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Colorado Epic: Day Five

 


A few nights ago, I sat down and planned out exactly how many extra miles each day Tom and I need to get to reach 1,000 miles for the two weeks (Tom loved my idea of 1,000 miles so has happily, and sometimes unhappily, rode with me for all the extras).  We need to ride an average of ten extra miles each day on our scheduled ride days.  Tom had the idea of adding extra miles here and there throughout the day, so that’s what we’ve been doing.  He and I, along with Jim, usually reach the van stops first. Rather than waiting for the rest of the group to arrive, we grab some snacks and water, then turn around and ride back the way we came for a few miles.  When we see the other group members or get to our prescribed added mileage, we turn around and head back toward the van.  This method has been working really well.  Some days, the extra miles have been easy.  Other days, like yesterday, were miserable.  The whimsical, delightful tailwind down the canyon became a writhing, foaming, fuming mass of turmoil when we had to ride into it.  But we got it done.

Today was a scheduled rest day.  Tom and I needed to do 50 miles today.  We agreed to ride easy, enjoy the sights, and let the legs spin.  Up Taylor Canyon we went, following the river.  The sky was overcast and the air was cool.  It was the perfect recovery ride.  We climbed 1,300 feet without realizing it.  My legs enjoyed the mellow pace and the cool air.  I didn’t feel like a roasted tomato.  We reached the turnaround point and cruised back down the canyon, back onto the busy highway, and back into town.  

Adventures like this tour tend to be consuming.  If someone asked me what day it is today, my answer would be, “day five.”  The daily rhythm and simplicity narrows the focus.  Wake up.  Ride.  Eat.  Ride more.  Eat more.  Ride more.  Eat more.  Shower.  Eat more.  Sleep.  Repeat.  It’s easy to forget the problems and heaviness of real life, or at least find more distance from them.  It feels like I’ve been on this tour forever, and also that it’s only begun.

My legs continue to surprise me with how good they are feeling.  All that spring training is paying off!  My neck and shoulders are sore, and my undercarriage is a chafed mess.  It’s all part of the fun.  

Daily mileage tally:

Day one: 36.6 miles and 2,510 feet of climbing

Day two: 70 miles and 5,840 feet of climbing

Day three: 88 miles and 3,655 feet of climbing

Day four: 100 miles and 3,474 feet of climbing

Today: 50 miles and 1,371 feet of climbing

Tomorrow, we enter the real mountains.  We’ve been to 9,000 feet a few times, and 10,000 feet yesterday.  Tomorrow we pass 11,000.  I think it’s nap time. 

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