Happy Father's Day!

 CWS On Father's Day

Spent an enjoyable afternoon and evening with my son Mitch at T.D. Ameritrade Park watching Texas A&M play South Carolina in the College World Series.

The Big Ride Part III

With Loveland Pass behind us, it was all down hill for the next 25 miles.  We had a short climb over Swan Mountain around Lake Dillon,  a short rest at Summit County High School and then our final climb up Vail Pass.

The ride down Loveland Pass was exhilarating.  I reached speeds up to 45 mph, before I got a little nervous and hit the brakes.  The road was narrow in many spots and full of hairpin curves. 

The first of our little problems hit as we were going down Loveland Pass.  I hit a rock on the roadway and got a pinch flat.  I had to do an emergency stop along the road going about 30 mph.  Fortunately, I came to a stop before my front tire was ruined.  None the less, we spent about 30 minutes fixing my flat. 

After getting back on the road, we had a short climb over Swan Mountain and then a short ride downhill to our next rest stop at Summit County High School on the south side of Lake Dillon.

We were ready for break!  Sandwiches, watermelon, fig newtons, bananas and oranges were a welcome treat.  Thomas and I estimated that we burned over 10,000 calories on this bike ride!

After loading up on fuel, we were back on the road.  By this time it was after 4:00 in the afternoon.  We still had one big climb left, Vail Pass.  Fatigue was starting to set in.

Most of the climb up Vail Pass was on a bike path between the traffic lanes of Interstate 70.  The path is on the left of the road down in the valley in this picture.  The grade was surprisingly steep in spots.  Going up Vail, we started to "bonk," a cycling term for running out of energy.  I started to get cramps in my thighs and had to stop and walk for a short time.  For the first time, doubts about the wisdom of our venture started to enter my mind.  I thought strongly about loading up the bike at the top of the pass and calling it quits.

 Finally, after what seemed like the longest climb of the day, we made it to the summit of Vail Pass.  As you can see in the picture at the right, my focus is on the path in front of me.  I'm the third biker in the line.  By this time, I was thinking just keep on pedaling, the top is getting closer.

Thomas was right behind.

Are we having fun yet!

How much further is it?  Thirty miles!  But it is all down hill!  We can coast that far.

And so, off we went on the final leg our our journey, by now it was after 6:00 p.m.

The long downhill ride begins.

On our way into Vail, the clouds and rain came in from the northwest, and we got wet just  10 miles from the end of our trip.  The wind was blowing in our face making the rain sting.  In a few moments we were soaked!

But, the end was in sight!

As we approached Eagle, CO, we followed this mountain stream, crossing over it several times.

 The end was in sight!  Wasn't it?

Yes!  There was a finish.

Thomas crosses the finish line!

Finally, the end.  I was just getting ready to point my arms and hands to the sky in jubilation.

The sign says it all.  125 miles, with 10,000 ft. of climbing, in just over 13 1/2 hours.

Time to make a dent in the 10,000 calories that we burned.

As we headed back to the car to load up and return home, a beautiful sunset bid us farewell to an eventful day.

The Big Ride Part II; Idaho Springs to Loveland Pass

The thirty miles from Idaho Springs to the summit of Loveland Pass looked to be the most challenging part of the the Triple Bypass.  As you look at the ride profile at the Triple Bypass website, you notice that it is 30 miles of continual climbing.  The grade averages between 4% and 6% all the way to the top of the pass.  The altitude increase is right at 4,400 feet.  That is a lot of climbing!  None the less, we left Idaho Springs in good spirits ready for the challenge of the long climb.

Leaving Idaho Springs, ahead lay 30 miles of climbing to the summit of Loveland Pass.

This section of the ride followed Interstate 70 along Clear Creek Canyon.  We crossed over or under the interstate several times.

We didn't see any bighorn sheep on the mountain sides!

Much of the time, we rode right along Interstate 70.

At times we rode right on the shoulder.  This was a bit disconcerting, especially, when the big semi trucks drove by.

But....almost always we were climbing.  By the time we got to the base of Loveland Pass, it was almost 12:00 noon.  We still had 4 miles of hard climbing to the summit.  

As we approached the ski area at the foot of Loveland Pass, we were ready for a break.  It had taken us about 3 1/2 hours to get here from Idaho Springs.   Notice the dark clouds looming over the mountain tops.  They would become a factor as we climbed to the top of Loveland Pass.

I was ready for lunch! 

Where is the smile Thomas?  All we could both think of was.....four more miles to the top.

As we ate lunch, most of our attention was focused on the road to the top of the pass.  It was a long way up there!

The top of the mountain wasn't getting any closer, and after a short rest and lunch stop, it was time to head to the top. 

Off to our left was the start of four miles of 6% - 8% grade to the top of the pass.  On our way up the clouds  came over the pass and started to drop rain on us.  We stopped, put on our rain jackets, and forged on.  

The climb to the top was arduous, but the views were spectacular.  The picture at left shows a view of the valley.  That is Interstate 70 down there in the background.  It was the road we took to get to the foot of the pass.

Finally,  we crested at the summit of Loveland Pass,  11,9990 ft. above sea level.  We had climbed almost 1500 feet in four miles. 

Thomas has his grin back!  We were at the top!

I did it all on my bike!  You always get your picture taken by the summit sign.  This is no photo shop job!  I....was....there!

We were now at mile 61, just over half way done, but in reality the hardest part of the ride was behind us.  We had one more major climb, Vail Pass at 10, 500 feet.  But we would only descend to 8500 ft.  Yep, it was all easy from here on to the end......or so we thought.

The Big Ride Part I, Evergreen to Idaho Springs

The day of the ride started early....3:00a.m. I didn't sleep well in anticipation of a long day on the bike. It seemed like I was awake every 15 minutes looking at the alarm clock.  When the alarm did go off, I was ready to get up and get on with the day. 

This blog session will cover the first part of the  day's activities.

Thumbs up for a great day of riding!
Our day started early.  We had to be at the start area by by 5:00 am.  So we left our home base at 4:00 for the 35 mile trip to Evergreen.

Once at the start area, Thomas had to get his registration materials, which didn't take long.  Then it was on with the ride preparation.  You don't just take the bikes off the rack and get on and ride.  There is a process, both physically and mentally to getting ready for a big bike ride. 

Besides getting into your riding jersey, shorts and getting your basic riding equipment ready, on a ride like this, there are a number of other items to take care of.

Like arm warmers,

..leg warmers, ear covers, wind booties, gloves, sun glasses, and a wind/rain jacket.  We started dressing in the dark and by the time we were done, it was getting light outside.

Next, our attention turns to the bikes.  We have to make sure that the tires are at the right inflation.  Our chains are checked to make sure they are lubed up.  Bicycle computers are reset for the start of the trip. We make sure that we have extra tubes, CO2 cartridges or a small air pump for flats along the way.  We have to fill up our water bottles with water and special energy mixes.  Our seat packs and pockets are packed with various energy gels, shot blocks, and high energy foods, i.e. bananas to keep us from bonking.
All this time we are running over the parts of the ride that will offer the most challenge for us and thinking about time goals for each stage of the ride in our mind.

Finally, we are ready to go!

It off on the start of a great adventure.  Start time; 5:40 a.m.  Ahead lay a full day of biking adventure. 

Meanwhile,  our support crew, aka. Sandy Murphy takes an alternate route to the next stop.  Our ride wouldn't have been possible without her ground support along the way. 

Our Road Support Team,  Sandy!

Our first climb was 15 miles up to the top of Squaw Pass.  Most of this climb was a 4%-5% grade with short steep sections of up to 7%.  After about an hour and 20 minutes of climbing we reached the top and were greeted be this view to the west!

Thomas enjoys a great view from the top of Squaw Pass.

I'm just happy to be at the top of our first major climb.  From here it was a nice 15 mile ride down hill to Idaho Springs. 

Along the way we passed by beautiful Echo Lake.  After this the grades increased and our speed picked up.  We reached speeds over 35 miles an hour on the way down.  I didn't want to stop and take pictures, and I definitely keep two hands on the handle bars at all times!

After an exciting descent, we pulled into Idaho Springs and our first rest stop with Sandy.

After checking our progress on our phones, we grabbed a some snacks, shed some clothes, ( the temperature increased from the low 50's to the high 60's  from the top of Squaw Pass to Idaho Springs), and got ready to forge on. We were making great progress!  We got back on the bikes by 8:15 am.

Back on the road again!

Next, 30 miles of continuous grade to the top of Loveland Pass at 11,990 ft!








Tomorrow, the long grind to the top of Loveland Pass.