Biking in the Rockies is nothing like I imagined. True, I pictured it being like Minnesota with more rocks and less air, but thats not even what I mean. The weather here is a force to be reckoned with. For example, I was sick with worry about our ride today. Day 5, we were slated to climb Trail Ridge Road from Estes Park to Grand Lake, a 50 mile ride which at home would be no biggie. I could do that after work if I really wanted to. But this section of highway in Colorado is famous because a huge section of it is above the treeline, at 12,000 feet of elevation. Yes, we had to climb for three hours to get there. Yes, we had to carry all our food and water because there were minimal facilities. And yes, the road lacked a shoulder and we were at the mercy of every car that passed us. But none of that was the issue. Again, weve done all that before. The issue was the weather. In the mountains, rain showers come and go all day long. Thunderstorms too (read: lightning). Already wed had one bad day riding in the rain on the verge of hypothermia, so we really really didnt want to get wet. Especially because its only about 50 degrees at the top of the mountains. So I was super worried about having enough clothing in case we got wet. Because remember that were carrying everything on our bikes which means I only have one third the weather gear to choose from. Kai had even less than me (thats what he gets for being an optimist, ha!). Add to that its windy in the mountains. So even if its not raining, no matter what, your clothes are soaked because youre sweating like a dog when youre pedaling uphill for 20-something miles. Technical fiber my butt, if you sweat your clothes are gonna be wet. Wind + wet clothes = instant chill if the weather shifts. And my biggest fear of all is lightning. Now, I dont think I mentioned this in my blog about our Boulder climb, but when we were near the top of that mountain the thunder was booming right in our ears. Picture if youre standing outside your house and the thunder is just on the other side of it. Thats how close it was. So that means the lightning is literally within striking distance. And Im the type of person who wakes up in the middle of the night when theres lightning outside the window because Im afraid its gonna get me thru the window. True story. I dont like lightning. And I keep reading around here that if youre caught in a thunderstorm you should seek shelter, but not under a tree, and not by a rock, and not in a small cave, and not by lying on the ground. So where the heck does that leave? I still dont know!! It makes me feel pretty vulnerable out there on my metal bike! So heres what Im picturing for this ride: we climb up for three hours, get above the tree line, are biking on a bald mountaintop that looks like the moon, when the dark heavy clouds roll in, the rain starts, and the thunder and lightning are flashing around us like a Tom Cruise apocalypse movie. And nobody else is out there because they all got in their cars and got off the mountain but here were are on top of the world with no place to hide and no way to get down in time. Thats whats been playing in my mind all week. Needless to say, I couldnt sleep last nigh. And I couldnt wait for this frickin ride to be over. Did I mention that Trail Ridge Road is the only route between Estes Park and Grand Lake? Meaning we had to do it or just turn tail and bike back to Boulder and go home. Which I am incapable of doing. So we did the only thing we could: set our alarm for 5:30am and got on the road as fast as we could to beat the weather before it arrived. (Understatement of the year: this is NOT like me, as I am a notorious night owl. Thats how afraid I was!) We got up so early we had to wait 15 minutes for breakfast to open at the hotel and the store wasnt even open when we stopped to pick up sandwiches for lunch. We were biking before Im usually out of bed. The climb up Trail Ridge Road was incredible and scenic (Ill post pictures later). We went from a winding climb along the park valley (7,800 feet) to ascending thru miles of forest with the occasional overlook (9-10,000 feet), to cresting above the trees where it looks like the moon (11-12,000 feet). The hardest part of the day wasnt the summit but rather when we were 16 miles into the climb--we felt like we had been going up all day, yet we were still a good hour from anything resembling the top. I was deep in my pain cave, churning out one quad contraction at a time, when this white bus full of Evangelical Lutheran youth passed by and cheered at us out the window. I started to cry. This was So. Hard. And I felt so alone working for every inch of that mountain, and all of a sudden these kids reminded me that I could do it. And I was doing it. Just like Ive done it before. So we kept pedaling, a little slower sometimes just to make up for the thin air. At one point I realized I was sucking air in as if thru a straw to get it to my lungs faster. And I cried one more time, until I realized that the air was so thin I couldnt cry and bike at the same time. Especially cuz I was two feet away from the edge of the road, and a three hundred foot cliff was one wobble away! (Nope, no guardrails up here. Or shoulders, but I think I mentioned that. When youre in your pain cave though you cease to notice, you just assume that motorists wont hit you, and its not your time to go yet or you wouldnt be in so much pain already.) We made it to the bald top, and it happened exactly like I hadnt pictured it: it was sunny, glorious, and with fluffy clouds in the clear sky. Actually it was the clearest day all week. I could see for miles. And there wasnt a hint of lightning to be seen! So I dont know what devine lesson I was supposed to learn from that. Dont worry be happy? Seize the day? No, I know! CARPE VELO!!!!! Seize the bike!!! Just do it, just get on your bike and ride baby! (See, how would I learn these things if I didnt blog!) Alright, lets wrap this up because this is getting crazy long and Ive been up since 5:30am and Im writing this whole thing on my phone. And surely you need to get back to work or to bed or to your kids. At the top we ate our mushed sandwiches and potato chip powder that we packed in our jerseys, bought an exclusive commemorative jersey saying we made it to the top of this crazy road, changed into blissfully dry clothes, and chatted with a bunch of folks at the mountaintop visitor center who wanted to know where we were from. (It was fun, because many of the people we talked to said they passed us a few times coming up and every time they were rooting for us to make it. Which is funny, cuz at the bottom nobody in vehicles say anything to us cuz they just think were crazy and by the top theyre cheering us on. But thats precisely when we need it!) I didnt see any other cyclists at the top. In fact, we only saw six other cyclists all day. All men I might add ;) Finally, the reward for our epic climb: the funnest mountain descent ever! Now, I hate going down mountains because instead of using big climbing muscles youre relying on tiny forearm muscles to grip the brakes and prevent you from careening over a switchback and off a cliff. Not fun in my book. Ill take a grueling climb any day instead. However, the backside of this mountain had the *perfect* grade, with pristine asphalt and minimal traffic, like a perfectly groomed blue ski run. So we just took the lane and flew down the mountain, all the while singing Old, but Im not that old. Young, but Im not that bold... and whatever Counting Stars lyrics we could belt out. Kai even PASSED a truck he was going so fast! We dropped 5 miles in less than 10 minute! That may be the most free Ive ever felt in my life. Who knows what will happen next! We have an epic 80 mile day tomorrow and a climb up Loveland Pass Monday, neither of which I expect to be eventful (Ha! Knock on wood!). But on Tuesday were planning to climb Mount Evans, 28 miles and over 14,100 feet! Im no longer worried about the elevation (as long as I dont cry), but the weather will again be a big factor. Heres hoping for another lightning-free day!...
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 04:44:55 +0000
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