Horseshoe Curve

ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA

This is one of my favorite climbs. A four mile warm up climb followed by a four mile steep climb including an 18% wall. Three lakes and a 200' tunnel. A mountain stream cascading down as you ride up. Trains creaking as they slowly make their way up the mountain. What more can one ask for?

On my way back from Ride the Rockies I never gave it thought that riding at altitude would help. This wasn't a test to see if riding at altitude would make me stronger. If it was, it failed. 

I always underestimate how difficult the climb is. Today was no different. It is hard. But once to the top you have a couple miles of flat on top of the mountain followed by a nice seven mile descent on Sugar Run Road. For me it's just a perfect place to ride.

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Mount Davis

CONFLUENCE, PENNSYLVANIA

Mount Davis, the tallest peak in Pennsylvania, is in Somerset County which is where my parents have lived for most of 33 years. I have never been there. I decided today that I would bike up it.

When I mentioned it to my parents my dad asked if I would ride from Confluence so I thought that might be the logical place to start. I didn't know the roads.

I mapped out a route which would take me up Fort Hill Road to Green Road to High Point to Mt. Davis Road. When I reached Green Road I found first that it was descending and second that it was a dirt road - not just a dirt road but a dirt gravel mix and a bit of ungraded forest floor - much like Imgrund Mountain Road. I decided it was not worth the risk and took another route.

I found Pumpkin Center Road climbed so I kept going up - until the bottom just dropped away. That's what makes climbing hard in this section of Pennsylvania because most of these roads do not have a continual climb but it seems for every two feet of gain you lose one. It also means on the descent there is some climbing too.

Pumpkin Center Road

I made my way to Mt. Davis Road and was unsure where to go. Finding no one to ask, I turned on the phone and found a map - I was headed in the right direction. Then it just a matter of making it to the top.

The ride back down was nice but Pumpkin Center Road had a 12% grade which kicked up to 20-22%. Ouch. Why do they do that on my descent?

Observation Tower at Mt Davis

I need to come back and try this from the Meyersdale direction. But cross Pennsylvania off my list of states I've cycled to the highest point (along with New Hampshire). Seriously - I don't know where I've been although I've also ridden up Mt. Evans, Colorado which is the highest paved road leading me to think there are higher peaks in Colorado with dirt roads. Anyhow, it's not a goal, just a fun thing to do.

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Muncie

MUNCIE, INDIANA

I wanted a good Midwestern ride to break up the monotony of the long drive home from Colorado. Muncie was a perfect place.

The 4K for Cancer Team Portland was coming through. I knew they would be on the Cardinal Greenway rail trail. I headed towards Richmond, Indiana, thinking I'd ride 10 or maybe 20 miles before intersecting them.

I rode 43. I arrived in Richmond and was near the end of the trail. I began to worry that they had entered the trail farther up and had passed me without seeing. But finally, around the corner, here came six riders of the 4K. And they were almost like "hey, good to see you." Almost no surprise.

But it's all good. I turned around and we headed back to Muncie. I only saw eight of the 4K riders (six riding and two in the water van) because the other groups were hanging back with the father of a scholarship winner. And I had a seven hour drive ahead.

The rail trail was beautiful. Almost no riders were on it. It is paved with good asphalt and much of it is shaded.

"The Cardinal Greenway takes its name from the last passenger train to regularly travel the route (Chicago-Cincinnati-Washington): the Cardinal. The train service in turn derived its name from the state bird of all five states which it traversed." 

I'm guessing those states were Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia -- all of which do have the Cardinal as the state bird.

It was a beautiful morning to ride and easy to keep going and going and going. Just like in Kansas, the Garmin froze and once it came back online I lost the ride info I had just done. Oh well.

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First section which lost Garmin data

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Second section recorded by Garmin

Who Said Kansas Is Flat?

SHAWNEE, KANSAS

After a day in the car it was time to hit the ground and ride. And it wasn't good.

I was excited to meet my 4th cousin, by marriage, Nick Schotamus. Oooh, he is younger than I thought.

The only chance I had was Nick only had his single speed bike. Didn't matter.

My Garmin was like me - broke for the day. It recorded the first 10-15 miles then quit. When it finally came back the first segment was gone.

This was Kansas - near Kansas City. The route had some incredible rollers. The terrain reminded me of Pittsburgh although in a suburban and country environment. We would hit these steep climbs then have steep descents. It was anything but flat.

Karen Schotamus, Barry Sherry, Nick Schotamus

At the end my legs felt like Jell-O, something I never felt after a week of riding in the Rockies. But more importantly I got to meet my cousins. This was a special day even if I sucked.

Nick's Strava: http://www.strava.com/activities/60932846

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My partial recording

Cañon City

CAÑON CITY, COLORADO

The rain that fell last night brought ash. Cars and bikes that were outside were covered with spotted ash. But at least the area got some rain.

I did not want to wait for the 6:00 a.m. breakfast at the Super 8 and instead went to McDonalds hoping they would open before 6:00. This one left me shaking my head. Thousands of cyclists, most of whom actually like McDonalds, at least for breakfast - those hotcakes supply carbs -- and all wanting to roll out early for a 95 mile day - the fourth day in a row of 85+ miles.

And McDonalds was closed. Well, not closed completely because there were workers inside at 5:45 a.m.  But they weren't budging. The line outside was long at 6:00 a.m. when they appeared to reluctantly open the restaurant. I guess if you're not a kid they don't want to serve you. Service was very slow. I am not a fan.

When I rolled out from McDs at 6:20 it was cold. The usual 48 degrees. We rode through Big Horn Sheep Canyon but I didn't see any big horn sheep.

At Mile 25 I turned right and began a climb on a country road. Not all did. There was a sign which stated "US 50 OPEN" and a number of cyclists decided for whatever reason to travel US 50 to Cañon City. Although this was the original planned route, all RTR support was on the new route. These riders were on their own. I didn't go because I respected the organization and I wanted the extra miles. Bragging rights, you know.

It actually went deeper than that. The organization offered us two options for today. One was to ride the 95 mile route and the other was to take a bus. They made it clear that they did not want cyclists on US 50 even if it was open. If they had to close the road again they could not evacuate all the cyclists. Also, they would be in the way of emergency equipment. To ride the "renegade route" was an irresponsible option but did not stop some riders including one of the bloggers for the Denver Post.

The Royal Gorge burned. No riders could go through there but they could see across the gorge and see the Royal Gorge Bridge. I wish I could have seen it but chose not to. Plus I would have a much more memorable day.

After the second rest stop, I saw Ron Keifel and his sister, Erlinda, pull out. I was close behind. Within a few minutes I was side by side, then shoulder to shoulder, with Ron. Erlinda motored ahead. For 17 miles we chatted. Ron regaled me of stories from the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Tour of Switzerland, and more. We talked about cycling, Lance Armstrong, Bob Roll, and more. And we chatted about life.

During this time there was a third rider on our two wheels. She sat in for a free ride. Ron is as down to earth person as you will meet. He talked about not riding much and having a sore butt and legs. Just as we were pulling into Westcliffe, where there was an aid station, he disappeared.

Ron Kiefel, Barry Sherry

As I turned the corner somewhat bewildered, a rider said to me that "your friend just stopped and took a break." Did I just drop a seven time Tour de France rider? Really? Oh this is awesome!

At the aid station I was a couple hundred meters behind the Kiefel group as they rolled out and wasn't about to integrate again. Nor could I catch them. For the next 10 miles I watched this group stay 200 meters ahead. And then on a false flat my legs felt good. I picked up the speed and started passing lots of people (except for the Keifel group). I flew by the woman who had been sitting on with us earlier and with the Keifel group after the aid station. She explained she could not stay with the Keifel group. I invited her to follow my wheel. I pulled her to the next aid station.

After going through Hardscrabble Pass I rolled out of the San Juan National Forest by myself. The descent was steep and technical. I quickly got up to 48 mph but applied the brakes. And I saw where one rider had just gone over the guard rail. Oh boy.

"Numerous Ride the Rockies cyclists crashed and were sent to the hospital on Friday as they attempted to maneuver the descent of Hardscrabble Pass in Custer County, a treacherous hill added to the route when the course was altered for Royal Gorge fire road closures. Riders reported crashes that sent people over guard rails while biking switchbacks along the downhill section of the pass." 1

After seeing the carnage on the descent I sat up and took it carefully. While the run-in to Florence looked to be all downhill on the profile the reality is it flattened out and got hot. I was struggling. I had one group of three pass me and knew I could follow their wheels. But I knew I was too gassed to help and didn't want to sit on. I let them pass.

About five minutes later the Kiefel group passed me. And Ron called out my name. It was an instant energy boost. I joined them and in short order we passed the group that I was too tired to follow. In Florence I moved up to talk some more with Ron.

After our last stop in Florence I rolled out and we quickly had four but I excused myself as not wanting to work anymore with anyone. I was pretty gassed. But I did want to stay ahead of the Kiefel group because it would be embarrassing to get caught yet again. And I managed that.

I finished the day, added some bonus miles to make 100, and attended the cycling seminar. While Chris Carmichael was the featured speaker, and gave the same "caught up in the era" excuses as we heard all week, the highlight was Margaret Rae Tennant, a woman with Parkinson's Disease who was riding in this week's tour. She presented her video, Better on a Bike, and she received a standing ovation.

Recovery

At the seminar, a woman from the US Geological Survey named Jane spoke and told of how she tried to follow the wheel of Ron and "another rider" and was just hanging on. Oh yea, I remember her -- on the ride into Alamosa she was calling the shots and wasn't too nice. And now she was thanking Ron and me for pulling her -- and she was also the rider that I pulled back to the Keifel group on the false flat. That felt good.

WD-40 Bike free cleaning

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1 The Denver Post, June 15, 2013

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Salida

SALIDA, COLORADO

The day's profile looked pretty easy - 40 miles of flat followed by some trending uphill over the 9,010' Poncha Pass then a descent to Salida. We were also aware of wild fires burning near Salida and there were rumors of what the next day would bring.

As we rolled through Alamosa, a rider named Karen asked me if I rode up L'Alpe d'Huez (which was the jersey I was wearing). Of course I did. She joined Scott Olson and me for a few miles until he pulled away as we took pictures of the sign "Forest Fires Ahead -- Do Not Call 911."

At the first rest stop I met a guy wearing a Haymarket jersey and talked to him for a while.  Haymarket, like Woodbridge, is in Prince William County, Virginia. After rolling out on the Celestial Highway (Google it) I saw my friend off the road in the sand changing a flat. I went back to help him.

After the third rest I caught Karen and saw she had a pump. I had intended to top off the air pressure today at the first stop since the school was too far to go to in the morning roll out. Distracted by talking with my Haymarket friend and I forgot to check air at Stop 2. But now I was convinced the front tire was low -- too low -- and I preferred a pump to CO2 which I carry.

Giant Chicken Rest Stop

But as we rolled along the tire was definitely flatting and at the first intersection where I didn't have to be in the sand, I pulled over and changed the tube. I have little negative to say about Ride the Rockies but two SAG vehicles drove by and neither stopped. Oh how I wanted a floor pump.

After Rest 3 I rolled out by myself to Poncha Pass. At the pass I saw a whiteboard which stated tomorrow's route would be changed and details to be released at the cycling meeting. Nothing I could do but ride. 

I left the pass and began the descent. I did not expect anything more in speed but got into a tuck and let it roll. The Colorado State Troopers that rode with us on motorcycles were getting tired and grumpy. Earlier I saw one, sirens on, yelling at one large group of cyclists trying to pass another large group of cyclists. And now, on my descent, a trooper pulled up beside me as I was in my tuck doing 45 mph.

I wasn't sure of the speed limit but I didn't want to brake. I let it roll. I pulled ahead of the cop as I was in the right side of the lane and he was in the left. I hit 51 mph. I love these Colorado downhills.

Scott Olson on Cruiser

At the Salida Super 8, Scott Olson and I both borrowed "cruiser" bikes to go downtown and attend the cycling meeting. We were pleasantly surprised by the street fair downtown and the white water kayaking in the Arkansas River.

At the meeting we learned the reroute would add 35 more miles (95 total) and take us over yet another 9,000' pass. Many people were defeated.

I was disappointed because I really wanted to see and ride over the Royal Gorge Bridge - the highest suspension bridge in the U.S. But people lost homes and jobs in the Great Gorge Fire and what I would lose is nothing compared to them. Plus we get bonus miles which will make this the longest Ride the Rockies in their 28 year history.

After dinner it rained. A thunderstorm. And the area needed it.

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Durango

DURANGO, COLORADO

From 6,200' Cortez to 6,500' Durango this was to be a day of climbing. The profile basically trended up for 50 miles before descending to Durango.

My roommate, Scott Olson, and I were quick to get out the hell hole we were staying and made our way to Denny's - which was ill-equipped to serve a whole bunch of cyclists at 6:00 a.m.  Poor waitress. One waitress. What were they thinking?

We rolled out together until I peeled off for my first photo of the morning. Scott soft-pedaled and I jumped on the back of a group and was quickly back on with him. Near the second aid station we separated for good as I dropped back to talk to a rider wearing a Trek Travel jersey.

Rolling into Mancos I saw the Davis Phinney Foundation car and stopped and talked with Connie Carpenter Phinney.

The next 16 miles were a climb which was long and steady but not hard. It was just a matter of keeping the pedals moving.

Mantos, CO

There wasn't much to stop for and take pictures but occasionally there was something interesting. Like the elk ranch. 

The climb led to something called Hesperus Hill. Who knew? The last 10 miles were to be downhill into Durango but this? This was awesome!

The road was smooth and cyclists were hugging the shoulder. I jumped in a lane and was following an RV which was following a tractor-trailer. We were doing 53 mph. It was a new personal best for me. And it was fun!

In Durango I ate at a pizza truck turned into a building, Home Slice Pizza, then explored the town before attending the cycling seminar at the school. 

Barry with Bob Roll

The guest speaker was Bob Roll. He is incredibly funny. He told us that George Hincapie will be doing TV for the Tour de France. Favorite part of working with Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin: the drinking. And his picks for the Tour: Froome, Contador, and van Garderen.

After the seminar I still had time to explore the town. 

I would love to come back here as a tourist.

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Cortez

CORTEZ, COLORADO

The day was to begin with a 15 mile climb up over the 10,200' Lizard Head Pass. But actually it began with a $10 pancake breakfast at the Elks club in the town of Telluride.

It was a chilly 48 degrees, or less, as we rolled out of town. I went by the high school and could hear the P.A. announcer and, just as I passed by, I heard the playing of the National Anthem begin. It was the opening ceremony for Ride the Rockies and I was just out of distance.

The first five miles, downhill, were cold. I looked on with envy at every rider with a jacket, full-fingered gloves, and leg warmers. I was cold.

At five miles in we turned on CO-145 and the road immediately turned up. The profile showed a 10-mile climb but there were some descents built into this climb. Not many, including myself, were prepared for the road to turn up this steeply this quick. But no problem.

People were soon pulled over removing those warm layers. Turns out I dressed perfectly for the day.

We were on the climb to Lizard Head Pass at 10,222'. I wore my Cyclists Combating Cancer kit and forgot that it is also in honor and memory of Jake -- I have written on the back In Memory of Jake the Hero 2004-2012. One guy came beside me and said "Good job for Jake" which caught me completely by surprise. Then I remembered, Jake was with me.

At the top of the climb, which was long but not hard, I pulled over for some pictures. It was here the tour D.J. was set up and he played some music and talked a lot. I saw some broken eggs but he was sponsoring a race for a t-shirt. The t-shirt was perhaps 200 yards up a hill at the rest stop on a branch of the tree. Only a somewhat barren, somewhat grassy steep hillside stood between anyone who wanted to race to be first to touch the t-shirt.

I wondered why anyone in cycling shoes would run on that surface. But a woman took off. And after 50 yards or so with no competition, a man and a woman also pursued. Around 100 yards the man passed her and she sat down, completely out of breath. This was the 10,000' level after all. He won a shirt.

The profile showed a 60-mile descent to Cortez, which was a lie. The first 15 miles after the pass was a real downhill though. I got in a tuck and soon started flying past people. But the road was a chip and tar or chip and seal road with a couple sweeping curves which didn't seem too safe to just let it roll. Still, I hit 50 mph before bringing the speed back down.

The road trended down after that but one had to work the pedals. It was not a 60-mile coast.

Yesterday in Telluride, Chris told me about a natural hot tub in Rico which I realized after I passed through, I missed. But Rico is a neat little town.

Rico, CO

At Dolores, 64 miles, I skipped the aid stop and rolled out with a number of cyclists. There was an uphill facing us and I felt good when I hit it, passing everyone then just cruising the rest of the way to Cortez.

When I got in I saw Wayne Stetina who told me his speed for the day was 23.1 Pretty impressive (mine was still 18.1) but he told me he had to shepherd a rider over Lizard Head Pass. 

My roommate, Scott Olson, and I, made our way back to the school for the cycling seminar which featured George Hincapie. I was able to meet George and Connie Carpenter Phinney. 

George Hincapie

George spoke about his career but offered the same excuse as most cyclists of the era that they were caught up in the era. He said the guys that finished second or third or fourth never complained about the winner because they knew everyone was doing it. Sad. But he did offer hope for the future racers, specifically Tejay van Garderen and Taylor Phinney. And his picks for the Tour: Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, and Cadel Evans.

Connie Carpenter

In Cortez I had the worst experience in a motel. Ever. The room reeked so badly of smoke that no amount of spraying could correct. It made for a very miserable night. I've never been happier not to be in a motel room. We stayed out of the room as much as possible and would leave at the crack of dawn.

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We can ignore the first mile of this trip as it looks like I was hitting the ski slopes. I wasn't.