Category: Colorado 2010

Colorado 2010 – Day 45

Colorado 2010 – Day 45

E Sharp

Paonia to Gunnison: If only more roads were like Hwy 92

Saturday June 19, 2010, 81 miles (130 km) – Total so far: 1,832 miles (2,948 km)

I have about 80 miles to do today to Gunnison. I’ve never been over here before so don’t know what to expect. I’m up and on the road before the sun makes it over the mountains. I take the back way over to Crawford. It’s a county road with quite a few ups and downs, but it has good pavement and is a nice alternative to Hwy 92. There are deer bounding down the main street of Crawford this morning. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 34

Colorado 2010 – Day 34

E Sharp

Brush to Limon: The magic shoulder

Tuesday June 8, 2010, 76 miles (122 km) – Total so far: 1,477 miles (2,376 km)

As I’m leaving early in the morning, I notice that there are two storm chaser trucks parked out front. Okay, so they don’t look like the trucks from Twister, but the satellite dish looking thing and the logos on the door make them pretty obvious. I will have four different sets of these from different organisations pass me today. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 46

E Sharp

Gunnison: Jenny joins the ride

Sunday June 20, 2010

Today’s a rest day and the day my friend Jenny joins us. She has convinced a co-worker to drive her here from Fort Collins so she can ride the last 10 days of the tour. Jen and I were thrown together as roommates in the dorms at Colorado State my freshman year (1994). We became good friends and have stayed in touch all these years, even though our lives are vastly different. She’s one of those friends where you pick up right where you left off no matter how long it’s been since you last saw each other. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 35

Colorado 2010 – Day 35

E Sharp

Limon to Falcon: There’s mountains ahead somewhere

Wednesday June 9, 2010, 61 miles (99 km) – Total so far: 1,538 miles (2,475 km)

When I wake up it’s drizzly and foggy. I pack up wet, put on my rain jacket and tights and head off at 7am. I pick up two donuts at a shop in town (it’s pretty impossible to find good donuts in Oz) and head off on Highway 24 towards Colorado Springs. There’s plenty of climbing to do today. Lots of little hills between these towns as well as the general upward trend from Limon (elevation 5377): Matheson (5801), Simla (5978), Ramah (6118), Calhan (6535), Peyton (6780) and Falcon (6831). Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 47

Colorado 2010 – Day 47

E Sharp

Gunnison to Taylor Park Reservoir: The cabin de los muertos

Monday June 21, 2010, 36 miles (58 km) – Total so far: 1,868 miles (3,006 km)

It’s a short ride today to Taylor Park Reservoir to set us up to climb Cottonwood Pass tomorrow. You could potentially do Gunnison to Buena Vista in a day, but I felt that might put us up above treeline right about time for afternoon storms, so I broke the day in two when doing the planning a couple years ago. I figured we could always find a place to go hiking in the afternoon. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 36

E Sharp

Falcon: Acclimating

Thursday June 10, 2010

Today is my last day alone. Tomorrow I will ride into Colorado Springs and meet my mom. She’s coming out to be my SAG vehicle as I climb some mountain passes. I’m very much looking forward to spending two weeks in the Colorado mountains with her. I do not get to see her nearly as much as I would like to, so it will be a real treat to be with her. Yet, at the same time, I’m not ready for my solo ride to end. I’ve been having so much fun, I just want my own ride to keep going. Meeting up with my mom means I’ve only got 17 days left to ride. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 48

Colorado 2010 – Day 48

E Sharp

Taylor Park Reservoir to Buena Vista: Celebrating our highest pass with a dip in a sub-alpine lake

Tuesday June 22, 2010, 36 miles (58 km) – Total so far: 1,904 miles (3,064 km)

I make Jen get up obscenely early to tackle Cottonwood Pass. I’m pretty obsessive about these early starts now. I really like to get in the miles without the wind and traffic. So the sun isn’t over the horizon yet and the temperature hasn’t quite climbed above freezing when we set out. Now that we’re not 20-years-old anymore, Jen has some troubles with circulation and losing feeling in her extremities. I give her my good gloves since I know I’ll only need my cotton ones over my cycling ones, and off we go the 14 miles to the pass. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 49

Colorado 2010 – Day 49

E Sharp

Buena Vista to Fairplay: Looking for Kenny

Wednesday June 23, 2010, 38 miles (61 km) – Total so far: 1,942 miles (3,125 km)

The ride today takes us over Trout Creek Pass, through South Park and into Fairplay on Hwy 385. Because I came this way the other day, I know we’ll have moderate traffic, good pavement and a small shoulder (the shoulder is bigger going downhill). It’s a continuous but gentle climb. Since we don’t have to climb a big pass, and we know we’ll have a shoulder all day today, we don’t plan to leave til 7:30 or 8:00. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 50

Colorado 2010 – Day 50

E Sharp

Fairplay to Hoosier Pass: A couple of Hoosiers on Hoosier Pass

Thursday June 24, 2010, 12 miles (19 km) – Total so far: 1,954 miles (3,144 km)

Jen convinces me that starting so early is too much like work, so I concede to a slightly later start time. It’s a short ride today over Hoosier Pass to Breckenridge. Today we’ll be on the TransAmerica route all day. We immediately pass two guys slowly crawling the hill out of town. The guy on the recumbent is wobbly already – I don’t want to see him on the pass. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 51

E Sharp

Breckenridge: The non-shoppers go shopping

Friday June 25, 2010

Today is a rest day. We drive down and pick up Jen and go explore the Dillon markets. I get some Cranberry Walnut bread and am in heaven – it reminds me a little of the Ukrainian nutroll we had when I was growing up. We also go down to the Pearl Izumi and Columbia stores at the outlet mall in Silverthorne. I get a great fluoro windbreaker for less than half price at Pearl Izumi and Jen gets heaps of stuff. Read more →