Eighteen bike riders conquer Bogus Basin road

The long and winding road was steep and the temperatures were soaring, but 18 riders were up to the challenge.

Nine ITD employees joined four each from the Ada County Highway District and the Federal Highway Administration and an FHWA spouse for a grueling test of stamina July 8. The second annual climb took them from Highland Elementary School at Bogus Basin Road and Curling Drive to the parking lot at Bogus Basin Ski resort.

The ride was just for fun, explained Greg Laragan, ITD assistant chief engineer - development. About as much fun as you can have climbing 3,500 feet in elevation in a stretch of 15 miles with temperatures just short of the century mark.

“It’s all about pacing yourself and using the right gears,” Laragan said of the Bogus Basin climb. The heat really played a part this year; it was really, really hot.”

Only one of the riders who embarked on the trip failed to make it to the top, the victim not of heat or exhaustion but of deflated tires. The rest finished the ride in 1.5 hours to just under three hours. At the ski resort, they rested and took photos before returning to Boise.

ITD and FHWA riders made the first climb last year as part of the annual fitness challenge. The ride likely will become an annual event, but Laragan suggests that in the future it be scheduled for a weekend morning rather than Boise’s hottest part of the day.

Published 7-16-2010