Some select members of the HCD convened in Colorado last Saturday to climb some Cat 1/2 mountains and sample some local microbrews, in that order. Herein documents the most notable moments of the weekend.
It was a whirlwind weekend for ME. Having spent a good bit of the week in Houston at the AAU Junior Olympics, good fortune shined on ME, in the form of a) Yeti's offer to transport my bike to Colorado for the 2012 CT b) Hoodie and Ullrich's offer to let me crash on their condo couch AND pick me up at the airport. There aren't a cooler bunch of guys than my HCD brethren. Thanks fellas!
Jumped on the plane Friday, totally excited about the maiden voyage at altitude with the Fly. Or any bike for that matter. Hoodie and Ullrich picked me up and we crept through the Denver rush hour and up the hill. They had done Mt. Evans that day. Insane. As in, it made ME insanely jealous. 27 miles of HC climbing. Goldfinger also rode with them, on his dad's spare Madone. I think Hoodie is working up a summary of that epic event. Check back for details. Needless to say, they were not fully engaged in my pre-Copper hysteria. Given that they had just done 7,500 feet at full altitude, they looked to be in great shape for the minor 6k of CT climbing that awaited us the next day.
Dinner with the Carlsons, ME, Hoodie, Ullrich, and Carlson's friend Christine was great. Heard some facts about CO from the fount of knowledge (Christine), had a pasta dinner and a glass of cab. Then off to bed.
We convened at 6am, kitted in full HCD gear. The vest was a lifesaver. IN AUGUST!!! How awesome is that? The ride laid out as follows:
- leave parking lot (temp of 36 degrees)
- Start climbing
First climb was Fremont Pass. about 2k of ascent on totally buttery roads. The air was thin, and the heart knew it. This forced a 10-15% reduction in wattage effort.
MOST ASKED CONDESCENDING QUESTION OF DAY -
"How are you guys from Austin handling the altitude?"
This question was posed over and over again to each of us. If Coloradans are proud of anything, it's how high they are every day. Seriously, they love to be high. The answer to this question varied by Austin rider. For ME, the answer was typically either a glare of disgust, or a simple admission that the Governor was on my motor. Goldfinger (a licensed Doctor of Orthodonture) had a different strategy. Apparently, his response to altitude was to fully exhale ALL oxygen from his lungs, then INHALE DEEPLY, all while PUNCHING the pedals. On Mount Evans, this nearly led to blackout and death. I think the medical profession needs to revisit its informal altitude strategy.
Fremont Pass climb (10.3 miles)
For ME, this was manageable, and a welcome bit of work. It was sub 40 degrees, and climbing ignited the heater. Having paced Hoodie to the top, we regrouped with Yeti and Ullrich. Note that The GFinger rode with his dad, so we didn't see him til post-ride beer 5.
BEST DESCENT OF DAY
Fremont. The descent lasted about 18 minutes and covered just under 10 miles. This descent generated freezing fingers and childlike, hysterical laughter. 4.5 minutes at 38mph, with a top speed of 51.3mph. Never tapped the brakes. At the bottom, the HCD showed it's downhill dominance, forming a paceline and blowing by all the little high-altitude smurfs in their Wheatridge gear. That they overtook us in the next incline is forgone. But they felt the wrath of our girth for at least a brief moment. REAP IT little ones! reap it.
We then found a rhythm that carried us over the bump that they call Tennessee Pass (3 miles). Only 423 feet of climb. Fuhgettaboudit.
Nice descent, then on to Battle Mountain (1.9 miles, 425ft) , which was a better climb than Tennessee Pass. We stopped halfway up. Check out the pic below:
For ME, this was manageable, and a welcome bit of work. It was sub 40 degrees, and climbing ignited the heater. Having paced Hoodie to the top, we regrouped with Yeti and Ullrich. Note that The GFinger rode with his dad, so we didn't see him til post-ride beer 5.
BEST DESCENT OF DAY
Fremont. The descent lasted about 18 minutes and covered just under 10 miles. This descent generated freezing fingers and childlike, hysterical laughter. 4.5 minutes at 38mph, with a top speed of 51.3mph. Never tapped the brakes. At the bottom, the HCD showed it's downhill dominance, forming a paceline and blowing by all the little high-altitude smurfs in their Wheatridge gear. That they overtook us in the next incline is forgone. But they felt the wrath of our girth for at least a brief moment. REAP IT little ones! reap it.
We then found a rhythm that carried us over the bump that they call Tennessee Pass (3 miles). Only 423 feet of climb. Fuhgettaboudit.
Nice descent, then on to Battle Mountain (1.9 miles, 425ft) , which was a better climb than Tennessee Pass. We stopped halfway up. Check out the pic below:
Ullrich and ME on Battle Mountain.
The descent from Battle Mountain was a little more technical than Fremont. Some switchbacks, and blind corners. Average speed was only 30mph, as I descend like gramma. Still, I went fast enough to laugh like a five year-old. What a blast!
VAIL PASS (11 miles at 3.6%) Category 1
We all started together. Same pace as Fremont for ME, but this was harder. Warmer, and some steep kickers in a few spots really tested patience. Prior to this climb, I had never truly climbed. 300 foot kickers are just not the same. There is nowhere to recover when you are going uphill for an hour (or more). This climb was where they did the TT at last year's USPCC. The markings on the road "Go Big George" were both encouraging and entertaining. Really cool to contemplate how fast they must have been going, while I suffered along at 8-11mph. No wonder they didn't use TT bikes. That track was made for a climb trial, not a time trial. Worst part of the day? The natives call it "The Wall" it's a stretch of road that loops under IH 70, downhill, then STEEP uphill for about 100 meters. Grade hit about 20% at the steepest shot. People (NOT ME) were unclipping like Houstonians at the MS150. Really embarrassing for the natives. I was tempted to ask them if it was the altitude as I pedaled by en danseuse. Yeah, I was huffing. But unclip? Hellz no.
Regrouped at the top. Check out the pic of the big fella and the yeti-
Hoodie and the Yeti atop Vail Pass.
Elevation -
Yeti was at 10,882 ft,
Hoodie was at 10,883 ft
Yeti was at 10,882 ft,
Hoodie was at 10,883 ft
POST_RIDE
After five hours in the saddle, first freezing, then sweating up the Cat 1/2 climbs, we deserved some brew. Four White guys. Three white rascals apiece (though Yeti pawned his last one off on his lovely bride). Sun was shining. People kept rolling in. Cowbells ringing. For some reason, a lot of folks were crowded around the Rudy Project tent. From the looks of it, they engineer some pretty tight products.
Short nap back at the room (which overlooks the finish line). As we basked in the glory, Hoodie steps on the balcony - - -
Best Line of the Weekend-
Hoodie bellows from on high to the people still finishing "I kicked all your a$$e$! I AM THE KING OF ALL THAT I SURVEY!!!!'
More beers at Endo's. Post-ride surprise. A friend i hadn't seen since 9th grade (Gigi) stopped by to catch up. An Edwards native, Gigi is an avid cyclist (rides a Gunnar with a triple) and proved to be as funny now as back in Mr Howden's Social Studies class. GFinger and his pops also stopped by. As I recounted my climb up Vail Pass (getting passed by a hard looking girl, then seeing her at the beer tent), GFinger asked me:
Second Best Line of the Weekend-
"After the ride did you ask for your balls back?" Ahhh, youth.
