The Thrill (and repercussion) of Speed

What a day! After a very late night, we fell asleep around 1:30 a.m. and awoke to the alarm at 5:30 a.m. We had to check out of our motel and get to the Challenge Unlimited office by 6:45 for the start of our exciting adventure riding down Pike's Peak. After signing waivers and paying our fees, we were provided with a continental breakfast along with the other 20 riders. Around 7:30 a.m. we piled into two 15 passenger vans and drove 40 minutes to the summit of Pike's Peak. The bikes and other gear were stored on top of the vans.

Pike's Peak is 14,110 feet at the summit and about 30-40 degrees colder. So we gladly added layers of fleece jackets, sweat pants, headbands, and gloves for our ride down the mountain. After some safety  and bike use instruction, we mounted the bikes and started down the same road we had just driven up. It was a steep road full of curves and hairpin turns. We had really nice bikes with excellent brakes and we all took the hills at a speed that we were comfortable with. I was one of the three slowest in the group especially at the beginning. It was a 20 mile ride descending about 8,000 feet to the base of the mountain. It took us about 3 hours from start to finish with a number of stops along the way. We ended up at a local restaurant where they served us lunch. It was so much fun! Along the way, we actually saw other cyclists riding UP the mountain. Those people were INSANE!

After our awesome bike adventure, we headed over to Garden of the Gods, a city park filled with large red rocks that we have become accustomed to seeing in this part of the country. We went to the visitor center and drove through the park, but we were tired and still had a 6 hour drive ahead of us to get to Cortez, Colorado near Mesa Verde National Park. We were back on the road by 2:00 p.m.

The drive was long on mountain roads through numerous small towns. We drove through several rainstorms along the way too. When the skies finally cleared and the highway got a little larger, I thought we'd make up some time, but the Colorado State Troopers feel strongly about making sure people drive safely down the mountain, and one caught me and another driver going faster than the speed limit. He was kind enough to give me only a warning, so the rest of the 180 miles was spent going the speed limit. We arrived in town around 9:00 p.m.

The day started and ended with speed, and now we are ready for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is Mesa Verde.