Ride the Rockies 2009: One for the Thumb!

Ride the Rockies 2009 has ended. My fifth straight year to complete the weeklong bike ride through the Colorado Rockies (hence the reference to the Pittsburgh Steelers goal to win a fifth Super Bowl ring...one for the thumb). I think this was my favorite of the five. As usual, it's a bittersweet time. I'm glad the ride is over but wish it didn't have to end!

[At left: me in my BEEF jersey at the start of day one]

This year's ride took us from Glenwood Springs 80 miles over McClure Pass (elev. 8,755) to Hotchkiss; from Hotchkiss 80 miles around the rim of the Black Canyon and Blue Mesa Reservoir to Gunnison; from Gunnison 66 miles over Monarch Pass (elev. 11,312 ft.) to Salida; from Salida (elev. 7,100 ft.) 59 miles up to Leadville (elev. 10,152 ft.); from Leadville past the Twin Lakes 55 miles over Independence Pass (elev. 12,095 ft. to Aspen; and finally, from Aspen 40 miles down to Glenwood Springs.

The ride was officially 380 miles in six days, but several of us added 20 miles onto the last day with an excursion from Aspen to the Maroon Bells (at left), one of the most scenic rides in Colorado, if not the entire United States. After climbing to the Maroon Bells we had a 50-mile downhill cruise to the finish line, with a stop at the Woody Creek Tavern for lunch (a must stop on any visit to the Roaring Fork River Valley).

The final day of Ride the Rockies 2009 was perhaps my favorite of the 33 days of riding RTR over the past five years. The ride up to Maroon Bells was worth every extra mile and the company of my old friends Chris from KC, Todd from Tulsa and new friend Gillian from New Jersey made it extra special.

I met Chris in 2002 on an MS150 ride in Kansas City and we later rode self-supported from KC to St. Louis on a personal fundraiser for breast cancer research we called "Ride MO for the Cure."

[Above: Chris and I broke out our old "Ride MO" jerseys on day two of Ride the Rockies]

I met Todd last year on Ride the Rockies and met Gillian by chance Friday morning on this year's ride after we ended up camping next to each other at Aspen High School (the Ritz Carlton of High Schools!).

[Above: (from left) me, Gillian, Chris and Todd at the New Belgium Beer Garden at the finish line]

Chris, Todd, Gillian and I finished the final 34 miles of Ride the Rockies 2009 (after leaving Woody Creek Tavern with a rockin' four-person paceline along the Rio Grande bicycle trail, averaging 19.8 mph into a stiff headwind! Still, between the diversion to Maroon Bells and lunch at Woody Creek Tavern, we were among the last (possibly DFL!) riders into the finish. But Ride the Rockies is not a race. It's a bike tour of Colorado. It's a vacation (and you don't gain weight!). It's a time to spend with old friends and meet some new ones. It's easy to make the mistake of hurrying to finish the ride and get home to a hot shower, clean clothes and a cozy bed. I have made that mistake in years past. Never again!

Ride the Rockies a great way to enjoy the beautiful Rocky Mountains, one of God's great creations. Living in Colorado it's easy to forget that we live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I plan to bring my family back up to this area later this summer to visit Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, drive up the Roaring Fork river valley to the Maroon Bells and then over Independence Pass to historic Leadville/Lake County. What a wonderful weekend trip -- all within a few hours of Denver!

I wish I could share every moment, but below are a few from my photo journal of the trip. Of course, the pictures NEVER tell the whole story or do the scenery justice. You'l just have to come visit and experience for yourself!

My Ride the Rockies 2009 Photo Journal

Saturday, June 13: Chris and I head out from Castle Rock to Glenwood Springs for the start of Ride the Rockies 2009.

Sunday, June 14: Chris and I passed our first scenic "photo op" -- a waterfall along the ride from Glenwood SPrings to Hotchkiss.

Sunday, June 14: Chris sets a new PAR (personal altitude record) at the top of McClure Pass (elev. 8,755 ft.) -- a record he would shatter in the next several days.

Monday, June 15: Riding along the rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Monday, June 15: I won an Old Chicago Ride the Rockies T-shirt singing the first verse of Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville" at the lunch stop -- for the third time in five years!

Monday, June 15: Our camp site at the Gunnison Community School (that's my blue/white/grey tent on the left and Chris' red/grey tent on the right).

Tuesday, June 16: Chris reached a new PAR at the summit of Monarch Pass (elev. 11,312 ft.).

Tuesday, June 16: Team DFL friends Tim and Patty celebrate crossing Monarch Pass at The Vic in Salida.

Tuesday, June 16: Team Bar2Bar faithful Lora, Woody and Paul (the pilot) kick back at The Vic.

Wednesday, June 17: Chris' triumphant return to the ER to pick up his X-rays and have his wrist taped for the ride to Leadville. So, as the story goes, Chris was screaming down Monarch Pass at 45 miles per hour when, suddenly, he arrived in Salida and hit a pothole riding five miles per hour two blocks from The Vic, sprained his wrist and and tore up his hand/knee.

Thursday, June 18: Tearing down our campsite in Leadville as we prepare to climb Independence Pass.

Thursday, June 18: It was in the low 30s at the Summit of Independence Pass (elev. 12,095 ft.) .

Thursday, June 18: Patty winds (and weaves!) her way to the top of Independence Pass.

Thursday, June 18: Chillin' at the New Belgium Beer Garden in Aspen with (from left) Chris, Todd from Tulsa, Jenny (aka "flip flop girl") and the Hankster.

Friday, June 19: Me, Todd and Chris on the ride up to the Maroon Bells (the snow-capped peaks in the distance).

Friday, June 19: Me, beef and the Maroon Bells.

Friday, June 19: Chris watches as workers load up the porta-potties at the final rest stop in Carbondale (food, water and Gatorade were already gone!). We were DFL!

Thus ends Ride the Rockies 2009. Along the way I eclipsed 2,000 miles to date for the year, a personal record of my own. All that training paid off. I felt stronger, rode harder and had more fun that any of my previous four RTRs.

So what's next? The Boilermaker 15K is three weeks away. Stay tuned for details on my next adventure in fitness!

Ride on!

Daren

1000 Miles and Counting!

Actually...1,038 miles and counting as of this morning. I just got in from a brisk 25-mile ride on a cold May morning in the Colorado Rockies. I love riding in morning. It's a great way to start the day (especially burning 1,232 calories!).

[Above: The green pastures and registered polled herefords of Statter Ranch at the corner of Perry Park Road/Hwy 105 and Tomah Road]

I rode the same route last night after work and put in 20 on Sunday, giving me 70 miles so far this week (I count Sunday as the first day of the week). Unfortunately I think that's all I'm going to get this week with work and travel interfering with my training! But no worries, with one month to Ride the Rockies I'm well ahead of where I was last year at this time (about 400 more miles in the saddle!).

After a snowy April and wet start to May (at least on the weekends), the weather finally warmed up enough for a good ride this past Saturday with my new riding buddies from the New Hope Cycling Group (a group of riders affiliated with New Hope Presbyterian Church in Castle Rock). It was bit chilly but sunny Saturday morning as we headed out for a strong 38-mile loop in and around Castle Rock.

Sunday (Mother's Day) turned cold and damp again but I was determined to ride outside so wound through Castle Rock for a casual 20 miles. The time I spent on the trainer is paying off as I finally get back out on the road. My legs feel good.

And my high protein, low carbon footprint diet (lot's of nutrient rich beef) is paying off, too. I've dropped 15 pounds of winter weight (I'm at my lowest weight in three years) but maintaining important muscle mass. It will be nice not to have to carry that extra weight up Independence Pass this year on Ride the Rockies!

Ride on!

Daren

Getting Ready to Ride!

After a few glimpses of spring and summer back in March, April has been a bust for riding outside. Warm weather (high 70s) this week melted the two feet of snow we got last weekend but I was traveling so wasn't able to take advantage of it. Today is a rare cloudy day in Denver and it's been raining off and on. We need the rain so I can't complain. It's just that I haven't been out on the road since mid-March!

I have been diligent about putting in the miles on my CycleOps Fluid2 trainer. I've logged over 800 miles to date...well ahead of where I was last year at this time (following the accident, surgery, etc.). Riding on the trainer is a great workout but can be very boring, especially when my Garmin Edge 305 runs out of battery power (as it did today).

Even though I am stationary so the GPS-enabled functions of the Edge (like the turn-by-turn directions and full mapping capability shown in this picture) are of no use on the trainer, I still use the Edge to track my miles (it has a wheel magnet backup for the GPS), RPMs (the Edge includes a magnet that attaches to the crank and gives a real-time readout of RPMs) and heart rate to make sure I am making the most of my workout. I try to keep my RPMs between 88 and 92 and vary my heart rate between 114 and 142 beats per minute.

Hopefully May will bring warmer, dry weather. I'm planning to start riding to/from work in May (as I did last year). My goal is to log 2,000 miles prior to the start of Ride the Rockies on June 14. That means I need to average about 170 miles per week over the next seven weeks. This should be doable unless my travel schedule keeps up at the pace I've been going!

The sun is peeking through the clouds now so we're going to take Casey for a walk. Maybe it will clear off tomorrow so I can get out on the road tomorrow after church.

Ride on...

Daren