Quote of the Day - Day 7

"This Ride is an All Day Sucker!" - The Coach

Princess Corner's Final Post

After leaving Telluride, I drove on climbing up Blue Mesa - the same path as the riders. I saw Chuck so I pulled over to take a few pictures. This is when I was informed of the bee sting. Maybe the bee thought he was a flower with the loud colors of a previous year's RTR jersey? Chuck said he had another bee fly into his jersey after this but this one happened to not sting him.

Can you imagine riding on the side of these highways with all of this traffic? I know for you riders that are used to this that it can still be a sometimes scary near miss with some of the vehicles around you. I took this shot of Chuck continuing on his way with a huge, loud, logging truck passing him.

Here is the top of this particular climb (Blue Mesa) with the rest stop and gorgeous views!

Here is Hammer, Pretty Boy (Ryan), and the Coach. The boys were still all smiles at this point.

Chuck told you about how this day went for him. This was the engine failure day. I felt like the check engine light coming on after 75 miles and with the particulars of this ride hitting him, all in all that engine is pretty strong with everything that was thrown at it.

My day was spent being a Sherpa/support vehicle. When we finally arrived in Crested Butte we reveled in the cooler temperatures (finally!). This picture is the view from our Condo balcony.

On Friday morning, I finally got a nature walk in. This particular trail goes to Peanut Lake in Crested Butte.

Here is the view looking down into Crested Butte with Mount Crested Butte to the left.

Ahhh, the sound of the Aspen leaves dancing in the wind. I had to walk into this grove and enjoy the beautiful sounds and see the wild strawberries and columbines blooming.

As I was leaving, I got the hugest kick out of watching this cattle drive in front of us, stopping traffic. I had a huge grin on my face watching the 3 cowboys and one very hyper dog rustling the cattle on. Of course some of the other vehicles waiting weren't nearly as patient.

After this I drove onto our destination for the evening (San Isabel B&B) by way of Monarch Pass. Pretty uneventful except for my being robbed at the gas station I stopped at paying $4.11 for regular unleaded! I wish that I had taken pictures of our stay at the B&B. It was in a gorgeous spot with views all around and the owners, Dick and Cam were just wonderful to us. Maybe some of the other paparazzi took some pictures to share.

Chuck finally making it to the finish line! This was a tough year! I think that Chuck feels like this year was the toughest so far. He was a bit cranky the night before the last day but I reminded him that he is this way every year. RTR, once again threw everything at Chuck and he still conquered!

I really enjoyed having other female companions on this trip with Wendy (Viscountress), and Nancy (Queen Mum). It helped level out the levels of testosterone vs. estrogen. This certainly is not a vacation trip though. I drove around 450 miles on my own. Driving home today, Chuck drove 9 hours to my 3 hours. I felt that was only fair :)

Congratulations to Team Bizzo and all of the other riders at this year's RTR! You are the victors!

LOL to all!

Lisa

Day 7 – Buena Vista to Breckenridge – RTR 2008 Is Over & Done

Like I closed out yesterday, today was a mixture of emotions, positive and negative.  Today’s ride went from Buena Vista to Breckenridge via Trout Creek Pass and Hoosier Pass. 

The morning, as usual, started out early, 7:00 a.m. start time.  Our gracious hosts of the San Isabel Bed & Breakfast made us a feast of fruit/yogurt along with an egg casserole and coffee.  It laid down a solid base of calories, but I was concerned on how the eggs, onions, and green peppers would settle with a big morning of climbing.  The good news is that it sat very well!  Hats off to Cam and Dick on a great breakfast.

The day started out climbing from the get-go!  We started at just over 7,800 feet at the junction of Hwy. US-285 and US-24 in Buena Vista.  It was a 1500 feet slog up to Trout Creek Pass, Elevation 9,346 Feet, over about 10 miles.

We had a slight downhill to Hartsel.  We got together with Team Flying High (minus Momma T, sorry?!) for a picture.  Team Flying High was our entry team and is comprised of Team Bizzo and Team Bad Ass (Coffee – that is!).  We had a great time riding with Sherpa (Matt), Pretty Boy (Ryan), Uncle Doug, Momma T (Johhny Utah’s mom), and Johnny Utah (Diane) over the last seven days!

(From L to R) - Hammer, Sherpa, Uncle Doug, Pretty Boy, Johnny Utah & Coach

The rest of the ride is one that I’m thoroughly familiar with in the car as it is the standard route from our cabin to Breckridge during the winter for skiing.  It is largely one long climb of 33 miles from Hartsel up to Hoosier Pass through the towns of Fairplay and Alma..  However, I’ve never done it on a bicycle.  It’s a lot steeper than it looks from a car window!  L

My boy, Hammer, had an enormous set of mechanical issues to deal with (he’ll update you with this).  It’s one of those axioms of “Stuff Happens”.  I generally faired better with the single exception of a sore backside.  One of the common themes of this year’s ride was that the three hardest days (of which, this is one – the other two were Day 2 and Day 4) involved climbing well over 2/3’s of each stage, in two of these over 75%.  While Day 6 involved a wickedly long climb, it was aided by almost 30+ miles of descent.  The same was true for Day 1 and Day 3?!

From Fairplay, road begins to get steep.  Here is  a look at the town sign for Alma, CO along with a view up the climb to Hoosier Pass.

Base of Climb to Hoosier Pass (Pass is in the "V")

Cool Mountain Town - Alma, Colorado

The climb up to Hoosier pass was only 4 miles long, but it was almost all wickedly steep at +7% grade.  It’s one of those climbs, where you find your lowest gear, keep your head down and turn the cranks.  Coach road it solo while Hammer worked on his technical issues.

From Hoosier Pass, it’s straight downhill 11 miles to the finish line!  Here’s a pic of me and Hammer @ the finish.

Tomorrow, I’ll post my final stats and parting comments.  I’m working on a video from Day 3 and Day 6, so it’ll be headed out tomorrow or Tuesday as well.

The Coach “Chuck” 

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”

Day 6- BRRRRRRRR Rabbit

Cold..Cold..Cold ..It was 40 degrees when we left our cozy little condo and headed out to Buena Vista. The first 17 miles were all downhill so we averaged a b-b-b-risk pace (note to self-listen to the Coach when he suggests a vest and leg warmers) By the time we reached Almont, I was frozen.  We made a left turn and headed into the canyon. Guess what happens when you head into the canyon…you leave the sunlight. Did I mention that I was cold? 

Cabin in the Canyon - Notice the Chimney Smoke?!

Next up cattle guards (note to self-beware of cattle on descent).  Freezing cold, cattle guard crossings, how bout we add some dirt road…..14 miles of it…some at a 9% grade (note to self-next year bring cyclocross bike). So, up we go towards Cottonwood Pass at 12,125’ where (you guessed it) it was cold. We went above the tree line and past snow drifts that were taller than I was.

Coach & Hammer - Chillin' @ the Top of Cottonwood Pass

Then came the descent, my top speed was 52.5 so I was a complete popsicle when I rolled into Buena Vista.  Sure was purty tho!

Today’s stats

• Ride Time: 05:52:40
  
• Calories Burned: 7072
  
• AV HR: 121 MX: 159
  
• Max Speed: 52.5
  
• Distance: 79 miles
  
• Total Ascent:  4526’

Got Heat? Got Oxygen?

The Hammer

Day 4 Hey Waitress….Check Please!

Holy Jiminy Christmas Cow…what a day.  Mother Nature threw everything but rain and snow at us.

Today’s Stats:

• Ride Time: 07:21:10
  
• Total Distance: 90.52
  
• AV HR: 132 MX: 167
  
• Top Speed: 43.7 mph
  
• Total Ascent: 6023’
  
• Calories Burned: 7313

Interesting RTR Stats:

• Number of Riders: 2000
  
• Number of Volunteers: 100
  
• Oldest age: 81 Youngest age: 7
  
• States represented: 47
  
• Countries Represented: 11

Got to go and check on the Coach, I think his check engine light is on…..

El Martillo Grande

 

Video - Day 1

Here is the video from my handlebar cam.  It gets a little skittish in parts because of the roughness of the road, so I apologize in advance.  Make sure you turn up your speakers...the music is a little country and a little rock 'n roll!

Day 4 - Montrose to Crested Butte - Check Engine Light ON!

Every once in a while, you have a day when the engine light comes on.  Today was that day for me.  But, before we get to that tale, let's set up the day's ride.  The plan was to go the 92 miles from Montrose, CO to Crested Butte, CO, via Gunnison Colorado.  There was over 6,000 feet of climbing traversing Cerro Summit, Blue Mesa Summit and Hwy 135 up into Crested Butte.

The day’s first challenge was the 11-mile ride into the 15 to 20 mph headwinds and the 2 to 4% grade (1,500 feet of elevation gain) of the Cedar Creek valley up to Aid Station 1.  Hammer and I took turns taking 5 minute pulls into the wind.  It took an hour to get there.  From there we began the 4-mile, 1,000 feet climb up to the Cerro Summit.  The grade averaged from 4 to 10%. It took 45 minutes.

Base of Climb - Cirro Summit

Cirro Summit - Hammer & Coach - All Smiles

From the Summit, it was a quick descent into Cimarron and Pleasant Valley which promptly began the next climb, the 6-mile, 2,600 feet climb up to Blue Mesa Summit.

Looking Down Blue Mesa Summit from Top

It took almost one hour to make the climb and was followed by another descent into a valley where I was promptly stung by a bee/wasp in my thigh.  It swelled and tingled and thus began the slow fade that was to be the rest of the day.  I was able to get up the 500 feet climb up to Blue Mesa Reservoir and downhill to Aid Station 3.  It allowed me to pull out the stinger and get some benzocaine on the bite.  Ate lunch and got back on the bike.

Blue Mesa Reservoir (Largest Body of Water in Colorado)

My hope was that I could ride it off.  The 15-mile ride to Aid Station 4 followed the Blue Mesa Reservoir and the heat, sting and lack of water began to take their toll.  Determined to get to Gunnison and at least do 100 km/62.5 miles, I called Lisa to be available to hook up with me in Gunnison.  Made it to Gunnison and actually had a good pace going, ~ 21 to 22 mph with a tailwind.  The ride was routed around the city and we started heading up the road to Crested Butte.  I called Lisa and let her know where I was.

However, I began to notice something strange....all the people that I had passed 15 to 20 minutes earlier were passing me!  I had dropped my speed to 11 to 12 mph, so that my heart rate (HR) would stay under 140 bpm.  I would surge back up to maintain speed and my HR jumped back up.  Then it happened - the HR wouldn't go up, even though I was going faster. Even though the world started looking blurry around the edges, I recognized that this wasn't a good thing....The Check Engine Light had come on!  The lights were on, and no one was home.

At this point, it is simply a matter of dropping to a gear that you can comfortably push and getting to a place to stop.  Coasted in to Aid Station 5 where I sat for about 15 minutes drinking water....dazed and confused.  Hammer and Pretty Boy (Ryan - Team Flying High) came up to me asking, "Coach - Hello, Coach; are you there?"  I just leaned up against my bicycle.  Finally, I muttered that I probably need to stop.  Needless to say, Lisa pulled over and picked me up.  The day was done 73.91 miles.

In retrospect, I was suffering from pretty severe dehydration.  My strength was fine, but there just wasn't enough water for my body to do what it need to do.  Here were the final stats:

• Distance:  73.91 miles
• Duration:  5:55:17
• Calories Burned:  5,293
• Ascent/Elevation Climbed:  5,043 feet
• Average HR:  131 bpm

Here's some of the pics upon arriving @ Crested Butte:

Whetstone Mountain, Elevation - 12,516 Feet

Mt. Crested Butte - Elevation 12,162 Feet

Today is a rest day and I am enjoying it immensely....doing nothing!  Tomorrow is what cyclist's call the Queen Stage, the defining stage of a multi-stage race/ride.  It generally has the highest mountain pass or series of mountain climbs.  Tommorow is slated for 75 miles and climbs 4,000 feet over 12 miles of dirt road up to Cottonwood Pass, 12,126 feet.  I'm looking forward to it and telling you about it!

The Coach

RTR – My virgin voyage (Special Guest Post)

I had no idea what I was signing up for…my brother calls and says “Hey, let’s take your new Tahoe for a spin in Colorado.”  Always set on go for a ride to the mountains, I quickly said yes and began clearing my calendar and closing school.  You see my day job is principal for an elementary school.  I look for opportunities to commune with nature to revive my energy to commune with little people!  So off we go.  I was in for a pleasant surprise.  I already knew about the lure of the mountains, the beauty of the Aspens and rock formations, and the breathtaking views, but I had no idea of the awesome view from a bike.

Day 1 – Durango to Cortez proved to be a nice warm up for me.  We (Queen Mum and I) chose to follow the bike route and got to see firsthand what this is all about.  RTR is very organized, I must say, and treat their mountain climbers well.  We didn’t stop at any rest stops but cruised along at a safe distance just to get a feel of the ride.  At Cortez, we stocked up on some powerful Fettuccini for the evening meal!  Man, I could get used to this…

Day 2 – Cortez to Telluride was a neat journey.  Mum and I spotted Hammer and Johnnie Utah on the route so we scooted up to the rest stop and treated them royally.  We refilled water bottles (with Dasani water, of course) and met up with Mama T, so it was a fun reunion!  The Dolores River was our faithful companion all the way.

Waterfall - Downtown Telluride

Day 3 – Telluride to Montrose was a hoot.  I took Mum to the True Grit Café in Ridgeway to dine where they filmed the movie of the same name.  We had the special…club sandwich wraps…in honor of the Duke and shot some great pics.  Feeling that we were acquiring our touring legs we saddled up and took a detour – we cruised down to Ouray and on to Silverton to take in the sights.  Mum had been there 20 plus years before and commented on the changes (ya think?  Couldn’t resist).  I took in a few shops (always on the hunt for great bargain, and to me goodies from the area are always good bargains!)  and Mum saw the sights.  We rode out to the One Hundred Mine – go see it and pan for gold yourself.   The riders tell me that this was a good day – not too stressful  and easy going in places.  I would have to wholeheartedly agree!!!

True Grit Cafe - Ridgway

The Viscountess (Wendy)

Day 3 Express Elevator Going……….Down!

So let me get this straight, we are leaving Telluride (New Hotness) and going to Montrose (Old & Busted)? How come nobody asked me about this? The good news is, what goes up, must come down. As soon as we left town we went over 15 miles, averaging over 20 MPH without even turning the crank. 

Now of course, this being RTR, they aren’t gonna let us get off that easy.  We had to tackle the Dallas Divide (8,970’) just to make us earn it.  Had a guy smack my rear tire and he almost ate it on the climb up. I think he zoned out.  Plenty of other carnage today, yard sales, wipeouts, sounds of sirens coming to mend the road rash and roll out the cheesecloth.  One broken hip, one broken shoulder & a few other assorted broken bones are the ones we have seen and/or have heard about.  Passing these are always a mental picture you don’t need as you barrel down the mountain at 40+ mph on tires that are less than a inch wide.

Hammer w/ Johnny Utah (fellow member of Team Flying High)

Todays’s stats:

•        Distance 68.46 Miles
  
•        Time in the saddle: 04:50:18
  
•        Calories burned: 4687
  
•        Average HR:  121
  
•        Top Speed: 43.6 

Here comes the elevator…Crusty Butt floor,  Please………

The Hammer