Life, Elevated

We've made it to Utah! The 28 of us were dispersed among three different churches in Meeker, Colorado. I've never seen churches of different denominations collaborating together like this, coordinating where we eat, sleep, and store our bikes. Today was our last century ride - 109 miles to be exact. I was feeling good this morning for many reasons. Yesterday's ride from Silt to Meeker was only 48 miles, so I was able to spend the afternoon resting, swimming in a river with Dan and Pancho (Curtis), getting shakes and fries, cleaning my bike, preparing the coolers in advance, and sleeping on a couch. I was the second person to leave the host site this morning.

Most of today's ride was a slight, gradual descent, which meant I was able to crush it. I passed the person in front of me and couldn't really go slower than 22mph. We're on our way out of Colorado, and re-entering a desert environment. I don't know why, but I really like the desert. I was motivated to get as many miles in as possible before the sun reached over the distant mountains. Riding west means that the sun rises behind you, and you can see the light embrace everything in front of you.

So, I couldn't really stop and didn't want to. I skipped my 10 mile stretch, and stopped at mile 30 to chalk "Ride for the Kleines." They are the partner family in Colorado Springs, where we did our week-long blitz build. (When I was towards the front yesterday, I chalked a Hunter S. Thompson quote after an uncomfortable 2 mile stretch of grooved pavement: "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.") I got to lunch at mile 40 in just under two hours. Soon after, Marcus rolled right up to me and said, "I heard you're crushing it!" I was feeling motivated to see how much I've improved on Bike & Build, and to see how much I can push myself. I rode the next 35 miles before stopping to rest in Dinosaur, Colorado. I met up with riders there and we got ice cream. The lunch stop was just 3 miles away, and it was at the Utah state line, where the states motto "Life Elevated" is on a billboard next to a dinosaur. Did we really just spend 18 days in Colorado? We took pictures at the state line while listening to The Cranberries greatest hits album.

I had another 35 miles left, and there was not much of a slight down grade left. I decided to join a pace line to conquer the hills. Towards the very end of each ride, as we approach the town we're staying in and can see more buildings again, I've been stopping at gas stations to pick up chocolate milk as a recovery drink.

So we're now in Vernal, Utah, and this whole region loves dinosaurs. About half of the team sprawled out on the floor of the church when we arrived, and we all fell asleep in funny positions. Someone's got a video of us crashing all over the furniture after riding 109 miles.