Bicycle Tour of Colorado

So, a funny thing happened this year. I fell in love.... I didn't think it would happen. Wasn't looking for it to happen. Sometimes that's the way life works out I guess. How does that relate to the Bicycle Tour of Colorado you ask?

 Amy is what I would call a recreational cyclist. She has a nice road bike and loves to ride, just not at a level that I am used to. This is fine. I had really taken a step back in terms of cycling, both in terms of a mental outlook as well as a physical outlook on something that I consider essential to my well being.

 This year will be my shortest in terms of mileage in more than a decade. I'm alright with that. It isn't, and wouldn't be fair to try and nurture a new relationship while continuing with my sadistic life of work and play.

So she came into my life at a perfect time.

I wasn't looking for someone to try and keep up with me on any level. I somewhat get those couples who do everything together, I've been in that relationship. As long as both persons are doing it for the right reasons it can work. My experience is that very few couples fit that description. Someones running to or from something, and the other is just along for the ride.

So, here I am just happily going along for 10-20 mile road rides and the occasional tandem MTB ride with Amy when she notices the BTC flyer on the counter ( I've done it a couple of times so I'm on the mailing list).

"What's this?" she asks.

" Well, it's a supported tour across Colorado, I haven't really looked at it though"

" Can we do it? " she asks.

"Umm, err, well, sure. It's kinda hard though."

" Great, when is it?" she asks.

" Next month"

" I guess I better start riding then"........

So that's how it started. I think to this date Amy's longest ride was somewhere short of 30 miles. We would be doing 500 miles in 6 days over 12,000' passes...... Yikes!

I was sure that Amy could do it on her own, but that it might be easier for her to do it on a road tandem, plus we would get to share more of the experience, for better or worse. Those of you who have ridden tandem with your SO know that it can be a double edged sword. It can be a source of great satisfaction, or pure hell depending on the couple.

A plan was hatched to see if we were compatible.....

First I needed to secure a road tandem, no small feat. I knew where a really nice one was, at my ex-wifes house.... She got the road tandem, I got the Ventana mountain tandem in the divorce..... So, all I had to do was see if she was up for loaning me a bike that had only been ridden by she and I to spend a week with my new girlfriend.

 No problem....

Actually it wasn't much of a problem. Mary and I have a great relationship of respect and love that will likely never fade. Neither of us wants to be married to each other again, but that doesn't mean you can't find goodness in each other and respect that.

So about that plan.... The coast seemed a good idea. Guerneville to Gualala and back with a nice stay at a hotel on the beach. Winner!

Still smiling.... it's early.

Nice view.....

Still smiling on the way back.....

We had a great time. 55 miles out and back with King Ridge and some other notable coastal climbs thrown in. It was Amy's longest ride to date and she did great. A little rough on the way back to the car, but really a great first tandem ride.

O.K. we seem to be able to do this tandem thing, she didn't swear at me or anything so I guess I did something right. But the California coast is a whole other world from the oxygen deprived air of Colorado.

 We didn't ride the tandem much for the next month, Amy really needed to find her own legs without me and she was really determined to be in the best shape she could be in. She was riding more than I was and it was starting to worry me. She's going to kick my ass all across Colorado?

Soon enough the time came. We headed out for the start of the tour in Breckenridge. The format of the tour is this: You and 500 of your closest friends camp out in what usually ends up being the local towns high school football field. You pack and unpack your camp gear, set up for the night and pack it up in the morning where it is driven to the next town. You then get to ride all day until you start the whole thing all over again.

We arrived a day early in the town of Frisco, 9600' above sea level. A quick spin up to Breckenridge revealed that we were in for a tough go the next day. Oh well, what are you going to do? We have all day to get to the next town and nothing to do but ride our bike, what else could a person want?

Sucking wind on the way to Copper Mountain

Heading up to Fremont Pass

Fremont Pass, our first one together. On our way to Leadville.

Yeah right, I can't do anything at 11,000'

Our first day was Breckenridge to Leadville, a relatively easy 55 mile day over Fremont pass. I managed to double flat in a weird drainage grate that luckily saved us both from passing out on the way up to Fremont Pass. Man, was it going to be like this all the way across Colorado? What had I gotten us into? We made it, it wasn't pretty, but we made it to Leadville in pretty good time.

Did I mention that the West was in the middle of a record heat wave this week? Yeah, 100+ degree temps would chase us all the way across CO. Lovely, nothing like being in a tent at 10,000' in Leadville with it being 90 degrees outside. We were able to find some respite in the grass and shade of a nearby hospital until the temps finally became manageable.

Tent view in Leadville.

 The next day was a pretty stout day from Leadville, over Independence Pass, through Aspen and down to Carbondale, about 95 miles. Luckily this day wasn't as hard as it seemed on paper. Sure, Independence Pass is tough, but when you start out at 10,000' the day can be relatively easy. We had a really good day, Independence Pass was just gorgeous and the descent into Aspen is a wild ride that few have the balls to really let loose on, luckily Amy was all in as we passed nearly everyone on our way to Carbondale.

Headed out of Leadville to Twin Lakes

Headed up....

Stunning.

Pee stop?

Starting to get up there.

Nearly there.

Made it!

Aftermath.....

Carbondale was a cool little town. We made it in to town pretty quickly, much faster than I would have thought so we got a great place in the shade away from everyone. A quick shower and we were off to find some food at a cool little pizza place. There's something cool about going everywhere you need to by bike. It seems so normal for me, but it was a new experience for Amy and she seemed to be enjoying it.

The next day was from Carbondale to Hotchkiss, the low point elevation wise for the trip, which meant HOT! It's about 75 miles between the two with a really nice route up through a river valley and over McClure Pass, our lowest pass of the trip, but one I'd remembered was difficult the last time I was up it. We made it up and over no problem but it was as steep as I remember towards the top, more difficult than it looks like it should be certainly. The drop off McClure is FAST! GPS said we hit 58 miles mph somewhere!
The rest of the route rolled out as expected. We got into a bit of a fast pace line with another tandem that proved to be faster( and younger) than us on our way into Hotchkiss. The added speed meant we rolled in to a nearly empty school ahead of most of the other riders, and more importantly the truck with our bags....

The truck finally arrived and we were sure of our schedule for the day. Find the pool! We had a nice day hanging out at the local pool with all the awkward teenagers and little kids. It really was the only way to manage the 100+ degree heat at 6500'.

On the way to Hotchkiss.

North Fork of the Gunnison River.

Getting close.

That's a big pass in California!

It's a little warm.....

Pretty much every food or drink you could want!

The next day was one of the easier days mileage wise, about 65 miles, but the trip from Hotchkiss to Crested Butte had the most elevation gain of the entire route in the least amount of miles. This, coupled with the fact that a significant amount of it was dirt road made for an unusually tough day. Dirt roads are no big deal for me. Even on the road tandem I find that most dirt roads are pretty doable. This dirt road was not one of them. The carnage was spectacular. Busted rims, blown tires, flats everywhere and lots of pissed off roadies. I was pretty worked by the time we reached Crested Butte, climbing and descending on loose, rock filled dirt roads for 30 miles was a lot of work and I was really glad to hit the pavement of downtown Crested Butte.

Damn flats!

Headed to Crested Butte.

Good dirt road, it didn't last long.....

Big sky country.

Headed to Crested Butte.

Headed to Crested Butte.

Crested Butte High School.

Before the afternoon thunderstorms come in.

Crested Butte was our off day. It's a nice, albeit touristy town. Last time I was through here I rented a MTB and did a big ride out through Mount Crested Butte. This time I spent most of the off day trying to secure a rear tire to replace the brand new one that was destroyed on the previous days dirt roads. Only one tire was to be found in town, every other one had been bought by other riders who had destroyed tires as well. It was still warm in CO. It was in the high 80's in Crested Butte, but we managed to lounge the day away nonetheless.

Crested Butte

Crested Butte

Mount Crested Butte.

Our second to last day looked to be a pretty cool adventure. Crested Butte to Salida, about 110 miles total with about 25 miles of dirt road over Cottonwood Pass. I'd done Cottonwood Pass before and I think the Pro-Tour did that pass this year so I knew it would be in good shape. The roll up to the base of Cottonwood Pass is a lightly traveled road up a beautiful river canyon. It really was a great day to be on the bike. Amy had her first( and only) little meltdown going up Cottonwood. We sat for a bit, pulled it together and were on our way in no time, she's a tough one for sure.

Amazing!

Headed to Salida.

Ranch on the way to Salida.

Big country.

Headed up Cottonwood Pass.

Up we go.

My kind of dirt roads.

Almost there.

High point of the trip!

Headed down to Salida. 

It was a really nice up on Cottonwood Pass, the last time I was here they were shuttling people off the hill in a blizzard! Unfortunately we had to descend back into the heat of the lowlands. It was a pretty miserable 30 miles from Buena Vista to Salida along Hwy 50 in 100 degree heat. We managed to get in a nice paceline unnoticed so we didn't have to pull everyone into town. We again made pretty good time into Salida, a quick shower and a ride into town was in order. Salida's a pretty cool town. I had spent a couple of days here on my Colorado Trail adventure a few years ago and remembered it to be a nice place. It did not disappoint, certainly the best town of the trip.

A really nice dinner on the Arkansas River and a walk through a closed off downtown during Artwalk night with great shops and live music was definitely what the doctor ordered after a really long day. A nice thunderstorm rolled in as we headed back to the high school, just enough moisture to cool the evening down for our last night of the tour.

The last day of the tour was an unknown for me on roads I had not traveled before. Salida to Breckenridge logged out to about 95 miles. We had to do two passes on the day, Trout Creek at 9,400' and Hoosier pass at 11,500'. We were both pretty ready to be done. My shoulders and elbows were really beginning to bother me from wrestling around a tandem for the first time in years and Amy,was ready to be off of that damn seat.

The road to Trout Creek Pass was somewhat sucky in that it was pretty narrow and filled with weekend traffic headed back to the Front Range. Once we turned off and headed for Fairplay it was a much better scene. Rolling through the grasslands on our way to Fairplay was a nice break to the beginning of the day.

From Fairplay we were on a nice paved bike path along what would have been a sucky road up to Hoosier Pass. At Alma we were once again on the Hwy. to Breckenridge. All of the cars on this stretch were really cool, as there was not much of a shoulder to ride and the pitch was pretty tough for our tired legs. Hoosier Pass finally emerged and we sat for a bit at our 4th and final pass over the Continental Divide.

Only one more pass!

Last one!!!

A final long, fast descent into Breckenridge finished our week long adventure. I had a really nice time. Amy and I are still pretty new to each other and spending a week doing something this strenuous can be difficult at best, but I think we came away with a new respect for each others abilities and perseverance.

We spent the next couple of days in Frisco, just hanging out before heading back home. Our plan was to take some time and explore some of Utah, which Amy had never been to. Unfortunately the heat wave that was bearable in Colorado turned out to be unbearable in the desert. 114 degrees in Moab had us hiding in the car with the A/C on for all of our sightseeing. Walking even short distances was really a tough go in that heat so most of our time was relegated to the car unfortunately.

Have to come back in cooler temps.

Castle Valley

Beautiful!

All in all a wonderful week with a wonderful woman. We finished off the trip with an evening with Steve in New Harmony and meandered our way back home in the morning. A trip I will always remember!