A Route and a Ride: Developing the Wydaho One Hundred

The Wydaho One Hundred didn’t start as an event or even a published route. After a mid-fall bikepacking trip on the Jackpine-Pinochle road, I decided to ride back to Victor taking the long, scenic way through the farmland of Felt on double-track county “roads,” up through Packsaddle Canyon and around the backroads of Victor. That’s when the idea of connecting it all and making one big gravel loop was born.

DESIGNING THE ROUTE

I began plotting the route, circumnavigating Teton Valley to connect its many gravel, dirt, and rugged roads together. I used Ride With GPS to plot the route and the Teton County GIS to check land ownership and property lines, among several other maps to cross-reference data.

From Victor, it heads north up the frontage road and zig-zags towards Stateline at Darby Canyon. It continues up Stateline to the Tetonia backroads, then heads west to Badger Creek and up Rammel Mountain Road. The rutted and steep climb up Rammel is no joke and provides the first continuous ascent of the ride. From there it connects to the scenic Jackpine-Pinochle loop, offering full views of the Teton Range, Jedediah Smith Wilderness, and meadows full of wildflowers. Dropping back down a steady, low angle descent along the ridge, views of the valley floor, Big Hole Mountains, and Snake River Plains appear in and out of view through gaps in the trees and bends in the road.

Back in the rolling hills of Felt, the route heads on double-track through an environmental easement, along the old railroad bed, and climbs west up into more fields, more rutted doubletrack. Conditions of the dirt may vary from hardpack to a muddy irrigated mess as roads traverse along the rim and down to the Teton River.

After a westward jaunt, gravel roads are linked up going south in the northern foothills of the Big Hole Mountains and into Horseshoe-Packsaddle Canyon. As roads curve and meander, eastern views of the Teton Range one just traveled from open up. The tiny and yet vast valley below puts it all into perspective — where one came from and where one must go. Attention is quickly brought back to the rutted and rocky road of Packsaddle canyon, conflicting between beauty and wanting to stop to see it all and the rush of the fast descent after miles and miles of exposed climbing. Rounding the bend into Horseshoe Canyon, the pavement and cruiser descent is an appreciated break before dropping back into the valley.

Once leaving the canyon, the route heads south, meandering the foothills and gravel backroads up against the Big Holes and continues south of Victor towards Pine Creek Pass and the Snake River Range. Taylor Mountain looms in the distance through the aspens. A hop, skip and a jump across Highway 31 and through a small development pops out onto W 10000 S. A rutted descent quickly snaps the gaze back to reality to prepare for the final push back to town. One zig, then a zag – a quick veer onto the paralleling doubletrack along the pavement makes for “bonus points.” Check the surroundings, make a left towards the highway through the tunnel – hammer the gravel Baseline road – watch those stop signs. Riding in town and trying to be aware of everything to the left, right, in front and behind is just as invigorating as being up in the mountains at times. Back at Fitzgerald’s Bicycles! And that’s the 100-mile loop.

CREATING THE EVENT

I reconned the route with a friend to make sure it all went together. After that experience, I became inspired to share the route with others. I offered up the idea to some in the shop. We played around with some names and I eventually settled on the Wydaho One Hundred. We set up one drop bag and water zone at Harrops Bridge, providing a handful of tools, some water, and any drop bags the riders wanted to have. Each rider was responsible for himself or herself. This wasn’t a full-supported, completely marked course. Actually, it’s the opposite and as grassroots, as it gets. The route file is perfect – rely on that. Each participant is encouraged to study and know the route – a great opportunity to hone some backcountry and navigating skills in a fairly controlled environment. Essentially, this “event” is just a bunch of people all setting out to ride the same course on the same day. And while we do throw a few prizes and swag to those who stick around at the end, there isn’t a podium or really an awards ceremony – how about hot delicious food, an ice-cold beverage, and a high five instead?! Everything went smoothly that July day in 2018. Smooth enough to warrant another event of the same route in 2019 where we added a second water/drop bag zone, and smooth enough to design a second route option — the Wydaho One Hundred 100K… and then 2020 hit.

THE WYDAHO ONE HUNDRED 100K

The Wydaho One Hundred was an amazing course. I loved every mile of it. Very rarely does a single ride give you a 360 degree perspective of the beautiful place one calls home.

But I quickly noticed that 100 miles was isolating a number of people and cyclists in our valley – those who don’t want to ride 100 miles in a day. Thus, the 100K – a route that is still self supported, still challenging, and still shows the whole valley. It includes all the best gravel roads without climbing up into the mountains, while still throwing in some steep climbs, technical doubletrack, fast and fun hardpack gravel, beautiful views of the surrounding ranges, meanders along the Teton River.

TYING IN THE COMMUNITY

Yes, creating an event to inspire people to ride their bikes through their backyard is community — but how about more! So we introduced a suggested donation. That donation got you a Wydaho One Hundred neck gaiter and an entry into the raffle. A raffle to win a gravel bike from Salsa Cycles! We also pulled in several other great prizes from both our supporting brands and local businesses in the valley. The money goes to a selected nonprofit such as Teton Valley Trails and Pathways or Mountain Bike the Tetons for specific projects.

NAVIGATING A PANDEMIC

Knowing what to do and how to do it safely and efficiently was a challenge when coordinating events. All in all, we already had the infrastructure for a socially-distanced ride. We didn’t huddle under canopied aid stations. We didn’t give rides. We didn’t provide food. Still, it was a challenge. But after a lot of mindful considerations, we opted to continue the ride in 2020.

WHAT TO EXPECT FOR 2021

This year all donations are going to Mountain Bike the Tetons. And while there is no bike to raffle off due to high demand and low production, we are pulling in some sweet prizes! The route will also slightly change due to some road construction.

All in all, I expect to have the best Wydaho One Hundred yet. Every year I learn a little more from my past mistakes and “should haves.” It’s such an amazing opportunity to be on the outside, watching these people find roads that they didn’t know existed in the ten, fifteen, or twenty years they’ve lived here. It’s amazing to hear the stories – how they pushed through when they wanted to quit and how they made this their longest ride yet!

Sure, riding a route and telling someone about it is great. But sharing it with hundreds of others makes me want to do it over and over.