143 miles (7000 ft climbing), 11:30 hours 15.5mph
Today started with a fast descent from Ouray down to the “plains” before heading over to our “bump for the day”. A single ~30mile climb up to 11,000ft en route to Grand Junction.
We made good time to the first sag stop (averaging 22+mph) and then shed some layers before heading on at a more controlled pace to the start of our climb. That said Greg was crushing it on the County, Town and River sign sprints which somehow we’ve gotten caught up in going for. At least with 3 of us you always podium.
The climb went on for a long time and started in 100F heat again. Fortunately it got cooler as we got up to the snow level and there were some stunning half frozen lakes to see as we got higher. Thunder storms were threatening around us and we just got to the top before some serious wind gust came along (nearly taking off the canopy on the lunch truck while we huddled inside it).
Once it died down a little we started the descent. I hung back a bit as the pavement was a bit dodgy and there was a serious cattle guard in bad condition near the top that wasn’t much fun going over. We regrouped at the bottom and rode down a great river canyon to the next sag. The wind was really picking up by now and some serious gusts were catching us. We reached the sag stop at the bottom to find that it had been destroyed by the last major gust (table with food picked up and blown into the side area).
We were just about to start a 5 mile highway stretch with a narrow shoulder and raging river on the other side of the barrier and Susan determined that it was unsafe to ride in the current wind conditions and shuttled us past it before we got back on our bikes and rode the last 14 miles in. The right call in the conditions. As it was a safety ruling Bob and my “elite” status of riding every mile is still intact.
Reached Grand Junction in time for a proper dinner. Hopefully will get a better night’s sleep tonight as it’s been touch sleeping at the higher altitudes of our last overnight stops. Tomorrow we head to Vernal.
