DELTA JUNCTION, Alaska - Lance Mackey is resting at Trout Creek. I’m sure he received an enthusiastic welcome from Mike Sager. Kristen Pace arrived there also. It does me good to see Lance moving obstinately along. He has a young dog team and this trip will make them better for the future. Rob Cooke and his Siberians are the last team on the trail.
Few teams quit once they get out of Eagle. Two–hundred and sixty miles down the trail Eagle Summit is the next obstacle that can shut a team down.
Brent Sass and Allen Moore were facing that hill Sunday night. I said previously that Brent had given himself room for a little mistake. He took that opportunity by over-sleeping. As Brent said in Central; “Now we have a race!” Allen seems pretty confident.
The winds that are forecast for Eagle Summit should not be a significant factor. There is little loose snow left on top so even with 30 to 40 mph winds, the visibility should be fair.
My first Quest was in 1986. That year we went up the road from Mile 101 and down from the summit on the northwest side. It was 30 below, blowing 30, and the middle of the night when I went over. I tore off a brake on the way down and ran all of the way to Dawson with a snowshoe tied on for a drag. When I reached Central, a reporter asked me how my race was going.
I have yet to see an interview with Damon Tedford. I’d like to know his confidence level. I think he is going to catch Eddie. May as well mix them up. There are only three of my top five picks left in the race. If I get two of them in the right place I’ll be amazed. How are the rest of you doing with your picks?
On a sad note, I was just informed that sprint mushing champion George Attla Jr. died today. He was in an Anchorage hospital dealing with terminal bone cancer. We will miss him but have our memories. When I was a kid growing up, I remember George kicking down Fourth Avenue in Anchorage on his way to another Rondy win.
This is a relatively slow Yukon Quest. It has been a couple years since the Yukon Quest ran the entire route. The trail is 80 miles longer than last year and 50 miles longer than in 2013. The front of the field was fast into Dawson but has slowed since, probably due to attrition from the early cold.
As race watchers, we are getting an education as to the value of resting early as opposed to waiting until the dogs may really need it. The question of where to rest has always been a quandary. Damon Tedford and maybe Allen Moore will give us an answer within the day.
Jessie Royer has proved the value of resting early on the Iditarod trail her entire career. She quietly ends up in the front of the field. Rest early, run fast late. It is easy to catch teams when one is running 8 or 9 miles per hour and they are only moving 6. Early in the race everyone is moving at 9 or 10, which makes the trail shorter early.
The tracker doesn’t tell me if Allen is faster than Brent. The trail out of Central is full of up and downs through a mining district. There are short overflows and fast, smooth sections. Eagle Summit itself has a few sidehill overflows on the way up. Coming down on the 101 side is relatively benign until one reaches the tailing piles near the checkpoint.
Don’t expect the front-runners to stay long at 101. Rest may be needed but it is now an extremely fine line between resting and running. Allen believes he can pick up an hour between Angel Creek and the finish. However, he has to pass his home kennel. No matter how well trained, that is a potential issue for a tired dog team.
John Schandelmeier is a two-time Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race champion. He will offer race insights periodically during this year’s Quest. He and his wife, Iditarod veteran Zoya DeNure, live in the Delta Junction area.
Brent Sass (gauche) et Allen Moore (droite) installés face à face au checkpoint de Two Rivers, Yukon Quest 2015
 La Yukon Quest, course de chiens de traîneau transfrontalière de  entre Whitehorse (Yukon) et Fairbanks (Alaska), aura un vainqueur dans les prochaines heures. Et cela s'annonce finalement bien plus serré que les prévisions des observateurs. En effet le musher Brent Sass (dossard 2) mène depuis Dawson City, le checkpoint de mi-course, et avait une avance de plus de 10h au checkpoint de Circle. Cet écart avait été réduit à 2h07 au checkpoint de Central. Mais c'est finalement Allen Moore (dossard 1) qui est arrivé le premier au dernier checkpoint, celui de Two Rivers.

Brent Sass a donc quitté Central le premier, avec 12 chiens, le 15 février à 14h58 (heure locale). Allen Moore l'a suivi avec 13 chiens à 16h30. Central est situé au pied de l'Eagle Summit, la montagne la plus haute de toute la course ; un passage qui peut s'avérer épuisant pour les mushers et considéré souvent comme décisif. Brent Sass avait, lors des éditions précédentes, aidé un certain nombre de compétiteurs dans cette passe rendue difficile par les vents polaires. Cependant cette année il a connu quelques difficultés avec son propre attelage et a décidé de s'arrêter à 101 Miles. Pour Allen Moore au contraire, l'ascension s'est particulièrement bien passée. Arrivé à 101 Miles 2h11 après Sass il a décidé de ne pas s'y arrêter et est reparti dans la minute. Brent Sass s'est alors dépêché de se préparer pour se lancer à sa poursuite, vingt minutes après lui. La course poursuite a eu lieu les heures suivantes sur le Rosebud Summit mais finalement Moore est arrivé le premier à Two Rivers.

Les deux mushers ont une pause obligatoire de 8h avant la piste finale de plus de  jusqu'à Fairbanks. Allen Moore, qui habite Two Rivers, a l'avantage de particulièrement bien connaître la piste. L'attelage de Brent Sass a eu plus de repos ces dernières heures. Les pronostics sont extrêmement partagés. La victoire avec le moins d'écart lors d'une Yukon Quest revient à Hugh Neff en 2012 qui avait battu Allen Moore de 26 secondes. La règle veut que ce soit le museau du premier chien de tête à franchir la ligne d'arrivée qui décide de la victoire.