Royal Gorge(ous)
Trip Start
Jun 04, 2011
1
19
47
Trip End
Jul 26, 2011
Pueblo, Colorado
Friday, June 24, 2011
Now onto today's bi-polar ride. This morning started out as maybe the best morning ever. We had an early breakfast at the Patio Pancake where I had a stack of banana pancakes that were outstanding. Since today's ride took us near the Royal Gorge Bridge a few riders (including Scott) and I decided we would split off and take the 10 mile round-trip hilly detour to the bridge. The ride from Salida to the Royal Gorge turnoff was nothing less than stunning. We were bombing downhill through an incredible canyon alongside the raging Arkansas river for forty miles before we took our first stop. We rode with the "A-Team" which was a first for me. The A-Team is a group of three guys in their 40s and 50s who ride regularly at home and absolutely hammer on this trip. They're always the fastest riders and they're usually the first into town, even if they stay at breakfast for an extra hour. I knew they were fast because they blew past us on every single ride, but it wasn't until I tried to hang with them that I understood what it meant to go hard. Downhill through the canyon with a tailwind we were tackling average speeds in the low twenties for long periods of time. I was so focused on trying to keep up that I actually rode straight past our first support stop... which is strange since usually all I can think about is stopping and getting some food and cold water.
The Royal Gorge Bridge is a tourist trap of the highest order (just click the link and you'll see what I'm talking about). It felt like I was walking into a six flags, complete with the outrageous admissions price ($25), merry-go-round and fountain in the plaza, gift shops, overpriced ice cream and pizza shops, and amusement rides. The only thing worth seeing was the Royal Gorge Bridge itself, and in my opinion, it was less impressive than the Golden Gate Bridge, which was free. The Royal Gorge Bridge is a rickety bridge with wooden slats across the deck that spans a relatively short distance over a large and scenic canyon. We had some fun riding our bikes across it and taking pictures on and around the bridge... but other than that the only things we appreciated about the park were the shade, ice and restrooms. I'm not going to say I regret taking the extra time and effort to ride to the Bridge, because it is an experience I'm glad I have, but it did set us back on the rest of the very long and very hot ride... and as I found out later, the last 30 miles were nothing like the first 70.
The day started with cool morning air, consistent down-hills, beautiful scenic canyons, and a strong tailwind. The day ended in 100 degree heat with roaring crosswinds or headwinds, and rolling hills. As Scott put it, the last 30 miles of the trip had the three "H"s that are never invited to a cycling party, "Heat, Hills and Headwinds". We had a support stop about 30 miles from Pueblo that offered us food and water but little shade and relief from the hot sun. Scott and I hung on with the A-Team all the way to that stop, but after about eight miles of trying to keep up with them while also competing with the three Hs, I had to drop off. Dad wasn't interested in suffering any more in the heat to take the extra trip to the bridge so he was about at the hotel when Scott and I dropped off on our own in the hot hilly suffer-fest. I was so thankful that I was riding into a rest day.
Scott and I finally rolled into the hotel and standing in the elevator I realized that I had never been more exhausted in my life. The heat, wind and cumulative effort of over 100 miles either fast or hilly had me completely beat down. I had probably consumed in excess of 2 gallons of water by 4:00 that afternoon, but I still think I may have been dehydrated. Fortunately I was gearing up for a day off and we have a really great suite at the Holiday Inn complete with comfy beds and pillows. It's been a struggle learning to share a bed with Scott, but the more tired I am and the more comfy the bed it, the better I sleep; tonight I should sleep wonderfully.
Dinner was my first experience at a Golden Corral. Not to sound judgmental, I know riding my bicycle every day doesn't make me any better than the next person at the buffet, but... well, I better not say anything. My mother always reminds me of what Thumper said in Bambi; I think that applies on my blog as well. For the record, I had a great time at Golden Corral. I didn't pig-out... I just didn't have the appetite for it, but I thought the food was decent and I liked the wide selection I got. I had a steak that was yummy with an assortment of vegetables and a huge salad with all sorts of toppings. I wouldn't be opposed to going to more Golden Corrals in the future.
Distance: 105.91 mi - 1,476.52 total
Time: 6:26:07 - 103:06:20 total
Elevation Gain: 5,822 ft - 63,911 total
Av. Speed: 16.5 mph - 14.3 overall
Av. HR: 139 bpm - 130 overall
Calories: 6,536 - 101,521 total
Flat Tire Count:
Scott: 3
Stephen: 3
Mark: 0
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Day Off
I did almost nothing on my day off, which is exactly what I planned on doing. I slept in, walked to lunch with Dad and Scott (which should have been Chipotle, but it was closed permanently. Then it was going to be Arby's, which ended up being closed for remodeling. It was ultimately Boston Market, which has never been more than a huge disappointment. Golden Corral quality food without any where near the choices is not a good combination.) We cleaned our water bottles, our bikes and our clothes. We had dinner at the Texas Roadhouse near the hotel and took British Jon with us. He was surprised that people just threw their peanut shells on the floor - we're really exposing him to the finer parts of American culture on this trip. I intended to order a meal called "Roadkill" in honor of my many friends along the road... but was advised against it by my riding peers who couldn't even fathom the idea of eating a meal by that name after our riding experience. I ended up getting a sirloin steak with onions, mushrooms and cheese on top (since they were the staple elements of the Roadkill dish) but that's not something I'll ever do again. A steak is a steak and should be eaten as such, mushrooms, cheese and onions belong on gourmet hamburgers and sandwiches... not on my nice cut of steak. I also tried hardboiled egg for the first time today, since it came unexpectedly on top of my salad. We can add that to the list of white foods I have a texture problem with.
Tomorrow we leave at 5 am to beat the heat on our 121 mile ride. I intend to ride a few extra miles to score my first "double metric century" (a 200-km ride (124.27 mi)). The conditions won't be ideal, but we do have some downhill to our advantage as we descend from the Rockies to Kansas. It may not be fun, but I will survive (and here's a Bowling Palace worthy 90's music video to end the blog).
