It was nice enough today that I thought I could bag 100 miles before the cold and snow returned on Sunday. My goal was to ride from home to the Royal Gorge Bridge just south of Canyon City and back. The way down was fine, my legs felt good and after the first 14 miles, it’s all downhill to Canyon City. The way back was a nightmare. In addition to climbing 2,400 feet in the first 16 miles back, the wind shifted with an oncoming cold front and I was faced with some serious headwinds. Some gusts were in excess of 40 mph and there were several occasions where I almost fell over because I was going so slow. The 20 degree temperature drop wasn’t any fun either. After climbing all the way back to the plateu, it was clear that I wasn’t going to make it back home before it was dark. WIth 12 miles remaining, I was forced to have Amy come and get me.

Ride stats:
Miles: 89.44 miles
Duration: 5 hours, 14 minutes, 3 seconds
Average speed: 17.09
Elevation Gain: 6,044 feet
Flat tires: 0
Angry wives: 1