For the last two years, Heidi Videto, who works as a police support services technician for the Sedona Police Department, has gone to Washington Island, Wisconsin and ridden in the Washington Island Ultra’s 24 hour solo bike ride. This year, Videto decided to up the ante.
Videto rode in the newly added 36-hour bike ride, which started on July 23 at 10 p.m. and concluded on July 25 at 10 a.m. Videto said that she was on her bike for all but three hours during those three days, stopping only for one 20-minute nap, when she had to slow down to tell race organizers her number to chart her progress and to refill her water.
In total, Videto covered 440 miles, which met the goal that she had laid out before the race began.
“I had hoped for around 420 to 450,” Videto said. “It’s the most miles I’ve ever ridden in one shot. The first 24 hours were great. The last 12 were really, really hard. A lot of stuff happened that I did not expect to happen. Emotions were all over the place.”
On her ride, Videto carried a paper with the names of fallen police officers from here in Arizona, her home state of Massachusetts, and other fallen officers that cops she knows had suggested she add.
“I did this ride in honor of the many fallen officers that have recently passed and the 311 that died so far of cancer from 9/11,” she said. “They are the most important part of all the endurance events I do.”
The Washington Island Ultra is a rare event in that it wasn’t canceled due to COVID-19. Yet, the virus did lessen the amount of participants at the event. Videto said that 140 riders did not come.
Of the ones that did show up, Videto was one of only two participating in the 36-hour bike ride. Roughly 200 were there for the triathlon part of the Washington Island Ultra. There was also a 24-hour bike ride as well as a 12-hour one.
“It was nice to have someone else doing the 36,” Videto said. “A lot of people came out and were really supportive.”
Something Videto said that she likes about this race is the family atmosphere of it. If someone rides one year, they get priority in signing up the following year.
To that end, Videto has plans on racing again next year. She hopes that she can not only cover more ground next year but that she can raise more money for her cause, the 100 Club of Arizona, which was challenging this year.
“This is the first time going in that I’ve been healthy,” Videto said. “Everything’s on point. Everything’s perfect. I actually believe that over the next year I can train harder and do 500 [miles] next year. And I’m hoping everything calms down and I can fundraise for the AZ100 Club.
“I’m super happy with how I performed. I went into it with confidence but wasn’t sure. That’s a long time to be out doing anything. Historically, super long endurance events have crushed my soul. But even with some mistakes I am so excited that I got where I got.”
