BTC 2011 Day 7

For our final day, we rode another 70 miles climbed another major mountain pass, and crossed the Continental Divide again. Our day started early when we left our condo in Breckenridge at 6am in the early morning cold to ride our bikes the 6 miles back to Frisco for the start of the official ride. The light was amazing as the sun was just coming up over the high snow-covered mountains.

After several "warm-up" miles riding mostly uphill along the East shore of Lake Dillon, we came to the base of our major climb-- Loveland Pass. It is 8 continuous miles of climbing, not quite as steep as the previous day, but significantly higher, with the summit just a few feet under 12,000 feet. The oxygen is noticeably thinner up there. The first several miles of climbing are really beautiful, with lush pine forests, lots of waterfalls, and the South Fork of the Snake River running through the canyon below. Throughout the climb, you are surrounded by major rocky peaks and, as you get above 11,000 ft, you climb above the tree line and the scenery becomes even more dramatic.

On the way up, just as we were climbing above tree level, we passed the A-Basin ski resort where the lifts were operating and people were still skiing.








We all had huge smiles when we hit the summit as you can see in this photo of Jeri arriving at the top.








Ken, Jerry and I loved the fact that there were still winter signs warning of avalanche danger. More importantly, look at the scenery behind us.









It was great that we were all four on the summit at the same time for the summit photo.









After a very long downhill, including a stretch riding on the shoulder of Interstate 70 with some police escorts, we had one final hot and steep 8-mike climb back up to Central City for the finish. I guess they figured we shouldn't leave any energy unspent, but we were all elated to reach the finish line.







It was a spectacular bike tour and thanks to Rochelle, Ken, Jerry and Jeri for making it so much fun!

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Location:Breckenridge to Central City, CO

BTC 2011 Day 6

Today we saw more civilization and development than all of the previous five days combined, as we rode through all of the major ski towns along the Interstate 70 corridor heading back toward Denver. We left our condo in Aspen at 6am and drove to Gypsum for the start of the ride because we couldn't ride through Glenwood Canyon as originally planned due to flooding. Even with all of the development and the busy traffic on I-70 which was right alongside us for most of the day, there was even more natural beauty to enjoy. Once again, an abundance of lush green forests & meadows, high snow covered peaks, and lots of water everywhere. The Rocky Mountains in early summer are truly spectacular.

The second aid station on the West end of Vail was right on the edge of the rushing Eagle River with a beautiful bridge to enjoy the scenery.





As we passed through Vail and approached the run-up to Vail Pass, the bike path was right alongside the highway, with the pass straight ahead-- needless to say, it's pretty intimidating looking where you are going when it is so high!





The climb to the top of the pass from the West side is quite difficult-- 10 miles continuously uphill with average grade of 7-8% with several sections increasing to 10% grade and three sections getting up to 14% (really steep!). It's quite beautiful all of the way up and gets a little bit easier in the last mile at the top, where you come up to a gorgeous alpine lake at the summit at 10,600 feet.






From the top of the pass, we had a beautiful downhill along a river- all of it on nice bike path to the finish. It was a little shorter day-- "only" 70 miles but, with the big climb, it was plenty. We all managed to finish in time to have a nice and much-needed lunch by the river in Breckenridge where we are staying for the night.




Hard to believe we only have one more day!

By the way, for those of you who don't know what Bungalow Munch is, it is Jeri Howland's company that makes the world's best organic granola-- particularly amazing fuel for endurance athletes but delicious and healthy for anyone. It's a little more than a "hobby" for both her and Jerry but they both have big "day jobs" too, in addition to all of their sports endeavors. Check it out and order online at http://www.bungalow munch.com.


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Location:Gypsum to Breckenridge, CO

BTC 2011 Day 5

Today has been a most welcome rest day. My body has felt tired and a little banged up. We were so excited at the end of the day yesterday that I neglected to report on a minor drama from early in the ride. Coming into an aid station after riding about 25-30 miles, Ken and I were riding with a large pack or "peloton" to be more efficient in the headwind. As the pack slowed, the rider in front of Ken swerved out, hit his wheel and sent him to the pavement. He went down right in front of me and I hit his bike and crashed too. We're both lucky and OK... Ken had some impressive road rash on his arm and leg and I have a bruised shoulder and a popped rib. Needless to say, we both felt it more today and appreciated the rest day. We also both really appreciated having Rochelle to patch us up.

After a lovely and leisurely breakfast at a local cafe with Ken and Audrey this morning, Leslie, Rochelle and I went for a magnificent 3-hour hike in the Maroon Bells Wilderness. All three of us couldn't stop saying "WOW!" for the entire time. The meadows and forests were lush green, the wildflowers were abundant, Conundrum Creek was rushing alongside our trail, and the majestic snow-covered mountain peaks surrounded the entire valley.





Along the way, Leslie gave Rochelle a graduate course in Rocky Mountain wildflowers, enthusiastically sharing her encyclopedic knowledge of the subject.





We braved crossing the rushing creek on a log...





And Rochelle even got a chance to play in the snow by the trail.





After hiking for a few miles uphill, we found a beautiful spot on the edge of a meadow to sit on a big rock and have our lunch, while looking across the valley at one of several waterfalls we had found, below the incredible mountain peaks.





We got back in the afternoon early enough to have a relaxing time by the pool with Jerry and Jeri, and complete a perfect "rest day".

Our relaxation ends tomorrow when we take off early morning for a long ride over Vail Pass (10,617 ft) ending in the town of Frisco. We'll spend the night in nearby Breckenridge and then we have another long ride Saturday over Loveland Pass (12,000 ft) crossing back over the Continental Divide again, ending up back in Central City where we started. After all of the riding we've done so far, we're looking forward to these final two days.

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Location:Aspen, Colorado

BTC 2011 Day 4

Today was absolutely spectacular! We rode 91 miles from Steamboat to the tiny town of Dotsero. We were supposed to go another 20 miles to Glenwood Springs but the bikeway through Glenwood Canyon was completely flooded by the high water of the Colorado River.

The scenery for the first half was similar to the previous day, with rolling green fields and snow-capped peaks in the background but today, the green fields were full of wildflowers.




The mountains in the background are the Flattops and you can see where they get their name.

We used Ken's local knowledge to take a side route on Colorado River Road for about 35 miles-- half of it on dirt road. It was magnificent-- we were alongside the Colorado River the entire way. We had timed it for Rochelle to drive the van and catch us while were on this route so that we would have support, and this made it possible to have a picnic for a rest stop in a beautiful spot by the river.




This meant we rode a few miles further than the official route but it was more than worth it and we all loved it.

After the end of the ride, we stopped at a diner on our way to Aspen for a late lunch and our two "adrenaline junkies", Ken and Jeri, had to try the owner's bike with a wheelbarrow attached to the front.





Tomorrow is our "rest day" and Leslie, Rochelle and I are planning a long hike in the Maroon Bells Wilderness. I'm sure there will be photos. Ken and I will probably also ride an hour or so to keep our legs fresh. I'm sure Jeri and Jerry will do a long trail run or something. We're all happy now to rest and relax!!

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Location:Steamboat Springs to Dotsero, CO

BTC 2011 Day 3

The good news today was that a strong, cool West wind was blowing all of the remnants of the previous day's storm out of the area. The bad news was that the wind was in our face for the entire 80- mile ride, making it much tougher than it would normally be. We still had a fantastic ride. The first half was through beautiful river canyons and a lot of rolling green hills with cattle in the foreground and snow-capped mountains in the background. Here is a typical scene from the day:





If you see the rock formation on the top of the snow-capped peak on the right in the distance, that is the "Rabbit Ears" that give Rabbit Ears Pass it's name. That is the pass we need to climb on our way to Steamboat. Needless to say, I was excited to summit that climb and cross the Continental Divide because it was mostly downhill from there to Steamboat.





We were delighted to get to Steamboat where Leslie and Ken's wife Audrey joined us for a fantastic dinner and Ken and I got to sleep in our own beds for a night. They will also drive to join us in Aspen for the next two nights and our "rest day" on Thursday.

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Location:Granby to Steamboat Springs, CO

BTC 2011 Day 2

After a night of heavy thunderstorms, we woke up this morning to find that Trail Ridge Pass had been closed due to snow accumulation overnight. We explored many options and decided to go ahead and drive the long way around to our destination in Grand Lake, on the other side of the pass in the hope that the weather would clear enough that they would open the pass and we could ride it from the other side.

Our 3.5 hour drive started by passing a beautiful herd of Elk cows and calves by the side of the road in Estes Park.





While it was a long ride and we would have preferred to be on the bikes, we still had fun and Rochelle, Jerry and Jeri enjoyed the comfort of the back of the van.





As we drove over Berthoud Pass at over 11,000 feet, we saw the winter weather we were missing on Trail Ridge Pass which is over 1,000ft higher.





Once we got to Grand Lake, the weather had cleared a little and Jerry and Jeri took off riding while Ken, Rochelle and I grabbed lunch first. Then Ken and I got on our bikes and rode into Rocky Mountain National Park where we discovered that the pass had been opened at about noon. It was starting to rain again so we decided to ride up and get as far as we could go. We made it to within about 2 miles of the Visitor Center near the top-- we were about 17 miles up the climb at 10,600 ft. By that time, the snow banks by the side of the road were 3-4 ft and the freezing rain was turning to snow. The temperature there was 33. We were stopped by some emergency vehicles by the side of the road that were being used to warm hypothermic riders, so we decided it was probably a smart point to turn around and head down. We managed to smile for the camera even though we were freezing!





The ride down was the coldest I've ever been on the bike-- hard to describe what it feels like to go 30mph downhill in a freezing rain. We had just gotten back to the van and were organizing our gear when Jerry and Jeri came running up with huge smiles but no bikes. Turned out they made it all the way to the top but the weather was so bad they had to load their bikes in a truck and take the shuttle for the downhill ride.

All in all, it was an incredible and very satisfying day- proving yet again that some of the best experiences happen when you just adjust to the disappointments and take the opportunities that come with change.

Tomorrow we ride 90+ miles to Steamboat and the forecast is for sunny skies and 70+ degree temperatures-- a little welcome warmth!!

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Location:Estes Park to Granby, Colorado

BTC 2011 Day 1

Hi All-
I'm happy to be reporting on the first day of our Bicycle Tour of Colorado. I'm joined on the ride this year by Jerry Edelbrock and Jeri Howland from Marin County, CA and Ken Kruse from Steamboat Springs, CO (he built our house!). And, as usual, we couldn't possibly make it without our support driver and massage therapist, Rochelle Tepper from Santa Monica.

We started our week-long ride today with a spectacular day. We unloaded our bikes and gear in the little mining town of Black Hawk, just outside of Central City and were all excited to get get going. The temperature was in the high 40's at 7am so we had to dress pretty warmly.





We proceeded to ride about 56 miles along the "Peak to Peak Highway" which rolls constantly up and down hills all the way to Estes Park. We climbed over 4600ft in elevation during the day but started and ended the day at around 8,000 ft so were going up and down all the way. The ride was unbelievably beautiful-- pine forests, alpine lakes, rushing rivers, and the nearly constant backdrop of the high mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park, where we are going tomorrow.

Here's an example of the typical scenery on the road:





And here I am in front of Longs Peak, over 14,200 ft high.





We all finished the day in a little under 4 hours, feeling pretty fresh, and have had a nice relaxing afternoon in Estes Park.





Our new "mother ship" in the background is Ken's custom outfitted Sprinter van which is proving to be an ideal support vehicle for this type of ride.

Please send us all of your best hopes and wishes for good weather tonight because tomorrow we are scheduled to ride over Trail Ridge Pass at 12,250 ft in Rocky Mountain National Park and the forecast is calling for 6-10 in of new snow up there tonight. We've got a loud thunderstorm right now.

I'll report again tomorrow!!

Location:Central City to Estes Park, CO