September 12, 2024
Day 25: 50km of yum, 50km of yuck
Distance: 102km
Climbing: 1218m
Today was a hard day, but not for the reason we expected. With Boreas Pass looming at 3500m it seemed like that would be the challenge. The elevation profile looked like it was mostly downhill from there to the finish at Hartsel.
The day started with many calories at the motel breakfast and more amazing bike paths from Frisco to Breckenridge. Once again I was blown away by how nice the path was, and even more about how they managed to make it continuous rather than having some sections that just leave you in a dangerous situation because it was too hard (geographically or politically) to push a path through.
We ran into an Australian couple who had given a month’s notice to their employers and landed in Vancouver 85 days ago and had already ridden a big trail at the North end of Vancouver Island, then across the Sunshine Coast, through Lillooet, and eventually connected up with the GDMBR in Fernie. They’re planning on being on the road for two years and to end up in Argentina.
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From Breckenridge we started up the Boreas road and found that it was an old rail line, so the grade was about 4% the entire way. It was a perfect grade to be able to move and gain altitude quickly without struggle. Despite stopping to chat with a few people we were at the top in what felt like no time and little effort. The classic Colorado views were in full effect and it was fun to see a few peaks that I had climbed twenty years ago, like Mt. Quandary. The descent was smooth too until we got to the plains at the foot of the mountain where the wind had picked up dramatically.
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Leaving Como for the second 50km of the day the wind was very strong and mostly in our faces. The road was wasboarded and unlike many gravel roads with washboard, there was no little strip where you could escape it. So for most of 50km we were fighting wind on a surface that tests your sanity. Just for fun it was also sometimes uphill.
Maybe 1.5km of the entire 100km day was on a highway and it was the worst part of the day due to no shoulder and drivers not following Colorado’s safe passing law (similar to the one BC passed recently).
We ended in Hartsel, a small town with a restaurant/saloon that lets bikepackers camp behind the building. There are already five tents tucked amongst the dumpsters, portapotties, propane tank, and assorted rock and concrete debris.
Tomorrow should take us to Salida, but with some awkward timing as that’s only about 80km but pushing on would mean starting a monster climb without obvious camping options. But that’s a problem for future Andrew and Peter.
Today's ride: 102 km (63 miles)
Total: 2,864 km (1,779 miles)
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The Fall colors must be beautiful.
3 weeks ago