Skip to main content

Colorado Epic: Day Thirteen


Crested Butte to Buena Vista

 Remember those two guys I mentioned a few days ago?  I thought they were local pros out of Durango.  They flew past me on one of the passes like I going backward, while having a full conversation with each other as if they were sitting in a coffee shop.  Mark looked them up on Strava. He shared with us at breakfast this morning that they rode from Durango to Ouray and back, for 150 miles, 15,000 feet of climbing, and averaged 19 mph.  For comparison, we rode from Durango to Ouray.  The end. We did 84 miles, climbed 7,874 feet, and I averaged a whopping 12.5 mph.  When people ask, “Heidi, why don’t you become a pro cyclist?”, that’s why.

As for today, it was one of the most perfect days of cycling I have ever had.  Light winds, mostly at our backs, perfect temperatures, gorgeous scenery, and a lovely climb that peaked at just over 12,000 feet, all made for an amazing day.  

We left Crested Butte this morning with a tailwind and a fast, fun descent, down to the turn up Taylor Canyon.  Here we started a gentle, river-grade climb, with a light breeze nudging us onward up the canyon.  We climbed easily, watching the fisherman as we criss-crossed the river.  Up past the dam, around the lake, and then we climbed more.  

I rode Cottonwood Pass last year, and I forgot how much I love it.  The gentle tailwind continued all the way up the climb.  Mellow grades of 3-6% dominated the lower slopes.  Heavy forest gave way to open meadows and spectacular views down canyon.  I could see the summit miles before I reached it, and I watched the cars navigating the switchbacks on the high slopes as I continued to climb.  

True to form, the more I climbed, the better I felt.  The summit arrived sooner than I had hoped.  Greg had prepared a gourmet pasta and salad lunch for us on the summit, so we dined leisurely at 12,000 feet, soaking in the views and answering questions from the number of people who stopped to chat.

They all asked some variation of the same thing: “Did you ride your bike all the way up here?”  Yes, yes we did.  I was tempted to reply, “No, I didn’t.  I actually fell from the sky,” but I didn’t want to be snarky.  

It was time to descend.  The wind was still at our backs, and the descent was smooth and fast.  20 miles went by in the blink of an eye.  Well, it was more like a million blinks of an eye as I was desperately trying to clear the tears from my eyes as I rocketed down the mountain.  

We rolled into Buena Vista, stopped at a coffee shop, and went inside to reward ourselves with all kinds of delicious delights. 

There is not a single thing I would change about today.  It was perfect.  Now it’s time for sleep. Tomorrow is our last day, and we are going out with a bang.  Tomorrow is a Monster.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Beginning

  "I just need a copy of your insurance card," I heard the office manager say as I walked down the hallway toward the waiting room. "I gave it to them next door.  Can't you get it from them?" a male voice replied. I grimaced as I continued toward the waiting room.  The physical therapy office where I worked was in the same building as an orthopedic surgeon's clinic.  Most people assumed we were the same business.  The office manager had to clarify multiple times a day that we were two separate businesses, and the repetition made her cranky.   As I reached the waiting room, I listened to her icily launch into her speech about how the two businesses were separate and we needed our own copy of the insurance.  I stopped and waited for her to finish, looking at the back of the man standing in front of her window.  He was tall, with broad shoulders, thick hair. and muscular calves.   After the manager finished her tirade, the man shrugged...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rescue Boats

  I stood in a dark room in the bottom of a sinking ship.  I felt the ship listing, heard water pouring into the openings.  I glanced to my left and noticed a doorway.  Just outside the doorway was a staircase.  Water came gushing down the stairs, roaring in anger as it tried to consume the ship.   I have to get to a higher place on the ship,  I thought as I scrambled toward the doorway. I fought my way up the staircase against the flood of water pummeling down on me.  One step, then another, water heavy on me, trying with all its might to push me down to the bottom of the ship.  I struggled, forcing my legs to move.  Another step up.  More water threatening to take me back down.  Another step, then another, and another.  Finally, slowly, I managed to reach the top of the staircase.  The staircase opened onto the top deck of the ship.  I rushed to the railing and looked out at the sea, wondering how I was go...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Heavy

  I keep wondering if I'm approaching my breaking point.  What does that look like? It's too much.  But I've been saying it's too much for a while now.  So when is it actually too much? I pushed "Send" and my text whooshed off to my best friend, Denise.  Three dots immediately popped up on my screen.   You're stronger than you think.  Tell your brain to shut up.  You got this! I smiled at her reply, even if I doubted her confidence. In August, my husband of 17 years died.  One day, he was alive, healthy, vibrant, and strong.  The next day, he was dead.  Just like that.  No warning.  No preparation.  In an instant, my world crumbled into a million tiny bits that flung themselves to the far corners of the solar system.  I couldn't fathom how to get through that day, or the next, or the next.  I remember thinking, What does November even look like?  Or next summer?  How do I even get there? ...
Post a Comment
Read more