The joy of finishing Ride The Rockies was tempered by the thoughts of people working on fire lines in the state. Closing ceremonies acknowledged their work and commitment.

A sweet sight. The final day concluding in Colorado Springs brought an expectation of more cars, more traffic lights and a more urban experience. It turned out that the ride ended quickly on the west side of the city and riders had a great bike-laned street to carry them to the finish line.

The final day concluding in Colorado Springs brought an expectation of more cars, more traffic lights and a more urban experience. It turned out that the ride ended quickly on the west side of the city and riders had a great bike-laned street to carry them to the finish line.

Along the morning’s route, one stretch of road unfortunately surprised a few riders with a tire-width crack running in the direction of travel. Crossing this line takes a little knowledge and a little skill.

These gaps can happen between the shoulder and the travel lane or where the road has been patched. Another similar situation occurs when crossing angled railroad tracks.

Watch out for cracks that can grab your front tire.

The secret is the get your front tire close to perpendicular with the crack so it rolls over the crack rather than falling in. This often means first checking behind the make sure there is no one is passing. Then giving yourself enough room to turn towards the crack, roll over the gap and then turn back to your original direction of travel.

You can practice this maneuver in a vacant parking lot and pretending a painted stripe is a crack. Now you will be ready for when the real thing happens on a ride.

I will be glad to see all the new riding skills learned this week put to good use all summer.