Day 10 – June 26th

Getting an early start on today’s ride, we had the bikes up and running by 7 am. Cruising along at a comfortable 17 mph we both let ourselves catch a breather on the flats as we knew there was much more to come; specifically two big climbs. Today would take us to an elevation of 8,400 feet. The first 45 miles were easy and of very little consequence to our legs; but our eyes were having a field day. The rolling flat farmland that led up to the mountains was a gorgeous cornucopia of green. I am still overwhelmed by the massive power that these mountains seem to exude. Maybe they have such a profound effect upon me because I grew up on the rolling plains of the Midwest. Whatever the case, there is something about these bones of earth that awe me to my core. I believe this emotion will wrap me in its grip anytime that I take a moment to bask in their massive beauty.

At mile 45 the day started to get interesting; we started our first serious climb of the day. Having talked about the logistics and the fact that Gary and I have different cadences and climbing styles, we agreed that Hart would shuttle between riders on the climb providing the excellent support that seems to come so naturally to him. Early into the first climb I found my gear of choice, stuck to it, and started to battle my best friend and worst enemy; the Big Ass Hill (really that is its name.) In regards to my climbing preference, I had spoken with Larry about the fact that my legs do a lot better when I don’t stop on climbs, so we came up with a plan to refuel me while I was still on the bike. He would stop at certain points along the climb and I could hand off my water bottles as I emptied them and he would make sure to fill them with some sweet climbing nectar and return them to me at the next stop; all while I was still pedaling. Larry, who seems to have a latent talent for running along bikes and providing fuel, even went so far as to hand off V8’s, peanut butter sandwiches, and Gu; all while I continued to pedal. This technique worked out great for me, as it let me continue to spin and keep my rhythm going. When Larry was handing off water bottles while running beside my still moving bike, I felt like a real pro. All I was missing was strength, power, endurance, and talent.

As most cyclists can tell you, when you are into a long climb the best thing you can do is find a gear that feels good and stick with it. I’d found mine on that first climb and I put it to great use. By the time I reached the summit I felt like I was just starting out for the day, versus 65+ miles into the ride. After the first initial climb, which was ten miles long (give or take), I headed down a short descent, and then started the big climb for the day. The climb actually was not too bad in the beginning; it was a fairly low grade. However, as the miles began to pile up I realized that I was not doing nearly the amount of ascending I should be doing if this climb was going to top out at around mile 77. When I crossed the 71 mile mark I saw a big yellow sign that read “Steep Mountain Passes Ahead: 10% grade” “Ten percent grade? Holy friggin $#%&” was the first thought that rammed through my head. 10% grade is a serious climb when you are on the bike; it can chew you up and spit out what remains of your legs very quickly. The next 6 miles were going to be a treat, that’s for sure. The subsequent 4 miles or so were not as bad as I expected, there were some steep pitches but they mellowed out and I was able to keep a good pace going and still felt solid in the saddle. The last 2 miles were torture on the legs though; it was a constant 10-13 percent grade that made all the muscles in my weary body scream. My lungs and cardio held up fine during the final ascent, I think my heart rate may have hit 150 at one point, but for the most part it was in the low 140’s. But my speed; good god my speed was atrocious. The fastest I could get my mutinous machine to move was 6 mph, and at many points I was down to 4 mph. I just could not get my Trek to move any faster, even though I was often out of the saddles cranking on the pedals. I would love to say I looked as if I were dancing in the pedals as I made my way up those final miles, but you nor I would believe it.

My goal towards the end of the ascent was to beat Larry to the summit, since he was running back and forth between Gary and I, I thought I had a chance to do it. With about 150 yards to go, the SUV passed me and I had to settle for second place. Damn, I was so close! My consolation prize, which was a boost to my ego, was a lady at the summit stopped by the car to say she’d seen me working my way up the mountain and thought I looked really strong. She was obviously a genius, a profession cyclist coach, and very competent in the ways of biking. Hey its my story!

A little bit later, I hooked up with Gary and we ascended into Jackson, Wyoming. This means we have knocked out one more state; Idaho. That’s two states down and nearly 1,000 miles as well. ( I believe we have less than 5 miles to go to break the 4 figure milestone.) Now it is time to hit the hot tub to let our pain wracked legs relax before beating them up tomorrow as we struggle to ascend to over 9,000 feet elevation. That should be fun!