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.
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| Stan at a lunch stop where we stopped to refuel |
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| One of the riders who cycled in with us today |
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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.
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