Triple Bypass - CycleOther

I started out with the group then found my groove on the first climb up Juniper Pass wich reaches an elevation of 11,140 feet. I enjoyed this climb and felt strong... About a mile or two in, the rain started. It would last nearly the entire ride - clearing shortly before the finish.

I passed a lot of riders on the way up. I really enjoyed the climb but I was starting to get really wet. At the top of the pass was a rest stop with munchies and fluids... I intended to wait for the Lilia and the rest of the BT crew but it was really cold and I was starting to shiver. Julia's friend (brother-in-law?) Justin reached the summit ahead of the crew and we decided to ride on. Waiting in this rain and freezing temps, wouldn't be smart.

The descent to Idaho Springs is fast and furious. However, the rain and cold made it nearly unbearable. I was underdressed and as wet as possible - I froze my butt off. At this point there were a lot of riders flying down the mountain. It was a parade of human suffering (I'm not exagerating).

I did my best to maintain body heat, but my jaw shook like a machine gun. My feet (no booties) felt numb and heavy like bricks. The rain continued to fall harder.

I was happy to reach Idaho Springs. I wanted to ride uphill so that I could generate some body heat.

From here Justin and I rode hard through Georgetown and on up to Loveland Ski Area (the hardest stretch in my opinion). At Loveland there I saw a van for Wheatridge Cyclery and purchased some fresh socks, booties and some gloves. I could justify this $100 purchase because I was riding for free...

Justin and I headed up Loveland Pass together but I think the altitude started to slow him down a little and I pulled away and did not see him again for the rest of the ride. I climbed this hill particularly well (much better than last year) and I new at this point that I would finish. Still, the descent down was miserable. The rain became hail and it was stinging my face and making it very difficult to see. Again I was cold, but this time I felt somewhat better with the booties and gloves. I was drenched but I was becoming OK with the wet.

At Keystone the hail became rain again, albiet and even harder rain, but the wind was at my back and I was cruising at 30 miles per hour to Dillan Lake. I met a strong rider there named Kevin (we ended up riding to the finish together), and we pushed each other all the way to Copper Mountain.

Having rode up Vail Pass last week with Brett and Lilia, I was sure that this climb would be fairly easy. However, I was beginning to feel some lactic build up and I hadn't fueled myself well to this point. In fact the bottle of Gatorade that I left with 90something miles ago was still half full. I was sort of struggling up this pass and working hard to hang with Kevin. On top of Vail we stopped to patch Kevin's tire and I macked out on Oreo Cookies, Cliff Shots, and PB&J. I felt better and the sky's looked like the weather might break soon.

We flew down from Vail pass and on into Vail, past Eagle to Avon at a pretty fast pace. I was thrilled to be finished. I felt stronger and less fatigued at the finish this year than last year.

I would have dressed properly and forced myself to eat and drink.

Hung out at the Expo, had two vegi-burgers and a baked potato.


The rain and cold.


I really enjoyed this in spite of the bad weather. It was nice to overcome the many challenges of the ride and the day.