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Lon's Description: The climb up Wolf Creek Pass will be a notable
challenge at almost 11,000 feet.
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Lon's Description: The climb up Wolf Creek Pass will be a notable
challenge at almost 11,000 feet.
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Today was the most scenic day of the tour so far.
We started in Pagosa Springs, CO and rode to Alamosa, CO, a distance of 91 miles. The route goes through a beautiful valley with ranch lands, scenic vistas, and generally follows a river (or creek). We climbed a very shallow grade until the first rest stop at mile 18. Immediately after this stop, we began the 7.9 mile, 6.25% climb up to Wolf Creek Pass. The scenery on the climb was really enjoyable, and when we reached the summit at 10,500 ft it was cold (as expected). After a few memorable photos at this spot (which is on the Continental Divide), we put on our warm jackets, glove liners, etc, for the fast downhill to lunch at mile 51. We stopped at numerous places along the downhill to take pictures, some of which are included above in this web page. The weather was cool and partially cloudy, but also partially sunny with a deep blue sky. After lunch, Cheryl and Ken continued to the last rest stop at mile 75. This was a fast segment, as we had very slight downhill and a slight tailwind. As we left lunch, we spotted Chuck (who got separated from us on the downhill) heading back uphill towards lunch. We're installing a GPS on Chuck for the rest of the tour, since his navigational skills are seriously in doubt at this point. The road from the last rest stop to Alamosa was very straight and very flat, and we pacelined all the way to the finish. We also passed a milestone, as we rode our 1,000 th PAC Tour mile today. This was truly a spectacular day, and everyone seemed to enjoy the ride. Colorado really is a special place. |
| Estimated Distance: | 90 Miles |
| Actual Distance: | 101.9 Miles |
| Cumulative Actual Distance: |
1,060 Miles This includes the following off course added miles: San Diego - 2.0 Miles when Chuck and Bob Harting missed a turn Winslow - 4.7 Miles when Chuck, Ken, and Les Drake went to the mural painting after the ride Pagosa Springs - 3.1 Miles when Chuck missed Lunch Alamosa - 11.2 Miles when Chuck missed the turn for Lunch |
| Estimated Feet of Climbing: | 4,030 Feet |
| Actual Feet of Climbing: |
4,260 Feet |
| Cumulative Feet of Climbing: | 40,800 Feet |
| Elevation of Destination: | 7,620 Feet |
| Average Speed on the Bike: |
16.0 MPH |
| Maximum Speed on the Bike: |
41.0 MPH |
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Chuck's Heart Rate Data: Max Heart Rate was 196 BPM a few weeks ago before PAC Tour |
Time above 160: 0:00 Time between 140-160: 2:25 Time below 140: 4:55 |
| Dairy Queen Count: |
1 Blythe, CA 2 Twister's Ice Cream in Williams, AZ 3 Dairy Queen in Cortez, Colorado was phenomenal |
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The 18 miles that took us to Rest Stop 1 before the start of the Wolf Creek Pass climb were beautiful for sure: huge green trees all around as we were climbing into a Forest, Gold leaves up on the peaks of the mountains in the distance, a huge Stone Mountain on the right, lightning bolts in the clouds up on the tops ... I thought to myself: this is a very special place for a major mountain climb.
The first Rest Stop here was at the 18 mile point today which is the start of the climb up to Wolf Creek Pass. At this point, we had already climbed 1,100 feet of climbing for the day. Checkout a larger version of this photo |
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Johnny Johnson from Anaheim, California stands ready to tackle Wolf Creek Pass. Checkout a larger version of this photo |
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Wolf Creek Pass was phenomenally beautiful and a really nice climb -- never too steep
but then again never any flat places to recover. The 180 degree turns were banked
and very beautiful. The temperatures were cold but we were working hard on the
climb so we didn't notice it ... until we stopped at the top of the Pass at 10,550
feet. Checkout a larger version of this photo |
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Team BMB at 10,550 Feet, the highest point on the PAC Tour 2000 Central Transcontinental Checkout a larger version of this photo |
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Phil Holcomb from Jacksonville, Florida dedicated this climb up to Wolf Creek Pass to his
father. Checkout a larger version of this photo |
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We thought the tunnel at the start of the descent down the east side of Wolf Creek would be dark but it turned out to be pretty light thanks to windows on the side.
Ken, Cheryl, and I had a blast on the downhill together. We stopped and took a lot of photos ... the trees were just turning colors at the higher elevations with more and more green as we dropped down to Lunch at about 8,000 Feet of Elevation. Checkout a larger version of this photo |
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An outstanding PAC Tour lunch awaited us!!
Checkout a larger version of this photo |
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In Alamosa, I was pleased to see my good PAC Tour friend, Scott Sitler, and son Jim who drove all the way down from Colorado Springs to see us. Scott and Jim offerred to give my bike "the full Sitler Wash & Wax Treatment" while I was doing my laundry. This was such a nice thing to do. I couldn't believe how beautiful my bike looked after they were done washing it, waxing it, and cleaning every part of the drivetrain for me.
Scott said, "A clean bike is a happy bike" ... and over the rest of the PAC Tour trip, I thought of him and Jim often as I was flying down a road by myself with the sun reflecting off of their excellent wax job. It was a mighty nice thing to do and I appreciated greatly. Checkout a larger version of this photo |
| Highlights: |
A special "Hi" to Mrs. McManus's class in Humble, Texas. Mr. McManus is riding extremely well for sure!!
It was dark and cold in the Parking Lot for Breakfast. As the sun rose behind the clouds, we could see some very seriously looking rain and thunder clouds over the mountains. The general concensus was that we could be in for a very cold climb up and over Wolf Creek Pass this morning ... so everyone seemed to be piling on the clothes. The 18 miles that took us to Rest Stop 1 before the start of the Wolf Creek Pass climb were beautiful for sure: huge green trees all around as we were climbing into a Forest, Gold leaves up on the peaks of the mountains in the distance, a huge Stone Mountain on the right, lightning bolts in the clouds up on the tops ... I thought to myself: this is a very special place for a major mountain climb. Wolf Creek Pass was phenomenally beautiful and a really nice climb -- never too steep but then again never any flat places to recover. The 180 degree turns were banked and very beautiful. The temperatures were cold but we were working hard on the climb so we didn't notice it ... until we stopped at the top of the Pass at 10,550 feet. Ken, Cheryl, and I had a blast on the downhill together. We stopped and took a lot of photos ... the trees were just turning colors at the higher elevations with more and more green as we dropped down to Lunch at about 8,000 Feet of Elevation. The descent included a great tailwind. I dropped back to appreciate nature. Then got caught up in the fast 30 MPH downhill with a tailwind. I should have known it was too good to be true: when I finally woke up from my dream, I had missed lunch and rolled 5.6 miles at 30 MPH downhill with a tailwind. I then turned around and battled the brutal, hurricane headwind and climb back to lunch. The 5.6 miles back were painfully slow and hard work but I finally made it. The moral to this story: if you are having too much fun with a downhill and tailwind, WATCH OUT FOR THE LUNCH STOP!! I rode a stretch with Don Norvelle who told me about the "Best Western Movie Manor" hotel near Monte Vista where the rooms are all set up with windows facing a big Drive-In Theatre screen. The sound was all piped into each room. Very cool ... looked real neat. About an hour after Lunch, the Dairy Queen pulled me in for a great desert!! From the last Rest Stop to the Finish Line, I rode with Bill and Colleen. This was a fun and fast stretch ... it was good to ride with them. In Alamosa, I was pleased to see my good PAC Tour friend, Scott Sitler, and son Jim who drove all the way down from Colorado Springs to see us. They brought a new 9 Speed Derailleur for Steve who locked his up on a high speed shift yesterday. Scott and Jim offerred to give my bike "the full Sitler Wash & Wax Treatment" while I was doing my laundry. This was such a nice thing to do. I couldn't believe how beautiful my bike looked after they were done washing it, waxing it, and cleaning every part of the drivetrain for me. Scott said, "A clean bike is a happy bike" ... and over the rest of the PAC Tour trip, I thought of him and Jim often as I was flying down a road by myself with the sun reflecting off of their excellent wax job. It was a mighty nice thing to do and I appreciated greatly. Scott and Jim took Ken, Cheryl, and I to dinner that night. We all got to talking about PAC Tour. Scott completed the 1996 PAC Tour Southern Transcontinental in very fine style. As we hopped back into his truck after dinner, I noticed his license plate frame read: "1996 PAC Tour - Southern Transcontinental". PAC Tours are a huge accomplishment in life ... to ride a bike from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean in 25 days or less is something very few people have done. In fact, just 20 years ago, this was unheard of. It's not easy but if you do the training rides and are prepared, it is doable for sure!! This was a very, very special day of cycling. The scenery was just incredible. The climb was inspirational. The downhill with a tailwind was a great reward for sure. And it was mighty fine to spend some time with Scott and his great son Jim to top it off. |
| Memorable Scenery: |
Beautiful forests all around on the climb to Wolf Creek Pass Waterfalls on the steep rock walls Awesome 180 degree turns on the climbs and descents Golds, yellows, and oranges in the trees at the top Continental Divide sign at the top of Wolf Creek Pass |
| Mechanical Problems: | Chuck swapped out his rear tire ... not because of any flat tires but it was pretty worn out after over 1,000 miles on some rough roads. |
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Biomechanical (Engine) Problems: |
None to report |
| What Worked: |
Mrs. Bramwell's Homemade Brownies which arrived in Pagosa Springs along with Opti-Fuel 2, Ensure, Power Bars, and other goodies. Dairy Queen "PAC Tour Hot Fudge Banana Split": Bananas, 3 Scoops Ice Cream, Hot Fudge on Side: Awesome!! Chuck treated himself to one of these after lunch when he couldn't pass up the magnetic pull of the Dairy Queen in Monte Vista. |
| What Didn't Work: |
Pizza only for dinner last night: Ken called Pizza Hut in Pagosa Springs and was told that they had Spaghetti but after he and Cheryl walked the mile to get there, they were all sold out of Spaghetti!! This left us with just Pizzas for dinner. After a hard day of cycling and before Wolf Creek Pass, the highest climb on the Tour, we found ourselves behind the eight ball Carbo wise. Finding tons of Carbs for dinner can be a real challenge on PAC Tour for sure and we're burning food as fast as we can eat it!!
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| Quote of the Day: |
"I'm First Rate!!" Whenever I ask Freeman Williams at Church how he is doing, this always seems to be his answer. Yet, Freeman is 92 years young. His positive attitude is infectious. I thought of this often during the climb up Wolf Creek today. |
| Chuck's Song of the Day: |
"Through autumn's golden gown we used to kick our way You always loved this time of year. Those fallen leaves lie undisturbed now 'Cause you're not here Like a song through the trees you came to love me Like a leaf on a breeze you blew away... A gentle rain falls softly on my weary eyes As if to hide a lonely tear... My life will be forever autumn 'Cause you're not here!" Justin Hayward, 1976 "Forever Autumn" on "War of the Worlds" One of the all time great sections (Thunder Child / Forever Autumn) in classical rock!! |
