Ride the Rockies (2009)

Ride the Rockies 2009

This year was the 24^th annual RTR, number eight for me.  The course varies from about 380 miles (this year’s ride) to around 420 miles, depending on the route, which is different each year.  Typically the ride starts the second Sunday in June and ends on Saturday, sometimes with a rest day in the middle. This year’s ride was six rather than seven days with no rest day.  We began and ended in Glenwood Springs.  The ride can either be a long loop or point to point.  From Glenwood we rode to Hotchkiss over McClure Pass on Sunday.  On Friday we rode to Gunnison through the north rim of the Black Canyon, one of the most beautiful routes I’ve ever ridden in Colorado.  We finished the day with a long descent along the Blue Mesa Resevoir from Gunnison we rode over Monarch Pass and into Salida, always a popular destination.  Salida is known worldwide for its white water rafting and kayaking.  It is the where the headwaters of the Arkansas River are.  The next day we did the long steady climb from Salida through Buena Vista (“Buena” rhymes with “tuna” and is “Bueny” to the locals and into Leadville.  Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the US at 11,200 feet.  On Thursday we climbed Independence Pass, one mother of a climb.  I got a flat on the way to the top and changed it on the top of the Pass in swirling snowflakes.  The descent into Aspen was exhilarating.  The last day was a 40-mile downhill ride into Glenwood Springs, a nice way to end the ride.

Next year’s RTR will be June 12-19.  The route is published on-line and in the Denver Post on Sunday Feb. 7.  You can apply to ride individually or with a group of up to ten.  The ride is a lottery.  There are about 4000 applications for 2000 positions.  Each day is between 35 and 100 miles, averaging 60-65 miles a day.  It is a great training event for Ironman Lake Placid, Louisville, Canada or Wisconsin.  You can camp in the school gyms or outside or you can reserve hotel rooms along the route.  There are really nice air-conditioned buses that transport riders from the campsites to local hotels and restaurants.  We have always rented an RV in Denver and camped in and out of that.  There is also a service through which you can rent a tent.  They will set it up for you in the Sherpa Village, transport your gear and bring you a fresh towel and a cup of coffee in the AM.  This year’s local talent included Bobbe Greenburg, Lexie Markarian, Bill and Sue Raymoure, Ben Gralla, Graham Wilson and Judy Lenane, Sheila Lindsay in addition to my brother and his group of Denver riders.  You haven’t ridden until you’ve ridden the Rockies.