Let’s take a ride: Ice biking across Utah Lake

What’s it like to bike across a frozen Utah Lake? We asked Jim Harris, who did it last year, to find out:

Where did you get the idea to bike across an icey Utah Lake?

I live in Spring Lake and bike each day to and from the Payson Park and Ride lot to catch a bus into UVU, where I work.  Needless to say, this can be tricky when the roads are icy.  So a year or two ago I did some research and discovered that Nokian, a Finnish tire company, makes studded bicycle tires (they also make automobile tires).  I bought a pair and they are simply amazing – no slippage at all, even on pure ice.  Thus the idea of a Utah Lake ride was born.  I took a trial ride on Goshen Bay, and then decided to try a “commute” from Lincoln Beach to the State Park and then on to UVU by road.  Yes, it was a solo ride.

How was the experience? How long did it take?

As I said, the studded tires are great.  Even on glare ice you feel almost as secure as being on dry pavement.  There had been some snow a few days before my ride that had since thawed a bit and refrozen.  This crust of about 2 inches really slowed me down.  My tires essentially had to push through and crush this crust in order to roll.  As a result, it took quite a bit longer than I’d anticipated – about 1 1/2 hours.  And I was hot and sweaty despite the extremely cold day.

Would you do it again? What about crossing the entire lake?

Yes, if the right conditions develop again this year, I do want to make another “commute.”  I actually consider my ride to be across the entire lake, just not from east to west.  The total distance was about 7 1/4 miles, so essentially the same distance as an east-west crossing.  That said, just for the experience, I would like to try an east-west crossing sometime, maybe starting at Pelican Point.

Would you recommend ice biking to the general public? If so under what conditions?

I think ice biking is great, and I would highly recommend it to the public, provided that they have the proper tires and that they go when the ice is bomb-proof. Either that or stick to the shallow bays where ice conditions are far more predictable. The ice right now on Goshen and Provo Bays, for example, is plenty thick for some great bike riding.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Photo credit: Jim Harris