As I write this, the town of South Fork has been emptied of its 400 residents, the wildfire is approaching fast, and officials say there is little hope of saving the town. By the time you read it, the town may well be gone. Just a week ago, all of us rode our bikes through South Fork. We were sailing … Read More
Another 33 miles? Sure!
Which one was the Death Ride again? Was it the three-day bike endurancefest that overlapped briefly with day one of Ride The Rockies near Cortez? Or is it this bike tour, which baked under cloudless, 90-degree skies for three days? Is it this one in which riders caught sporadic, incomplete news about the wildfires, prompting rumors in the food lines, … Read More
Fajitas are all in the family
They say the sense of smell is a powerful trigger of memories. Each time Kathy and I roll our tandem into the lunch stop on the day’s RTR route, the aroma of grilling onions and peppers takes us back to RTR 2011. It was our first RTR, and our first extended bike tour on our tandem, period. Day 1 began … Read More
Hot day for a honeymoon
The bride wore Lycra. So did the groom. And no sooner was the ceremony over and the honeymoon begun than the newlyweds ran into difficulty. But then, so did the other 2,000 Ride The Rockies cyclists who began the 2013 tour Sunday at Telluride High School. Only a few miles out of Telluride, we started the first big climb of … Read More
Some of it will be out of your control
In recent days my fellow Peak Pedalers have offered advice about what to pack for RTR, and how to pick the right kind of lodging. They are wise guides. Take good notes and heed their advice. Then, light a votive candle for the Modanna del Ghisallo. For all your careful planning and packing, sometimes it helps to have guardian angel … Read More
Wheels down at the U.S. Air Force Academy
It is among America’s most rigorous institutions of higher learning. It takes high-achieving kids and turns them into premier leaders. It forms the backbone of the United States fighter-pilot corps. But today, class, the lesson we will learn about the United States Air Force Academy is this: It is one sweet place to ride your bike. Map here. For a … Read More
What biking has taught us about parenting
It was one of those rare, springlike March weekends warm enough for a ride. Kathy and I hopped on our tandem, and our 15-year-old son, Joseph, clipped into his single bike. Destination: Castle Rock, about 45 miles from our Colorado Springs home. There, our daughter, our car and our bike carriers would be waiting to haul us back home. Our … Read More
If you can’t get outside to ride
It would be nice if we actually had some spring weather to go with our RTR spring training. In Colorado, April’s cycling weather was pretty crummy, and so far May is doing a fine impression of February. Some of us will be lucky to get three weekends of outdoor training rides before we all head to Telluride. If you can’t … Read More
Introducing: The Team
Kathy and I honeymooned on bikes, touring the leafy roads of Vermont. For nearly 30 years afterward, we would ride the neighborhood together, often with one of our three kids in the trailer. But I would ride epics alone. That’s a challenge of long rides on separate bikes: It can be tough to keep the group together. Stronger riders grit … Read More
Behold the lowly pretzel, superfood
Living in the shadow of the PowerBar overlords, the pretzel is just about the perfect fuel for another hour on the road, according to dietician and Ride the Rockies veteran Jessica Lorning. “You have to maintain blood sugar. And you do that by eating carbohydrates,” Lorning told the RTR First-Time Rider meeting Monday at the Denver Athletic Club. The annual … Read More