Local Cyclists Tough It Out To The End In Bike Race Ordeal

By MAGGIE MCMURRAY

Moapa Valley Progress

Two Moapa Valley men recently completed what they both called the “race of a lifetime.” Brian Rebman and Willie Frehner competed as solo riders in the 428 mile “Salt to Saint” bicycle race held on Sept. 22-23.

The race begins at ‘This is the Place’ Monument in Salt Lake City, Utah, and stretches south across the state ending in Saint George, Utah.

Due to the grueling nature of the course, most race participants compete as a team. There are divisions for 8-man teams, 4-man teams, and an open division for teams of other numbers, in addition to the solo division.

Solo riders are few in the race. They must forgo sleep and ride through the night, battling the elements with no relief until the end. This year only 20 solo riders began the race and only 10 of them made it to the end. Frehner and Rebman were among those five.

Both men had competed the course in previous years as part of a relay team. But last year they got the idea to attempt it solo.
“We rode it last yearas part of team,” Frehner said. “But at the end it didn’t seem like we had gotten to ride quite far enough. So we talked about doing it solo and the idea just kind of stuck in our minds.”

The race challenged both men to the edge of their endurance.
“It rained on us for the first hour-and-a-half,” Rebman said. “But we still both felt really good for the first 200 miles or so.”

It was the second half of the race that was the most challenging. Temperatures dropped to 17 degrees in some areas and the riders battled a headwind all day.
Rebman admitted that both he and Frehner had moments when they were discouraged and had to pull on the support and memories of their families to push through to the end.

Rebman’s wife, Lisa, drove his support car for much of the trip. Frehner’s wife, Holly, and his children Lindsey and James, made up his support crew.
“You can’t do this race alone,” Rebman said. “The support of family and friends means so much. That’s what gets you through the hard parts: your feelings of gratitude for them that they gave up their time to support you in your crazy personal challenge. It gets quite emotional.”
Frehner’s wife Holly made matching T-shirts for all their family and friends and they all wore them during the race to show their support.
“Everyone wore their shirts and sent pictures,” Frehner said. “But I didn’t know about it until the end. I wasn’t checking Instagram during the race. I was amazed at the outpouring of support when I saw them after I crossed the finish line.”

Both men trained for months for the race, logging thousands of miles on mostly local roads. Frehner did a 200-mile event in California to help prepare. Rebman’s longest practice ride was about 176 miles around Zion, and through Cedar to St. George.

Even with all the training, the race was hard on their bodies. “The elements were really a challenge, as was getting enough food and the right kind of food,” Rebman said. “Solo riders don’t get the breaks that stage riders do.”

Both men said the trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Neither has plans to ever try to tackle it solo again.

Interestingly, the course record for the race is held by Moapa Valley resident Don Whipple who finished in about 22 hours a few years ago. Rebman and Frehner crossed the finish line together about 28 hours after starting.
“It was the best feeling when I crossed the finish line because I could say, ‘Hey, you did it!’” Frehner said. “Plus, it felt great to get off that bike.”