Dustin Eroh
Dusty Eroh of Anchorage rode to a remarkable 11-hour victory in the grueling Highland Trail 550-mile bikepacking race in Scotland.
The 35-year-old clocked a winning time of 4 days, 2 hours and 51 minutes in the self-supported time trial that featured treacherous terrain and spectacular views of vast countryside.
Don’t be fooled by the beauty, though; this bike-and-hike course challenged even the best climbers and technical riders.
Yet, Eroh beat them all.
For many participants, just finishing the rugged race was beyond their ability as 49 of 72 scratched.
Maybe it was the steep climb up the Devil’s Staircase and the white-knuckle descent. Or the jagged rocks, overflown lochs and 16,000 miles of elevation gain.
Either way, the Highland Trail 550 is about pushing people to their limit.
Dustin Eroh wins what must be the most epic edition of the @HT_550 in 4d 2h 54min!
A truly fantastic performance of physical and mental strengh, considering the exceptional weather conditions.Another great pic by @JamesPRobertson pic.twitter.com/TSt4vSDbBb
— Evanoui (@Evanoui_cc) May 30, 2019
Eroh is no stranger to ultra-endurance bike races. Since first competing in 2016 he has placed second in the Kenai 250 three times and last summer was runner-up in the Arizona Trail Race 750.
By contrast, he completed a single 34-hour push in the Kenai race whereas the Arizona race took him nearly eight days to finish.
The Alaska Pacific University graduate is also an expert mountain climber who leads Denali expeditions.