| DAY 6, JUNE 20: GUNNISON TO BUENA VISTA – 69 MILES |
| Today was a 4 season ride. We started off at 6:15 a.m. with temperatures below 40 degrees. We went a couple of miles and changed into our cold weather gear as we made the 11 mile climb to the first Aid Station. By the time we reached the second Aid Station 13 miles later, there was a thunderstorm, lightning and wind. At the third Aid Station we had to hose off our bikes because of all the mud we encountered going through the dirt road of the construction zone. We were told at that point that there was another storm coming in within 2 hours and we had better keep moving. I rode the SAG wagon for a bit because my bike was slipping in all of the mud. When we reached the summit, there was a snowstorm! People were crowding into the port-a-johns to get out of the weather! It snowed for about ½ hour and then we were able to take off again. The rest of the day’s ride was as fun as we had hoped it would be and we averaged 35-40 mph down the mountain to Buena Vista.
It was another great day to ride, but we are looking forward to wrapping things up with tomorrow’s final ride from Buena Vista to Copper Mountain. We are ready to go home.
Steve
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| Day 5 – June 19: Gunnison - Rest day |
| Today we slept in until 8:00 a.m. and spent the day relaxing and catching up after yesterday’s ride. It turned out to be a busy day as well as we did laundry and shopped. We were not able to find a film developer who would put our pictures on the web (like Wal Mart), so we will have to scan in and send pictures as soon as we get home.
I was thinking today about how well the route has been planned with each day focusing on different aspects of cycling – endurance, technical skill, etc. It has also been neat to see the camaraderie that has developed among the cyclists and to hear so many words of encouragement. This has been a great experience.
I was asked if the rest of the tour would be “anticlimactic” after yesterday’s Century Ride. The answer is an emphatic, “No.” I spoke with one of the tour organizers and they said that they purposely plan a really challenging day following the rest day for that specific reason – they want to push you to the very end. So, on tomorrow’s 69 mile ride, we will reach our highest elevation of 12,126 feet as we climb Cottonwood Pass. This pass is closed during the winter and opens Memorial Day weekend. The ride up the pass will include 20 miles of hard packed dirt road. Pray that we don’t have any flat tires along the way. We’ve been told that the last 20 miles down the mountain should take less than 40 minutes. Wahoo! Tomorrow should be another incredible ride.
Steve
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DAY 4 - JUNE 18: DELTA to GUNNISON - 102 MILES
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| We did it. 102 miles. One quarter of the entire tour in one day. A Century Ride. I am exhausted and exhilarated all at the same time. Other adjectives to describe today’s ride would be brutal, intense and painful.
We did get on the road by 5:30 a.m. We checked into our hotel at 8:30 p.m. It was an incredibly long day. I reached the summit in just under 9 hours. John got there faster than I did. Today we really “felt” the elements - bee stings, headwind, thunderstorms, freezing rain, hail and sun. I guess when you ride for 14 hours through the mountains; you can expect to run the gamut of weather conditions.
I am so glad that Thursday is our rest day. Right now I don’t think could do it if we had to get up and ride again tomorrow. We’re going to do our best to get some pictures sent tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers and patience.
Steve
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| DAY 3 - JUNE 17: MONTROSE to DELTA - 32 MILES |
| Today’s ride started at 8 a.m. and was described as “gently rolling”. We learned the hard way that the Colorado definition of “gently rolling” is much different than Ohio’s. There wasn’t anything gentle about it. All the rolling seemed to go uphill. Even though it was only 32 miles, it was difficult because of steep ups and short downs and rough road. Today’s scenery reminded us of Ohio – lots of agriculture. We rolled into Delta at 11:30 a.m. and spent the rest of today gearing up for tomorrow’s 102 mile ride. We will be getting up at 4 a.m. and plan to be cycling by 5:30 a.m. We hope to reach the summit in 10 hours, which is at the 54 mile mark. The grade will range from 4% to 11.5 %. (A typical highway overpass is approx. 2.5-3% grade). We will experience an elevation gain of just over 7,200 feet! (Don’t forget that a mile is 5,280 feet) Tomorrow will be the most grueling day of the week. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers for another injury free day.
Steve
P.S. Thanks AGAIN, Jeff!
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| DAY 2 - JUNE 16: TELLURIDE to MONTROSE - 65 MILES |
| We started today’s ride at 8:15 a.m. with a phenomenal 15 mile 12% descent. I could smell my breaks. We were going so fast that we were passing cars. We then started up the next 15 miles at an 8% climb. After a couple of quick stops to rest along the way, we reached Dallas Divide. The storm cloud that chased us up the mountain caught us just as we reached the summit. We rolled into Montrose just after 3 p.m. It was a beautiful day to ride and not nearly as tiring as our first day out. No SAG wagon for us today! As the SAG wagon approached us at one point they called out asking if we wanted a ride and we said, “Go away!” They laughed as they passed us. Again, I was humbled and grateful to have the ability to do this. More tomorrow.
Steve
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| DAY 1 – JUNE 15: CORTEZ TO TELLURIDE – 77 MILES |
| The day started at 7 am with an 11 mile stretch at an 8% grade. Of today’s ride, 58 miles was uphill. It was grueling, to say the least. We made several rest stops along the way. A minor mishap resulted in a quick ride on the SAG wagon. X-rays showed nothing broken, only bruised pride. The ride down from Lizard Head Pass produced speed in excess of 50 mph. The weather topped 90 degrees with lots of sun. As expected the views are incredible. We wrapped up cycling for the day in the late afternoon.
Today’s (Monday) ride from Telluride to Montrose is 65 miles long with a 15 mile stretch at a 7% grade. We’re dressed in shorts and coated in sunscreen and looking forward to a great ride again today. Pictures will be forthcoming.
Steve
P.S. You were right – Thanks, Jeff!
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