Day 16: Colorado Springs to Denver
June 22, 2005
Once again got up at 5 AM. But it’s not too bad waking up early to see the sunrise splash morning light against Pike’s Peak. Rolled over and just watched the shadows slink away from the mammoth peak. I finally got up when Natalie and Ileana came in and started a conversation with me.
Packed and ate the breakfast foods we had bought the night before (pastries mostly and of course the requisite bananas). We talked about the route and we talked about how Denver was lower in elevation than Colorado Springs by a thousand feet or so, thus giving the impression that it should be mostly downhill. Feeling confident, the team took its time getting ready, which seems to happen more and more often.
For dedications I offered to celebrate Father’s Day by riding for my dad, who does not have cancer, but has fought his own battles with polio. And although polio was and is a terrible disease, a solution was discovered and it was so successful that people largely forget how devastating it was. We hope that cancer will someday suffer the same public ignorance.
Got on the bikes and made our way to the main road, which involved some stiff climbing. Having had a day off the previous day I was feeling pretty good so the climbs just melted away, even if it wasn’t at the highest speeds. We all figured that the hills would start turning more downhill in nature just outside of town, but boy were we wrong. Turns out that we needed to climb another 1,500 feet or so in the first 20 miles. Again, I wasn’t bothered at all and I was just whistling and singing as if nothing was amiss. Found out at the first rest stop, though, that some of my team members weren’t feeling so plucky. But the view was so gorgeous that I think everyone was still in good spirits, if not feeling a little confused about the steep uphill ascent.
The view was so memorable that it deserves special mention. We started out in vibrant green fields of short grasses with some of it being marred by construction. But soon enough we were making our steep ascents in a dense forest of pine trees. It used to be that every town we went through in the previous states had names like ‘Elm’ or ‘Oak’. Now we were seeing names like ‘Pleasant Pines’ or ‘Meandering Stream’. A subtle psychological difference that I enjoyed. However, as soon as we crested the last large hill the forests opened up to fields so green that the word vibrant seems a word barely up to the task of proper description. Throw in some dark green trees to artistically draw the eye up the rolling hills and you’ve got what I would call picture perfect, except that a picture could not adequately capture the vista.
After whistling and singing my way through the hills I was very pleased to find some quite steep and long descents. With minimal effort our speeds picked up to the high 30’s and low 40’s. It’s quite pleasant to take my hands off of the bar to sit up and stretch my arms out and ‘glide’ or ‘soar’ down into a valley at high speeds. Quite pleasant indeed.
Stopped at the second rest stop with most of the team and chowed down on some great watermelon and sandwiches. Usually I wait for a teamate or two to ride with, but I was feeling so good that I decided to take off and bike the day by myself. Pedaled away and did not see any other riders for the next few hours.
As we had climbed a significant distance, and Denver was supposed to be a net decrease in elevation, the route had to turn to mostly downhill at some point and it was only a few miles after the rest stop that this happened. What sheer joy to bike along at a quick pace alongside the Rocky Mountains, through rolling hills covered in grasses swaying in the wind. And it was a headwind, but somehow, today, I wasn’t bothered in the least. Even in the uphill portions I just pedaled along at a speed that I was comfortable with and I never got tired. Met up with JJ, one of the drivers for the day, and filled up on snacks.
While there, JJ got a call letting her know that a few of the riders had missed the turn and so gone quite a distance out of the way. This put me a good 20 minutes ahead of everybody except Sam and Mario, who had pace lined themselves far ahead of everybody. With some of the team so far out of the way I knew I would be able to take my time without having to worry about making it to rest stops in a respectable time. So I relaxed even more and biked the equivalent of a stroll through the viewtiful countryside.
Made it to the 85 junction (about 20 miles away from the final destination) when JJ stopped me to say that the road was too dangerous. Due to construction, there was no shoulder on a one lane highway with vehicles going 70 mph. I wanted to do it anyways, but JJ insisted. So I threw my bike in the car and she ferried me into the city. With about 5 miles left I hopped out and promptly slowed down to a crawl as I explored the neighborhood. For some reason, it reminded me of the area I grew up in in San Antonio and I was feeling some sort of nostalgia as I watched kids splashing in sprinklers and fathers mowing the lawns.
Made my way over to the YMCA and was surprised to find a little banquet going on. Not for us, but for Father’s Day, which I was told was actually started by the YMCA. I was invited to eat the food anyway so I ate a good quarter pound of strawberries and some croissants and eggs. Waited for the team a good while and took the time to listen to some World War II stories from some of the veterans there.
The team showed up an hour or so later and the guys jumped into the pool and hot tub. Very nice after a long day. But the better experience was having my sister meet up with me a little later.
She and her little family drove 14 hours to see relatives (such as myself) and to see the Denver zoo. I really enjoyed talking with her and I was more than a little touched that she would make so much effort (hour and a half drive out of the way) for just a 20 minute visit. But it meant a lot to me and I also got a chance to meet my nephews. We took some pictures and it was time to go, leaving me a little bit sad that I wouldn’t have more time with her and her family.
We all piled into the vehicles and headed over to Channing’s 2nd cousins house. He had grown up with them so they were more like direct relatives for him. They were very generous and one of the family friends spring for a great grilled dinner. I say grilled, they say barbeque. But it’s not barbeque if it’s hamburgers and brats. But I digress. It was delicious and the team was feeling pretty stuffed. When they offered ice cream and waffle cones the team managed to find some extra room.
Feeling giddy from the great food and hospitality, we all settled down for a lazy Denver evening, some watching TV, others reading books, and everybody calling their dads and families to talk. A little bit later we watched the Spurs win. All in all another wonderful day.