The crossing points for setting a UMCA Wisconsin record were established in 1995 when Russell Louks set the east-to-west record by riding from Menominee, MI to Prescott, WI. I was surprised to find that there was no west-to-east record. Out of respect to my home state, I decided it was my duty to pedal forward and assume that responsibility. To set the west-to-east record, the UMCA rules require that I ride from Prescott to Menominee, but allow me to choose the route. I soon discovered there is no easy way to ride from Prescott to Menominee.

There are thousands of miles of beautiful country roads with very little traffic. However, most of them in the southwestern part of the state are extremely hilly. The route I planned began on the bridge over the St. Croix River in Prescott. It traveled east through the most extreme hills to Downsville, WI and then on to Eau Claire. From there, the route traveled to Colby and then on to Wausau. The double century mark was one mile east of Birnamwood. The route then traveled through Keshina and Peshtigo before ending on the bridge over the Menominee River in Menominee 296.5 miles later. My UMCA official, Ed Boecker, estimated I climbed between 15,000 and 20,000 feet - the route seemed a lot hillier on my bike than when I had driven it.

The start

The day began at 5:26 a.m. on the St. Croix bridge with the Mississippi River convergence in sight. The air was thick with moisture and the temperature was already in the mid seventies. Two hours into the ride the sun was up, but the haze was so thick it appeared to be behind a cloud, even though there were no clouds in the sky.

I began the ride on my Rotator Pursuit, a long wheelbase recumbent with 48 speeds that allows me to climb the steepest hills spinning at a snail's pace and descend the other side pushing big gears at speeds I would never attempt on my traditional racing bike. I will never climb like Lance Armstrong, but my Rotator allowed me to finish the hilliest portion of the route efficiently, and with minimal fatigue. I even came into Downsville at 46 miles nine minutes ahead of schedule.

After leaving Downsville and climbing the two-mile hill up from the Red Cedar River, I was feeling confident. I switched to my Lightning P-38, a short wheelbase recumbent, which I had intended to use on the flatter portions of the ride. [UMCA rules allow the rider to switch bikes, but not to change the type of bike, e.g., to go from a recumbent to a diamond frame.] My confidence was soon challenged as I realized my greatest miscalculation. There would be no flat portions of this route for 200 miles.

Soon the three H's (hills, heat and humidity) began to take their toll. Although I was riding at a steady pace, it was difficult to maintain the speed necessary to achieve my projected times. The heat was stifling, but I was drinking lots of water, Cytomax and Accelerade and not feeling in danger of heat exhaustion. By mile 60 I concluded that if I pushed the pace in order to stay to my time projections, I would risk not finishing. I decided to ride to finish, rather than to ride for time.

After riding through Eau Claire, we turned onto a scenic country road along Altoona Lake and the Eau Claire River. I was tempted to take a dip as we rode by several swimming holes.

At mile 80 we headed out into the beautiful but open farmland of central Wisconsin. The miles began to drag on. The heat seemed intense. The hills seemed more frequent. I passed the century mark in 7 hours 37 minutes. A 7:37 century may not be up to RAAM standards, but by my standards it was not too bad considering the weather.

By mile 130 the three Hs were really starting to take their toll. I was no longer able to recover after climbing the hills and continued to breath heavily on the downhills. By mile 140 I realized I would have to violate my no rest stop plan and take a break at the Cenex station in Colby. I quickly consumed a 21 oz. Mountain Dew - the best Mountain Dew I ever tasted! I lay on a blanket for about 10 minutes, followed by stretching. I ate a packet of tangerine PowerGel, with double caffeine, and was back on the road after a 35 minute break.

The rest stop worked wonders, until we reached 150 miles and road construction! I got down my wife's Rans Wave, a long wheelbase recumbent that makes a surprisingly good off-road bike when knobby tires are installed. I cruised through the rough road and then returned to the speedier Lightning.

Just before Wausau we were confronted with the sight of a hill so steep that it appears to rise up out of the city like a wall. I have climbed this hill on training rides, but even with fresh legs, by the time I reached the top I have been gasping for air. I decided to rest my legs and walk most of the hill because it is still 120 miles to Michigan and I don't want to make too big a withdrawal from the leg energy bank. [The UMCA rules permit walking as long as the rider pushes his own bike.]

Because of steep rollers over the next 20 miles, I traded my Lightning for my Rotator at the top of the hill. It felt exhilarating to descend the rollers at high speed and to use the momentum to ascend the following crests. The temperature was also beginning to drop as was the sun. We reached Birnwood, at mile 199, at 8:49 p.m.

We put on lights and by 9:10 I was back on the road. I felt refreshed by the rest stop and dropping temperatures. I am a conservative nighttime rider and would rather ride safely and enjoy the night air than take risks to set a record. After midnight it seemed there was a steady stream of traffic away from the casino and bars of Keshena. We experienced our only hecklers of the trip.

By 1:00 a.m. most of the traffic was gone. By mile 256, at 1:25 a.m., serious fatigue was setting in. It was close to my projected finish time, but I still had 40 miles to go! My spirits were good but my legs were getting weak. At 2:15, mile 268, we entered the village of Lena. I wasn't sleepy, but the fatigue was getting worse. I'd shifted to a cadence of pedal, pedal, pedal, coast; pedal, pedal, pedal, coast. Fortunately the gradual downhill over the next 11 miles allowed coasting!

At 3:53 a.m., mile 289, we crossed the Peshtigo River into downtown Peshtigo. My team encouraged me on, saying that if I picked up the pace I could finish in under 23 hours. I picked up the pace slightly because 22 hours sounds a lot faster than 23 hours. However, the spirit was willing, but the legs were weak, and I soon returned to my slow but steady pace. Finally we reached downtown Marinette. At a stoplight I could see the bridge over the Menominee River a few blocks ahead. When the light changed, I blasted away at an amazing 12 MPH. When I finally reached the bridge I was able to sprint up the incline to the finish line at the Welcome to Michigan sign.

I was exhilarated. I had finished a triple century over a challenging route, in hot humid conditions. I had established a UMCA record. Not bad for a recumbent rider who has passed the half-century mark in life.

I would like to give special thanks to my wife, Susan Fredrickson, who was my crew chief, and to my daughter, Erika Hegland , and my son, Darren Fredrickson, who were the crew. I am also grateful to Ed Boecker, my UMCA official, whose expertise, tireless energy, and attention to detail are greatly appreciated. I would also like to thank Terry Zmrhal, the UMCA records chair, for administering the UMCA records system.