I’ve never yelled at the wind before, but there’s a first time for everything. I’ve lowered my head and plowed forward into it, internally cursed at it, and marveled at tail winds, but never yelled at it OUT LOUD. I generally don’t struggle, but when I got caught in that awful headwind at about mile 95 to 103 going into Salida, it about did me in. That’s just one of the things about Ride The Rockies 2015 that is going to be etched in my mind for a long, long time.

I met three of the Barker Beetle boys from Bend, OR at the top of the Royal Gorge. The Brain, the Shrink, and his Patient (aka Brian, Joe, and Josh) were a wonderful mental break from the stress of climbing The Wall. Wow, The Wall… I caught up with them again the final day and the Shrink had lost his Patient somewhere. When his Patient finally showed up, they regaled me with their exploits from the night before. The Brain just watched us with amusement. What a great group of guys. I hope you all made it safely back to your families. Meeting people like them make memorable events like RTR even more special.

I stopped at the aid station in Florence and met an old man and his dog, Teddy. I never caught his name, but he was telling me about Teddy being 15, going on 16 in October and her having hip problems. He was 83 and when he was “younger”

Teddy and the Old Man.

he rode in nine El Tour de Tuscon races, but he was too old for that now. What a wonderful old man to stop and spend time with. I’ll never see him again, but he and Teddy were one of those fleeting moments that make the world go round.

If you had told me this time last year that I would be riding in an event like Ride The Rockies, I would have told you you were out of your mind. I’m so thankful that I have the type of personality that allowed me to jump at the chance to be a member of Team Christopher and be a part of the spectacle called Ride The Rockies. The staff and volunteers should be proud of themselves for doing such an amazing job of making this fully supported seven day tour so successful in this neophytes eyes. Thanks again to Team Christopher for letting me hop on their wheel and be part of the fun.

Next year I will do RTR again and even though I won’t be blogging, I will stop and take as many pictures, stop and talk to as many people who will allow me to invade their space, and will LIVE every moment. So until we meet again, stay safe and pedal on.