September 22, 2021
Ladies Day On the Mountain
Hoosier Pass-Frisco to Fairplay
As I noted in yesterday’s entry, I was pretty nervous about today’s big climb at altitude. I trained for this tour using a combo of day rides in the Bay Area of CA which included some steep climbs and Zwift rides which included some ascents of their steep and longer climbs. However I didn’t ride particularly long miles in my training this time since our daily mileage on this trip is fairly short, albeit intense. And Jim and I live at sea level and we could not train the altitude. So I have been nervous about my level of preparation for climbing high mountain passes.
My jitters translated into a night of fitful sleep, interrupted at 4am by a horrific headache. Unable to go back to sleep, I drank about 10 oz of water and eventually made a cup of coffee, which I promptly spilled all over the bathroom while washing my face. I suspect I woke a few people in the hotel with my expletives.
Once we were all up, Jim, Kelly and I walked a block to the Butterhorn Cafe and Bakery. It was pretty chilly outside-enough to freeze a dog’s water. We enjoyed a tasty breakfast; I especially enjoyed several more cups of coffee, which helped temper my headache.
The weather is forecast to be dry and warm up through the day, so Kelly and I started off at slightly after 9am, figuring to be at the top of the pass by 1pm. We started off circling around the outskirts of Frisco, following a bike path all the way to Breckenridge, making one potty stop adjacent to a really cute kid’s playground. In Breckenridge we lost the bike path and so rode on Hwy 9 for most of the rest of the way.
Kelly and I rode within sight of one another for most of the ascent. Hwy 9 has a little bit of shoulder to ride on, sort of. At first it was about 4ft wide and filled with soft sand, necessitating that we ride in the lane. Then it shrunk down to about a foot of cracking and crumbling asphalt, which could be ridden in some places and not in others. And the traffic was fairly heavy with many trucks and trailers and the occasion yahoo who doesn’t like cyclists. All of this made for a fairly tense ride-I had to keep a close eye both on the road and in my mirror and, unfortunately not so much on the scenery. However, the grade was reasonable-2-4% for most of the climb. The last 3 miles were steeper-5-7%, with two inside hairpins that were double-digit but short. Also the shoulder widened out for the last 3 miles, which was really nice.
We did see some nice Fall color on the ascent. At about 11,200, there was snow alongside the road from the storm a few days ago. We both made it to the summit right around 1pm, about 5 minutes apart. Jim, being a thoughtful SAG driver, met us at the top with baked goodies he picked at the Butterhorn Bakery before he departed Frisco.
I love, love, love descending. However, as soon as the road turned down, the shoulder again disappeared, making the descent a bit hair-raising. It was a straight, down-the-hill descent so the cars were faster and they were passing very close. I decided I just wanted to get down as fast as possible and soon I lost sight of Kelly behind me.
In Alma a bike path appeared on the opposite side of the road. It was such a relief to be out of traffic but this was one of the bumpiest bike paths I have ever ridden. I debated going back out on the road-it was that uncomfortable-but the traffic was wizzing by and there was no shoulder at all so I rode that bumpy, awful bike path all the way to FairPlay.
All in all it was a satisfying, but at times, hair-raising ride.
By the time I arrived, Jim had checked into the Riverside Inn and, like a good Sherpa, already had brought in our luggage. I guess my excellent example yesterday worked.
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Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 152 miles (245 km)
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3 years ago