IT NEVER WAS ABOUT RACING
TODAY WAS THE KIND OF DAY WE ALL DREAM OF. No commitments, uncharted route, perfect weather, riding until we are done...
... in a land committed to cycling.
I downloaded the Stravacreated route onto the Wahoo and set off for an old ghost town.
20 minutes in I realized I'd forgotten my wallet, and my miniRaceDay Bag™. I slowed, gave it some thought...
... and banked on ApplePay and my mechanical good luck.
Climbing cathedral mountains is cleansing.
Nothing better.
But, you've got to be fit to ride in quiet solitude, the forest and streams.
I came across some fit kids with snowboards!?
What are ya doin'?
We're gonna hike up to a glacier and ride it.
Fit + Adventurous = Fun!
Cresting the top at 11,500' I found a winter ski hut that was once the location for the crew boss who maintained the rail line. Turns out this gravel road was originally built for train travel.
Different times, hardy people.
Ride down the other side was a hoot. Rough, but not too rough to rip.
I passed a few cars taking it easy...
... clearly unaware that it's smoother at speed.
At the bottom is the remnants of a small mining town that is being restored, called Como. Settled by Italians, 150ish years ago.
I blew through, heading to the paved highway and Fairway, the ghost town I'd chosen for my turnaround.
One problem.
I had 10 miles to go on a major highway with cars speeding along. That sounded awful...
... I headed back, there was no agenda here.
This time I checked out Como.
The building, the post office.
It was 12 miles back up to the summit.
The heatwave plaguing the country was alive and well here. Nothing like a searing sun at altitude...
... with horseflies for company!
Fortunately, there was a good breeze to keep me cool and battle the flies...
... and the views.
Heading back to Breckinridge, was a bit dodgy. Lots of sightseers, walkers, dogs, riders...
... I loved it, seeing all these fit people.
Colorado has some amazing bike trails between towns. Plenty wide, far from traffic.
This trail was just what I needed because I'd planned to ride 6 hours, and was back in Frisco in 4.25.
There was nothing magical about 6 hours except I wanted to do it.
- It's a good number prepping for Leadville.
- It would give me 20 hours and change for the week.
I've never ridden that much in a week, at least not since we road every stage of Tour of California one year. Seemed like a good idea...
... but, I was lagging.
Nearly pulled the plug as I road passed the van and on to Copper Mountain...
... a blended drink and a ham and cheese croissant saved me.
There is, in my opinion, only one way to live. The only way I've been able to stay fit is to have at least 1 race a year...
... it's never about the race, it's about the lifestyle and what it allows us to do.
The race is merely a check in.
https://pedalindustries.myshopify.com/pages/raceday-ready-how-and-what
That is the mindset I've written about in my book.
Which is free, just cover the shipping and handling.
https://pedalindustries.myshopify.com/pages/raceday-ready-how-and-what
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161
8 hrs
Body Water 61% (maybe)
1 Rounds of Strength Circuit
30 minutes recovery
90 minutes reading + Journaling
