Today’s Date: June 21, 2024

Today’s Start Point: Fairplay, Colorado

Today’s End Point: Cañon City, Colorado (pronounced Canyon)

Today’s Miles: 75.25 Miles

Cumulative Miles: 2,037.78 Miles

Brad and I planned to hit the road at 6:00 am to continue the ride south. However, it rained during the night and according to weather reports, would continue to do so until 7:00 am. I was happy to hit the snooze button and get an extra hour of sleep.

My route for the day was about 75 miles south to Cañon City, Colorado. The road would rise and fall for around 34 miles, and then would drop sharply for the next 40 miles. By the end of the day I would go from an elevation of 9,400 feet to about 5,300 feet, a drop of 4,100 feet.

The plan was for Brad to go no further than the 34 mile mark in order to avoid a steep climb back to his car in Fairplay. We were looking forward to light winds and a rolling road.

At 7:00 am, we left Fairplay and I resumed my roll as wheel sucker extraordinaire. We (or should I say Brad), were cruising along at 20 to 25 mph. I was getting an armchair ride and needless to say, loving every minute of it. The mountains reared up behind us as we cruised through the landscape.

At about the 18 mile mark, Brad’s bike made a crunching noise, and I thought at first he had broken a spoke. We immediately pulled off and it turned out the pulley on his rear derailleur had come loose and was wedged in his cassette (the sprockets on the rear wheel of a bike).

One of the many differences between Brad and I is that Brad knows his way around a bike’s mechanics, having worked in a bike shop in his youth. Brad’s method of recovery in this situation was calmly assess the situation and removing a section of the chain, thereby turning his bike into a single speed as opposed to a multi-geared bike. By doing so, he could avoid the need for the broken rear derailleur. My method would have been to sit crying on the side of the road and cursing the heavens. I guess each of us has our own way of doing things.

Needless to say, once Brad got his bike in a semblance of working order, his only option was to turn around and go back to Fairplay. I was sorry to say goodbye but I was so glad that he made the effort to join me for yesterday and today. We parted ways, me going south and Brad going north on his damaged bike to Fairplay. Brad texted me a couple of hours later saying that he had made it, much to my relief.

For me, it was back on the road and I have to admit that there was a little more up than I expected, and after 34 miles I had only dropped about 500 feet in elevation. The scenery was green hills and as I pedaled on, the tall mountain peaks became smaller and smaller. Although climbing those mountain passes can be difficult, there is no denying their sheer dramatic beauty, I will miss them.

The rolling nature of the hills and the heat were beginning to take their toll on me until I hit that 34 mile mark. But at that mark, the true descent began.

It was a wonderful ride. For the next ten miles I dropped steeply through a winding road that cut in and out of the hills. Even in my Ford F-150 of a bicycle, I was dropping down at about 25-35 mph. The ride was not technical which offered me the opportunity to enjoy the landscape.

After the steep part of the descent, the road continued to fall at a more leisurely pace, with a couple of small climbs to remind me I had to pedal every once in a while.

The scenery began to change, going from green hills and pastures to a more arid and desert-like view. It’s amazing that in one day I can go from high mountains, green rolling hills, and then the raw rock outcroppings of the desert.

These new views were beautiful in their own way. About ten miles from Cañon City, I passed by a touristy area for the Royal Gorge. It looks like you can raft, zip line and take helicopter rides. There were also dinosaur attractions (note to Brandon and Jenna, my dinosaur aficionados).

Unfortunately, in order to see the Royal Gorge, I would need to make a detour. A side effect of a 4,000 foot drop is that the temperature was now 89 degrees, as opposed to the high temperature in Fairplay of 69 degrees. The heat was starting to get to me and I realized that I had not been eating or drinking enough. No Royal Gorge for me.

Fortunately, the last ten miles was a fast descent with rock formations rising around me. I finally had a vicious tailwind as it appeared that a storm was approaching from the north. I arrived in Cañon City at about 2:00 pm, feeling a little strung out from the road (for Seger fans).

I checked in and what do my eyes see right next to my hotel? Yep, a Dairy Queen. I might not leave Cañon City, it’s perfect (granted my sole standard for perfect is to be walking distance to a DQ). Fortified by a Blizzard, I took a nap and wrote my blog.

Thanks again to Brad for all of the support and assistance over the last couple of days. To say that it was a nice surprise is an understatement. I wish it would have ended better mechanically, but glad to know that Brad can turn those tough moments into a mere bump in the road.