Well my 4th of July race didn't happen. Part of the reason we signed up for that specific race is because they have a no questions asked refund/cancellation policy. We signed up with about 2 months to train. It rained every day for a month (which is NOT normal here), then we had in-laws in town for a week, the day they left I had a mountain bike crash and it took a couple weeks for the skin to grow back and the scabs to stop bleeding. We were not prepared for a race that hard. I wanted to change it and do the relay (we each do one loop) but my wife wasn't feeling ready for it so we cancelled and got a refund.
Since our calendar opened up for the 4th of July my wife and I decided we'd spend the day getting high.
We road single track on the Colorado Trail from the top of the Kenosha Pass up through the Pike National Forest until we got above tree line. We topped out at the 12,000 foot summit where the Colorado Trail meets the Georgia Pass. Then we took the Jefferson Trail back down. The temp was in the 90's at home and we got to play in the snow in the high country. It was hot and sunny, and cold and windy, there were stream crossings, snow fields, and it was hard to breath. The trail wasn't overly technical or overly steep but the combination of the two that made it a hard ride, then you add in the altitude and it ended one of, if not the most, physically demanding rides I've ever done. For only being a 23 mile ride with 3,800 feet of elevation gain I was completely wiped. I didn't eat as much as I should have and I was hurting pretty bad and starting to bonk around mile 20. It probably didn't help that I was physically hurting after an incident with a tree. A random branch poked straight into one of the vents on my helmet and the chin strap grabbed me around the throat. I was brought to a dead stop by my head. I can't say that has ever happened to me before, luckily it was on a climb so I wasn't going all that fast but I felt that one in my neck and upper back none the less. Overall it was a pretty epic ride
Tearing through the Aspens.
The first preview of whats to come.
The trees are starting to get thin, so is the air.
First sign of snow.
My Devinci cooling off in the snow while I took in the view.
Above the tree line.
Trying to catch our breath while taking in the views and grabbing a bite to eat, it was cold up there and the air was thin.
Back down into the forest.