Friday, June 17, 2011

Day 6 Granby to Georgetown

This is it. Our last day.  With Susan and Dan staying in Winter Park, about 20 miles down the road towards Georgetown, it was decided we should all take our time getting to Georgetown, whatever way worked best, and not try to ride together on our last day. This worked fine for me as, to be honest, I wanted to nurse a still aching (a little, anyway) knee and enjoy our last ride.  What better person to do this with, than Oleh?  It was great riding together.  We set out around 8:00 AM and made our way towards our first stop, Winter Park.  As we neared the town, I hopped on ahead to scout out some new riding glasses. For reasons I still can't figure out, I managed to lose mine literally minutes before leaving Granby.  These are pretty essential items - we have a big descent today, and I'd hate to have a spec of dust or bug fly into my eyes while spinning down the mountain on my bike at 50mph!  With a nice new pair of glasses, I rejoined Oleh at our first rest stop in Winter Park where we hung out for awhile before starting the real climb up the mammoth Berthoud Pass.  Susan and Dan, and Peter (riding independently) were long gone by now.

Up we went, a 12 mile (19 km) relentless ascent up Berthoud Pass, 11,307 feet in elevation.  Thankfully, I was used to the elevation by this time, however, I took it easy going up, which gave me a chance to meet Rich, a fellow Ride the Rockies cyclist who was slowly making his way there the hard way... using only <his hands> to pull himself up the mountain. A paraplegic, Rich is one of the most inspiring guys I've ever met.  The trike he used must have weighed a ton, and this mountain was a brute. But he was determined to get to the top no matter what.  I learned later that Rich, an experienced mountaineer, had climbed just about every major mountain in Colorado and the pacific Northwest (including some of ours in Canada) before his climbing accident six years ago.   Nothing was going to stop him.

After a very enjoyable chat, I rode on ahead, taking photos as I went.  At last, I rounded the corner and found myself at the top, our last summit of the ride.   High above the snow line, it was pretty chilly up there.  I bought a warm Fajhita and waited until, a few minutes later, Oleh arrived. We had lunch and exchanged photos.  After a while several new friends of Oleh's arrived up the mountain as well, our last reunion before heading down to Georgetown and the Ride the Rockies finish line.

The descent was truly awesome - nearly fourteen miles (22 km) frewheeling down the mountainside.  About two thirds of the way down, I had to stop for a moment. The cold and near constant vibration of the handlebars as the bike whipped down the mountin caused my hands to numb up.  With that awful crass on Tennessee Pass still in my mind, the last thing I wanted was to have hands that were so compromised they might lose control of the bike.   A few minutes later, my hands felt much better, and about the same time Oleh came whizzing by.  I caught up with him and continued our ride into Georgetown.

I kept looking up at the sky as clouds,which had hung closely on the mountain all day, were growing more threatening. Still rain held off as we cycled along dry roads leading up to the lake on the south side of Georgetown.  Then, about a mile outside of town, I felt a few rain drops.  Thank God we didn't have rain going down that mountainside!  Then, literally minutes before reaching the finish line, the storm hit.  It was raining so hard that the moment Oleh and I were off our bikes, we were running for cover. Needless to say, our reunion was pretty brief.  Susan, who had been waiting for us for close to three hours, was shivering with cold. I was feeling pretty badly around then that I had taken so long to get off mountain.  But, we had made it, safe and uninjured.  What a tour this has been!

It took us about an hour until we finally started to head our separate ways. During that time our best laid plans changed about as quickly as that Colorado thunderstorm. Eventually, however, Oleh went with Peter and Eric back to Denver, after which Peter and Erica would drive across the mid west back to Las Vegas. Susan, Dan and I headed toward Frisco, where Susan had a ski cabin.

Before we left Georgetown, I had one last unforgettable memory... of watching Rich, the paraplegic I had met on the mountain earlier that day, arrive at the finish line.  Among the very last of the riders to arrive, Rich had to endure that heavy rainstorm befor the home stretch.  Car horns up and own the street began honking, and crowds began clapping as Rich pedaled his way over the line. Running up behind him, I reached out and grasped his icy hands with returned a firm handshake.  Rich's lips were blue with cold.  He was clearly exhausted, but he had accomplished what to many would have been an impossible feat.  I'll never forget the look in his eyes, as Rich was surrounded by his friends, family, and admirers.


And so, Ride the Rockies 2011 ended, all to quickly, in this pretty little mountain town. As we headed out of town, the sun began to break out.  I said one last goodbye to Oleh, Peter and Eric, then climbed into Dan's van, stuffed to the ceiling with bags and bikes and headed for Frisco, and the Epilogue of our journey.  I have so many wonderful memories of this journey, it is hard to capture all of them in this journal.  However, I hope you can see why I have come to love Colorado since I first started doing Ride the Rockies here in 2005. It was so great that Peter and Oleh could join us this year.  It was a ride we'll remember for a very long time.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Day 5 Steamboat Springs to Granby


I woke this morning a bit groggy from our excitement the night before. Thankfully, the wind had died down, and the sun rose to clear skies over our little tent city. We made our way over to a second edition of the splendid Rotary community breakfast, manned by volunteers, wearing heavy coats and gloves against the cold mountain air, who had arrived at 3:30 AM so that early riders could be served by 5:00. No tent this time - that was history - so, as breakfast was being served outside, we are fortunate that the storm had passed.

Almost as soon as we left Steamboat, we were treated to the "delightful" experience of climbing Rabbit Ears Pass, elevation 9426 ft, situated above the snow line across the Continental Divide. If my bike's Garmin GPS is an accurate indication, we climbed, including various hills and bumps along the way to Granby, 5056 vertical feet. That's nearly a mile high, in one day. Understandably, my right knee ached a bit, but I think it was more due to a chilly bed in my tent last night and that fast, hard ride Peter and I did yesterday. Thankfully, it settled down as the morning went on.

The route throughout our ride so far has been spectacular. There was hardly a minute that went by that something of interest caught my attention. I'm sure my fellow riders wondered why I would hang off the back of the peloton, however, my secret objective was to whip out my camera and take some photos as we were riding along. Hence, you'll see lots of pictures of Susan, Dan, Peter and (whenever we could) Oleh leading the way. I enjoyed riding with all of them. Dan and Peter, and Peter in particular, were the strongest riders in our group. Susan. carrying her Medic bag is one of the most steady, predictable riders (a huge asset in group riding) I've ever cycled with - and a pleasure to cycle with. And Oleh has a wonderful way of taking in every moment on the ride in a relaxed, enjoyable way - and will even throw in a few songs to pass the time. As we rode over such long distances, we found a natural pace that made it possible for each of us to fall in with various groups, often meeting new riders along the way. Most frequently, I rode with Dan and Susan, however, Peter and I had a terrific ride yesterday, and up that massive climb to Cottonwood Pass on day 1. Oleh often started earlier than any of us could possibly manage, but we would frequently catch up with him at some point along the way. With over two thousand cyclists on the ride, we were never at a loss for company!

Coming down Rabbit Ears Pass was thrilling, as are all big descents on Ride the Rockies. The joy of the descent, something I love doing, was tempered by the news of a horrific crash at high speed that took place two days ago off Tennessee Pass, that killed a 67 year old rider from Missouri. Apparently he came down the mountain sometime after the rest of us did, so thank God I didn't see it. We don't know what happened. Apparently he was a very experienced cyclist, and the road was in excellent condition. Something to do with his bike? Did an animal dart in front of him? Was he spooked by another rider? We may never know. Susan mentioned that in the twenty six year history of Ride the Rockies, about a half dozen cyclists have lost their lives doing the tour. While this is a wonderful tour, it is not something for the average Sunday afternoon cyclist. Anyone doing a ride of this nature has to understand the risks involved.


After our descent, we emerged onto a wide valley with open skies, rolling hills, and magnificent views. The descent was still gradual coming up to the 50 mile (80 km) rest stop at Kremmling, however, we were buffeted by headwinds that made it it an arduous journey. Susan and I were riding together at the time, so we switched off taking the head wind, with the other drafting behind to conserve energy. Just as we our strength was beginning to flag, along came a brother and sister team who Susan knew, and rode with a couple of days before. Both exceptionally strong cyclists, they shared the load, helping to break the headwinds through creating that all-important aerodynamic advantage of group riding. What a difference that made! We reached Kremmling, took a brief rest stop, then moved on.

The rest of the ride into Granby was much easier, with a terrific ride through a Byers Canyon. We arrived under the threat of another huge wind and rain storm that we could see sweeping across the Colorado plains. However, I had plenty of time for me to find my gear, get a hot shower and set up my tent before the onslaught hit. Luckily, it was not nearly so bad as in Steamboat Springs. Weather in Colorado is often dramatic, but can resolve just as quickly. To be honest, it's pretty exciting when you are in the middle of it - we have nothing like this in Vancouver! That evening, I caught a free shuttle bus with Susan and Dan and traveled with them to Winter Park, a ski town about 20 miles up the road, where they were staying for the night. We found a quiet Mexican restaurant for an intimate and very enjoyable evening together. It's hard for us to imagine this is our last night before Georgetown, and the completion of our ride. What a wonderful experience this has been so far.

NOTE June 25th 2011: I'll be completing my journal from notes taken of our last day and the Epilogue, and adding photos to this entry over the weekend. In the meantime, click here for photos and a route map of our trip today.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Day 4 - Steamboat Springs loop

With three hard days of climbing, over two thirds of the riders on the tour decided to take a day off from cycling. Susan and Dan did part of the ride in the afternoon.  I'm really glad Peter and I did the loop. We found magnificent vistas which looked over wide, green valleys, and enjoyed some excellent interval training along the way. The route was pretty challenging, however, with lots of sharp, steep hills (up to 15% grades, if my Garmin GPS is correct) and fast descents.  We covered the entire 50 km (80 km) course in just in time for lunch.

Peter





Stan



My afternoon was spent staying out of the heat, enjoying good food (the community lunch was excellent), and doing a few chores.  That night, Susan, Dan and I went to the Oar restaurant, where we met Bobby, who originally came from Alabama where Susan was raised, and, remarkably whose father knew Susan's father, who were both physicians in the rural towns they grew up in .It was a very enjoyable evening.  Much more enjoyable, it appears, than watching the Stanley Cup final.  It's going to be hard for Vancouver to get over this loss!





When I got back to the campsite after dinner I was in for a shock.  We knew a storm was brewing when we left the restaurant, however, just as I got out of the car, a fierce windstorm picked up a huge tent, with heavy aluminum poles and carried it like a sail across the parking lot ... towards me!



The tent, as it stood in the morning during our breakfast
It barely missed the car Susan's friend Bobby was driving.  I had to run to avoid the tent as it hurtled towards the camper's tents.  Fortunately, it was blocked by some trees on the edge of the parking, but eventually came crashing against a parked car nearby.




The tent, after it flew across the parking lot. Whew - close call!
Worried that it might be picked up again, we struggled to cut the tent away from the heavy aluminum poles that made it a sail-like structure.  Eventually, we got the tent under control, but this did not help the campers whose own tents were battered and buffeted in the storm.  Thankfully, mine withstood it.  Oleh's was not so lucky.  A support pole broke, rendering the tent useless. We moved Oleh's gear inside the school nearby, where he spent the night.

 The wind has died down now. I must go now and try to get some sleep. The route to Granby will take us over two brutal mountain passes, and is supposed to be one of the hardest rides of the tour.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Day 3 Edwards to Steamboat Springs

This was a hard day.  Although the elevation was lower,  we climbed nearly 5,000 vertical feet across the 81 mile (130 km) route, which is comparable to Cottonwood Pass.  The trouble was, we thought that once we made it over YellowJacket Pass, the worst would be over - it would be a nice, long downhill glide into Steamboat Springs.  What we didn't count on were fierce headwinds made each pedal stroke seem like we were going uphill.  Susan, Dan and I rode closely together to receive the aerodynamic benefits of group riding. Along the way, we met up with two folks who, after a while, rode tot he top of the peloton and helped Dan, who was leading at the time, to break the worst of the wind for the rest of us. Had it not been for them, it would have been a much harder journey.

The scenery, however was beautiful.  Add to this a warm sunny day, it was a perfect day for cycling... as long as you have sunscreen on.  I'm taking this as a personal lesson, as, sadly, I forgot to put some on, and found my legs turned lobster red.



We arrived in Steamboat Springs a bit late, thanks to a rear tire tube blowout that took place at one of our rest stations.
Stan at a lunch stop where we stopped to refuel

One of the riders who cycled in with us today

We made it in to Steamboat Spring around 3:30 PM, however, and later enjoyed the beer garden set up by the Steamboat community, complete with a live stage.

Click here for more photos.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Day 2 - Buena Vista to Edwards

Main street in Leadville
With Cottonwood Pass behind us, I felt a bit better tackling today, Climbing started right away, however, in a long gradual rise that lasted over 35 miles (56 km) until we reached Tennessee Pass and Leadville, which, at elevation of 10,152 feet (3094 m), is the highest incorporated town in North America. I remembered this route well having cycled across it the opposite direction, coming up over Battle Mountain (the second pass on the profile to the right, at the 45 mile mark) while doing the Copper Triangle Century ride with Susan and two of her friends in 2006 (click here to view).

Much of the country leading out of Buena Vista had a dry, desert-like character. Susan, Dan and I rode much of the way. Unfortunately, Peter and Erica ran into mechanical difficulties with their car, forcing Peter to abandon his planned start with us. Instead, Peter and Erica took their misbehaving Volkswagen to Edmunds where Peter got on his bike and cycled up to Leadville the opposite direction and returned back down. Either way, there are some significant challenges, the biggest being, once again elevation. I did fine, however a number of other riders found getting up to Leadville to be that much harder to do. In the end, we all made it back to Edmunds. Thankfully, Peter and Erica were able to get a better functioning van.


I pitched my tent and began camping for the first time on the ride. It was nice to be tenting again... the last time I did this was my first ride in Colorado, in 2005. It seems that the ground is a bit harder than the last time I did this.

For more photos, click here.

Tomorrow, we leave for Steamboat Springs.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Day 1- Crested Butte to Buena Vista

Our route, mapped by my bike GPS. For more details, click here.
This was the day that took months of training to be ready for. The assault up Cottonwood Pass was pretty tough - over 14 miles (22 kilometers) of dirt road, climbing to 12,181 feet, with an elevation gain of nearly 5,000 feet. This is the highest elevation I've done to date, and probably one of the tougher climbs. Along the way, Dan's chain broke under the strain, requiring a repair stop at the fourth, and last aid station before the top.



Peter, along the road from Almont
That said, it was a beautiful day, made especially so thanks to the great company we have on the ride. Susan, Dan, Peter and I headed out from Crested Butte and down a long descent into the turn-off to Cottonwood Pass at Almont, on highway 135, about 20 miles (32 km).







Stan, near Taylor Reservoir on the way to Cottonwood Pass
From there, we were climbing until we reached the top of Cottonwood Pass. Along the way, we were treated to some spectacular scenery, from dry cattle-grazing farmland to rushing mountain streams and lakes, to snow-covered mountains and high alpine tundra.





Dan, stopping to put on wind protection above the snow line

The last part of the climb was the toughest due to strong cross winds that whipped across the barren landscape above the snowline.


Susan heading out for the final assault to the mountain pass























Great care had to be taken descending down the mountain as a heavy gust could easily throw a rider off his balance.


Descending Cottonwood Pass
Thankfully, once we reached the summit, the road was paved, making it much safer to descend. Once we got below the barren high-alpine elevation, the wind died down, making it possible to descend quickly down the highway. Click here for more spectacular photos.

NOTE: Internet access may be unreliable for the next several days, so updates may not happen right away. Be patient.. the adventure this week has only just begun!


Oleh arriving in Buena Vista. We made it!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Registration Day, Crested Butte

We're now in Crested Butte, the town where Ride the Rockies begins. I'm staying with Susan and Dan at the Grand Hotel, with a stunning view of the local mountains, still covered with snow.

The view from the suite we are staying at tonight-->

The weather is warm, at times hot during the day, but the mountain becomes chilly at night. I learned the hard way as I wore a short sleeved shirt when we went out to dinner last night. We strolled around town last night, enjoying the architecture of this historic town built in the mid 1800's. The main street is lined with unique art shops, restaurants, book and clothing stores. This ski resort is humming with activity during the winter, but it gets quiet in the summertime. So, when Ride the Rockies chose Crested Butte to start the ride this year, it is a huge deal. Over 2,400 riders and hundreds of volunteer support staff and bicycle vendors are descending on the town over the next few days.

I met two of the volunteers yesterday, Liz and Dion, who are friends of Susan, when they drove us from Georgetown (the last destination of the ride), where we left a car, to Crested Butte, a four hour drive. Liz and Dion used to live in New York, but have moved to Golden, Colorado. Both have been cycling for many years. Liz, in fact, has just complete a 3400 mile trip across the United States. They are not riding this year, however. Instead, they are working as volunteers, manning rest stops where thousands of riders will be converging along the route.

Reed
That evening, Susan, Dan and I enjoyed a terrific, casual Mexican dinner at Teocalli Tamale. Later, we stopped into Townie's Bookstore, a funky place where local musicians hang out. There, we were treated to Reed, a guitar player, who sang original folk songs. When we discovered what a talented musician he was, we nixed plans to see a mountain bike movie (sorry, Dan!!) and listened to him until the bookstore closed down for the night. In the meantime, Peter and Erica had already arrived in Crested Butte, but for reasons known only to a Vancouverite, chose to have dinner together at Maxwell's Steakhouse, where there was not only good food, but also a television broadcasting the Stanley Cup playoffs. I learned later that Vancouver won 1 to 0 over the Boston Bruins with a goal coming late in the third period, a thrilling game. Let's hope they win the next one. If they do, they win the cup!).

Oleh
Today, Peter and Erica joined us for breakfast in the hotel restaurant, where they met Susan and Dan for the first time. Peter then rode with us for a short morning ride outside Crested Butte before we returned to register at noon in the Ride the Rockies staging area. Later that night, Oleh finally arrived, just in time for a late dinner. Our riding team is now complete!


Dan, Susan, Peter and Erica

We have some great photos of Crested Butte and our ride today on our website. Check them out here . Tomorrow, Ride the Rockies begins, with a very difficult climb over Cottonwood Pass, on the way to Buena Vista. Wish us luck!