Double 14er Mini Tour [Pikes Peak & Mt Evans: 9/25-10/1; 430mi, +41,000ft]

On a cold, soggy late August morning in Dresden, I opened my email to find a note from my bike-adventure-maniac friend Justin Simoni. It went something like, "Hey your trip looks like it's going great. Got any climbing legs left? Because...."   And he went on to inform me that during this September only, the folks who operate the Pikes Peak Highway tollroad are allowing bicycles on their road for the first time ever. Want to come ride up Pikes (14,110ft) and Mt Evans (14,264ft) with him? Sure!!

I have to admit I was pretty nervous about agreeing to ride with Justin for several days. He routinely takes adventure touring to a new level, he's insanely fast and mighty determined. He's got lightweight touring down pat. He won top singlespeed honors Great Divide Mountain Bike Race this year. As for me? Sure, I'd been touring for 3 months, but it wasn't fast or light, and it certainly wasn't at high altitudes. Until riding around in Ned last week, the highest I'd been since May was around 9,000ft on the Cime de la Bonnette in France. But what the hey, I'll give it a go. We planned an interesting route- Denver south to Waterton Canyon, then about a dozen miles of singletrack on the Colorado Trail, 50mi of dirt roads to Woodland Park, up Pikes Peak, north to pick up the CO Trail again to Bailey, over Guanella Pass, up Mt Evans and then back to Denver.

The weather was looking a bit dicey for the next few days, but not imposing enough to cancel the trip. So we set off to Tuesday evening and camped in the drizzle a little ways up the CO Trail. The next morning was alternatively fun and challenging negotiating 10mi of switchback singletrack on the CO Trail. Cyclocross-singletrack touring is an interesting endeavor to say the least. 

Justin, one half of the two CX touring weirdos

the Colorado Trail

The trail was a fun way to start the trip, but I could immediately tell there was no way I was going to keep up with Justin. This became even more evident along the 40mi of endless rolling hills and soft dirt that was Rampart Range Rd. We spent the day somehow sneaking in between some massive thunderstorms along the way, me feeling increasingly frustrated at my inability to keep Justin in my sights. He was totally mellow about it, never got impatient or agitated- but it's no fun for either rider when there's such a discrepancy of speed.

The next morning we paid our $10 admission fee (they charge the same for a bike as for a car, but at least we're allowed in) and began riding up the 19mi climb from the entrance gate in Cascade to the top of "America's Mountain". The colors were still gorgeous!

Pikes Peak, our destination

Justin was waiting for me at the Halfway Point picnic grounds (mileage wise, anyway) and I told him to go on ahead without me. I was going to get myself up to the summit, but I didn't want him to spend half a day waiting for me. And I knew I didn't have it in me to ride over Guanella Pass (11,669ft) the next day, and Mt. Evans the day after that. We shook hands, wished each other luck, and he quickly disappeared around the next bend. I was on my own now- I really enjoyed riding with Justin, but it felt good to turn him loose and now poke along at my own snail's pace.

I got to the Glen Cove cafe/gift shop at 11,450ft and stopped in to use the bathroom, eat a snack and have a coffee. Some clouds were rolling over the ridge to the west and a few snow flakes were blowing around. As I readied to continue up the road, the ranger informed me that the road above was now closed until this storm passed. And he advised me that I really ought to head back down before it got worse. "Just sayin', this is 27 years of experience here talkin'." Fair enough, but I went inside and refilled my coffee to wait and see what the skies would do. I only had 6mi to go before the top; it would be a shame to ride down from here. The snow/sleet continued to build, the same ranger then said there's a 2nd, larger storm about 40min out, and that I really, really should get off the mountain now. I decided he was right- I couldn't go up because the road was closed, and I was potentially going to descend in accumulating snow or ice. I retreated; the weather had got me.

Round 1 goes to Mother Nature

Three times now I've attempted to summit a 14er using only my own power and transport... ie no driving to the trailhead. I tried Mt Evans this spring on my road bike but turned back at 10,500ft. In May I toured to Longs Peak, hiked into a blizzard and made it up to just 300ft below the summit before I couldn't safely get any further. And now I'd been foiled on Pikes as well. As I descended the sleet thawed into rain; I stopped into a diner in Cascade for lunch and to see what the storms were going to do. They got worse, just as the ranger predicted. It poured rain, it poured hail, and it still looked threatening. Justin had been fast enough to get ahead of the road closure- I knew he was somewhere up high in this mess, but then again this is sort of his forte and I knew he'd survive just fine.

And I threw in the towel. I was wet, cold, tired, and mentally demolished. I waited for a break in the precip and coasted down towards Colorado Springs where I could hop on the regional FREX bus back to Denver. All I wanted was a hot shower, a blanket and a bowl of steamy soup. It hurt to quit: I've never been a fast rider, but I've never been a quitter. However I'd had it- I was cracked.

On the way down I did take a sidetrack to ride around Garden of the Gods, which I'd been wanting to see. It's a cool city park, kind of CO Springs' version of Denver's Red Rocks Park.

Garden of the Gods

When I stopped into the Visitor Center in the Springs, I was told the FREX bus has stopped running. Like, for good. Dammit! Now I was down in the Front Range city sprawl, still wet and cold, and looking at riding ~85mi back to Denver on flat, boring, busy roads. I started making my way north through the endless suburbia that is CO Springs and well after nightfall, discovered a great 'campsite' beneath a bridge of a 4 lane divided highway.

morning #3: under the bridge

I woke up well rested, dry and warm. As I emerged from beneath the bridge to continue the slog back to Denver, I turned around and stared at Pikes Peak looming large in the sky. Without a cloud around, it was a perfect day. Pikes was shimmering with the fresh snow it picked up yesterday afternoon, it was calling me back. No way I'm going to quit! I turned around and backtracked through the Springs and back up the canyon, intent on getting to the top of this mountain after all. I can do this, and I'm gonna do this.

By the time I'd resupplied food, eaten breakfast and backtracked (mostly) uphill for 30mi, it was getting a little too late to try to ride to the top today. So I enjoyed a chill afternoon in the little artsy mountain town of Manitou Springs and waited for darkness to come in order to begin in earnest early tomorrow. And what a sight the next morning from camp:

morning #4: a clear shot at my mark

I made it up to the summit around 1pm with bluebird skies and a fantastic sense of accomplishment. My first 14er-- and all under my own power. Fourth time's a charm, apparently.

Pikes Peak summit!!

The vibe was reminiscent of the big Cols in the French Alps- lots of cyclists around and a strong sense of camaraderie amongst us. It was cool to see so many bikes up top, as well as those still grinding up or already zipping down. The summit it a bit of a circus: there's the auto road, there's a popular hiking trail and there's the Manitou Pikes Peak Cog Railway that brings groups of tourists to the summit, including heffers in flip-flops and old ladies asking (sincerely) for supplemental oxygen. There's a gift shop and a restaurant, it's essentially ski-resort-meets-tourist-trap.

No, I did not spend the $20 for this shirt...

The ride down was pretty fun, and pretty cold. The road (like most in Colorado) is just not steep/winding enough to be serious fun like I had in the Alps... but you can't have it all every time. I gathered up my panniers which I'd stashed in the woods closer to the bottom and took some gravel backroads to get back to Woodland Park for another tasty burger and more groceries. Next stop: Mt Evans! The weather outlook was solid and I'd become very determined to accomplish my original goal of riding up both the 14ers with paved roads to the tops.

My route north to Evergreen passed through vast sections of the Hayman Fire burn scars from 10 years ago, and I rode late into the night under the silver glow of the full moon. A little spooky yet completely sublime.

Hayman Fire scar and "burning" aspens

I arrived in Evergreen the next afternoon and finally ate at the Tin Star Cafe- where they serve up fantastic BBQ and fresh homemade donuts. Best. idea. ever.

Pulled pork BBQ, homemade chips, fresh donut. Yes!

Evening turned to night as I rode under the full moon past Squaw Pass and up to the Echo Lake Campground (10,600ft) for the night. Luckily for touring cyclists like myself, the campground and the Mt Evans summit road had already been closed for the season- therefore free campground and no cars for the last 14mi to the top. Sweet.

The next morning I stashed my panniers again and pedaled the 14mi/3700ft up to the summit of my 2nd 14er in 3 days. and what a day- with the road closure I was literally all alone at the summit, save for a small herd of hearty mule deer.

Mt Evans summit @ 14, 264ft

Gotta say I'm pretty happy to have pedaled the highest paved roads on two continents in one summer: The "La plus haute d'Europe" on the Cime de la Bonnette, and now Mt Evans. Not too shabby.

After that it was back through Evergreen, then Golden and 'home' to Denver. What a great trip- made all the sweeter knowing how close I was to giving up. Here's to second chances, and perseverance.

As for Justin: he summitted Pikes in the nasty storm, then hiked three additional 14ers (Bierstadt, Greys and Torreys) en route to Evans. And he made it home a full day before I did. Different strokes for different folks- I knew he's in a different league. Nice work, buddy, and thanks for putting this idea in my head!

My route:

A solemn goodbye: Iceland redux [9/3-9/4]

Instead of trying to track down a cardboard bike box in Berlin, I opted for wrapping my bike whole in industrial Saran Wrap, along with foam pipe insulation and some bubble wrap padding that I bought at a Bauhaus (German for Home Depot) in the Berlin suburbs. There were several benefits to this approach: I could take the city train to the airport with packing materials in tow; I didn't have the headache of locating a bike box (although it turned out there were several large bike shops near my hostel); and the hope that baggage handlers would be more gentle with a whole bike rather than a cumbersome box.

It worked out just fine and I arrived at the airport in Keflavik where I started this journey 3 months earlier. Cold and very blustery, it was also dark when I arrived around 1am... the first time I'd ever experienced darkness in Iceland. I unwrapped my bike outside the terminal and pedaled away from the airport. It's not everywhere that you can ride literally 2mi from an international airport and pitch your tent on the side of the road, completely legally and without the slightest hassle. Luckily I found some shrubs to block the incessant winds.

the last campsite

My flight to Denver left the following evening, so I killed some time back at the Kaffir coffeeshop where I'd spent my first afternoon in early June. It was a weird feeling to be familiar with an obscure town like Keflavik- comforting, but solemn to know my fantastic 3 month journey was about to end. Coincidentally I ran into a German cyclist who was just beginning his own month long tour of Iceland; we shared coffee and conversation until he set off onto the road and I to the airport.

Some really cook views of southeastern Greenland from the airplane:

Greenland

And seven hours later I was back in the familiar confines of the Denver International Airport as the sun set behind the lovely Rocky Mountains.

4 day Mini Tour: Denver > Longs > Ned > Boulder > Denver

My last big push physically before my 3 month summer tour begins- and more importantly I think, a trial run with the 'new' bike and my gear setup. Set up the bike last weekend, packed up on Wed/Thurs and I took a 'vacation' day Friday and hit the road at 7am headed west.

My agenda for the long weekend: bike tour to Longs Peak, hike to the summit of Longs, ride to Nederland and then find my 'puter seat in the courier office on Monday morning.

I elected to climb via Golden Gate Canyon, the most direct route onto the Peak To Peak HW. It is a long, long climb... a few years ago when I was "training" for my first Utah Tour, I tried to climb this road, sans gear. I had to surrender to bowing my head over my bars near the top of the long ascent. Yet today I, smugly, crushed it. 50lbs of gear and I made a steady snail's pace up into the upper edge of the Foothills. Not to brag, but all my training has really paid off! I used to think that working as a courier counted as training. False. Very false. Since early January, you could say I've been sorta focused on training, 5-6 days/wk... running, swimming, weights, yoga, some spin classes, a few weights/spin/yoga (what the hell is that?) and of course many long rides in the mountains made possible by the unseasonably warm and dry winter we had.

So after 16mi of rolling flats and 18mi of of climbs, I finally gained the Peak To Peak HW

From here I headed north on the P2P for ~50mi, undulating between 8K and 9.4Kft  through Nederland, Ward, Allenspark. Shortly prior to the Longs trailhead/camp turnoff, I stopped by Olive Ridge campground and met Roland & Margaret, a retired Swiss couple halfway through their year long RV tour from Buenos Aires to Alaska to NYC! They shared a beer (american Budweiser) as we chatted about my euro tour and art museums near Basel, their hometown.

 
Despite threatening rain clouds all afternoon, I arrived dry at the Longs Peak campground, still closed for the winter, around dusk. Some overnight storms brought rain, lightening and sleet and I packed up camp still encased in ice at 5:30am Saturday morning. 82mi and 9900ft gained my first day out with full gear.

Hit the 7.5mi (each way) Longs trail at 7am on foot and climbed above a beautiful inversion

The weather was spotty; snow flurries w/o accumulation all day. A few times I considered turning back but each time I'd stop to regroup, the clouds would start to break before I was ready to turn tail. And so I kept pushing up and ahead. Until I got through the boulder field and saw a tent, I'd been the only person hiking up this high today.

the "trail" through the boulder field en route to The Keyhole

I pushed through 'The Keyhole' and things started to get far more intense in terms of climbing, altitude and weather. The signs had warned that this was "not a hike" rather a "climb" and I finally began to understand their advice. The backside of The Keyhole was no joke; one wrong slip would send you sliding down into dire consequences!

The Keyhole

The red/yellow bullseye paint marks the "easiest" route to scramble beyond The Keyhole.

Traversed the west ridge and caught up to two Tennessean brothers while ascending "The Trough." Now that I wasn't alone up here in the dicey conditions, all three of us pushed onward through "The Notch" and across "The Narrows." The snow was picking up and starting to accumulate, and the warmer rock faces were beginning to freeze over. Things were getting messy and dangerous. We made it to the very last steep pitch before the Summit Ridge when one of the brothers looked ahead and murmured, "This is stupid."

We all agreed. One slip, which was increasingly likely, would lead to instant death as you cascaded off the cliffs below. We turned back at 13,900ft, just 350ft below the summit. Wise decision... wiser yet would have had us heading down much sooner. There were no epic views, no grand ski lines, no majestic summit. We were just experiencing it for what it was, but that was perhaps better than running into a trail traffic jam on a bluebird day with people streaming onto the summit.

13,906ft

  The return back to the Keyhole was harder than the climb up because the continuing snow/wind was covering our tracks as well as the painted route markers. And shit was getting slick! We progressed very slowly and cautiously with only a few scares; when the Keyhole came into view all 3 of us let out a howl of relief. The risk had not abated entirely, but the worst was behind us. I made haste down the mountain towards my bike/gear so I could ride back down to the Natl Forest campground 6mi south. The sky was still dropping flakes when I returned to the trailhead at 9400ft, but the storm was breaking up and I let out for the other campground where I knew I'd have the next day for the 'dryer cycle' aka Colorado sunshine!

As I dried, organized and hashed out my gear, I had the realization that this stuff, give or take a few items, will be my only worldly possessions for the next three months halfway around the world. I think I'm comfortable with this prospect... certainly wish I didn't have an apartment full of crap to deal with.

In the afternoon I hit the road again and headed south on the P2P HW for 35mi to camp in the National Forest near where I often go mountain biking. Weather squalls missed me again; 2 out of 3 ain't bad. In the early morning I packed up and rolled into Nederland for a morning coffee before jamming down the canyon to work dispatch duties in the courier office.

After 9 hours in the office, it was back to the road to ride home to Denver through the 'burbs. A very successful 4 day trek! About 175mi on the bike and almost 15mi of high alpine hiking for the long weekend.

Boulder Indoor Velodrome night, part II

Thanks to my buddy and former coworker Brian, and the good graces of former Motorola Team rider Keith Harper, the dirty Denver messengers got another go around on the velodrome. Thanks, guys! We tore it up for a few hours on Friday night... fun times indeed

Mitchell Communtiy Garden, opening day 2012

It's April and it's time to start gardening! With our unusually warm spring this year, it's been feasible to get seeds and plants started extra early this season. As "garden leaders," April and I brought out all our new and returning gardeners for a work day to get things in gear for growing tasty food in the community garden. I can't wait to start eating delicious fresh salads from the soil we cultivate!

Soon, oh so soon, we'll be flush with healthy, tasty greenery...

Friday evening half-marathon run

The weather forecast killed my challenge to see how many consecutive century ride weekends I could string together, so I decided to do a long run on Friday instead. I started out aiming for 10mi (I normally do a ~6mi tempo run) but once I got going, figured "what the heck, let's just do a half marathon." And so I pressed on.

I've never been much of a runner, never participated in the Track & Field or Cross Country teams in high school and generally regarded running as slow, boring and hard. Until last year, when I decided I ought to incorporate running into my workout routine as a form of cross training. I also wanted to do some impact exercise, as cyclists are at risk of developing bone density problems later in life because our bones have it so easy on smooth spinning bikes all the time. So I started running once a week and found that I actually enjoy the time a lot- it's a great cardio workout, a nice time to devote to listening to music and my thoughts and the chill redundancy provides a very relaxing yet taxing platform to settle into. I'm still no star runner, but have improved a lot and value my weekly runs on the South Platte River bike path.

I wouldn't have guessed I could've ever run over 13mi in one session, but kept going until I'd done it. I was tired by the end, my calves and feet hurt and my legs were exhausted. I felt great! Not a bad way to spend a few hours after work on a Friday night, yes?

Boulder > Brainard Lake > Blackhawk > Golden Gate > Denver: 102mi, 9850ft gained

Ticked off another classic Front Range ride today, but made it a lot more interesting than standard out-n-back. Started off taking the bus up to Boulder, then tackling the ever popular Lefthand Canyon climb up to the quirky little mountain village of Ward at 9450ft.

Ward

Once crossing the Peak To Peak Highway just above Ward, I continued further up to Brainard Lake at 10,300ft. This is a fee area (and quite crowded) during summer months, but in the snowy season it's free to cross the gate on feet or two wheels.

road conditions began to deteriorate around 10,000ft

Brainard Lake in the Roosevelt National Forest

After eating lunch on the shore of the lake, I met a couple of backcountry skiers who'd ridden mountain bikes w/ ski gear in tow and had a beer and good company in the parking area. Back to the task at hand, I began south on the Peak to Peak.

I eventually made it to the casino town of Blackhawk, refilled my water bottles inside a big casino while wearing full spandex kit and earning confused looks from heavyset retirees feeding the slots. Just east of Blackhawk, I took a very steep, dirt Smith Hill Rd up and over to Golden Gate Canyon Rd before climbing the final ridge as the sun sank low over the foothills to the west.

Once over the top, it was a magnificent descent of 2000ft in 7miles into the town of Golden. A straight shot on the rollers along 32nd Ave brought me to my buddy Ian's house for a beer and hanging out, a welcome reward after a long day of 102mi and 9,800 vertical feet of climbing. Finally accomplished my solo mountain century ride this year!

Denver's big blizzard

Finally got a big storm down here in the city. We've had a number of smaller storms this winter, but nothing major until now. We ended up with almost 2ft of fluffy snow. It started on Thursday afternoon and luckily for me I was scheduled to substitute for my dispatcher in the Boulder office on Friday. (The downside was having to leave the house at 5:45am in order to catch the first bus up to Boulder, figuring it could be a long commute.) So I spent a few hours on the bus but avoided biking all day in the mess.

A few shots of my yard after clearing the snow:

It kept on lightly snowing until late Saturday night, but the roads were fairly cleared up by the time I had to ride for work on Monday morning. The city sure is pretty!

back to the gym routine

Before I broke my elbow I was working out at the Denver Rec Center city gym 3-5 days a week. During my recovery process I tried to keep going at least a little, but then I got busy with the City O City construction project, my membership expired, and I took a voluntary period of laziness. It was nice to be lazy, to come straight home from work for a full evening of relaxing and making a leisurely dinner.

But I got sick of being lazy, so I've been back at the gym again for the past few weeks. It feels great to be doing some healthy training after work each day. On the one hand, it's depressing to see where I'm at in my physical condition and strength now versus where I was at before my elbow. On the other hand, after just a few weeks, I'm seeing a lot of progress each day and know I'll be back to my old levels soon enough. And eventually will surpass that too!

A typical week looks something like this:
Monday:  rest day (from my weekend excursions)
Tuesday: weight lifting, 2 to 2.5 hours. (full body weight regimen, mostly freeweights and core strength)
Wednesday: swimming, 36-44 laps (~1mi) of freestyle and a few 'rest' laps of backstroke when I need a breather
Thursday: running, ~5.5miles on the S. Platte River bike path
Friday: circuit strength workout, ~1hr high intensity program of "CrossFit" style strength/cardio routine
Sat / Sun: a good day of adventure and training in the mountains!

National Western Stock Show festivities

For the past 107 years, Denver has been host to the National Western Stock Show. I've attended it the past couple of years, but after that the event gets a little old for a non-rancher like myself. The elusive goal, though, has been viewing the 'best in show' cow while he's on display in the lobby of the uber-fancy Brown Palace Hotel downtown. (It's another bizarre tradition of the Stock Show.) Finally, I realized my dream this year! As I pedaled up 17th St to drop some deliveries during work I spied the stock trailer outside of the hotel, so I waited around until they carted the steer into the lobby of the fancy hotel. Then I watched while the beast pissed all over the carpet inside his pen. Fantastic.

Merry Christmas

We finally had a white Christmas this year, the first in several winters as far as I can remember. Got a nice 6" or so on Christmas eve.... quite pleasant indeed. April & I stuck around home for the holiday again this year, just appreciating the cozy celebration and taking it easy, making good food and drinking doctored up eggnog.

After a lazy morning with a handful of gifts and strong coffee, we got out of the house for a sunny urban trek amongst the melting snow. I love being out on Christmas day, the city is so quiet it feels like it's completely deserted.

Mr. Xmas, who lived on the top of my car for a day

colorful condemned warehouse near the train tracks

stumbled across a semi truck trailer storage yard up north

Mt. Meeker and 14,259' Long's Peak neatly framed at 33rd & Blake St in the neighborhood

Elbow Surgery v2.0

The surgeon originally told me that most everyone with the kind of hardware I have in my arm eventually has it removed due to pain and discomfort. I need to have this done before the end of the year in order to avoid paying my insurance deductible all over again. And I'm very eager to see if it helps alleviate the pain I get when lifting or pushing things, pain when I do physical therapy to work on regaining more extension of my elbow, pain when I hit a bump while riding my bike, pain from a bumping my elbow on anything solid, resting it on a table, sleeping on it, reaching for something on a shelf... you get the idea. Pain of a lesser or greater degree from a whole lot of "normal" things I used to take for granted.

Although this is a fully anesthetized operation, it's fairly minor and should be a quick recovery (primarily waiting for the incision to heal up, then back to normal.) I hope the have less pain and sensitivity, be able to work harder on range of motion stretches, and to start lifting weights to regain strength in my left side. I've lost a lot of strength from the injury and the ongoing pain limitations.

Here's my range of motion before the surgery:

flexion is very good, almost back to normal

extension is a problem- this is as straight as I can go

scar from first surgery

....and... things went really smoothly! No significant post-operative pain, a soft splint that allows me to bend my arm some and use my hand fairly effectively. Nice! I even made a batch of chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon. Only took prescription painkiller for the rest of the day, after that I felt ok on my own.

I should be all set to return to work on my bike by Monday.... carefully. I built up my old touring buddy Bianchi cyclocross bike into a winterized urban warrior before the surgery. It's what I'll be riding while my arm heals (and whenever it snows.) Currently set up with narrow knobby tires, mountain bike style flat bar handlebars, brakes and shifters.