When we first started doing this ride about 11 years ago, we only had one child and we were able to fit all our stuff with all the bikes, in and on a minivan. Eleven years later, two more kids (total of 3), my mom (who watches the two younger ones while we ride), and 8 bikes, it has become much more of a production.
We now load most of the bikes in a cargo trailer, as well as two bikes on top of the SUV (minivan just doesn't cut it anymore), a luggage rack on top of the car, and all the bodies inside. Considering all the crap we take, it actually makes for a very pleasant trip. Two stops for gas and six hours later, we arrive in beautiful Durango Colorado.
This is such a fun time to be in Durango. Being in this town with this many cyclists just adds to the motivation of wanting to ride more. Everywhere you go, you see guys and gals alike with the usual "cyclists tan". They have tan lines at their ankles from the cycling socks and half way down their quads from wearing spandex cycling shorts all the time. If you ride a bike then you know what I'm talking about.
Friday was pretty uneventful. We hung out at the hotel all morning, just letting the kids cruise around on their bikes. Then around 2pm we headed into town for the bike swap and packet pickup. The place was packed!! We were early and there were already lines of people circling the place. Surprisingly, these people have this process down. Everything moves smoothly and quickly, at least it did for us.
After getting back to the hotel, Ryan (my 12yo), Christy, and I headed out for a quick short road ride. This was just to loosen the legs for tomorrows big climb to Silverton. Once we got back, Christy and I headed to Pizza Hut to meet the Belnaps and Brady's for dinner. The Belnaps (Becky and Newell) and the Brady's (Rena and Craig) had never done this ride before, so after dinner they decided to drive up to Silverton. Seeing the course is usually a good idea, especially the big climbs. I remember the first time we drove it. I couldn't believe it. The road just kept going up and up and up. It's mind numbing at how steep and long these climbs are.
The biggest difference this year (other than I hadn't trained at all) was the heat. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! Normally, there is a threat of rain or snow at the top but this year the only guarantee was that it was going to be beautiful the entire way there.
Saturday morning quickly arrived. Ryan and Christy were signed up to do the QuarterHorse which was a 25 mile climb from Durango to Durango Mountain Resort (formerly Purgatory Ski Area). This to me is the hardest portion of the 50 mile ride to Silverton. It's long, it's hot, and it's friggin all uphill.
The official ride starts downtown at McDonalds but to keep from having to get my mom and the two younger boys up and ready we opted to leaved straight from the hotel. This took 4 miles off of our total distance, but when you're as out of shape as I am, who is counting right??
As we headed out of the hotel parking lot, we could already see a ton of riders already on the road. My plan was to ride with Christy and Ryan for the first 10 miles (bottom of first big climb) then go on my own up to Silverton. I was super impressed at how Ryan was doing. The kid makes riding a bike look so easy. If he ever takes training seriously, he would be a force to reckon with.
So, at the base of the first steep climb, I pedaled away from the Church Team and headed up on my own. My first goal was to make it to Purgatory then I would decide or not to go further. My legs didn't feel too bad but my stomach was in knots and I just felt super tired. Hmmmm that's what happens when you don't put in the miles for training. Imagine that.
Well I finally made it to Purgatory. My stomach issues were not resolved and I pretty much felt like crap. I contemplated calling it a day. I mean after all, I wasn't winning any medals and who really cared if I didn't go all 50 miles. I've been riding bikes since I was 16 and minus the races that I have crashed, I have never not finished a ride. Also, as I was debating in my head whether to continue or not, this guy rides by with a cross hanging from his handlebars. At that exact moment, a song that I had just downloaded onto my ipod came on, "Let the Worshippers Arise" by Philips,Craig,and Dean. Ok, maybe coincidence, but at that moment, I put all my trust in God to get me to the finish line. If Ryan could do 25 miles, my sorry butt could finish the 50. So I hopped back on my bike and started up the first pass. Coal Bank Pass is steep. It's only 4 miles to the top, but it's 4 miles of nothing but UP. It was slow going and it felt like it took forever, but I finally made it to the top. I was exhausted and still had one more climb to go. The downhill was fun but it ended quickly.
Now you have to know Ben. He is very competitive and when it's him and I, we love to go at it. So of course the peacful descent became a race to the bottom. Normally this road is full of potholes so you have to be very careful not to kill yourself on the downhill. This year though, the pavement was flawless. Ben and Isaac took off first. I was messing with my Ipod as I saw them tuck into the first corner. Of course my goal was to catch them. With my Ipod blaring, the chase was on. We were flying!! Finally about half way down, I caught them. Looking down at my Garmin, I was doing 44mph. I blew past them and kept on pedaling. Around the next few corners I saw nobody behind me. Remember, Ben and Isaac were on a tandem. I was still doing about 40+ mph and suddenly right behind was Ben and Isaac. They were tucked and moving!! They blew by me as we hit the last corner into Silverton. The last time we did this race together, Ben beat me by half a wheel. There was no way I was going to let his chubby butt beat me again, on a tandem none the less. But, seeing as how they didn't have a number on their bike, they weren't allowed to ride all the way to the finish line. So I won by default:) Oh ya and I had already rode 47 miles (that's my excuse).
Next day was the Criterium. We started the day with the kids race. After riding the quarter horse, Ryan wasn't up for another race. The started with the older kids so Coby and Keevan were somewhere near the bottom. It is so cool to see all these kids out there. There's no better way to get kids involved.
Here's Coby making things look difficult.
Hitting the corner before the uphill.
Keevan, as relaxed as ever.
Lots of kids in every class. Keevan had no clue what was going on.
Here's Keevan hitting his top speed.
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Keevan didn't break any speed records but he had a good time.
After the kids races came the big guys, but the funnest of all the races is the Beach Cruiser Classic. This race has really grown over the years. It's hilarious to see some of what these people come up with. The pictures say it all.
2 miles on a unicycle!!!
Beer Anyone???
Do you and your spouse having matching jammies??
Now this is the way to shop.
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A Healthy Way to Ride a Harley
The worst part of the weekend is knowing that it has to come to an end. Before heading out, we decided to head up to Durango Mountain Resort and tryout the alpine slide. The weather had changed drastically on Monday morning. It was freezing when we finally arrived at the slide. Remember this is a ski resort in the winter time. The slide was a lot of fun. Here's a picture of my mom, all bundled up, heading down. What a cool grandma. How many other 58 year old women are you gonna see riding a plastic slide, down a concrete path, down a ski run? It was the perfect way to end a great weekend.
Looks like some dude, but really I promise, It's my mom!! At least I think it is. :)
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