2011 BTC Day 4 - Steamboat to Glenwood Springs

Today we rode from Steamboat to Glenwood Springs. Well, sort of. We rode to Gypsum and then took a bus to Glenwood Springs because the river has washed out parts of the bike path. 

Steamboat was chilly in the morning. Christine and I packed our stuff up and rode to breakfast at Freshies while we waited for the sun to warm things up. A little after 8, we finished our breakfast and started our 90 mile trek. 

Something about last nights's dinner didn't agree with me, and my stomach was still uneasy. I knew I had a long day ahead of me, so I picked a comfortable power range that I felt like I could sustain all day. 

I pulled a few groups here and there, but they'd usually drop off before too long.  About 5 miles from the first aid station, someone was passing me and put a hand on my hip to let me know he was there. It's an unfamiliar feeling on a bike tour, but pretty normal for bike racing. I figured that'd be a good group to hook up with and latched on to the back. 

There were about 6 people, but I noticed that only two were up front pulling. I didn't want to be a paceline freeloader so I went around the slackers and worked with the other two until the aid station. They pulled in and I kept going. 

I got back into my steady groove and chugged along to the next aid station, where I stopped for a refuel and to shed some clothing. On the next climb, the two workers from my earlier group caught and passed me. I didn't feel good enough to up my pace, but they slowed down near the top and I caught them. Good timing because the descent was rip-roaring and the three of us had a great time killing it. It's awesome to have a couple good and safe riders to descend with. 

The detour around the damaged bike meant we had an extra climb to do. It was a long 7-8% grind up to the final aid station. Then a short descent down and a slight downhill run to Gypsum where we stored our bikes and took a shuttle to Glenwood Springs. 

From the shuttle we could see the raging river and the washed out bike path. Impressive. I've never seen the river that high. 

We spent our evening drinking recovery beers with friends and probably disturbing the rest of the camp. It's my only chance to get back at the people who are up getting ready before sunrise. :)