#RTR2015 Day 1 Grand Junction to Grand Junction

Today's ride was though the Colorado National Monument - 47 miles and climbing nearly 3000 feet (2992).

Rolled out about 6:20.  Brad, the founder of Wish For Wheels and I were first out for the team.  A little noisy going to bed the night before.  The Mesa college marching band began practicing at 10 PM, but good sleep and easy start.

We began the climb after about 8 miles and Brad left me at that  point.  I rode the monument a couple of years ago for Tour of the Moon  and the climb was much easier this time, even though I was in better shape for Tour of the Moon.  The views are incredible and a nice starter ride for this years RTR.  Super sunny all day and rolled into Mesa college around 11 AM.

The downhill was fast and somewhat dangerous with the slow riders and some riders going dangerously fast.  Sometimes passers were in oncoming lanes or passing on the right, a recipe for disaster.

Road Conditions were fine, with some farmland rolling hills north of Fruita  You do need a light to ride through the national monument tunnels.

We had a lot free time, but most of the team had lunch together.  As we looked for a place to sit, Casey was already making friends with a woman at a table.  We all decided to crash his party and it turns out she was pretty cool, a doctor, raised in Colorado but an east coaster now.  Did the hour long massage - my shoulders will be the challenge this ride since I didn't have long training rides.

Tomorrow is a long day, Grand Mesa, and already have my massage appointment ready.

-Steve

#RTR2015 Day 2 Grand Junction to Hotchkiss

June 15th, 2015

Wow!  Today was brutal.  Grand Mesa is my toughest climb to date.  The ride was 96 miles and 7631 feet of elevation gain.

I believe I was first out this morning at 5:50 AM.  The first part of the ride was actually on a bike path headed towards Palisade.  In the dawn early light, the vineyards looked lush and green.  Brad and Casey passed me on the west side of Palisade, but I didn't see them until they were a bit ahead of me.  After Palisade we did a stint on I-70 until the Powderhorn turn.  The semis were a bit dicey as they passed.  The ride up to Powderhorn began with a meandering road following the river.  I hooked on the wheel of a pace line, making good time until a rider two ahead of me went down and the rider in front of me went over the top.  Luckily I was able to avoid both of them.  They were both ok, but one was really shook up.  It wasn't the only challenge of the day.

It was hot.  As I neared powerhorn, my legs were screaming and I barely staying upright.  My lack of climb training was showing.  Lance Armstrong was riding that day with a friend and I had a few words with him near Powderhorn.

At Powderhorn, I wasn't far from the top, but I broke down and flagged a sag van.  But my legs aren't the story.  A young woman was riding in her 20th RTR (I think) and her father also had ridden with her each year.  This year, she was riding ahead of her dad and she had received a call on her cell that her dad had an accident on I70 and was in the hospital.  As mentioned, the short jaunt on I70 was dangerous as riders would swerve into the right lane to pass and didn't seem to realize that a semi couldn't react quickly.  She was reasonably distraught and we rode together to the top of Grand Mesa.  On the way she learned he was all right, but would be in the hospital overnight.  She was able to find a ride to Grand Junction when we reached the lunch stop.  As we reached the rest stop, Brad was riding in.  I didn't mention I had sagged to the top, at least at first.  The burger off the grill was great and it was an incredible and fast downhill to CedarEdge and Hotchkiss was a relief.  My massage never felt so good.

Hotchkiss is a great small town, welcoming the riders with an outdoor bbq at the fairgrounds just down the street from the school RTR headquarters.  Its one of those places I might never visit without RTR.  We headed down main street for dinner at a pretty nice restaurant (i have forgotten the name) after which we join the BQ party.  Sitting in the afternoon sun, enjoying a beer, listening to the band, hanging with cool peeps...they even had golf cart transportation for riders around town.

-Steve

RTR in retrospect

Well, tonight I started my post about RTR 2017.  But...as I signed on, I saw the the RTR 2013 and RTR 2015 post and had a little fun down memory lane.  Getting nostalgic with a glass of bullet and my dogs snoring next to me.  I laughed about the very brief posting from the 2015 RTR.

My first RTR experience was back in 1993.  I had planned to ride with my then girlfriend and...well...that really didn't turn out so well.  I was also on my last legs of a very brief insurance sales career.  I guess June of 1993 was a time of change.  The final leg of the '93 RTR was from Frisco to Golden.  I fired up Evinrude, my trusty '92 Ford Ranger (which many of you know lasted 20 years), and spent the night camping at the Frisco high school.

Lake Dillon had steam rising that early Saturday morning and 2000+ riders launched towards Loveland pass.  I was focused on the pass and little did I know the steady grade between Keystone and A-Basin would be the most challenging part and sap me for the day.  Over the top, with no fear at 28, I hit the Loveland ski area on-ramp and the steep grade down I-70 at around 55 MPH on my trusty Diamond back mountain bike.  Yup, RTR was different back then, with roadies and mountain bikers.  I passed a 1970s Pinto with a blaring muffler pipe as I rode the break-down lane towards Bakerville.  Idaho Springs was a planned RTR rest stop and I celebrated that I was almost to Golden...and then we attacked Floyd Hill...and...Floyd won.  Keystone to A-Basin was tough, but I was used up by the time we hit Floyd.  My triple crank and granny gear was perfect, but I was spent.  As I arrived in Golden, my stepdad picked me up.  In case you are worried about Evinrude, we drove back to Frisco...

What happened in '15?  It wasn't pretty.  The lack of training really had a toll on my physically through the week.  But...as I was reading the single posted blog, I saw that the rest of the week was never posted - I had left each post in draft - publishing now

-Steve