Day 29: Bumping out of Denver

Good-bye mountains; hello plains.

We rode out of Denver on a bike path that went along the South Platte River. The path was in great shape, without any of those nasty traffic blocking poles that claimed two of our riders in Seattle.

This ride presented two challenges, make that three: first of all, the wind was in our faces. It is amazing the difference that makes. One of the riders said that he would rather climb a pass than bike into the wind. Those of us who heard him agreed. Why is that? Why is it more frustrating to go 10 mph into the wind than 5 mph (3 if you buy into the "go slow" technique) up a mountain. One rider's theory is that the mountain draws your best effort out of you while the wind detracts from your best effort. I hope we get some tail winds for our many miles through the plains. But if we don't, if the wind blows in my face, I hope I can embrace it as part of the challenge, rather than view it as an enemy.

The second challenge was the heat. Colorado has had 18 days over 90 in a row and are on the verge of setting a record. The forecast for the week is more heat. Temperatures in the 90's together with a strong wind suck the liquid out of you. It is hard to drink enough. At the end of the day it was clear that I had lost that contest. When I got to camp I drained 48 ounces of lemonade and was looking for more.

The most difficult part of the day were the regular, body jarring bumps in the road. We rode on frontage roads for about 20 miles and each of them had deep cracks every 20-25 feet. Bump...bump...bump...............After a few miles my rear end, shoulders, arms and hands all began to protest. Fortunately, they accepted my apology and agreed to complete the ride.

One of the highlights of the ride was a stop at a small restaurant to get something to drink. My two riding partners ordered pie and ice water; I went for a large Sprite. We chatted with the restaurant staff and customers about Sea to Sea and handed out a few cards. When we got up to pay, the owner said, "It's on the house." She extended the same generosity to about 12 other Sea to Sea riders who came in after us. After thanking her profusely we completed our ride.

The main excitement at the camp was the wind. It blew hard as black clouds rolled in, intimidating some riders into abandoning their tents. Many slept in the gym. The clouds leaked a few sprinkles and that was the end of the storm, except for the beautiful double rainbow that graced the sky.

The first day on the plains was complete. We were all saddened by an accident that put one of our riders out of the tour. She hit an object in the road, fell off her bike and broke her pelvis. Saturday a rider had hit the bike in front of him, flew over his handlebars and broke his collar bone. Accidents happen so fast. We're all praying for speedy recoveries and protection.

I went to bed early and slept soundly till morning. Others were awakened by a helicopter that flew over at 11 pm. They were surprised that I could sleep through all the noise.