Day 17: Body Revolt: 77.5 mi: 4721’ climbing: To End @ Steamboat CO

Everything woke up at 5:30, feeling damp in the cool humid morning.  Needing to pee, I just gave up and got up for the day.  Clear skies except to the south- a thunderstorm already gathering.  After yesterday’s rough go, I decided to get on the road and maximize my time availability.  Packed and ready to go at 6:40, the sun was already packing a punch and my few warm layers immediately came off.

My butt was not happy about starting the day.  It was raw, just bruised.  As I delicately nestled myself down, it yelled at me in a way that all multi-day cyclists know.  The route jumped right to it with a good solid climb.  Through the famous Aspen Alley, which was mostly dead, I really didn’t enjoy the views because I was preoccupied with my bodies refusal to engage.  It reminded me of driving stick shift, where the clutch is jammed and you are locked full time in 1st gear.  I miserably ground my way through the first few miles, finally connecting with the turn to the west onto pavement.  Then, I forgot about everything and enjoyed the 12 miles paved downhill.  That was fun, and it felt good to see all those miles tick by.

I decided to take the Columbine alternate to get to Steamboat.  Not only would this shave off a few miles and a few thousand feet of climbing, which I really didn’t think my body could handle today, but it would also avoid the Rainbow Family Gathering, which I had no interest in observing.  

Making the turn back to the east, the road started out paved, nicely following a river up its valley.  Then suddenly it turned to the dirt road from hell.  Not a single smooth spot could be found.  Between the cows, trucks, ATVs, and highly ineffective grader work, my speed tumbled into the single digits as i bounced my way up the valley, never able to gain momentum or coast.  For miles this went on, sprinkled with steep, short climbs as the river valley narrowed and pushed the road up and out.  This is where I started to question my body’s ability to finish today.  Every climb, every incline, was a struggle- like there was no fuel reaching my legs.  Passing a fancy privately owned HOA Ranch housing development for the rich peoples, the road magically got better… how odd.

Entering the National forest, about 3 hours in, i stopped to rest at the top of a hill in a grassy clearing, swatting at fhe deer flies who seemed able to bite right through my spandex.  Mentally freed from dead-staring at the road, I noticed the dark thunderhead sneaking up behind me.  Sitting there eating  Cheese-it’s, the first few drops were light.  Then they got a little more numerous, and the air dropped in temp almost instantly, prompting me to pull out the rain jacket to stay warm.  Not more than 2 minutes later the sky unleashed.  Wind, heavy rain blowing in all directions, and lightning and thunder crashing all around.  I stood under a short aspen tree, hunched over my bag of Cheese-it’s, trying my best to keep the water streaming off of me from going into the bag of deliciousness.  For about 15 minutes I just stood there.  I guess it was a nice cool break from the hot morning?

Ending as abruptly as it started it ended, and I watched the storm cell continue moving across the valley, lightning striking its ridge, the view hazy from the sheets of descending rain.  Taking off the rain coat and packing away the snacks, I hopped back on my bike and continued the slow crawl.  I just couldn’t believe how tired I was.  I mean… I understand why, given the last 3 days of crazy biking, but I was really starting to question my ability to make it 75 miles and over a pass today.

Oh fun… a grader.  Oh cool… that rain turned all the freshly upturned dirt into a sponge cake of infinite rolling resistance!  Oh, and why are they grading?  Because the slope is so steep it needed to be smoothed out from crazy wash-outs.  Well shit.  Here I go… pushing my bike there, grinding through the wet road till here, standing over my bike now panting and straining to hear the sound of a pickup truck that I could give all my cash to in exchange for a ride to Steamboat.  I eventually caught up with the grader, found performing it’s heinous deed.  I smiled and waved at the driver as I crawled by, trying not to let them see how dark the cave was getting.

It eventually stopped, returning to in-destroyed gravel, but not without absolutely thrashing my legs.  But what else is there to do but to continue?  

I’ll spare you the boredom of me repeating the above.  It was horrible.  It went in for hours.  But every time a car passes I couldn’t bring myself to ask for a way out.  Maybe I’m just too dumb.

I saw lots of sheep.  And I guess this is what sheep herders live in? (Above)

Eventually, i emerged at the pass and into pavement, and thanks to all the walking I did I proudly hit my step goal for the day according to my watch.  According to my route map and app, there was only 30 some miles left… mostly down.  I don’t know what time it was- sometime after 1 I believe.

This was a real descent.  On pavement, I screamed along for miles, watching the miles tick by with little effort.  Making a right turn and heading around Steamboat Lake (I think) the rite became gravel again and joined up with the main route again.  Having spent so long not doing anything, this section of flats and slightly ups felt like my legs were trying to spin through hardening concrete.  I took a 30 min break looking over the lake, then continued on.

The descent dropped me fast down a tightly winding gravel road that seemed to be the back, sneaky way up to Steamboat Lake-it was busy with cars.  Just about to reach the next turn and join pavement again I caught up to another rider heading the same direction.  Chatting as we rolled up to the turn and decided to stop at the corner general store (old school), I was glad that I had not taken the main route as he had.  His stories did not sound like something I wished I would have experienced.  Pulling up to the store we met two other riders and confirmed the same sentiments.

After an iced coffee and ice cream sandwich, I continued towards Steamboat, now only 18 miles away.  Minus a short section of gravel with two short climbs, the drop went fast, with only the busy traffic and small shoulder really causing any trouble.  I rolled into Steamboats outer reaches and navigated my way to the KOA, which was the cheapest and closest place I could find to camp.

Done.  And really really happy to be done.  If I wasn’t ending the trip now as planned, I would absolutely be taking a rest day tomorrow and soaking in the hot pools in town.  Although, maybe that’s a bad idea given what my butt is looking like right now…

I’m going to stop here, and give myself some time to mentally wrap stuff up. Tomorrow is logistics day, and Thursday is trave home day.

I’m happy to be done, for many reasons.