Congratulations to Russell Mason for his 2 new WUCA records!
| Distance Event Kilometers | Time | Avg Sp (Km) | Avg Sp (Miles) | Existing records : Male, 60-69, standard bike | new record | |
| 100 Km Road | 02:31:45.56 | 39.54 | 24.57 | Peter Scherrer – 2020-10-02 00:02:41:39 23.06 mph | yes | |
| Distance Event Miles | Time | Avg Sp (Miles) | Avg Sp (Km) | Existing records : Male, 60-69, standard bike | new record | |
| 100 Mile Road | 04:12:31.47 | 23.76 | 38.24 | Peter Scherrer – 2020-10-02 00:04:21:08 22.98 mph | yes |
Russell’s Ride Report
Rider’s Narrative Summary
Rider: Russell Mason
Record Attempt: 100 Mile
Age group: 60-69
Start Time: 9-24-2022 9:00 AM
Starting Location: Intersection of Hwy 50 & Utah State Route 24 Salina Utah
Finish Line: 700 North Hwy 256 Redmond Utah
Finish Time: 9-24-2022 1:12:31 PM
For as long as I can remember I’ve been amazed at what the human body can do, back in the 80’s I watched documentaries of climbers on Mt. Everest and was in awe of the dedication and determination of those who made it to the top, along with some who made it to the top but never made it back down. As I watched I thought Everest would be the ultimate challenge, but I eventually gave up the idea of Everest believing that the risk of death was too great, at that time about one in four climbers who reached the top died on the way down. But even though my dreams of Everest were gone, my wonderment with the human body and what’s it capable of doing remained.
My wife Teri and I have been married for 42 years and we’ve rode bikes our entire marriage, we started with inexpensive bikes and eventually bought two $500.00 Mongoose Mountain bikes, which was a lot of money at that time. Teri and I rode and rode and rode those bikes and we enjoyed every minute, eventually we changed the mountain tires to road tires and completed a 100 miler, then a 225 miler and even a 300 miler on an old Mongoose Mountain bike. As the miles started to pile up, we realized that we needed better bikes, so we purchased better bikes, then another and another and another, you get the idea, we’ve bought a lot of bikes. The bike I rode for the 100-mile world record attempt was a 2020 Specialized Venge with a Specialized aero bar attached. The wheels were Roval CLX 64 with Continental 5000 TL 700 x 28 tires and a back up set of Roval CLX 50 wheels. My clothing consisted of a two-piece Assos skin suit, Assos aero gloves and Assos aero booties, my helmet was a Specialized Evade II with Pearl Izumi shoes. Nutrition consisted of Never Second liquid drinks and gels, which worked great, 360 calories per hour.
My wife Teri and I have participated in many ultracycling events and races that ranged from 100 miles to 928 miles so a 100-mile record attempt wasn’t a long race, but it is a very hard race. My wife Teri has supported me and been by my side for every ride we’ve done, she’s the one that absorbs all the stress of planning, worrying, and making sure everything is done perfect, all I need to do is ride the bike. Conditions were perfect, previous days had been hot and windy, but this day was as perfect as it gets. The ride started with a 9:00 a.m. start time, 50 degrees, 2 mph wind and a crystal-clear blue sky, perfect. The temperature slowly rose to about 72 degrees, still perfect, wind staying around 3 mph until the last 10 miles when it jumped up to about 10 mph but by then the record was all but in the books. Nutrition was also about as perfect as it gets, no stomach issues and plenty of energy. My crew consisted of wife Teri Mason, daughter Tiffany Springer and father-in-law Terron Crane, they took great care of me and I’m very thankful for their help and support. I’d also like to thank my family and friends for their love and support, especially my children and grandchildren, thank you so very much, I love you all. One more very special thanks to my wife Teri, thank you, I love you.
There are many that ask the question why, why do this to one’s body and that’s a hard question to answer but I’ll try. First, I want to show people that as we age, we can remain active, we can have good health, we can enjoy life, but there’s an if, and it’s a big one, if we are willing to put in the effort. Second, as I said in the beginning, I’ve always been amazed at what the human body can do, how it can keep going when most think it’s done and finished. But I truly believe our body holds back, in reserve, a tremendous amount of energy, the problem with that reserve energy is that you must endure a tremendous amount of pain before it gives it up, but it’s there, you just need to believe.
Russell & Teri Mason