Tour de Colorado - Tuesday I

Lots of people in the campsite are here with their bikes.  Serious, hardcore looking machines, weighing less than the potato chips I eat as recovery fuel after a ride.  Then there’s the group with the more interesting machines.  Long wheel-based cargo bikes, very fat-tired mountain bikes and 2 creations with one frame welded on top of another and the seat five feet off the ground.  It was something of a relief to learn that unlike apparently everyone else; they weren’t planning to ride to the top of Independence Pass.  This made us feel a little better about our planned ride.  An epic climb of 0.7 miles from the campsite to the highway with an elevation gain of 10 or 12 feet. 

Although to be fair, none of the hardcore types had dogs trotting alongside on a leash.  Nor were they carrying camp chairs slung over their shoulders or a dog water bowl in one hand.  So eat it, hardcore types.

Once by the road, we settled into a shady spot just up from the guy in the stars and stripes top hat and the lady in the bear suit.  We didn’t have too long to wait before the parade of team cars, photographer motor-cycles, cop cars and assorted hangers on began.  The riders weren’t long behind but like yesterday, were past in moments.  And this is frickin’ uphill.  I’m starting to think I’m going to need to spread molasses on the road so they slow down enough for me to get a good look at them.  We have cheat sheets with the rider names, numbers and jersey patterns but seriously, they go by so fast, Eddie Merckx could be tucked in there on a penny-farthing and I wouldn’t notice.  How the hell Phil Ligget can call the races based on the stuff he sees on his monitor is beyond me.

Tomorrow though.  Tomorrow we plan to be watching near the top of Rabbit Ears pass near Steamboat Springs.  Maybe that will be tough enough to see if any of them are human.