Day 6 – Crested Butte to Buena Vista - Recovery & A Beautiful Day in the Mountains

Today was a wonderful day for two reasons.  Firstly, my day off without riding paid some serious good dividends in the recovery department.  Secondly, we got a chance to get off the beaten track and ride some roads that aren’t widely traveled.  The ride went down from Crested Butte to Buena Vista via Almont and Cottonwood Pass.

The ride started rather cold; slightly above freezing in Mt. Crested Butte.  My student chose not to follow the Coach’s advice and wear a vest and tights.  Consequently, he had issues keeping warm.  It was a 20 mile downhill jaunt, so the wind chills became an issue.  Kind of wish that I wore some long fingered gloves.  But, no time for worrying about that.   We made a big left hand turn up the Taylor River Canyon and worked our way up the climb to Taylor Park Reservoir.  Here’s some pics of the namesake canyon and reservoir.

The Taylor River Valley

Getting Near The Top of Climb Up to Taylor Park Reservoir

Taylor Park Reservoir w/ The Rocky Mountains as a Backdrop

There was an aid station in Taylor Park, so Hammer and I dutifully wolfed down some Turkey Wraps that had become the staple of our lunch diet.  For most folks, these are rather bland, flour torilla, white American cheese, sliced deli turkey, lettuce mix and some ranch dressing.  However, they are filling enough to provide good calories and sustenance, but not so heavy as to make you sick while you’re pedaling.

It was a good thing that we did.  The next fourteen miles became the grand-daddy climb of this year’s RTR route, Cottonwood Pass, 12, 126 feet in elevation.  It is twelve miles of dirt road; most of which is at +5% grade.  The biggest challenges were finding a solid piece of road to ride on (tires don’t roll well in loose gravel) and finding enough O2 molecules (Oxygen – for those you non-chemists) to breathe.  The beauty was stunning.  Here are a few pics short of the top:

Cottonwood Pass from Base of Climb

"TP" Reservoir from 11,500 Ft. in Elevation

The ride to the top took about 2 hours and 15 minutes.  It was absolutely worth the effort!  Here’s some pics of Team Bizzo at the top of Cottonwood Pass:

It's Hammer Time - Finishing the Climb Strong

Team Bizzo Chalks Up Another Pass!

The ride down into Buena Vista was a quick 30 minute freefall with some serious crosswinds.  Ask me about it when you see me next!  All in all, it was a very strong day in the saddle with no issues.  Thank God that “Check Engine Light” went off.

Tomorrow’s ride is the final day.  I meet it with mixed emotions, happy and sad.  It is always a lot of fun and full of personal gratification to cross the finish line, but the body is wearing down from the level of effort which tends to make me grouchy.  Oh well, we’ll see how it plays out.  Until tomorrow!

Chuck “The Coach”