To end of Murphy Dome Pavement and Back
Weather was not looking great to start with. It was 65 degrees and shorts weather! But the clouds were spitting rain. Mosquitoes are out now and were buzzing around while we all got our bikes ready. Four of us showed. Two new to WOW riders (Suzanne and Iza) plus Kate and I. Suzanne wanted to try a challenging ride, and Iza was interested in the group. It was great to see new faces!
We started off, and Kate, Iza and I dropped Suzanne. We rode a pace line to end of the paved part of Murphy Dome Rd. At the bridge Kate and Iza slowed and I yelled “Up the hill! To the end of the pavement!” I ended up passing both in a sprint to the top. When we regrouped Kate mentioned she was having bad side cramps.
After a quick rest (mosquitoes were out) we headed back, and a few miles in I glanced back and realized it was just Iza and I. We paused and turned around to go back for Kate to make sure she was ok. She was riding but very slow, side cramp was bothering her and not letting up. She had called her dad to come pick her up. Iza and I wished her well and onward we rode.
Ride was uneventful back to UAF. Iza and I traded off leading and pushing each other. Got back to UAF and Suzanne had already left (she rode about 20 miles and had tried to stay with us but was unable to). The weather had cooperated and there was no rain. Turned out to be a lovely warm spring evening, and the sun came back out at the end.
Ride distance: 30.65 miles
Average pace: 18.2 mph
Next week is a gravel ride, so bring your gravel bike! Hope to see more ladies come out and ride.
05/06/2026
WOW ride #3 - Sheep Creek/St. Pat's/Henderson/Goldhill
WOW are not having good luck this year. Last week, Anna’s bike computer popped off her bike on a bump on Goldhill. We stopped and looked but after 10 minutes of searching for it, we finally gave up and continued on our ride.
Then tonight, Hannah caught up to us as we started our ride – she had ridden from home. But a couple of minutes into the ride, she flatted. We turned around to help her, but she had somehow lost her valve core so was unable to fix the flat. I usually carry some with me but, unfortunately, they were on my mountain bike. So, instead of having a good ride with us, Hannah had to walk all the way home.
But in both cases, the bad luck was not long-lived. Last week after the ride, using her bike webcam footage, Erica was able to see exactly where the computer popped off Anna’s bike. I went back the next day and, lo and behold, I found it, right where the web cam said it should be. And tonight, Lara, another WOW rider who wasn’t riding tonight, saw Hannah and gave her a ride home. So it all worked out okay.
This year we decided to mix it up and do some gravel and mountain bike rides instead of all road biking. Tonight was our first gravel ride. After Hannah’s flat, we were down to just 4 riders. We started out in a pace line on Sheep Creek which was helpful as there was a stiff head wind. I got dropped when I pulled out my phone to take a photo, but the others waited for me after turning onto Ester Dome Road.
St Patrick’s was in good shape except for one big gully made by water flowing across the road. It was fun to ride and chat as we made our way up St. Patrick’s. trying to pick the best line for riding. We all felt like we had flat tires, too, when we hit the softer parts on the road.
Then we got to bomb down Henderson. We did a slight detour off of Goldhill on Doc John Road to get in a little more gravel riding. Then it was a fast return to UAF with a nice tailwind to finish off our ride. Another fun and fast WOW ride. Hopefully next week there will be no drama!
Stats:
Distance: 15.1 miles
Average speed: 14.3 mph
04-29-2026
Report by Corrine
WOW ride #2 Goldhill/Parks Highway/Isberg/Chena Ridge
Five WOW including a new WOW rider, Lily, came out to ride tonight. Although I got hailed on before I left home and there was a dark cloud hanging over Chena Ridge, we had sunny skies all night. And it was warm enough that three WOW wore shorts and Anna had just a short-sleeve jersey on, too. I was in thermal tights, wool shirt, headband and full gloves and felt I was dressed appropriately. The weather was nice but it wasn’t that warm!
I was pretty sure I would get dropped as soon as we started up Goldhill, and I did. I was berating myself for not getting a selfie of all of us before we started as I figured I wouldn’t see the rest of the them until the end. But just as we were finishing up on Goldhill I noticed Anna coming back towards me and the others stopped ahead. Her bike computer had bounced off her bike when she hit a bump in the road, and she was going back to look for it. We all biked back a quarter mile then walked along the road looking for her computer. Unfortunately, we didn’t find it – it’s probably at the bottom of a puddle in the ditch. But fortunately, it gave me a chance to catch up. (Spoiler alert, Erica checked her bike dash cam and saw exactly where it bounced off - into a puddle - so we can look for it tomorrow!)
I got dropped again as we headed up the Parks and then again on Isberg but both times I wasn’t too far back, and they waited for me at the top of the hills. I did manage to pass almost everybody on the Chena Ridge descent clocking a top speed of 43.4 mph – the fastest of the five of us.
As usual, we cut through the neighborhood on Dartmouth but the bike path was still under snow so we had to backtrack and take sidewalks (that were covered in gravel) back to the University. It was a great night for a fun ride.
I hope more women come out to ride with us – maybe a few slightly slower ones that will be my pace. Our pace tonight was slower, mainly because we biked slowly to look for Anna’s computer and we had to bike slowly on the sidewalk, too. The rest of the time, we were going pretty hard as usual.
Avg speed: 15.4 mph - actually riding speed was faster
Elevation gain: 1381 feet
Fastest speed: 43.4 mph
04-15-2026: WOW Ride #1
Sheep Crk-Goldstream-Ballaine-through UAF
Report by Erica
Wasn’t sure what the weather would do for the first WOW ride of the 2026 season, would it snow? Rain? Be sunny? We had a little sun at the start but it was cloudy most all of the ride. Temps were around 37, and probably dropped to 35/36 by the end. Next question was, would anyone show? Only the ride leaders Erica and Corrine showed (Where is everybody)?! You all MISSED OUT!
We kept the ride short (16 mile loop) and rode at an easy 15 mph average pace. It was the perfect distance and pace for an early season road ride. We both felt like we were pedaling a lot faster than an average 15 mph pace, but oh well. Erica wanted to ride chill, Corrine is recovering from hip surgery so there was no pressure to crank up the pace tonight. Corrine hit about 36 mph descending Ballaine Hill, Erica only hit 33 mph. Roads for this route were great, gravel wasn’t even that bad. Minimal puddles and zero ice.
Next week's ride starts at UAF parking lot, and is a road ride. Hopefully more ladies (returning and new) show up. It’s always more fun with a group!
Pics by Erica and Corrine
