I was lacking a bit of inspiration yesterday. Maybe I was tired.
Not today - this was one of my best days of riding and it became one of the toughest.
I covered 66 miles in 8.5 hours. There was 1 big climb which peaked at 9,600 ft.
The first 42 miles was a long push to this pass. The last 22 miles were supposedly downhill to Torrey, Utah.
Things started with an 8am departure from Escalante, after breakfast of course.
Following a gentle bit of climbing we hit what I would describe as a roller coaster for bicycles. It was serious fun. The road weaved and dipped and for good periods was downhill. Of course with uphills as well which were slow.
What made today special was the scenery we passed through. It was so stunning. Big jagged rock faces, huge canyons, crevices, rivers, and smooth road cutting right through it all.
After a lot of fun things got steep and some hard climbing began. We were trying to get to Boulder where lunch was planned. Before that we had to get past some very high grade roads.
It was always encouraging to see people giving thumbs up and waving encouraging hand gestures on the way up. Stopping at any view points was also another time to receive pats on the back and words of encouragement from various people.
No one offered a lift though.
We had been warned about a section of road before Boulder with big drops on either side of the road and no barriers. Word was that it wasn't for the faint hearted.
It wasn't scary though. Traffic was minimal, the weather was perfect and the views were again, bloody unbelievable.
Chris and I continued to ride together but his pace seemed to be slower than me today. I think he had forgotten how to use his higher gears.
I was keen to make good time so didn't bother slowing for him. I knew he would catch up when eating lunch in Boulder.
Halfway through eating my lunch I got a text from him, 1 word saying 'flat'
FLAT I thought!!! That was bloody hilly. What a strange thing to say.
As I was eating my desert the cogs in my brain clicked in and I realised he meant flat - tyre. I was beginning to think even he couldn't be this slow. He texted again at that point and suggested I just carry on.
He had it under control. Who would plan to ride 4000 miles and not have a puncture repair kit and or spare tubes?
Boulder was 28 difficult but fun miles from the beginning. I would describe the next 14 miles to the pass at 9,600 ft only as difficult. It was a relentless climb that seemed to go on forever.
Leaving Boulder was brilliant though. As I was paying the bill a cowboy passed the cafe followed by hundreds of cows and calves. I realised this was going to slow me down a lot, but I was definitely going to enjoy the spectacle.
Cars were already backing up as I joined the road. I slipped alongside them all until I reached the lead car which couldn't push through the throng any faster. We were surrounded.
They were making a right racket mooing all the way through town and beyond. Shitting and pissing everywhere.
I was running the gauntlet again. Waiting to get splattered. My wingman (couple in car next to me) offered to take my picture which was nice of them.
Every now and then I would try and make a small charge to see if I could push my way through. Some scattered but there would always be a big one in the clearing that didn't understand and looked like he was going to run at me instead. So I bided my time but eventually found a gap and a way around.
The majority of cars were stuck for a long time - I was miles down the road before any passed me. Except my wingman who also found a gap fairly quickly.
It was great to finally reach the pass. The ensuing downhill was fast and views good. There were too many small climbs to make it really fun descent though. It became a bit of a struggle after so much climbing beforehand.
On the final approach to Torrey I heard a car coming from behind me and abuse being shouted out of the window. I just caught 'you British bastard, see you in the next town'' and then saw Chris smuggly hanging out the window as it disappeared into the distance.
Jammy bastard.
Not today - this was one of my best days of riding and it became one of the toughest.
I covered 66 miles in 8.5 hours. There was 1 big climb which peaked at 9,600 ft.
The first 42 miles was a long push to this pass. The last 22 miles were supposedly downhill to Torrey, Utah.
Things started with an 8am departure from Escalante, after breakfast of course.
Following a gentle bit of climbing we hit what I would describe as a roller coaster for bicycles. It was serious fun. The road weaved and dipped and for good periods was downhill. Of course with uphills as well which were slow.
What made today special was the scenery we passed through. It was so stunning. Big jagged rock faces, huge canyons, crevices, rivers, and smooth road cutting right through it all.
After a lot of fun things got steep and some hard climbing began. We were trying to get to Boulder where lunch was planned. Before that we had to get past some very high grade roads.
It was always encouraging to see people giving thumbs up and waving encouraging hand gestures on the way up. Stopping at any view points was also another time to receive pats on the back and words of encouragement from various people.
No one offered a lift though.
We had been warned about a section of road before Boulder with big drops on either side of the road and no barriers. Word was that it wasn't for the faint hearted.
It wasn't scary though. Traffic was minimal, the weather was perfect and the views were again, bloody unbelievable.
Chris and I continued to ride together but his pace seemed to be slower than me today. I think he had forgotten how to use his higher gears.
I was keen to make good time so didn't bother slowing for him. I knew he would catch up when eating lunch in Boulder.
Halfway through eating my lunch I got a text from him, 1 word saying 'flat'
FLAT I thought!!! That was bloody hilly. What a strange thing to say.
As I was eating my desert the cogs in my brain clicked in and I realised he meant flat - tyre. I was beginning to think even he couldn't be this slow. He texted again at that point and suggested I just carry on.
He had it under control. Who would plan to ride 4000 miles and not have a puncture repair kit and or spare tubes?
Boulder was 28 difficult but fun miles from the beginning. I would describe the next 14 miles to the pass at 9,600 ft only as difficult. It was a relentless climb that seemed to go on forever.
Leaving Boulder was brilliant though. As I was paying the bill a cowboy passed the cafe followed by hundreds of cows and calves. I realised this was going to slow me down a lot, but I was definitely going to enjoy the spectacle.
Cars were already backing up as I joined the road. I slipped alongside them all until I reached the lead car which couldn't push through the throng any faster. We were surrounded.
They were making a right racket mooing all the way through town and beyond. Shitting and pissing everywhere.
I was running the gauntlet again. Waiting to get splattered. My wingman (couple in car next to me) offered to take my picture which was nice of them.
Every now and then I would try and make a small charge to see if I could push my way through. Some scattered but there would always be a big one in the clearing that didn't understand and looked like he was going to run at me instead. So I bided my time but eventually found a gap and a way around.
The majority of cars were stuck for a long time - I was miles down the road before any passed me. Except my wingman who also found a gap fairly quickly.
It was great to finally reach the pass. The ensuing downhill was fast and views good. There were too many small climbs to make it really fun descent though. It became a bit of a struggle after so much climbing beforehand.
On the final approach to Torrey I heard a car coming from behind me and abuse being shouted out of the window. I just caught 'you British bastard, see you in the next town'' and then saw Chris smuggly hanging out the window as it disappeared into the distance.
Jammy bastard.
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