Day 25 – Breckenridge, CO to Hartsel, CO

Miles today – 40

Total miles – 1518

So, today is the day.  We will climb from 9,500 feet to an elevation of 11,542 feet.  This promises to be the biggest climbing challenge of the entire ride.  Mark and I will climb about 2,100 feet of elevation over 10 miles.  Going from west to east is considered the “hard side” because it is a steeper grade than coming from east to west.  We started from the front driveway of our aforementioned luxury condo and immediately began the uphill ascent.  The weather was absolutely perfect…cool, blue skies, and no wind in our face.  We couldn’t have order nicer climate for the day.  The first six miles of the climb was fairly gradual and we wondered if this was as bad as it was going to get.  Mark and I talked as we cranked up the mountain. The next four miles were a different story. 

The road became steeper and we encountered a few switchbacks with very sharp turns.  All conversation stopped as we focused on breathing the thinning air trying to get enough oxygen to our lungs and brain.  At one point a deer (8 point buck, actually) ran across the road in front of us and all Mark could get out was “look…deer…horns”.  I didn’t tell Mark before starting the day that I had set a secret objective to do the climb without stopping.  Head down we continued to climb.  Finally, we completed the last three hairpin turns and spotted the sign for the Continental Divide.  With a final burst of adrenalin, we sprinted to the top.  We got there just as another cyclist coming up the other side also arrived.  This is good because we needed somebody to take pictures.  He introduced himself as Phil and told us that this was his forth time across the Hoosier Pass.  I asked him where he was from and he said Carlisle, PA…I grew up in Camp Hill, PA which is about 15 miles away.  He was a strong rider and was waiting for his wife and another couple he was riding with to reach the summit.  So, he took a few pictures for us while he waited.

Having spent a while enjoying the summit and our accomplishment, we decided to descend the other side and move on to our final destination of Hartsel.  Mark and I both reached speeds of 47 mph…we had earned the thrill by completing the climb.  What’s the old saying?  “Faster, Faster…until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death!”

The remainder of the ride to Hartsel was fast.  It was mostly a gradual decline in elevation and we cruised at speeds between 18 and 25 mph almost the entire way to Hartsel.  We passed a field where a herd of “beefalo” were grazing.  These animal are specially bred (cow and buffalo) and raised for their meat.

Hartsel is a small whistle stop of a town but we had a few interesting encounters there. 

First we came upon Dorothy’s Homemade Tamales.  I love tamales and good ones are hard to find so that was our first stop.  I ate a pork and green pepper tamale and Mark tried a Buffalo tamale, both with homemade chili sauce.  We bought a few takeouts for appetizers tonight. 

 When Donna arrived to transport us back to our luxury condo (did I mention our luxury condo?), we decided to have a proper lunch next door.  That’s were we met Jim Thompson from New Mexico.  Jim was wearing cyclist attire so we engaged him in conversation.  As it turns out, he was part of the Continental Divide race that I mentioned in an earlier blog.  These guys are crazy.  Jim was riding a custom Gary Fisher mountain bike with minimal gear.  He was wearing the same clothing for the 40 days it will take him to complete the race.  He covers an average of 145 miles per day on dirt roads and trails and sleeps on the ground with no tent.  And you think I’m nuts?  Donna gave him some water and Mark and I shared our Shot Blocks.  You’d have thought we had given him rare gems.  I updated him on the Italian team that bonked in Rawlins and we parted ways wishing each other a safe ride.

Donna drove us back to Breckenridge.  As we drove the Hoosier Pass in the car, Mark and I marveled at what we had achieved today.

David

June 29, 2009