I like to think that riding for 6 hours is a walk in the park. I mean, I've been training for this. But riding, pushing, carrying my bike up to 3828 metres in a 2 degree heat with a fair breeze whistling around my ear hair nearly broke me.
The day started off real swell. Deer in the front yard. A visit to Subculture Cyclery. Freshly baked muffins.
Bambi pays us a visit
A memorial to Vietnam vets who didn't make it back. I should've got one of the boys to stand in front for scale. It's about 20 feet high
I just love a good bike shop.
Especially one with a toilet like this. NZ bikeshops...you should be ashamed!
Then a rental car off road mission that lasted about 20 minutes until the rocks got too close to the under carriage and then it was at least 3 hours of grovelling to the top of a bloody mountain littered with snow. You can breathe and do one other thing. Throw in a third action and your lungs try to climb out of your throat.
Simon and James on the way up. I was quite happy here. I had no idea what we were in for.
The pain was setting in and the fear right behind it when we realised we had to get to the top of that little hillock out back
Just to remind you it was cold. sooo cold.
Seriously boys, there's no way I can make it up there.
OK, so we might have been looking at the wrong peak, but it was the same height. now it was really cold and throats were burning trying to suck oxygen.
I've never been so happy to get to 3828 metres. The Bronson was rearing to go.
Looking back up to the top as the boys head on down
Tim pinning it down Canyon Creek trail
High speed, narrow trail action from James and Stefan.
Alpine meadow changes to forested valley. Jeff Carter loves getting some.
The lads just wanted to ride but Jeff loves working the camera.
Canyon Creek is a proper adventure ride. It has it all.
Plenty of food breaks but always slightly concerned about the impending dusk.
Miles and miles of the fastest singletrack I have ever ridden, with a few speed stoppers thrown in to give Jeff a break.
Jeff railing turn #653
Oh great. Some top trail designer decides to put in a 50 metre vertical climb at the 5 and a 1/2 hour mark.
Thankfully there was a downhill to finish
Canyon Creek trail is a killer. Oh, and there was an interesting cemetery at the bottom with wooden headstones from the mid 1800's.
I've never seen Jeff so excited. He was desperate to give it another crack.
Hey, I'd love to tell you all about how great the day was. Wow, it was great. My biggest day on a bike ever. And the fastest. 1100 metres of descending with one baby climb at the end. Thats all I have the energy to say. I'm broken and I need to sleep. I haven't had more than 5 hours sleep each night (jet lag and altitude sickness) and tomorrow we are up Monarch Crest again for 3 hours of Agate trail, then driving to Fruita to ride Palisades Rim trail in the afternoon. Until tomorrow then......Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.