Day 2 Creede to Alamosa
Today was a mostly flat to downhill day and I don't think I got out of my big ring all day. I was cruising along solo for a while making some good time. At the first aid station, I met up with some fast friends and we motored the rest of the day. We rode hard, and even managed to take it up to 30 mph in a headwind. I was very happy that we had a tailwind for the last 10 miles into Alamosa because I needed the rest.
The camping in Alamosa was probably the nicest of the tour. We were in a big, soft grass field, and we had access to the school where we could charge electronics and just get out of the sun. For dinner, we took a shuttle to downtown Alamosa and went to the San Luis Valley Brewing Company. Not terrible, but the "oatmeal stout" I had didn't taste like the creamy oatmeal stout I was hoping for.
Day 2:
Miles: 79.71
Ride Time: 3:42:49
Out Time: 4:22:40
Climbing: 2130
Calories: 1999
Day 3 Alamosa to Chama, NM
The theme of the day was wind, wind, and more wind. Right from the start, there was a significant headwind. In my head, I wanted to take it easy today. With theamount of wind I had to fight, taking it easy was not an option. I rode solo for a while and then I saw a nice huge group coming up behind me. I tucked in near the front and enjoyed some shelter. I found myself doing a lot of work because I get sick of seeing people not willing to rotate through the line and I end up just moving to the front. In my limited bike tour experience, there are a lot of people riding in groups that don't want to actually do any work. I'd laugh when I'd hear people talk about how they were riding in a paceline, when what they really mean is that they sucked onto some wheels and didn't contribute.
There were a couple mountain passes to make it over today and they were near the end. That was really where I found my legs. There was still some wind to fight, but at least we were climbing and I like that. The descent off the two passes could only be described as unrewarding. After a good long climb, your reward should be a sweet descent. Today, I had to keep it in my little ring and pedal to fight the wind when I should just be able to coast. So disappointing. I rolled into Chama completely spent and I went right over to the massage tent to make an appointment for Christine and I.
Day 3:
Miles: 77.35
Ride Time: 4:50:56
Out Time: 5:53:51
Climbing: 5554
Calories: 2680
No comments:
Post a Comment