Month of July Full of Ups and Downs

Whirlwind July with every weekend consumed by an event going up and down or up only and down only.  holiday opener shot me 30,000 ft up courtesy of United Airlines to the Windy City for Teresa's Illinois cousins reunion.  OK, I only rode Doug's vintage English Racer ,10 speed up the block for him and back to check the brakes and shifting but that counts as a cycling weekend right?

Saturday the 10th had me lining up in Bergan Park for the Team Evergreen sponsored Triple by-Pass Ride. Ultimate up-down-up-down-up-down ride across Colorado.  Did it in 2008 but it ranks up there with the must do events in Colorado.  The capped 3,500 rider march sold out in 45 minutes on line.  Luckily, I had everything ready to go and was able to limbo under the line.  Ride went well until the final descent into Vail when cold rain-nearly hail greeted us and the thought of a rain slicked bike path descent shared with comatose roadies had me reaching for the ultimate multi-tool the cell phone.  Enough.  I'm freezing and Teresa is below in the warm Vail Roost Inn weiner sitting.  TAXI !!  Hot shower was awesome.  Only missed the Avon round-a-bouts and the dried out BBQ sandwich.  F&%*   It--I'm 50!

Following weekend lead us to the Fraiser River Valley to the USA Cycling National Champioships in Granby.  Friday night while in the Snow Mountain YMCA campground, it was impressed upon us once again the bleak future of the Lodgepole pines with the devistated masses of brown, weeping conifers choaked by the pine beetle.  Private camp sites were denuded of  cover and we felt like we were in the desert camping instead of  the Colorado forest lands.

Work buddy Mark Powers assured us by phone that a couple of the big rigs near him had left and we would be able to return to plan A and camp next to the Super D course at Sol Vista and make an 7:00am practice run more doable.

The idea was there is some climbing and I can beat the fat downhillers.  Oops, the senior riders were leftover cross country addicts from California and Virginia who thought---what the heck, I'm in Colorado till Tuesday and might have fun with this Super D thing.

The course was nasty as ever on the opening half mile with rocky bottoms and ash like dust covering the best lines. Lower half is made up of 8" deep grooves you're suppose to plant your front wheel in and just hold on

.  The ultimate down course in Colorado.  Crashed on the practice run and twice during the 13 min descent but still managed to make the podium with a 5th place finish only beating a couple of locals and a  DNF or two.  You know, take what you can get and be glad you finished without broken bike parts or a ruptured spleen.  Always my goal.

The ultimate up-up-up ride in Colorado is Mt. Evans.

Six days later I'm in the parking lot behind Beaujo's Pizza in Idaho Springs preparing for the Bob Cook Memorial Hillclimb up Mt. Evans.

OK it took me 3:28:25 to finish the climb from Idaho Springs to the summit of Mt. Evans.  That included 4 stops to check the old glucose level meter and GU up and a Kodak moment with an ornery marmot.

Beginning elevation is around 7,000 ft with a 13 mile climb up Hwy 103 to Echo Lake or mid-point where the next 14 miles climbs to the 14,100 feet above sea level mountain top.  Very little oxygen resides here.  Although the ride was not a piece of cake, race training paid off and I truly enjoyed slipping by recreational riders and 20-somethings with hangovers.

Descent is not as fun as you would think.  Never ending expansion cracks and chug-holes rock the carbon fork and preventing a pinch flat at 40 mph is always in the front of your mind. Final descent into Idaho Springs is a bit smoother but traffic escalates and you just want to get back to the Beaujo's Pizza parking lot.  Been there, done that....Off the bucket list. 

August started yesterday and planning for the 9 days of Monarch Pass, Durango Yeti Tribe meet and Kenosha Pass rides is well under way.