Fred gets ready to fire up the turbo out in SanFran, California. Congrats on great results!!
Team Xtreme,

We've been back almost a week now and I'm finally getting an email to you about the National Senior Olympic Games in the San Francisco bay area that several of you have been asking about. The Games are held every other year by a new host city. We got a new ISP at home which was just activated the other day and I've been busy getting caught up at the office, so here are the results.

It was a long three day drive to San Mateo. No option to fly with 2 bikes and lots of wheelsets. One of the race officials had previously told me in an email to "rest assured, it never rains here this time of year". The morning of the first road race (20K) stated with light rain. but it mostly dried up by race start. All 4 races were held on the same 6-mile course which was closed to traffic and consisted on some nice rollers, some long and but not overly steep. IMHO, the courses were not challenging enough to break up the large pack until the VERY END where the course climbed nearly 200-ft in less than a 1/2 mile. I predicted that there would be crashes at the base of the hill after a fast downhill just before a sharp left hand turn up the start of the big S-bend hill. Everyone, especially the sprinters, were trying to be the first into the turn. About 10 riders were ahead of me when a crash occurred on my far right. It became a slugfest of lactic acid and I finished 5th overall, barely catching the 4th place rider at the line by inches. The winner was from Washington state.

The 40K RR the next day was pretty much the same, except it was much more spirited. They started the 50-54 pack 1-min ahead of us, and as we came down the big-s-bend downhill in a neutral rollout, and then turned right onto the course, we had to stop. There was already a nasty crash in the 50-54 race. Three riders were down and 1 had to exit the race. Once we restarted, the attacks began. I threw in a few attacks myself, and chased down everything that broke. There was one attack that we all rested from, when two riders snuck off the front. They didn't attack, they just slowly rode off the front. Nobody reacted, and next thing they had a nice gap. Found out later that one of the lead riders in our group, who had won the 20K, was essentially "blocking" for another Washington rider in the breakaway. Although I make several concerted efforts with other riders to reel them in, there was not enough sustained effort to catch them. The majority of riders just sucked wheel. Despite the pace, virtually the entire pack remained intact. So I rode hard down the final downhill, and was the first rider in the pack to make the turn at the base of the climb. Several riders passed me but I was able to pass a few and finished 5th again - another "podium finish".

Two days rest, then the 5K and 10K TT's were held on the same course - 5K in the AM, 10K in the early PM. They had hired a professional co. to score the races. They used a nice start ramp and riders were required to fasten transponders to their front wheel for all 4 races for "instant and accurate timing and results". Well, officials didn't know that the city had recently installed wires under the road which messed up the timing devices so they had to score it manually. They were accurate, but we were not provided the results of the 5K until AFTER the 10K was completed!

I ended up with the Silver medal in the 5K, riding a 6:52 at an average pace of 27.1 MPH. When I swept all 4 events with Gold 2 years ago in Louisville, KY, I had set a new 55+ age-group distance record then with a 7:11, so although I bettered my time by 0:19, I got beat by 9 secs this year. The good news was that I had beat the Washington St guy (who had won the 20K RR) by LESS than a second! Scott Sifferman from Missouri won the Gold. Fourth place was just 3 secs back, and 5th was 10 secs back.

Then things really started to heat up. Temps reached 95-100. The winds calmed and there was an air inversion where the air quality turns bad. Riders were hacking and getting dehydrated. Plus the waiting around for hours in the heat for the results was not helping. The 10K started as scheduled. Had I known the results of the 5K I might have changed wheels. But I finished 3rd in the 10K (14:28) with Bronze, getting beat out of Silver by just 1 sec by the Washington guy who I had beat out in the 5K. Scott won the Gold again. The 4th place rider behind me was just 2 secs back (he had placed 2nd in the 40K breakaway), and 5th place was just 3 secs back! Overall for all riders 50+, I had finished 4th in the 5K and 5th in the 10K. It was also amazing to see the winners of both of the 60+ and 65+ age groups ride sub 15:00 in the 10K TT.

In general, the competition was very keen. The only guys that rode better than I were essentially the new 55 year olds that were new to the age group. The NSGA put on a nice BBQ the evening of the last event. Other Omaha riders included Team Kaos riders Suzanne Wilson (2 podium finishes), Gary Schmidt (2 - 8th places), and Doug Semisch and Steve Kramer. Jody and I spent the next 3 days hiking in Yosemite where temps hit 98 in the Valley. Six days of driving round-trip was a bit much, but a great experience overall.

- Fred Galata

Crits and Bits

Pic: Pedro votes two thumbs up for TT review.

Day 3 recap: For some odd reason, the Men's 45+ Cat 4 omnium was based only on the road race and TT events, not the crit too. Ahh, that's sad.....NOT. You know how I hate crits. So, I finished the omnium in third place based on my 1st place TT and 9th place RR. Cashed in some more hardware (3rd place bronze medal for overall...real cool) and a big ass jar of GU2 powder for swag.

The Crit: I told myself the goal was to finish and NOT WRECK, since the crit didn't count towards anything omnium-wise and it was unlikely I would compete for 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the crit. I finished 18th out of 27, but the race was marred with accidents. Two unlucky souls got carted off on stretchers into the ambulance and straight to the hospital. Do not pass GO and do not collect Primes. Poor guys. The previous race also had a junior wipe out in the same exact location and fracture her clavicle...sound familiar Speed Queen??

So, great weekend of racing. Lots of hardware and swag. Lots of props from the Colorado riders for a flatlander coming in and ruling the TT. Heard some guys behind me in the neutral RR rollout say "some dude from Nebraska won the TT. We Googled him last night." Guess they were worried about me in the RR too.

Sitting in Estes Park drinking coffee at Long' Peak Coffee Haus. Gonna do Trail Ridge Road tomorrow for FUN! (12,189 ft.). See ya back in the 'hood soon! Adios!

Road Raced and Roasted

Pic: Dad is greeted post-road race by his feed zone pit crew...Millie and Monie

Quick recap: El Guapo rode in the State Games of America road race today in Salida. Had about 20 guys in my 45+, Cat 4 group. We started a minute behind the 40 rider strong 35+, Cat 4 group. It was torcherous. Super hot and sunny. The 12 miles loop was a killer. Long, long ascent up 10% grades. Once over the top, screaming descent, hitting 50mph+ routinely.

I ended up 9th out of twenty. Not sure yet of my omnium position. Hope to hold onto 3rd. The guy who finished 3rd in TT finished 2nd in road race. I'll know tomorrow morning after crit.

I let the mountain goats go once we hit the first ascent. Dudes were about 150 lbs soaking wet and could climb like ivy. I might have finished a little higher, but ended up overshooting a corner at high speed and went down in ditch. No broken bones, but took a minute to shake the cobwebs.

Felt stronger each lap. Had to go up the beastly grades 4 times. Not to disappointed with finish really. Dined on a lot of the 35+ riders. Cramped a little on the last lap, but commanded my gray cells to override pain signals from right leg.

Had Millie and Simone handing me water bottles at feed zones. They were decked out in their Tony Tiger kit. People thought they were sweet. They usually are.

Didn't sleep a stinkin wink last night, period. The extra burden of wearing the mellow johnny, I guess. Hopefully sleep will arrive tonite via Dead-Ex. That's what my body feels like now. Yea, tho I cycle thru the mountains of death, I shall fear no evil, for I love the pain. I was built to process pain. Pain is my life. Ciao.

Riding High!

Pic: El Guapo in O2 debt post-TT, but manages to pose with his trusty $675 Cervelo warhorse.

OK Velocistas,

Ever been gasping for air so much the back of your throat is raw? That's what I felt yesterday at the end of the State Games of America time trial. But, great news. El Guapo diesels in for the TT win in my category. Holy jumping jelly beans! Great Horny Toads! Exceeded my expectations. I had hoped for a podium.

Let's recap. Simone and I came out a week early. I test rode the rather short TT course last Saturday. It starts off with a quick descent and several S turns, then straightens out into a false flat up to the turn around point. The return is quicker as you speed down the false flat and the S turns, but the ascent to the finish is the killer.

The race:

Prior to race, I noticed that they had me in with the Cats 1, 2, and 3 45+ racers. There was a Cat 4, 45+ division that I should have been in. Consulted with the race directors and referees. They said go ahead and race with the 1, 2 and 3s, and they would switch me over to Cat 4 at race end. So picture me warming up with all these super fast, savvy, thin-air breathing dudes from Colorado and other states.

I just barely got to the start gate on time. I was #153. (saved this for the scrapbook). Saw #154 of the fellow following me waiting at the gate. Got in front of him, then they held my bike while I clipped in. Had trouble again with booties, but got locked in with 15 seconds to go. They launched new riders every 30 seconds. Screamed out of the starting blocks like a kamikaze pilot about to detonate against an aircraft carrier.

Strangely un-nervous about the whole affair. I had checked out my rabbit (#152) while warming up. He was decked out in beautiful Team Evergreen kit, and had rippling calf muscles. Obviously used to racing at altitude, which was above 7,200 feet in Salida. After the first descent and turns, I had closed about 10 seconds on him. Held this up the false flat as we labored to turn around point. I was downshifting all the way up this flat and had just run out of gears and gas at the turn around. Noticed the fella behind me had not gained on me, so that was great. Locked my rabbit into the cross-hairs and matched his descent. Didn't hit the brakes at all during S curves, then gained good time on him on the uphill ascent to finish. Not much screaming at finish, rather looked like fish on the beach gasping for oxygen. Held high 170s heart beats/minute during whole affair.

Simone, Millie and CK were located as soon as vision came back around. Sucked down a tepid Diet Coke, then could start talking again. Told Simone I closed gap on my rabbit and didn't get passed, so that boded well. We met down at Alpine Park waiting for results. Like most races, results ran late getting posted, so we went to motel and cleaned up. Returned later to park. Millie and I dropped down to grass and said little prayer prior to approaching trailer where results were posted. Then crossed our fingers (not superstitious at all) and went to see.

Smoked it! Finished in 17:27. Beat second place fella by almost a full minute. Would have placed 4th in the Cat 1,2, 3 race. Waiting for "official results" sometime today, but no one protested the finishing list.

I was happy as a clam. This had been the focal point of season. Thanks to everyone who helped me; teammates at Velo, John the Carpenter for covering spin classes for me, training partners for cycling and running. Life is good right now. I didn't sleep a wink last night. Body temp was elevated as were endorphins.

Back in the saddle soon for the 48 mile road race, complete with 50+mph descents. Leading the omnium results right now. Hope to hold my spot and finish high up in the omnium. Check back later for more! Ohhh, unbeeevaable!

"...let's start from the very beginning..."

If you can't smile going uphill , in a headwind, with a broken clavicle, "..than you ain't no friend of mine...". The Top Songs on the 1st ride after 7 weeks of domestic boredom-if you got rhythm: 5) Low Rider, 4) Dance to the Music (esp. the Da-Da-da -Bump bump part, repeatedly), 3) I'm All Shook Up, 2) Walk This Way, 1) your choice. Things were sensing my injury and weakness: *pretty butterflies would not get out of my way, *turkey buzzards moving in quick, *double -take looks by cyclists glaring at my E-Rock jersey with doubt. Despite this, I gave thankful smiles to all who shared my path. Like pistons my legs were pumping again. Like a predator in pursuit of its prey. RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE! The trail bridges rattled me a bit, but I held on loosely and faired pretty good. That's when the song "All Shook Up" played into mind. Passed a truck parked in a back lot that asked "Got Junk?"printed in big bold letters on the side. I took that as a personal insult and went faster. I asked permission from my right clavicle ( okay that's strange, but it works) if I could try and put full weight on my wrist. She said "Oh yes, please do". I asked her if I could go down in the drops for awhile. Again, she she said, "Well, yeah, you know you and I both won't know till you try". I then asked if I could at least, just once, rip it and go all out...she interupted me at "rip it", and said "Listen y0u m*$#%@whatthe*@*#do you think you're doing here if...!" That was the nicest thing my clavicle said to me in 7 weeks. So I shut up and let her rip. The weeds and familiar Bellevue stench was never so sweet. It felt so good to get my groove on and ride (my) bump baby. Was even great to get passed by others. However, succumbing to nice folk took a toll on Miss Clavicle; she said to knock it off, and let the burn penetrate till you make a change, and turn things around in your favor. It wasn't Colorado, but it was a start..."Who Do You Love?...."

Bike Salmon

Check out this post on a blog about following the law as a cyclist.

RAGBRAI report

Ragbrai reward: picture of little 6 yr old Velo chickadee Camille (Millie) Duryea with a Turkey Tom's drumstick. This is what RAGBRAI is all about. Fun stops and visiting with every type of bike rider. Millie was riding stoker to El Guapo on her tag-along. I thought she would bail out about half-way at Corning, 36 miles in. But she's a trooper and wasn't about to miss out on the whole trek.

So, along with some St. Cecilia's friends (Maddie and Dan), fellow junior Veloer Zach Lau, sister Simone and captain Dad, we all hustled in the entire 74 miles. Amazing.

Next picture is of the crew chomping down on some delish watermelon.

Also spotted was Veloer Todd Eyberg and his parents. Never found Veloer Jackie W or Veloer Betty C and her posse.

Cornhusker State Games

Great day for the club-1 bronze and 4 gold medals. Pete Duryea won the Men's cat 4 (fourth fastest time of the day!), Fred Galata won the Men's 55+ (third fastest time of the day!), Zach Lau won the Junior Men's 13-15, I won the Men's 45-54, and Jackie Wethor was 3rd in the Women's cat 4. John Dean finished 6th in the Men's 55+ (Merckx style-no aero equipment). Strangely, Jackie and I both had higher average speeds over the 24 miles than last week's 10 mile TT.

On a personal note, I have to thank Jackie for fixing my position, at least within the limits of the equipment I have (need to address that). One of my goals as a cyclist was to do something equivalent to a sub 1-hour 40 km TT. I averaged 41 kmh for 38.6 km, so I think I can check that one off.

The Main Event

Day 5: Preparation T

Pictures: Troy and Steve do pre-Triple ride to Jamestown. Troy 1/6 of the way done at top of Squaw Pass. Pete, Troy and Todd sport the stripes at 1st break area. Pete and Troy celebrate the successful ascent up Loveland.

Friday was our meeting and shuttling vehicle day. Troy, Steve and El Guapo connect at the local cyclist’s fav coffee shop Amante’s. It also happened to be first mountain day of the Tour, so we reveled in the Versus coverage. Amante’s was chuck full of cycle fans.

After the exciting finish, we sally forth for a quick “get acclimated” ride for Troy. Head north of Boulder and veer off into mountains on Left Hand Road. We complete a circuit back to the coffee shop that included Lee Hill Road and a huge descent. I actually record the speediest descent of the week here, just nudging past 50 mph. Not to worry, I’ll have other chances to break my personal best (or worst, if you’re a worrier) time of 55.3 mph.

After lunch, all three of us drive separately to Avon, where we drop Steve’s pickup and Troy’s SUV. Then back to Boulder. Troy and Pete chow down on the perfect pre-120 mile ride fuel….Indian food. We prep the Jeep for the early morning journey to the start line by attaching our two-wheeled sleds and all the gear we would need that evening. Early start anticipated.

Day 6: The Main Event

Up at 3:09 AM, decide that an extra 45 minute of sleep was OK. Promptly dreamed that Troy and I overslept. Woke with a start and leaped out of bed at 3:51. Like good Scouts, we’re prepared, so all we have to do is nuke ourselves with industrial strength java and inhale donuts. Just as we get the Jeep on the main drag, we found a Volvo XC 70 with a road bike stapled to the back. Use Sherlock-like deductive powers and conclude this crazy was heading to the same place as us. No other whackos out at 4 AM ‘cept us loons. Arrive at Evergreen. We luck out. Spot semi-legal parking spot open. Doe-eye the volunteer guarding entrance to parking lot. She swoons and lets us pass. Complete the obligatory pre-ride rituals of sunscreen, gear check and port-a-potty visit.

Official start time of 5:55. Up, up and away thru the goons at the wristband check on the way to Juniper pass. Troy is so excited, but that soon passes. Eventually I hear a "what have you got me into" statement. Anyway, we slog our way the 20+ miles to first break station. Spot Betty and her posse, as well as teammate Todd striped out in his Velo gear, along with his pops, Terry.

Ready for 1st descent. Betty launches first, followed by her crazy 88s. Troy and I bomb the downhill shortly thereafter. Right in front of us, we witness a sweet sliding wipeout into guard rail after some dude’s tire blows on the corner. I bark the mandatory “are you OK?” on the way by at 40 mph, but never heard the response so figure that means I don’t have to stop. Surely some good Samaritan behind me actually stops and helps. Dude didn’t even have time to bleed by the time I was on him.

My primary mission is to find and flame the hard charging Betty. Eventually, I spot her in the purple HHH jersey. Superior body mass and Eurus wheels rule the day and I torch her on the right side at about 45 mph. We all know Campy rules, right Betty? That and superior body mass, so mix in a buffet or two.

We regroup at Ranger station in Idaho Springs. Start the group Bataan death march from Idaho to Loveland, including 6 miles on I-70 shoulder. Chow down on PB & J fuel at Loveland ski area. Now the fun begins with Loveland ascent. I take no prisoners and scream up the slope at a steady 9.5 mph, with a leech sticking on my rear wheel. I couldn’t shake him, but he compliments me for a “great pull” as we reach the summit. Break out the cold weather gear and settle in for a while until Troy summits. We do the obligatory photo ops at the 11, 990 sign. Then hurtle down the sweet descent to Copper.

Now the weather turns to crud. Spit, spat and sput on us the whole way up to Vail Pass. We earn the jersey the hard way, but freezing our buns off on final 1/3 of ride. No drafting unless you wanna choke on lead rider’s rear wheel turkey tail of road grime and goo. Power in to finish line to cheering throngs.

Congrats to Troy for nutting up and finishing under Xtreme duress. Troy goes his own way and I hitch ride back to Evergreen with Steve and Chuck. Figure this is my last hurrah swan song for the Triple. Don’t anyone ask me to go next year! Got other nasty rides to try. Can you say California’s Death Ride? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Omaha Cycling Weekend

Interesting weekend for the team. I'm just trashed right now-three race in two days will do that to you.

The team had some good results this weekend. Jackie (without the broken collarbone), Fred, Andy, and myself competed. Jackie finished 6th in the cat 4 women's TT. Fred finished on the podium in the cat 3 time trial, only 1 second out of 2nd (first in 50+). The Ageless One averaged 26.7 mph over the 10 mile course. I ended up 8th overall out of 39 riders in cat 4 (2nd in 40-49) with an average speed of 25.4 mph. It was a difficult TT course, with 6 turns, lots of little rollers, so that you could not get a full head of steam going before you had to slow up or change gears.

The crits on Saturday night were tough. In the cat 4, there were 40 riders on a tight course. After a lousy start (my signature move) it took me 15 minutes to get to the front 10 or so. Speeds were high, and the morning TT didn't help. On the last lap, some doofus from MCC sat up at a critical junction and I got gapped by the front 7. I busted a bun getting back, but on that course it's too late if you're not on the front on the descent. Rich Pearson pipped me at the line, so I was 9th (3rd in 40-49).

Fred and Andy raced the 3's crit. Fred had a mechanical problem at the start and ended up 10 seconds back almost instantly. With the hot pace, it was impossible to get back on. Andy stayed on for quite a while, but fast pace took its toll. They ended up racing in with Troy Krause from Lincoln Industries.

The road race was another extremely fast affair. The 3's were combined with the 1-2 race, and Fred and Andy reported that it was brutal. Officials called the race after 50 miles because of threatening weather. Both finished in the money-Andy claiming the 8th place prize in the cat 3 race, and Fred was 2nd in the 50+ cat 3s.

My cat 4 race had 40 racers on the narrow roads of the course, but we miraculously had few crashes. The was a lot of sketchy riding in the back, so I stayed up front for 85% of the race. Tried to get into some breaks, but as is usual in cat 4, nothing was allowed to get away. We went the full 50 miles. I positioned myself in the front three for the final lap and stayed there until 400 meters to go, where better sprinters came around me and I ended up 8th (again), but won the 40-49, and thus won the 40-49 omnium prize for all three races. Very fast race, even with the winds.

Capturing the Flag

Trip Report: Day 4

Capturing the Flag

Pix of massive steep ascent of Flag, great fun on way down. Also, kids learning to climb.

OK. My nemesis. I had tried Flagstaff Mt. about two summers ago. It thrashed me. Had to stop twice on the way up to rest. I was beaten like a rented mule. In my defense, I had underestimated it and overestimated my endurance.

Two years ago, I had come out early for a business trip. I knocked off Cottonwood Pass, then the next day went up and over Independence Pass to Aspen, lunched, came back. The following day I climbed three 14’ers, including Mt. Lincoln to knock off the last of the top 10 14’ers in Colorado, another goal. Then went to business conference in Denver and bombed around MUT trails for two days. On Thursday, my buddy Chris (from D.C.) and I did Lookout Mt. I got up early and figured I’d hit Flagstaff on the way out of town. No breakfast. You know the rest of the story.

Today I didn’t underestimate it. I ate fruit for breakfast down at the Lazy Dog as I watched the Tour on TV. I drove up to the start at Baseline Street and parked the Jeep in the Colorado Chautauqua Gardens. Stretched. Gu’ed. Took off in lowest possible gear, spinning away. I conserved energy by soft pedaling on parts I felt I could really speed on. The first part is beautiful as you look out over Boulder as you ascend. Finally, I got to the 15% grade that ruled me earlier. It was work, but I chugged right up. There was one other brutal part, but I tamed it too. The goal was to do it without putting foot on ground. Done.

I was apprehensive about this climb, but can now mark it off of the bucket list. After slumming around Pearl Street and the bike shops there, I ended up joining an evening club ride with the Boulder Bicycle Club. It was advertised as 13-16 mph, no drop ride. Perfect, as I wanted to just spin. It turned into a hammerfest, as things usually do. I represented the low-landers well as we journeyed up to scenic Jamestown on Left Hand Canyon road. On the descent back to Boulder, I hit 50 mph on one stretch.

Currently sitting in Amante’s coffee shop in north Boulder, watching the first mountain stage of the Tour. Waiting for Troy and Steve to show. We’re gonna do a quick ride, shuttle vehicles to Avon, maybe connect with Betty and her posse at Tony Rigatoni’s. Then get ready for the main event tomorrow…..the Triple Bypass! Are you ready to rumble??

Day 3: Red Mountain Pass

Found a remote place to sleep last night. Tried finding somewhere in National Forest access, but failed. Didn’t pitch a tent. Went Bobke style and just slept in back of Jeep as daylight was dwindling fast.

Prior to that, I tried to find Internet access in Ouray. Struck out. Hard to fathom. I did watch some of the Team Time Trial on Versus at the local Irish pub. Astana was just launching when I bailed out in search of a campsite.

Got up early, drove into downtown Ouray. Left around 630 AM to try and beat traffic to the top, since I was going to be riding on the right side of road next to sheer drop-offs. What a great climb! Not as steep, but scarier and more twisties. Highly recommend!

Got to top of 11,000+ ft pass. Screamed down the other side on beautiful pavement with hardly any need for braking. Hit 44 mph, being conservative. Pedaled into downtown Silverton and found the local organic coffee shop. Visited with locals, including people who were very eccentric.

Hit the road back to the top of Red Mt Pass. Not as long or steep on the south side. Met up with a new acquaintance, Brian, at top. What a coincidence. I met him on top of Slumgullion two days earlier. Small world.

Now the fun part, hurtling down hill on all those 10 and 15 mph switchbacks. Dominated the cars and RVs. Took beaucoup pix, including one that I hope shows how crazy the ascent was earlier in the day. Look at that drop-off. This descent back to Ouray is what Colorado is all about. Fantastic! If you ever have a chance to do Red Mt. Pass, you must. As the Cycling Colorado book says, this is the best pass two wheels will ever touch. Agree!!!

So far, I rate Red Mt. one for fun. Slumgullion one for solitude and steepness. Wolf’s Creek #1 for popularity. Back in Boulder now. Tomorrow, Flagstaff Mt and its 15% pitch. It humbled me a couple of years ago, but I’m back nastier than ever. Prepare to meet your maker, winner take all!

Day 2: Slumgullion and Spring Passes

Popped up at the crack of dawn. Camped at Nellie Creek where the trailhead for Uncompaghre mountain is. Simone and I flamed out here about 5 years ago in our 4matic Mercedes. We climbed Uncompaghre, but left the Mercedes. Big $$ fiasco.

Broke camp and headed down to Lake City. Found a coffee shop, Mean Jean’s, that was open at 630 AM. And free wireless to boot. Headed up towards Slumgullion around 730. This baby was steep. I know certain parts of it were 9-10%, and it was 7% overall. Labored up to the top without stopping, naturally. I’ll put a foot down only if I CRACK. So far, only one mountain has bested me….Flagstaff.

Crested the Slum and descended cautiously towards the valley in between Slum and Spring. Crested Spring and went down the other side. My turn around point was the magnificent North Clear Creek Falls. This is the waterfall that they used in the old Coors commercials. I munched on my 3 day old Paneras bagel.

On the way out, met a mountain biking hottie named Mary. She was vacationing, but training for an upcoming half-Ironman in Michigan. Headed back up Spring. Saw a cattle grate, so I dismounted and walked over. Here came a roadie flying down the pass, so I waited. Dude was on a Medici. Yakked for a while, since the weather and ride was AA+++.

Stormed up Spring and sped over to the beginning of Slum. Once on top, I was thrilled. Only the twisty, narrow descent to Lake City remained for me to knock of the 2nd of my 3 main goals for the week. Flashed into Lake City around noon. Woo-hoo!

Soaked my sore ankle in the icy cold river. Then snarfed some nasty pizza at Poker Alice again. Decided to take the 4wd road over Cinnamon Pass to Silverton, rather than pavement. This was the scariest, nastiest road I’ve ever been on. Massive drop-offs. I was white-knuckling the steering wheel. It would have been faster to go around the long way on pavement, but I’ll never forget this beautiful, scary ride over 12,640 ft. Cinnamon Pass.

Finally got back to pavement. Got out and kissed it. Hurried thru Silverton and headed north to Ouray, over tomorrow’s 3rd leg; Red Mountain Pass. Aiyyeeeee! Narrow, scary, madness. But I’m going to dominate it tomorrow. That or I’ll be swept out into the abyss by a 18 wheeler. You would not believe the sheer drop-offs on this ride. No shoulders, no railings. Living on the edge, brother. More switchbacks then the Alp de Huez. Ouray to Silverton and back. Stay tuned for hair-raising tales of horror on tomorrow’s report. You heard it first hear, on the QT and hush-hush. OUT.

Trip report:

Blasted out of the Big O around 7 AM. Armed with bagels, bananas, diet cherry Coke. Traveling light with duffel bag full of lycra, especially every piece of orange/blue Xtreme Wheels/Velo gear that I owned.

Minimal pit stops on the way. One Starbucks induced pit stop, one Taco Bell hit. Made great time till skidding to construction stop on I-25 at Walsenburg. Argggghhh. Wasted a good 45 minutes there, bumper to bumper.

Power slid into South Fork, CO, at 700 PM. Threw down the North Face up in National Park access area. Skeeters dined on my tasty low-land flesh while erecting the tent, but I zipped in and thumbed my prodigious beak at them. Broke out my new $7.50 Lance “Its not about the Bike” book and read till dark.

Rousted my buns at the crack of dawn. Donned the revered stripes and broke camp. Found a wi-fi café to check e-mail and snarfed two gut-bomb pancakes. With coffee, walked out $6 poorer.

Launced the ‘Nello from South Fork visitor’s center around 730 AM. Pointed it SW towards the Wolf and Pagosa Springs. Went out overdressed and soon peeled off leg warmers, arm warmers, stocking hat cuz the steep ascent was broiling me like a orange snapper. Stormed up the 7% grades at a steady 7.5mph. Gauged effort by heart rate monitor; mostly 140’s. Soon sat atop the Wolf at 10,850. Bartered with overweight RV’er to swap picture taking. Even negotiated a free bottle of water out of the deal. Threw back on my arm warmers and hit the descent towards Pagosa.

Stopped after road leveled out at Treasure Falls. Decided to get my arse back to South Fork as skies looked ominous. The SW ascent back to the Wolf was much harder. Held a steady 150-156 heart rate on way up. Relentless grade. Stood briefly on pedals about every two minutes to give my ample derriere a break. Back on top without stopping. By this time of day all the RV’ers were at top. They marveled that I could do this, while choking down their coffin nails in between pix. Inhaled the last of my day-old Panera’s cinnamon bagels. Screamed down towards South Fork, all the while seeing a huge black weather wall down in the valley.

Scariest part was hurtling through one of two tunnels. Jeep behind me was leaning on the horn all the way through. Didn’t even have time to give him the one-finger salute as I was doing about 40 mph. Bright light, to dark tunnel, to bright light at 40 caused me to have white-knuckle death grip on the bars.

Ran out of luck about 5 miles out of South Fork. Started pelting rain, so I bailed to nearest covered front porch of the Moon Valley campground office. Sat in there for about 1.5 hours. It hailed for about 20 minutes too. Finally limped the last 5 miles into town and the shelter of the Jeep. Changed in visitor’s center to dry gear. Rinsed off the bike. Threw it in the back of Jeep and blazed a trail toward’s Creede, Spring Pass and Slumgullion Pass, then down into Lake City. Visited with randoneur at top of Slumgullion. This pass down into Lake City looks intimidating. Book says 9% grades and I believe it. Can’t wait for the fun and suffering to resume tomorrow AM. Splurging on $4 white chocolate mocha at the Mocha Moose. No wi-fi, but hammering out trip report while sipping coffee in the mountains ain’t all bad. Gotta grab some pizza, then head west to a campground I know off for the night. Stay tuned for update after tomorrow’s grand adventure!

First pic is at the top of the Wolf early in AM. 2nd pic is back on the top later in day. Note much more traffic.

Pete and Betty roll up the last grueling 1.5 mile, 12% slog to the finish line. 7 PM. There was much revelry to follow, as both bikers were experiencing the post-ride endorphin high from making the cut. The last 26 miles was a conglomeration of encouraging words, bad jokes (the Captain's Log), badly botched singing by El Guapo, movie one-liners (Oh, Behave...at the top of the descents) and team work. Betty, my hat is off to you! What's next? Oh, I remember, we're doing the Triple again in 3 weeks....12o miles, one day, three mountain passes....NO PROBLEMO!

El Guapo

HHH 4th and so forth

Here's a happy face, and we're not even done yet. This is our final sag stop at mile 102. We've still got 26 miles to go for a grand total of 128. Talk about representing the Xtreme/Velo colors proudly. I believe Betty was rejecting my idea to squirt her water bottle over her head again. How can you be smiling this deep into a sufferfest! I asked, she said: Pain is temporary, glory lasts forever!

Betty and I both believe you can't wear the HHH jersey until after you earn it. We both proudly wear it now. It goes right up there next to the Triple Bypass 2006 jersey. Not quite as bad as the freezing, sleeting miserable 06 Triple ride, but a close second.

HHH Take 3!

Ok, guys, be honest. Is there anything cooler than a biker chick dominating the men on a steep incline, let alone standing on the pedals out of the saddle? Here is Betty Bopper dancing on the pedals up a super steep climb. Click on the photo to enlarge. You'll notice Betty pretending to be suffering at my request. She started together at the bottom with those dudes trailing and caught the one and only loser, err rider, on a recumbent. I was amazed by her strength and tenacity, and I'm not easy to impress. We need to slam her on a bike in Women's Cat 4 and turn loose the terror!

HHH Part Deux!

(continued)

After Bill stops at 70 miles, it's down to Betty and Pete riding the rest of the way together. Here's a pic of the noble steeds taking a break. Kind of a sexy pic, eh? Betty's sinfully light custom Serotta titanium bike weighs in at a paltry 16 lbs. It's nestled up to Pete's Pinarello F3:13 carbon climbing monster. This bike is a billy goat, now if I could just muster some legs to do it justice.

Horribly Hilly Hundreds

Velo Velocistas Pete (El Guapo) and Betty "Crash" Cook conquered the endurance ride last Saturday called the Horribly Hilly Hundreds. It's billed as the toughest one day ride in the Midwest.

The ride is up in SW Wisconsin, about 30 miles west of Madison at Blue Mounds State Park. This stinking ride sold out in a record 14 minutes this year. That for 1000 slots. They saved 300 slots for a random drawing later, so the ride had 1300 total.

Betty, Bill (the Mad Downhill Bomber) Medcalf and El Guapo started the beastly ride around 630 AM. Right off the bat there was an ascent of 1.5 miles up Blue Mounds State Park road, which is a steady 12%. The weather was outstanding, if a little hot. The ride claims 45 hills to climb, most of which range between 10-15%. There was plenty of suffering taking place.

Bill rode hard and completed the 100K plus another 7 miles for a total of 70. He and Betty took turns firing past me in their full tuck position on the downhills, as I waited down at the bottom of many hills. Somehow, I was elected team photographer. Betty was easy to spot in her Tony-the-Tiger Velo gear, but Bill opted for the ubiquitous red and black UNMC gear, which was hard to pick out.

Above is a great photo of Betty's hiney with Bill drafting closely behind the behind (pardon the bun):

Here is El Guapo's artistic shot of the day, catching Bill and Betty cresting a beastly hill at the end of Stage 2. Pinarello's deserve some camera time, as we all know that Campy Rules! (Right Betty?)