Days 12, 13, and 14—I did it!

Friday, September 13--I did it, we did it!

“When will I be in shape for this trip,” I asked the tour operator last January.  I explained that with my scheduled March elbow surgery and other travel plans, I wouldn't really be able to start training for it until mid-July. “You’ll be in shape for it at the same time as everyone else--on the last day of the ride,” he answered.  He was right!

Air pollution concern?

I woke up in Taos after my most restful sleep of the trip, and nothing hurt.  I felt great and anxious to hit the road, but with some trepidation because we were cautioned that it would be a challenging day.  The group, looking at my huge order of eggs and beans, suggested that I ride at the back of the pack, but I was determined not to be last on this last day of riding.

Earlier in the day, we came from the other side

Ron and Barb Douglas huffing up he "hill" from Taos

 The 78-mile ride to Santa Fe on the Historic High Road to Taos had its ups and downs--literally.  We started off in the absolute best of spirits, climbing for 20 miles.  The scenery was beautiful and varied.  We rode through several artist communities, historic missions, and cemeteries.  The weather was cool.  We had some good downhill runs—sometimes as much as a 13% grade--according to my Garmin GPS.

Our lunch stop

What a view, what a ride, but watch out for crosswinds!

On the flip side, we had 6,200 feet of climbing, headwinds, crosswinds, traffic and rough roads. The cross winds nearly blew us over, taking the joy out of the steep downhill runs and making the flats and the climbs challenging.  Above all, we encountered some either clueless or complete A-hole drivers that nearly ran us off the road a few times.  If this had been the first day of the trip, I wonder if I would have continued.  With elaborately-decorated roadside memorial crosses every 2-5 miles along the curvy and narrow road, I wondered how many of them were for bicyclists.  

Cross wind country

The mother of all cattleguards

Dan fixing my 3rd flat

The last 20 miles in the strong crosswinds and steep climbs were probably the longest and hardest I ever experienced on a bike, except for Day 5 with the vultures circling above me in Glen Canyon in 104 heat. I wanted to see what this 63-year old mind and body of mine were capable of doing, something I haven’t done since I had retired from running and sprint triathlons 11 years ago.  In that sense it was a twisted form of fun, especially with my three afternoon riding companions.  Dan, Liz, and Debbie, you rock!

After nine hours we arrived at our Santa Fe hotel, cold, starving, out of water, exhausted, but elated.  I did it, we did it! 

Liz, Debbie, me, and Dan  Time to party!

We started with 15; 5 left us at Durango, leaving 9 of us for the final week.  Only 3 of the 15 made it the full 885 miles.

In 13 days, with one day off, I rode 825 miles, an average of about 70 miles per day.  I climbed 49,000 feet, with our highest elevation going over a 10,400 foot pass. I had three flat tires, including one during my last three hours of riding. And—if you can believe my Garmin again—I burned 27,000 calories.  I know I consumed far more than that, and way more beer, eggs, potato chips, and beef than I consume in months.  

It Wasn't All About the Bike

Although we talked a lot about bikes a little too much, the trip was not about the bike.  It was about the fun people in the group,  our meals together over local brews and wine, teamwork, the friendly and helpful guides, the breath-taking scenery (and breath-taking hills), testing our ability to carry on, and above all the sense of common purpose and adventure.   

Three weeks ago, recuperating from pneumonia and trying to get some altitude training at Paulina Lake, OR I really had my doubts.  And those doubts continued through our first day of only 16 miles of climbing the hills out of Zion.  But I took daughter Skyler's advice:  shift early, rest often,  drink lots of water, eat a lot, and promise yourself 'just one more mile.' It worked.  Thank you, Skyler!

Thanks to Ron and Barb Douglas for encouraging me to sign up, and especially to Dan (DeRuyter)--the-man-lead-sled dog--for making the winds easier on all us.  And certainly to our guides, Ben, Bertrand, and Joe, and Lizard Head Cycling for making it a wonderful experience for all of us. 

I’m glad I did it—at least once.

I'll miss you guys!  Please stay in touch!

Now Backtracking to  Day 12 Thursday, September 11  Ojo Caliente to Taos

A beautiful easy 42 miles to Taos.  We were all high energy and pedaling at a good clip with nice tail winds part of the way.  We stopped for lunch next to the Rio Grande Gorge.  Got caught up in some road construction about 10 miles from Taos.



About 10 miles from Taos

The Rio Grande Gorge



On the gorge bridge

The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

I got run off the road by an 18-wheeler gravel truck. With only two feet of clearance, oncoming traffic, and no shoulder it created a cross wind that sucked me right next to it.  Fortunately it was a controlled "exit" into a large U-shaped weed-filled ditch, and there was no harm to my bike, me or my middle figure.  My first real close call of the whole trip.  Unfortunately, it wasn't the last (see Day 13).

My brother Neal says that there are only about 10 or so truly unique cities/towns in the world that cannot be replicated, such as Paris, New York, Venice, Wash DC, Las Vegas, Kathmandu, etc. Taos is one of them.  This place is the oldest living city in the US, well established before the pilgrims landed.

The Historic Taos Inn

We stayed in a 200-year old historic hotel that used to be the town square.  My room's walls were 18 inches thick.  We enjoyed the afternoon exploring the shops, then had a Mexican dinner where Dan and Liz presented Bertrand, our French guide, a crepe pan.  Dan and Liz--you should have done so at the beginning of the trip!

My Room

Guide Bertrand & his new crêpe pan

Barb and Debbie, with Debbie's visiting husband, Larry



Now Leaping Froward to Saturday, September 13, Day 14--Homeward Bound

Fun final meal with everybody last night in Santa Fe.  I was almost too tired to enjoy it.  Hoping to sleep in until 7:00, I woke up at 6:00 after only 7 hours of sleep.  I felt fatigued most of the morning, but got energized at the airports and on the flights working on my photos and this blog.  Best of all, nothing hurts!

I'm so looking forward to being home with Kathy, eating her's and my cooking, and going back to my regular routines, including work.  Maybe I'll convert my office chair into a bicycle seat, and get a high-speed fan to blow wind in my face.