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Jun 22, 2023

Taking it day by day: Steamboat resident tackles 4,000

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For the past decade, Steamboat Springs resident John Moore lived under the impression that there was no area like Routt County when it comes to cycling.

“You couldn’t be in a better place for cycling, or so I thought until I went to Europe. Man that is a cycling mecca over there.”

For a few years, it had been Moore’s dream to one day ride his bike to the Arctic Circle and two years ago he came across his golden ticket- the North Cape 4000, a 4000 kilometer European bike race taking riders from Turin, Italy to Nordkapp, Norway, the northernmost point in the continent.

The route takes riders through 10 countries and includes over 110,000 feet of climbing on a 25-day deadline. Moore finished in just under 22.

The ride is completely self-supported meaning there are no aid stations and friends or family are unable to follow the journey and assist at any point. Moore had to stock up on essential equipment while maintaining a relatively low load for all the travel on his Moots bike.

Moore said the three most important items were his sleeping mask to guard against the 3 a.m. sunrise, mosquito repellent in the Scandinavian countries and his food sack for storage. He also took his Big Agnes tent, a thermal blanket, a few pairs of socks and equipment to keep dry amid the seemingly never ending rain.

“Unfortunately it wasn’t the best overall weather,” Moore said. “When I started in Italy, we got the tail end of a big heat wave they had, so you had one of the hardest and hottest days of the whole thing. They had a weather system come through that cleared the heatwave but then it rained and it rained and it rained. I had 10- or 12-hour days of riding in the rain all day.”

The weather was not the only challenge Moore came across on his journey. He quickly learned most of Europe closes down on Sundays, making it difficult for him to purchase any food for the full day. Even during the other six days of the week, many restaurants closed their doors earlier than you might typically see in the United States.

Fortunately, several European citizens showed empathy to Moore and overcame the language barrier by offering food and sometimes even shelter despite being closed. He said that is what saved his ride.

“I didn’t really do it by myself,” Moore said. “It was having those people that were there along the way, that’s really why I was able to do it. It wasn’t just me.”

Maybe the most concerning portion of Moore’s ride came in northern Germany where the front derailleur on his bike failed and it became difficult to shift gears. He had to ride with the mechanical issue for over two days before finally reaching a Moots bike dealer in Oslo, Norway who fixed his bike in just a few hours.

The cities Moore rode through gave him a hard time to keep his pace. Paris traffic was unlike anything he had ever seen. With no bike lanes, Moore was trapped in a massive roundabout, surrounded by what he estimates as 500 cars.

The setback was frustrating but Moore had to keep slowly trudging along through the city because the second checkpoint called a ‘gate’ was in its downtown. The route consisted of four gates for riders to receive a stamp and prove they had been there. Moore said it was more of a souvenir than anything but it made it easier to break the race into sections from a mental standpoint.

These unforeseen stoppages and mini detours for every rider meant the majority of competitors would leapfrog each other on a daily basis. Moore said he kept seeing the same people over and over again.

“I was probably one of the slower riders but because I was camping on my own time,” Moore said. “I could get in good distances every day because it just didn’t matter when or where I stopped. The majority of riders had probably half the gear I had because they were just riding room to room and had to be in a certain city sometimes by a certain time.”

Despite the route being exactly the same, it was a one of a kind experience for every rider. The most memorable moment of all for Moore was riding the final stretch and tons of people began to applaud. He figured that meant he was close but soon realized they were applauding for him.

“I was soaked,” Moore said. “I was soaked and cold, but I made it.”

Moore said the emotion did not hit him the way he thought it would, but he took in the sights, got some photos and made sure to get warm. This was his first time competing in anything like this. He can’t remember riding more than four or five days in a row in his life prior to the race.

His main goal is to encourage any and everyone to get out and chase a dream.

“The takeaway for anyone reading this is, here’s somebody that has never done anything like this,” Moore said. “It was just a commitment to doing it and then doing it day by day. That applies to anybody in everything you do. You can do anything if you’re committed and break it down into doable pieces.”

To reach Tom Skulski, call 970-871-4240, email [email protected].

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