Ken's story: Rebecca's Private Idaho

BaseCamp athlete Ken Carl shared his experience at the 2026 Rebecca's Private Idaho bike race (now The Big Lost) in Idaho.

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The Tiger and the Strawberry.

My heart and thoughts are tumbling like an avalanche. Joy, sadness, reflection, thoughtfulness, memories, wishes. RPI 2026 was the final year of 14 with Rebecca directly connected. That bitter sweet thought was like an incense drifting through everyone.

History.

From my first year of BaseCamp RPI was a goal. 2021 attempted the stage race. Completed the three stages compromise because of a crash in the first day. Returned in 2023 with a grand basecamp team. We were the belle of the ball that year. I had a great stage race. This year was to be different in many aspects and better in other ways.

2026 Race basics. I did have a goal to complete the new 118-mile fully loaded potato course. There were three time cuts. I made the first two. I did not attempt the third. Bottom line, the course was seriously difficult with the second climb added; for those who had done RPI previously, you’ll understand the following comparison. The second climb was more difficult than Trail Creek. It was also steeper than Dollarhide. Many of us, including myself, walked portions of the second climb. Having made the second time cut by only 10 minutes, I knew making the third time cut was out of reach. From there I adjusted to the 100-mile shorter option…because that was the only other option outside of mountain rescue.

Race/ride experience. The Strawberry and the Tiger. I reflected upon this Zen parable throughout my 9+ hours. The tiger is inevitability. Define your fears, the tigers are above and below. The mice chew on your life rope. Yet in the moment is the strawberry to be savored or ignored. On the road, the tiger is always there, so be aware, yet not so scared you are defeated even before trying. Do not let the tiger stop you from enjoying this moment, the strawberry. We do not need to have inevitability be our compass. During this ride I enjoyed the many strawberries and let the tigers watch.

RPI is best thought of as an adventure. It is both exhilarating and brutal. The dawn start is cold, finger-numbing, cannot-feel-the-shifters cold. The temperature does not have enough time to adjust before the Trail Creek climb, yet you will surely warm up quickly. The road is littered with washboard, rocks, and an unguarded cliff side. Those washboards are okay at climbing speed.  They bite hard charging you for your returning downhill speed if you do not pay respect. After Trail Creek climb, everyone is rewarded with sunshine and a wonderful fast, mostly smooth  section of road leading in to the newly added Corral Creek Summit. It is a brutal 2500 stairstep climb, which tested my high altitude adaptability. I failed, spectacularly. Walking parts, riding parts, thinking of crying parts, I watched as the sag vehicles passed me with their bike racks full. That was a good thing, as it removed temptation. The descent off of Coral Creek is exhilarating and hope refreshing. Burning matches, I made it to the second time cut. From my previous RPI, I knew the Copper Canyon Loop was a challenge. Standing on that windswept ridge, I contemplated. Copper Canyon was directly into the headwind, where tigers waited. The other choice was tailwind downhill, clearly the better choice. There were still mice chewing on that lifeline, though. Rebecca’s singletrack section, of course. The real crusher was the 20 miles of headwind in the valley, washboard, potholed road to home. The valley created a wind tunnel with no escape. We were huddled, suffering riders trying to both support each other and survive. The hardest, longest headwind I can recall. Flat road in the drops 5-8 mph. "Just do the work," I can hear our coaches say. Pray if needed, but keep turning the crank. Each meter is one less to go, one closer to home. Here is where being tiger aware respect is important. Your body is exhausted as is your mind. Thoughts are not clear. You forget which lever shifts up or down. You forget to drink and eat. Thinking only 20 miles, yet that is two hours more on top of the 6+ spent. One last climb on the backside of Trail Creek. The summit open to another amazing view. You can almost see Champions Field and the finish line.  We were blessed with a perfect blue sky sunshine day. I thanked all the spirits for that gift. Perhaps a going-away present for RPI. I like to believe so.

Strawberry fields with Rebecca. One moment can be everything. It is a moment you can not create or even know it would exist. Coming over the Trail Creek climb, there is an open, sun-filled section of compact dirt and pavement. The mountains are everywhere, the sky is big and bold. It creates free speed and refreshes your spirit. Here I found myself riding with Rebecca. We began as a small group of five, picking up more riders as we progressed. Rebecca was leading, of course. For a few pure heart joy moments, we rode side by side, sharing smiles and good words. Here was a true strawberry moment. The end of RPI, riding the last miles with Rebecca.