Last Week

Tuesday: Mt. Evans - I met with the Lister Bros. from Springfield, IL (Andy and Trevor) and Ferguson in Idaho Springs, CO. The plan was to Ride to the top of Mt. Evans. Mt. Evans is a 14er with a road going to about 150 feet from the top. It's not that steep of climb, but is 28 miles long... That's a looooong climb!!! I believe it averages about 6% gradient over that distance. However it's a little difficult to breathe and get oxygen to your muscles at anything over 9-10,000 ft.... Idaho Springs is located at 7500 ft elevation, and you just keep going up till you get to 14,000 ft.

I felt pretty good for about the first 20 miles, then started to fall apart. I ran out of food, and then ran out of energy. I burned about 4000 calories, and only took in about 600 ish... You can do the math. Andy and Trevor got to the top first, in about 3 hours, then me, then Ferg not far behind.
After reaching the top we noticed a massive cloud rolling in. No time to lounge around, or gaze at the mountain goats, or take in the sights. We HAD TO GET DOWN and FAST!!! There is no protection from lightning or any elements, for a cyclist at that altitude. Lucky for us there was an aide station at the top for a bike tour going on and they provided us with some much needed fluids and snacks. Then it was donning the wind jacket and arm warmers and heading for the treeline.

The Descent: In two words...... DAMN SCARY..... At the top of Mt. Evans it was in the mid 30's and cloudy. We were not at all dressed for that kind of weather. As if the weather wasn't a bad enough problem, we had to deal with the line of cars heading for the bottom. Descending a mountain, a bike can move much faster than a car. Trevor, Ferg, and I took off, passing car after car and flying down the mountain as fast as safely possible... Not only were there lots of cars, and it was cold, but it was so cloudy, you couldn't see more than about 10 feet in front of you. This can be an issue when you have couple hundred feet cliffs to your right.... Luckily we made it down to tree line, and whatdya' know... It was sunny and warm! It felt great! All of our fingers were numb. But somewhere along the way we had lost Andy... Then we found out Andy doesn't like going downhill anyway, never mind the terrible conditions. After regrouping we took off again for the bottom of the mountain. Pretty soon it was Trevor and I leading the way with Ferg not far behind. Trevor and I hit sleet twice! This was at about 30 mph, it started raining with a mix of sleet! It freaking hurt! Not favorable conditions for going downhill. Luckily we mad it down with no mishaps.

Everyone was wasted, and completely spent! It was a great ride with good friends, and a good experience. Everyone should have the chance to do this climb if possible. 60 some miles and 4000 calories later I was on my way home for some food and much needed recovery.

Wednesday: Boneyard Brawl - The day after Mt. Evans.... I was not expecting much, and sure enough, on the first climb I felt like I was falling apart. There was carnage on the down hill with a lot of rocks. TONS of flat tires! The downhill was slow going, a line of about 30 people each time, I could only go as fast as they would move.... I expected to finish toward the back of my race, but somehow finished 15th.... I was really pleased with this result considering climbing Mt. Evans the day before, and how tired my legs were... Excited about how I will be able to do at the Beav race at the end of August when I am fresh.

Sunday: Tubing the Eagle - This was our first experience tubing on the river since we moved to Colorado. It's a pretty popular activity, but we just hadn't done it. It was a blast! Very relaxing, had a few drinks (Cayle was at home with the sitter), and got some sun. Good time with friends and Natalie. She did an awesome job considering it was one of the few times she had been tubing on a river. I think we may have forgotten sunscreen in a few places..... (my stomach, her legs... :)