Well it had to happen. After all, this IS Colorado and there is a saying here if you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes. It is sure to change. After 5 weeks of nearly perfect weather on all of our rides, we got that change...big time. 'Twas a cloudy, cold and rainy day—on one of our toughest rides no less. Up and over Loveland Pass.
The day started well at the Georgetown Visitors Center, as we unloaded and got ready for the ascent. This ride was a Category 1 climb so we made sure we had plenty of liquids and snacks "on board". And since we could see the clouds forming, we packed in our rain gear as well.
We got to Loveland Ski area within minutes. Bryan was feeling so good that he stopped, dismounted and started horsing around with his girlfriend Madi, who was in the Team vehicle with her mom Yvette, and his mom Wendy. Steve gently guided him back on the bike and up the pass they went—getting colder and wetter as they climbed.
The top was beautiful, way above timberline at 11,991 feet above sea level. But our stay was brief as the clouds were getting darker. As we were ready to descend, we met a fellow cyclist—Joel Diffendaffer of Kansas City. We all went down together, and Joel showed he was not a "flatlander" as he is an expert cyclist. It was an exhilarating descent, flying past A-Basin and Keystone. The sun came out, which warmed and dried the three riders as they rode along the shores of Lake Dillion and ended the 34.23 mile ride in Silverthorne. Steve and Bryan said their good-byes to Joel and loaded up the PL Yukon and we headed to Copper Mountain.
We will be in Copper for the 25th Annual Courage Classic, riding our final race of our own Courage Tour of Colorado. Please go to this link and donate to my Team—there is still time to make a difference: http://www.couragetours.com/2014/team/teampinklightning
We thank you for your support and will post the grand finale tomorrow!