Distance: 21.3 mi, Climbed: 1,663 ft
Completed: 2,546.7 mi, 118,605 ft
I have been looking forward to today ever since I started planning Joanna’s and my route. Today, I ride to the top of Hoosier Pass at 11,542 feet. I love the mountains. I love riding in the mountains. And, there is nothing better than the feeling of accomplishment of tackling a high pass. Well, except for maybe the downhill on the other side.
I have always struggled a bit at altitude. Whenever I go out west to ski, I wake up throughout the night with the feeling that I need more oxygen. A few deep breaths usually gets me back to sleep. I just need a few days to acclimate, and I am good. I had hoped that the slow ascent afforded by traveling by bike would be enough to avoid any issues. And until today, it had. Last night we slept at 10,000 feet. I woke up at 2:00am with the feeling I needed to take some deep breaths. I would wake up several more times. When I got up in the morning, I felt like I had not slept at all. My legs felt like rubber. I felt like I needed a rest day and not one of the biggest challenges of the tour. Honestly, I almost turned over and stayed in bed.
Despite how I felt, I got on the bike and started pedaling. The first climb of the day started just fifty feet from the hotel. It was a mile long and similar steepness to the penultimate climb of the day. Time to test the legs. I slowly made my way up the climb without any difficulty. Okay, maybe I can do this today. I started to feel more confident.
The next eight miles was a slow, gentle climb. Today, July 4th, our nation’s 250th birthday, I aptly found myself singing America the Beautiful as I looked in awe at the mountains surrounding me. I started thinking about our ride and how much of America we have seen — the wheat fields of Kansas, the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, and the small towns of Ohio. What a beautiful country we have. And it’s filled with the nicest of people.
The road to the summit has no shoulder. Thankfully, Colorado created a bike path that paralleled the highway for the first few miles. They even regraded the path so that it was less steep than the road beside it. It would have been perfect, but the bike trail had deep cracks every ten to twenty feet. I felt every bump in my saddle. I tried lowering my tire pressure to smooth out the ride, and that only helped so much. I ended up getting out of the saddle for many of the cracks. I seriously thought about getting on the road and skipping the path.
The big climb of the day is the last 3.5 miles to the summit. It has an average grade of 6% and finishes at 11,542 feet. As the climb approached, I decided I needed some motivational music. I created a Pandora station and seeded it with a few theme songs from the Rocky movies. I started imagining Rocky climbing up the stairs like I was about to climb up the mountain. I am ready.
Shortly before the big ascent, the bike path ended, and I had to ride on the main road with no shoulder. Yesterday, riding on the same road with lots of traffic, I was constantly worrying about all the passing vehicles. But once the climb started, I was in the zone. I concentrated on pedaling. The cars around me did not exist.
The climb started out slightly steeper before leveling off a bit. About a mile in, my legs started to feel fatigued. I thought about stopping. I set a goal to make it to 1.5 miles left without stopping. I pushed through a tenth of a mile at a time. But as I got to 1.5 miles, it leveled off a bit, and I thought I could go just a little further. I continued playing this game until I had just a mile left. It’s just a mile. I’ve got this. It gets steeper again. With a half-mile left, I start questioning my resolve. Wait! I see Joanna cheering for me at the top. I can do this. One last push, and I reached the summit.
I was so excited. I had reached the highest point on the TransAmerica Trail. I had just conquered a climb to over 11,500 feet, which I knew would be one of the biggest challenges of the trip. I thought back on the amazing adventure Joanna and I have shared to get to the top of Hoosier Pass. It is a moment I will always treasure.
The ride down the other side was simply fun. I had just eleven miles to Breckenridge, and it was all downhill. The first four miles were a fast descent with switchbacks. I felt like I was racing in the Tour de France, braking to navigate the tight hairpin turns. The last seven miles were more gradual but still fast. I arrived in Breckenridge in the midst of their July 4th festivities. The streets were teeming with people.
I quickly showered, and we walked around town a bit, checked out the art fair, and got some food from one of the many food trucks. We could not stay long to enjoy the festivities because we had somewhere to be. We are just a 45-minute drive to my sister Janis’ house in Vail, where she and her husband Ronny are hosting a July 4th party.
We had a great time at the party. We met many of my sister’s friends. The party was catered by their friend Zack, who is also an avid cyclist. It was fun talking cycling with Zack, and the food was just amazing. Easily the best food we’ve had all trip. Joanna and I also enjoy playing tennis. At some point, one of Janis’ friends pressed me — Why are you still playing tennis and not pickleball? I gave her the only answer I could — Tennis is a far superior sport.
