6 of we riders and our supportive friends and family arrive a the ride start and it is still dark. The entire team was 17 riders but the 6 of us got an extra early start to give us more leeway on the crucial time cut-offs. We do some stretching, fumble around looking for lights or long fingered gloves and try one last time to use the restroom.
We hit the road at 4:30 am in the pitch black night in great spirits leaving a trail of blinking red lights behind us. With such a long day expected ahead of us, our coaches cautioned us to take the first 10 mile climb up Monitor pass very slowly. It was cool but not cold. It was quite an experience to see the sun rise while riding up a mountain. Here's a photo of me at the top of the first climb.
I had so much adrenaline that the two climbs up Monitor pass felt like they just flew by even though they took over 5 hours. That is good time for me, the entire group was doing very well and we were actually ahead of schedule.
We arrive back at our SAG (support and gear) stop to take a brief rest and eat. Eating lunch at 9:30 am was pretty weird. We regroup and hit the road a short time later.
The 13 mile climb up the front side of Ebbetts was glorious but extremely long. Lakes, snowcaps, Aspens, just amazingly beautiful.
Here I am at the top of Ebbetts (the 3rd big climb of the day)
I take a 15 minute rest at the bottom in Hermit's Valley before making the U-Turn to climb back out. The heat kicked up on the backside 5-mile climb out of Hermit's Valley on Ebbetts and the going got very rough but I just kept spinning those legs and grinding it out. I can't describe how pumped up I felt cresting that 4th peak. A wave of relief passed over me as I realized that I was still feeling alive and well after 4 of the 5 climbs were behind me. The down hill was very long and technical. There were several hairpin turns with steep drops off the side.
Back to the best SAG of the day. We were greeted by cool drinks, fresh fruit and ice cold WASHCLOTHS. OMG, those hit the spot.
The majority of the team has regrouped by this point and we hit the road to the Pickett Junction time cut off with a 15 person pace line! It was over 95 degrees for the first half of the last climb up to Carson pass and I labored having to stop and rest several times. The last half was cooler but just kept going and going. Near the top, I see many people walking the their bikes.
Here I am at the crest of Carson Pass.
I get to the finish in kind of a daze and am met by the rest of the Team. The reception I got almost made me weep like a girly man. High fives, hugs and hearty congratulations.
The downhill was exhilarating. Kathryn, Sally and I bolt down in a team time trial, riding at high speed working as a group. So much fun.
The last bit was a 5-mile ride back to Turtle Rock park. I finished up at 7:30 pm after 14 hours on the bike to Christine's beautiful smiling face at Turtle Rock.
All and all, I had a fantastic ride. It was one of the best days I've ever had on the bike. The stars aligned and I had a nearly perfect ride.
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