Leaving Colorado

We are currently in Indianna, with about 6 hours of driving left. This is the last view we had of Colorado. I had a great time and completely enoyed my time out here.
All of the backlogged photos are up now. You can find the link to my Flickr Stream in the archive (click June over on the right) or click on the slide show at the top right of the page.

Rafting

Today, we did a half day trip through the Brown Canyon section of the Arkansas River (yes, still in Colorado.) We rafted with a nice young couple from Colorado, and our guide Bridget. The trip took about 2 hours and was a nice chance to see the landscape from a diferent vantage point. The river was flowing at over 3000 cubic feet per second which made the class II through IV rapids very exciting.
Afterwards, we had lunch at the Eddy Line Resteraunt, which was recomended by our guide. Great wood fired pizza, ribs and burgers. Then we loaded up for the 23 hour trip home.

Exploring Colorado

After leaving Vail last night, we headed to Leadville for the night. Leadville is, I believe the highest city in the Continental U.S. It was lovely to have a warm, dry place to sleep, along with a hot shower the next day. After breafast, we headed back to Buenna Vista, which if you remember, is where we spent last night on our tour. Buenna Vista has some of the best whitewater rating in Colorado.
In the morning, we drove up to Cottonwood Pass, so Mom and Dad could see what they had missed while in the U-Haul. This time, it was very clear at the top of the Continental Divide. We walked around a little, got some pictures and headed back down.
It turns out that it is much easier to climb one of these mountains in a car, but not as much fun descending.

Photos

I know that I am really behind in posting pics. Stay posted tomorrow, when I get a chance to upload the last few days worth, as there are some great ones.

After the ride

After finishing our epic adventure, we got showered (they actually have a shower truck along on the ride) and loaded up the car. We headed to Vail to hang out for a few hours. We rode the gondola up to the top of the ski runs and walked around, marveling at the views of two different mountain ranges. We wandered around and did a little shopping. Then we headed over to Vail Village for dinner. Some locals recommended Lancelots, and we had a great meal on the patio overlooking Gore Creek.
At the moment, we are headed to Leadville for an overnight stay. Tomorrow we have an afteroon rafting trip planned in Buenna Vista.

Zipp Wheels

You may have noticed that yesterday, I did not list an average speed. This is because my speed computer was not working. If you ride bikes a lot, you will recognize Zipp as the leader in after market and aerodynamic wheels.
Zipp sent a demo team along on the ride. Yesterday, I was able to demo a set of 303 clinchers. (38 mm deep carbon rims with sapim bladed spokes.) For those of you who have no idea what I am taking about, these are $2000 wheels. The only problem, was that the Zipp guys didn't swap the magnet that registers my speed. (I also forgot to get a photo with my bike all blinged up.)
So, how does a $2000 set of wheels compare to a $200 one? They rolled very nicely, but felt harsher over bumps than mine. I didn't notice much of a difference climbing although they are actualy a little heavier. Where I did notice a difference was trying to outrun the storm and riding in headwinds and crosswinds. They felt marginally faster, but without my computer it was hard to be sure.
Verdict: It was kind of cool to be able to try the Zipps, but I don't think it would really be worth the huge expense.

Day 7

104 miles 6000+ feet of climbing 16.5 avg

Highest paved road over the Continental Divide (Independence Pass 12,135 feet):
Been there, climbed it, got the t-shirt (not really).

It is really cold at 12000 feet. I climbed with full arm warmers the whole way, but took off the leg warmers. We climbed through snow fields and tundra, and saw recently skied lines. At the top, I hooked up with Mom, who hitched a ride from aid 1 and Dad who was a few minutes back. It was an incredibly cold descent, even with being as bundeled up as possible. We still had 60 miles to go, but with a 20 mile descent (you have to try this sometime - it is like the longest and best roller coaster ever) into Aspen and then 40 miles with a total of 2500 feet lost it went by quickly.
About 3 miles out we stopped to help a guy with a blown tire. When we finished, they had music and balloons and cheering people at the finish.

We made it!

A day on BTC

So, what is a typical day like on a bike tour? Usually we get up at 5 am, eat breakast (oatmeal, dried fruit, granola bars etc.) and pack up the tent and our bags. We load our bags on one of the trucks, fill up water bottles and get rolling between 6 and 7. On this ride, we didn't have to take much with us, as there were excellent aid stations about every 20 miles. They provided fresh fruit, pastries, pb&j sandwiches, water, gatorade and other snacks.
Usually we finished up our ride between 1 and 3 in the afternoon. After setting up the tent and Mom's stuff in the gym (see photos of tent city and gym city) we get cleaned up and explore the town and look for a good place to have dinner. Then mabe some dessert and then it is time to pack up and turn in (usually by 9 pm, so we can get up early to do it all again.

Day 6

73 miles 4767 feet climbed avg unknown

"This is my favorite view, no this is my favorite place, no THIS is my favorite." This is how feels to ride through this beautiful landscape. This morning, we started out with a 23+ mph blast down the valley from Crested Butte. Then it was an uphill climb through Taylor Canyon then the views of the Taylor Reservoir. After the 2nd aid station, there was 14 miles of climbing on a dirt road with 3000+ feet of verical.
We crossed the Continenta Divide via Cottonwood Pass which at 12,336 feet is the highest point of our trip. Unfortunately the weather can change very quickly at that altitude. As I was summitting, a bad storm was rolling in it was so cold I could see my breath. I hammered as fast as possible on the 20 mile descent and managed to just stay ahead of the rain. Except for setting up camp in the rain, the day went well.
My parents had a very different experience. They were caught in the storm at the top with strong winds, fog, rain and "it sleeted" on Mom. It got so bad as the portable toilets were blowing down the road that the ride organizers evacuated people from the summit. Mom and Dad were SAG'ed down in the back of a U-Haul van with 40 other people.
On the plus side by the time they got to the school the sun was out, camp was already set up, and our gear was quickly dried out.
We had a great prime rib dinner at Quincy's a local steakhouse in Buena Vista. They only serve one item each night. The prices were reasonable and the food was excellent.

Crested Butte

We have one day off during the tour. We get to spend two days in Crested Butte. This ski town has mountains surrounding it on every side and is the most beautiful town we have stayed in. By the time Mom and Dad got in yesterday, I had already gotten bandaged up and had things set up. We had a great Mexican dinner and walked around town. The town itself is actualy pretty small. Crested Butte has some of the best mountain biking in the country, and this week is hosting the Fat Tire Bike Week. Originally, I had booked a mountain bike rental for today, but have had to cancel that due to my accident.
This morning, we got up and walked to a coffee shop for hot chocolate and pastries. Then we did laundry and got Mom up. We had a great breakfast at McGills (Great french toast and omletts).
This afternoon, we took the shuttle to the ski area and then took the ski lift to the top. From there, we hiked up to the Peak at 11850 feet. The views were jaw dropping. Stay tuned for pics when I get a chance to upload them.

Equipment

This is the post that I ment to write yesterday, but didn't get around to. You might be wondering how it is possible to ride 90-100 miles sitting on the same seat for 6-7 hours and not be sore (except for tired legs or the hopefully very ocassional crash)?
Some of it is because of training for the ride but a lot of what makes it enjoyable is having the right equipment. Nearly everyone is riding a road bike. These are bikes with tires about 23 mm wide. The bikes are made to be as light and efficient as possible. Some people have bikes where the wheels alone cost twice as much as my whole bike. That being said, you do not have to have a super nice bike to do a ride like this. We always wear helmets gloves and glasses. The glases partly for the sun and also for protection against rocks and bugs. The other day, I actually took a small stone right in my lens. Without glasses this would have been much more than a minor annoyance. The other thing that helps a lot is to be properly set up on your bike. If everything fits, it makes things much nicer.

Day 4

93 miles 6047 feet of cimbing 17.4 avg

Well, the bad news is that I have a really good excuse for not posting yesterday. The good news is that I am more or less ok.
Because we will be spending two nights in Crested Butte, I rode ahead to get better camping and gym spots for all of us. The ride went great and the scenery was amazing. I hooked up with some other riders and for the last 55 miles, averaged 21 mph. It takes an incredible amount of focus to stay 6-8 inches behind the rider in front of you for several hours. Unfortunately, about 3 miles from the end I touched the wheel in front of me with my front tire and went down. If you ever want to know what it feels like to get thrown out of a car at 23 mph ask me sometime.
They do have excelent medical staff along on the ride. Dr. Mark checked me out and there are no broken bones, just some road rash on my right side. I landed on my right shoulder, and this morning it is pretty stiff. I am very thankfull as it could have been much worse. I was even able to ride the last few miles into town.

Day 3

101 miles 5007 feet climbed 15.8 avg

This morning we rode through the Colorado National Monument. If you are ever in western Colorado, this is a definite do not miss. Check out the pics!

We split up today. Mom did 80 miles and finished first. Dad did the whole ride but rode the second half by himself. After he stopped to rest. I caught on to a group of riders in a paceline (which if you are not a cyclist, is a long line all drafting each other.)

After the monument, it was an ok day, just a little monotonous scenery wise and very hot (97 degrees) with no sun and strong head and cross winds. I applied sunscreen twice and still got burnt in a few small places.

1st Day of BTC

Dad: "Around every corner there was another spectacular scene awaiting us."
Mom: "So when do we start the climbing?"
Kyle: "The best day of cycling ever!"

80 miles and 4600 feet of climbing 17.5mph average. I think that our training was pretty sufficient so far. Even though we all climbed at diferent speeds, all three of us were able to pass a lot of cyclists. The best part was that we didn't seem to suffer any ill effects from the altitude up here. This was not the hardest or highest day, so we won't start gloating quite yet.
The only wrench in the works was that when I reached the top of the climb, I waited for my parents. They didn't see me and rode on ahead. I spent a long time at the top and made several new friends. The main downside was that I had to ride the second half of the day by myself. On the plus side, I was able to get in some good riding and even with a stiff head wind averaged 20 mph for the last 40 miles.
As alluded to already, the ride was simply spectacular. It really is difficult to describe or even to capture fully in a photograph. We were riding along rushing rivers, past waterfalls, beneath towering peaks and shear cliffs. I will try to post some photos on flickr, but be patient as the internet is spotty at best here.

Day 2

Hochkiss to Grand Junction:
93.3 miles 6922 feet of vertical 16.1 mph average.
Today we climbed over the Grand Mesa, which sits at 10,839 feet and is the largest flat top mountain in the world. The second photo is actually looking back at the mesa after the descent. Yes, we climbed up there. We had a monster of a climb today. In 19 miles we gained 4800 feet with an average grade of almost 5 percent. Just as it is impossible to describe the scenery out here, I can't really think of a way to convey what it is like to go uphill for 2 hours. I climbed at a 10 mph average and passed 521 people. It took most people at least 3 hours and some longer. Many of the people who have done this ride and live out here said it was the hardest climb they had ever done.
With all of that, it was still well worth it for the views, the challenge and the downhill. Yes, the best thing about climbing for that long is that you get to go downhill for 20 plus miles. I hit 48.2 mph on the descent and covered 21 miles in about 35 minutes. That made it all worthwhile. One guy said that next to sky diving that is the most exciting thing you can do.
The other thing that made the day interesting was the variety of scenery and the different ecosystems we rode through. We started out riding through ranches and canyons. As we climbed higher we rode through alpine forests and past lakes. On the other side of the mesa we saw dessert canyons and rock formations. We are currently very close to the Utah border with hot weather and dessert landscapes.
I know this has been a long post. Thank you for reading. In the next few days, I am going to bring you a series on what it is like to do a tour like this. If you have any questions, please send them to kylewilliams1024@gmail.com. And please be sure to check out the flickr photos, as i have put quite a bit of time into downsizing them etc. As a side note you might be interested to know that most of the pictures were taken while riding.

Fun times in Hotchkiss

After setting up camp and sizing up the shower line (it turns out that almost 1800 people are on the ride) we rode about 2 miles to the local pool. Imagine your community pool with a mountain in the background. Then we stopped at the dollar store for the one thing we forgot to bring, a pot for cooking oatmeal in the morning. Then it was on to the search for dinner. The first place we tried had inexplicably pared their menu down to 4 items. We ended up having a liesurely and tasty meal at the North Fork Valley Resteraunt. We topped it off with strawberry cheescake and a carmel sunday. Then we headed back to camp to get things organized for tommorow. I spent a good bit of time writing posts and dowsizing photos so they can be sent through the pokey connection I get here. It is just before 10 and we are getting ready to turn in for an early morning tomorrow.

BTC Bikers

We have already met several nice people who will also be doing the ride with us. These are the first three we met this morning. They are from southern California. I have been told there are around 1600 riders here this week from 11 countries and about 35 to 40 states.

Hanging Lake

We took a hike up the popular Hanging Lake trail. The views were breathtaking, as we climbed 1010 feet in 1.2 miles. It was well worth the effort. We also got checked in with BTC at the Sopris Elementary School. We got my Mom settled in the gym and my Dad and I set up our tent. Unfortunately one of my shampoo bottles spilled in the bottom of my bag. We got the mess cleaned up and went out for dinner

Glenwood Springs

Glenwood Springs sits at about 5700 feet at the junction of the Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers. So far we have enjoyed our time here. The town is a popular tourist destination but feels very down to earth and genuine. The locals seem very active. We visited one very large bike and ski store and a huge backpacking/ climbing/ outdoor store. There are a lot of things to do here, most of which we unfortunately won't have time for.

Now It Really Feels Like Colorado

We spent the night at a rest stop about 10 miles from Glenwood Springs. Got in at Midnight. Woke up to spectacular views on every side. Feels very different from Ohio. Just walking around, I have already seen about 5 kinds of flowers that I don't recognize.