When we awoke in Fraser, we did not like what we saw--rain. We had been lucky this whole tour without a day of rain. The heat hadn't been too bad either. It was very overcast with gray clouds looming over us. I was not quick to get out of bed. We gave ourselves the luxury of sleeping in an extra hour (6 am) since we were getting a 15 mile headstart from Fraser. We got dressed in our warmer clothes and enjoyed a nice breakfast at the hotel. We saw several sag vehicles go by with a load of bikes--people packing it in. I didn't want to do that. I said I wanted to try and climb Berthoud (which I have done before). If I got wet and miserable, I would sag.
By the time we got out on the road, the rain had almost stopped. It was just drizzling and we even saw some hint of blue sky poking through. The ride into Winter Park was short--the first aid station. I looked for the Shamano truck so I could get some gear help again--but they weren't at that aid station. I trudged on the gradual up hill to the foot of Berthoud where the switchbacks start. I spotted my sag vehicle--my crew had switched riders. Janis was climbing on up the pass and Jane was now the driver. She told me the Shamano crew was up at the next aid station. I spotted my mechanic, Jamie. He came on over for my road side service. He had been terrific to me this whole ride. He spent lots of time helping me. He would prop me and my bike on his cooler and work on my gears. I had told him how if felt some play in the cable as I cranked and he said he'd check the housing. Sure enough, that was the problem. I needed a new cable as the cable had frayed. He made quick work of that, made the necessary adjustments and I thanked him and began to climb the steep switchbacks. I just want to say how much I appreciate Jamie and the Shamano crew. They were helpful, and cheerful to anyone in need. I couldn't have done this tour without them.
I have driven Berthoud so many times in my car--but you get to know it intimately when you are doing 3 to 4 miles per hour up the pass. I was thankful that the uphill has the two lanes so the many vehicles trying to pass may do so without veering into to the downhill lane. It took me a couple of hours to summit. When I got up there, all this steam was rising from the ground and it was cold. We were told that it had been snowing up there earlier--with some accumulation. It's a good thing I was a slower rider!! I don't think I had my snow tires on! I had some concerns about my brake cable when I had reached the top and wanted that checked out before my descent down the winding pass. We had to wait quite awhile to get service at the top. Jane had to go to the tent to get a place in line and when it was her turn to bring the mechanic to me. He replaced the black outside cable--but he charged for it. Shamano did their work for free (including a free cable) and didn't accept tips. He got the brake fixed and I was anxious to head down the pass. It was a fast downhill--with so many turns I had to keep it under 30. About half way down there was a pretty nice shoulder to ride on so you didn't have to worry about the traffic behind--only other cyclists passing. (however, I did most of the passing on the downhills). Once I rounded the corner of Henderson mine, it was pretty straight downhill. I just let her fly--it was awesome. My gears were working so I could crank harder to gain more speed. I think I got up to 45 MPH on this dowhill. I never even realized it was downhill when I drove it. I made it into Empire and found John and Chris and Al from adaptive. They wanted to meet up and ride into Georgetown together. Rich was still at least an hour behind since he had started back in Grandby.
It was looking cloudier and ready to rain--so we decided to ride the last 5 miles to Georgetown. My crew was already at Georgetown and were going to ride up to meet us to ride in with us. That last 5 miles wasn't downhill. It was some climbing that I wasn't ready for. My muscles had already decided that the ride was over--but it wasn't so I rode on. We all stayed together so we could get a finish line shot. The crowd cheered us as we crossed the finish line--and the rains came. It began to rain pretty hard. I just wanted off the bike. Everyone dispersed very quickly to get out of the rain. There was no celebration after the ride--we just loaded up and headed for home. I didn't even get to thank the Adaptive crew or say goodbye to John. I didn't get to watch Rich come in. Usually, the end is a time to bask in the accomplishment of the tour. You get to see friends and wish them well until next time. It was a great tour this year--just wish we could have enjoyed the finish.
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