We started the day a little later than usual at 6:30am because of the numerous ride-alongs for the day. After a hearty breakfast (with a full banana instead of the usual ½!), we circled up and were introduced to the people who would be riding with us. One of them, Bruce Rogers, is actually the Pi Kapp who started this entire event when he rode solo across the country in 1987. It was a bit impressive to be around such a famous man in Pi Kappa Phi’s history. My friend Adam Southard and I volunteered to be the sweeps for the day because we wanted to be the guys supporting those who needed it for the day. Since we are both decent riders, we talked the night before and decided it would be great to have a large percentage of the team finish and we could help best in that position. The year before us, 6 riders out of the 28 finished the day (mostly because of weather). This year, 27 out of the 28 riders finished the entirety of the trip, with one racking at 80 miles because of severe knee pain.
The day started off as an easy flat for the first 10 miles. We saw some hot air balloons and joked around before we hit a 6 to 7% grade up the Rabbit Ears pass. This 12 mile stretch passed by quicker than expected as we conversed all the way to keep our minds off of the snail’s pace we were pushing up the mountain (5.5 mph). At the top, we crossed over the continental divide (the geographic line at which water ultimately rejoins the Atlantic or Pacific watersheds) before a (much appreciated) relatively steep 10-mile downhill. After another arduous climb over 5 miles, the rest of the day was uphill at a 2% grade for the last 60 miles. We passed by some beautiful and incredible views. It reminded me strongly of the place where I spend my summers in the Alps (Le Rivier d’Allemont) with its rolling green hills, sparse lakes, and rocky white mountain peaks. We finished the day without any incident (besides one truck swerving dangerously close to us on an uphill) and 1 hour ahead of schedule!
After pushing up an incredibly steep and frustrating hill to lodging, we rolled in proudly to the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) where the first riders had kindly kept us sweeps some large beds! I smiled at the kind gesture and thoughtfulness of my team members. That evening, Bruce and Sally Rogers sponsored a dinner at an old gold mine now turned into a museum. We got a private after-hours tour of the mine by a crazy looking and incredibly funny tour guide before we had a delicious dinner with some of the best apple crisp I have ever had. I learned a lot about the mining business and got to visit the tunnels of an actual mine with struts and construction that were conserved from the time it was built in 1908. I sat down with Bruce for dinner and had a great conversation with him about his company, KRG, and stories from back in the day when he first traveled across the country.
That night, we went to bed early after watching and hearing the fireworks for the 4th of July from the comfort of my bed in the BOEC. What an incredible day!
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