Day 36

This feels like the beginning of a new adventure. The stopover at Mark Rowan's place has recharged my battery and given me the opportunity to check and re-check bicycle and equipment. It's great to see a young lad from the Glens enjoying life and doing so well in this far off land. Thank you. I've a half day's run to the entrance to the gap that leads to the Loveland Pass ... and then ... let the battle commence! It will be a long climb ... have an idea of what's in store for me but I've never cycled at high altitude and I've got to get up to 8000' today and over 11000' tomorrow ... phew! I'm exhausted already. Leaving Broomfield around 07:00.


The run down to the gap was straightforward passing through wide open spaces dotted with modern housing complexes, beautiful lawns, wide roads and lovely conifer trees adorning the landscape. Traffic was busy ... suppose commuters heading off to work ... but the road system is designed to cater for them. The cycle lanes on the main roads are well maintained too. OK! Here we go Clear Creek Canyon Rd ... nice gradient, but it really is a canyon with steep rocky walls and a fast flowing river... beautiful. Pass through two tunnels ... reminds me of Norway ... I'm seeing America from the inside then I meet a line of traffic coming in the opposite direction. This Storm Trooper ... er ... State Trooper in his big flashy car shouts across ... "Pull over at the lay-by ... I wanna talk to you!" Gee? What have I done? I was cycling inside the small hard shoulder ... wasn't I? Anyway I pull over and in a few minutes the cop comes up the road with his lights flashing. "Don't you know you're not allowed on this road due to the tunnels? ... they're too dangerous for cyclists". What can I say? ... "Ooops! Sorry officer ... didn't know that ... I thought it was OK to use this road". Anyway we had a very friendly chat and I was as diplomatic as I needed to be ... the solution was that Larry, the State Trooper, flagged down a pickup van and asked him if he would transport this idiot on a bike (me) a few miles up the road to where it joins the Interstate 70 ... problem solved! ... and we all got on our way. Thanks ... didn't get a ticket. The pickup driver was Eric, a chiropractor from Bolder, CO who was late for an appointment in Idaho Springs ... he left me off just at the junction to I70 ... no time for photos.


Idaho Springs is a beautiful little town. Once was major gold mining centre, now caters for tourists wishing to go down the rapids in big inflatables. Am at an elevation of 7500' and it was a shallow steady pull all the way up but not as bad as I was expecting. Still pretty warm though.


The climb up to Idaho Springs was surprisingly easy ... good broad, clean, hard shoulder and a nice gradient ... don't see any problems here! Met a Belgium cyclist doing a tour from Denver around the Rockies and making his way back to Quebec. This is his first day out ... from Denver airport up through this pass ... we decide to team up for a couple of days. His name is Didier (age 42) and he's cycled all through South America and Africa as well as Europe. I hope to learn something from him. He has a good map of this area and we're cycling up a quiet frontage road now away from the traffic. Didier feels the effects of the altitude a little but I don't ... well, not yet ... think I may be acclimatised!


We're camped near Silver Plume, at 9000' around 12 miles to the east of the Eisenhower Tunnel and are in a good spot to take on the high Loveland Pass tomorrow. It's a lot cooler up here and the scenery is getting better with each turn in the road. Completed 48miles and feeling very pleased with myself. Looking forward to tomorrow. It's nice to be lying in a clean, fresh smelling tent too!

Location:Denver, Colorado