The long slow climb to Colorado Springs

OK so we made it to Colorado Springs after riding ­­­­­­­­­670 miles in 8 straight riding days. It was capped off by yesterday’s grueling 125 mile ride that brought us up to 6,700 ft above sea level. It was a tough week but a lot of fun. The ride started out relatively flat and we could barely see the silhouettes of the Rockies far of in the distance as we headed West. They gradually got closer and closer and at mile 80 we turned north and immediately got into the rolling foothills. We hit a few patches of bad weather and extreme winds in a few areas, but the views were worth it. I hit a new speed record going down one of the declines at mile 105, hitting 47.4 mph. Dan was right behind me the whole way too, I’m way heavier which makes me fall a lot faster downhill, but he managed to keep up by staying in my draft. The whole ride was great until the very end when we got into a huge storm which included hail. I was riding with Dan, David, & Travis and we eventually stopped and all piled into a porto potty on a jobsite about 5 miles from the church to stay dry and warm. It was really funny, we needed to laugh because that portion of the ride really sucked, we just wanted it to be over with.

The build day yesterday was really cool. We framed a house like we did in Chapel Hill. Most people agree framing is the most fun thing to do on a build day. The only difference from Chapel Hill is that the house will be two floors, and there was an amazing view of Pike’s Peak and the rest of the Rockies. We also got to meet the woman and her three kids who will eventually live in the house we were building which was really nice. We love when that happens, it helps us remember that we’re really helping someone out and not just working for nothing.

Last night a bunch of us went out in Colorado Springs. We went to a couple of bars but spent most of the time at a place called Cowboys for some $2 beers and line dancing. We kept up for a while on the dancing when it was easy or when Casper Slide was playing, but eventually it got more and more complicated and we ended up looking like idiots desperately trying to copy everyone else. We all had a blast.

A lot has gone on besides that since my last entry, too much to list in one blog entry that I’m writing on the 4th of July, but I’ll go through some of the highlights. Kansas was really cool, for a little while. We were surprised by the landscape we found right after we crossed the state line. The gypsum hills looked like the plateaus we’re expecting to see in Arizona, only there was grass everywhere besides sand. There were some amazing views that kind of blew us away. I didn’t really realize how much of the old “Wild West” Kansas was. We stayed in Dodge city which supposedly was a big cowboy town back in the day. Eventually Kansas turned into what we expected, really windy and farmland as far as the eye can see. By the time we got to Colorado we were happy to be quoting Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

The beginning of Colorado was no treat either. It was really hot and windy, and the landscape was barren & dry almost everywhere. We were still happy to be that much closer to the Rockies, we knew that eventually we would see them ahead. We caught our first glimpse of the mountains on our ride to Rocky Ford. We also got interviewed by a local newspaper that day when we stopped in a town called La Junta for ice cream. You can see the article at http://www.lajuntatribunedemocrat.com/homepage/x1470895995/Bike-and-Build-cyclists-ride-through-La-Junta

Another highlight that happened in Lamar Colorado is that I cut my hair. Don’t worry, the picture shown is when I was half done. It is so nice riding with short hair. When I was descending on the ride into Colorado Springs I could feel the wind through my helmet so much it felt like I wasn’t even wearing one. It will be really nice once we get to the desert.

Anyways, I’m hating that I’m not with my all my cousins in Janesville right now, I really miss all of you. Despite that I’m glad to be in Colorado Springs, I’ve heard that they light off the fireworks from in the mountains which will be really cool if it’s true. I’m wearing my Red White & Blue Volvo jersey I got in Asheville (thanks again Peter) and the American Flag bandana my mom sent me in yesterday’s mail drop (thanks mom too). We have a really tough 4 riding days coming up, but I couldn’t be more excited about it. Tomorrow we’ll ride through the Garden of the Gods just before starting our climb up to Buena Vista. We’re going to ride 289 miles in the next 3 days, IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE!!! I don’t think I really realize how hard it’s going to be, but I’m especially excited for the ride from Gunnison to Ouray. We’ll ride about 40 miles on a dammed mountain lake, go right by the dam, and then the next 60 miles will include some serious climbing and descending. I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!