Numbers Game...

First, all the pictures and videos that you could ever want to see of my recent cycling trip to Colorado are HERE in slideshow format.

Second, I love me some numbers.

2009 Bicycle Tour of Colorado Stats:

-553.17 miles (6 days of riding)
-35:24:46 Saddle Time
-15.6 mph average speed with a 49.4 mph max
-132 bpm average HR with a 197 bpm max
-81 rpm for the average cadence
-33,285 feet climbed


Cottonwood Pass

--13.54 miles of dirt road to the top
--2,730 feet climbed on that dirt road
--9.4 mph average
--148 bpm average with 160 bpm max
--79 rpm average cadence
--12,126 feet above sea level

Independence Pass

--17.1 miles of climbing
--3,015 feet climbed (During the 17.1 miles)
--10.5 mph average
--136 bpm average with 156 bpm max
--79 rpm average cadence
--12,095 feet above sea level

My June

--880 miles
--53:41:33 saddle time
--Memories that will last a lifetime

We are still posting pics and ride reports for the trip over at our BTC Blog. Link, "Getting High" is to your right.

Independence Pass

Independence Pass - BTC 2009 Day 7
Originally uploaded by aham23

Early in the climb to 12,000 feet. This is the last day of the 2009 Bicycle Tour of Colorado. The legs already had 450 miles in them. This day was just average 103 mile ride.

Team Flatlanders Is Back!

What a fantastic cycling adventure. The 2009 Bicycle Tour of Colorado was of the charts enjoyable. It is a cycling memory that I will never, EVER, forget. I rode my bike up and over two of the biggest passes Colorado has to offer. AND I did it well.

I have plenty of pictures and videos to share, but just need time to sort through them all. Stay tuned to the official BTC blog we started for those. You can find it via the Title Link for this post.

chew on these quick hitters:

-6 days of riding.
-553 miles
-35 hours on the bike
-33,000 feet of climbing (Garmin #)
-crossed the Continental Divide Twice
-earned the respect of serval mountain goats
-ate 32 PB&J samiches


later.

Colorado Dreaming

http://t-and-a-get-high-btc2009.blogspot.com/

Check the flatlander rocking the mountains.

Later.

SSSCSF

solo self supported century suffer fest was my Sunday.

the departure for Colorado is this Friday. need i remind you fantastic folks that this ride averages out to 92.5 miles per day?

my cycling fitness is at an all time high. 700 miles ahead of last year at this time. if counting hours (trainer and rides) i am 60 hours ahead of last year. i feel like the time has been well spent.

all of that being said, i needed a mental boost. i needed to be out on the bike for 5hours plus. thus, i mapped out a 100 mile route and hit the road at 7:00 am. i had two bottles of HEED and one Water, a Cliff Bar, two Hammer gels, and a plan to stop around mile 70 for more fuel. the weather was the opposite of my Saturday 40 miler, PERFECT.

first 70 miles were decent, but something was off. the old stiff neck of days past was up and causing troubles with my entire back. the wind was not calm anymore and coming out of the North West at a decent clip. the little gas station didn't have any cold samiches. after some water and a snickers i started to head back home which just happens to be all North and West.


the first 70 were around 18.4 mph pace while the last 26 were at 15.7 mph. not only did i suck it all the way back home, but i didn't even obtain the joy of seeing 100 roll over the cyclocomputer. man i really wanted off that bike around mile 80.

pre ride maybe i thought my alleged superior fitness would yield a herculean effort. i don't know?? later on i realized the SSSCSF was not a failure. i got what i needed out of this ride. mentally and physically i met the challenge. i finished and i re-learned how important on the bike nutrition is.

later.

final BTC preperation...

that's right. white & red socks to match my ride. that is all.

Arse Nirvana