"harder than childbirth"

what an amazing day. we stared out in gunnison, co and worked our way to salida. did about 35 or so easy miles then started our long, high ascent. looking back, the hill was not actually that bad, however, on the bike i felt much differently. usually when you climb several thousand feet, you climb some steep areas, take a break on a relatively light climb or a flat then climb again. monarch pass was more of a constant climb where you continuously saw the road ahead and saw cars and trucks struggling to get up the hill. i actually thought it would be much more difficult to breath at such a high altitude, but surprisingly it was not that bad. decided not to get competitive and took the hill at a slow and steady pace that proved to be the right choice. ended up alone for most of the climb then finished the last few miles with jen. after the climb, marianne stated that it was the hardest thing she has ever done (harder than childbirth - she has three children so she knows). but seriously, this was a really tough climb and all of our riders completed it. i can't say how proud i am to be with all these hardworking people.

a little drama happened at the top when a 20 ton tractor was trying to shovel away ice and ran head first into our van. there were about 5 people in the van at the time (i was napping like every mediratta does after lunch), but luckily everyone walked away without injury and the van was minimally damaged. jen and i also got kicked off of an ice pile for shoveling away the snow to better see what the sign said (i will try to post the video if i can get it on here).

finished the day with about 67 miles at the local sonic (not impressed) then worked our way to the salida high school for our showers and sleeping headquarters. went our for dinner and found this place called amica's where they fired their own pizza and brewed their own beer. i tried the IPA and was very impressed both at the taste and the 3.10 price tag for a pint. food was great, company was great and in kem's opinion, "everything was perfect" (from the lemonade to the music)

view of rockies from salida. this is what we ascended and descended. you can tell the mountain looks sad after being owned by a bunch of amateur riders.


mercury checking out the view from the top. yes, i named my bike (and you should too if you haven't)



proof. the more i bike the more i realize how much adding and removing of clothing you do. when you climb, you take layers off, when you descend, you add layers. it was about 20 degrees but i was perfectly comfortable in my few small spandex layers, that is until i stopped moving. i put on two coats and a face mask to go down the hill.



me at blue mesa lake with future mountains in background on sunday. could not have had a more beautiful ride.


again, from previous day at blue mesa lake and canyon. too many people to identify but i will try. back left josh, katie, jen, erin, bobby, cory. next row tammy, caitlin, nate, kem, marianne. one of the more pretty lunch stops we have had.