Day 68…. Another Divide crossing this morning. Heading out of Kremmling to Steamboat there is a daunting 3911 feet of vertical ascension with a fun 3300 feet of descent. I had rushed around this morning to get ready and leave early. The winds pick up mid morning around here and create a strong headwind from the West. Makes for a tougher ride. For once I was off before 8 am an enjoying the lack of wind and heat.
Leaving town the entire route was on US-40. This has not been a good road to ride more often than not. Some areas have a nice shoulder, other areas have no shoulder at all. With a 65 mph speed limit it gets sketchy at times. After being buzzed one to many times by a-hole drivers it was time to turn music on a just ride. At 65 mph there isn’t much I can do if someone is stupid and runs into me. Which gets to a quick rant….
Why is it so hard to slow down a little and move over? If it’s not easy to move over SLOW DOWN!!!! The 5 seconds extra it takes won’t kill you in a car, however blowing by a cyclist at 65+ can kill them. It doesn’t take much for a mistake to happen. Also speeding up as you pass a cyclist doesn’t help either. It just scares the shit out of a person. SLOW DOWN. If you hit someone the 5 seconds you saved will turn into long headache and a memory that may never leave you. Are your few precious moments that important? Think about it. I had a discussion with a few foreigners while traveling. They asked me this.. Why are Americans such nice and friendly people in person, but in a car are complete inconsiderate assholes? That is pretty bad that foreigners are noticing this too. None of these were bicycle travelers…. Done ranting.
For some strange reason I have a hard time breathing from 7800-8900 feet. Above 8900 breathing gets easier. Well today was no different. Starting at 7300 feet I was doing well. Then the constant climb started and the breathing became more difficult. Also I had issues with keeping my heart rate down but I attribute this to coffee. Coffee to soon before exercise doesn’t work for me. The first 20 miles were exhausting. Legs became sore and weary. As I reached the base of the summit it was time to take a break and get energy back. Right past a guard rail section I figure this would be a good place to rest and be safe. Protected by the rail I could relax a bit and not worry about being hit. Eating a few different thing and drinking plenty of fluids it was time for a cat nap. Once I woke up a few minutes later I was refreshed and ready to take on the climb.
The terrain changes a lot from the bottom to the top. The base was dry, more desert like while the top was a conifer Forrest with patches of snow. The grade of Rabbits Ear Pass was nothing compare to Loveland Pass. More of a constant slope than abrupt changes and turns.
I reached the summit without actually knowing it was so close. Guess I was to deep into thought and enjoying the ride to pay attention to where I was at. I think this is the last major climb in the Rockies and the rest is fairly flat or downhill. Only difference is the desert starts really soon.
The best part of climbing is the Downhill. Rabbit Ears Pass did not disappoint. With 7 miles & 3000 vertical feet of descent, averaging 28+ mph, it was fun a relaxing ride.
Once I reached Steamboat everything flattened out and the heat set in. Being up in the Mountains spoils you a bit with not having a lot of heat.
