"It's all training for the Rockies."

This is something I've been telling myself for months now. And now I'm there. Colorado is epic. The past three days of riding in Colorado have had many climbs, and some riders are facing altitude sickness. Since biking is slower than driving or flying, we're acclimating more easily than if we took a plane or car into Colorado.

Monument Lake

 A swept two of the past three days, and that was exhausting because they both turned into 11-12 hour days of riding and not seeing many of my teammates on the road. Luckily, at just over the halfway point with the trip's mileage, it's safe to say that my Brooks saddle is worn in and comfortable. No saddle sores for me!

The village town of Gardner, CO is a hidden gem.

We rode through a scenic byway known as the "Highway of Legends." Appropriate. The weather in Colorado holds thunderstorms frequently in the afternoons. It's been really strange to be still biking through the semi-arid desert, but seeing snow caps on the Rockies in the distance.

Logging trucks are no longer my biggest enemy on the road. In Colorado, it's RVs and campers that practically run me off the road so they can go on with their "adventure."

San Isabel National Forest

 Yesterday we cruised through the San Isabel National Forest, which had an epic descent. There was a huge storm cloud behind me the whole day, but luckily it didn't catch up to me. As I rode away from the storm, a headwind picked up, and a small black bird flew beside me for a mile. At the top of the climb, a deer was on the side of the road.

The descent was at least 8 miles of switchbacks down the mountain. There was a 8% grade and no guardrail. I gained momentum fast, but the headwind kept me from basically free falling. There was also a lot of traffic on the road, so I frequently pulled into the shoulder to allow the RVs and trailers to pass. Mountain descents are awesome, but very tense. I finished the day in Pueblo with a new Personal Record of 112 miles.

Today's ride was only 57 miles, about 15 of which were on a packed dirt road. Uncomfortable, but as one rider wrote in chalk, "At least it's not Spearman!" (Nobody liked Texas.) We're in Colorado Springs now, which is where we'll be for a whole week of building!