Day 22 -- Empire, CO

We woke up to a home-cooked breakfast by the ladies of the BOEC. After weeks of half a bagel and half a banana with some cereal and tapioca, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, yogurt, and freshly squeezed orange juice was a welcome delight!

Our ride today was a short 50 miles over the steepest (8% grade) and tallest (11,900 ft) of the summer, Loveland Pass. In the morning, Bruce Rogers decided to join my pace-line for the day. Our ride up was easier than anticipated and full of chitchat and conversation with Bruce Rogers about his life and accomplishments. After getting to know him, I almost jealous of this kind and intelligent man. It was great to get to know him over the course of the last two days (there’s actually a picture of my pace line at the pass—Bruce is on the left)! We waited at the top in the van for the entire team to arrive so we could take a team picture near the sign. It was freezing at the top. Ice and snow still covered the side of the road and my friends and I packed into the vans for warmth. After reaching the pass at mile 25, the end of the day was downhill at almost the same incline. We sped down the switchbacks at exhilarating speeds of 35 mph before we hit the highway (which we rarely do) and actually passed cars for the first time since traffic was backed up. People stared and took pictures of the crazy cyclists speeding by on the shoulder, it was fun!

That night, we had a friendship visit at the Rocky Mountain Village camp. The team was split up into bunk rooms and we got to partake in the skits the campers had prepared to introduce themselves. Part of the skit was dressing up in costumes, to which we all quickly obliged. I found a hat, beard, and gown with some awesome star glasses to make a disco Gandalf costume! We also learned some of the camp songs the counselors sang. They knew over two dozen different songs and it thoroughly impressed our team as they recited them one after the next. For the past couple of days since this event, we have been joking around with some of the lyrics and associated dance moves (“two shortneck buzzards, sitting in a dead tree!”). Lodging, for the second time in a row offered actual beds!

Day 21 -- Breckenridge

Breckenridge was by far one of the hardest and best days we have had on the trip so far. It is 110 miles over some of the steepest climbs of the summer with over 10,000 ft of climbing.

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!

Day 20 -- Steamboat Springs, CO

Morning: 5:00 am wakeup. Cold and gloomy day. Wet and sandy roads. Rain and gravel shot at your face. Two flats. 40 miles uphill.

Afternoon: Hot Springs. Jacuzzi. Climbing wall over a heated pool. Meeting and reconnecting with Pi Kapps. Steakhouse dinner.

Day 19 -- Craig, CO

I am so proud of my team. Although we left at 6:30am as one of the later groups, we pushed through the 90-mile day and finished first at 12:30pm, 12 miles and forty-five minutes ahead of the group closest to us. Although this trip isn’t about being the best, today was exceptional in that we had “weaker” cyclists with our pace-line. These are people that usually finished in the last group and struggled through the day. Not only did our achievement boost their confidence in their ability, but also it proved to me that a positive attitude is key on those tough days. We cycled very efficiently, and skipped one out of every two crew stops (they’re every 10 miles) in order to save time and fatigue (believe it or not, stopping only makes cramping worse). Moreover, we talked a lot and kept on encouraging each other. Conversations go a long way in making the miles go by smoothly and without too much focus on the pain and difficulty of the climbs.

The terrain was mostly large rolling hills with an 1000-foot climb about midway through the day. We saw an antelope cross the road and run near the shoulder for about 200 feet as we rode by. I got a video but it wasn’t quite clear, so I posted a picture my friend Adam Wallick took instead. We also saw a species of wild cactus with flowers, which we haven’t encountered so far, even in the desert.

We rolled into the Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Craig, CO and spent the afternoon playing games and performing KOB (I uploaded pictures for the first time—they’re a bit blurry). Right now, we’re watching Topgun in the games room!

Day 18 -- Dinosaur, CO

We woke up expecting to ride 90 miles into Colorado. After applying gold bond, icy hot, and chamois butter, I stepped out ready to face the day. Then, because of construction on the roads, we only ended up riding the last 9 miles into Dinosaur, Colorado. Nonetheless, we spent 2 hours on the road as we stopped every 5 feet for pictures! We are staying at the Dinosaur school for the night, and dinner was kindly provided at the school by the local Baptist pastor. It reminded me of middle school lunches although it was quite filling. We also took showers at the local truck stop, which was an interesting experience. Oddly enough, two independent showerheads were pointing inwards to a space of less than 7 feet. I don’t know if they expected two people to be using the small shower at the same time.

In the afternoon, a few of us rode out to see the Yampa and Green River Canyon, known by locals as the “Mini Grand Canyon.” This is where many fossils where found, hence the name of the town and the neighboring national park (Dinosaur National Park). It was an incredible view, albeit scary as we ventured out near the rock cliff. Since I have never been to the Grand Canyon, the expansive views and the incredible terrain blew me away. Days like this make me proud of being a part of such an amazing event. I love my team, and I love what we’re doing. I can’t believe we’re a third of the way through.

Day 17 -- Duchesne, UT

It’s going to be a tough week. We’re looking at three 90-mile days followed by an 110-mile ride over Breckenridge, which is reputed as the toughest ride of the summer. The day after that we should cross the continental divide at 12,000 ft. Then, we ride into Denver before we hit the American flatlands.

The ride today wasn’t too bad. I woke up refreshed after a night in a real bed in a beautiful hotel room. There were a few long climbs, which was especially difficult since we did not expect them. Because of construction, we had to use a different route than the one in the grid sheet, and ended up doing three times the amount of climbing. Most of us did not realize this, so after a 15-mile climb up the first peak (which we thought was the only one), we almost died on the second 5-mile climb (followed by a third, and a fourth, etc.). The downhill into town was also rough with some strong headwinds slowing us down to 12 mph.

The roadside scenery was great for a change. After a long time in the desert, we were met with a lot of greenery and a few dry patches. We saw hot air balloons in the early morning, and rode through a few small towns. One thing we saw a lot of was road kill, which wasn’t very pleasant. There was a dead moose on the side of the road in the first 10 miles, and a freshly killed deer strewn across the highway at mile 60. That’s not counting the dozens of small rodents and birds we dodged on the shoulder. Bleh.

We arrived in Duchesne, UT for an afternoon sponsored by the mayor of the town. We went out to Starvation Lake and went tubing and sunbathing! Although I couldn’t tube because of my arm injury, it was hilarious watching my friends skid into the water on turns. I wish I had brought my camera onto the lake to catch some of those falls! Dinner was amazing. We had homemade pulled pork and some of the best brownies I have ever had. It’s funny because I came into this trip expecting hamburgers and pizza for most of the trip. The quality of the food has really surpassed my expectations. It seems as tough every town is trying to outdo the one prior to it.