Google Maps, gusts, gradients and gorges

Before I start today’s writing, a good friend of mine, Jamie Clague, has started tracking the route I am taking on Google maps. If you already have my site in your favourites, please put Jamie’s in as well, as that may put where I am writing about into a little more perspective.

The site is:-   http://www.jamieclague.co.uk/blog/2007/06/19/where-the-hell-is-andy/%3C/a

Thanks to Jamie for doing this and helping this computer nerd with this daily log.

Day 18 - Montrose to Gunnison - Estimated Mileage 63 miles

Today was the real start of our love / hate affair with the Rockie Mountains. After the side trip to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River last night, we rode against the Gunnison River’s flow to Gunnison itself. Gunnison is situated at 7,681 feet and today was a day of steady climbing, and also some steep stuff.

Rising early, we set off East and started climbing as soon as we left the hotel. Oh, nearly forgot to mention, there was, of course, a headwind. The only difference this time was that the headwind was with us for the first 19 miles and it was conservatively estimated at 30+ mph. It was difficult even for the best of the riders, and everyone suffered. Some had to get onto the SAG van to get up to the summit. It took most of us nearly two hours to do the first 17 miles against the wind and climbing from about 5,900′ to 8,200′. Brutal comes to mind. It was just a case of getting into the lowest gear on the bike, looking at the road about two feet in front of your front tyre and keeping pedalling. Of course, when you finally reach the top of the first hill, it always goes down to the start of the second hill (which is always higher). I really could do with a walkway that will take you from the top point of the first hill to the same height part way up the second, but that is not to be.

When we got into the valley, we called in a little general store run by an old couple. Bill was the name of the proprietor and he asked me the usual stuff, where are your from, what are you doing etc. then he asked me ‘Howyadoindaday?’ I told him about the climb and the wind and he said, “You know, we always get cyclists coming in and complaining about the wind. The wind is always in your face in a morning, but it blows from behind you in the afternoon. Been the same every day since I’ve lived here. Can never understand why cyclists ride up in the morning.” Being an understanding type, I thanked him profusely for his advice and thought about going back up the hill to go down the other side and back to Montrose with the wind behind me and then re-do the climb in the afternoon when the wind would assist me to get over the hill. I did think about it for a whole nanosecond, then nearly smacked poor Bill, but made do with buying a can of Vegetable juice and drinking it outside.

We had been told about another store down the valley that sold good pies, so we moved on there, and you can see me in the photo above with an old gold prospector feeding him Budweiser. There was nothing to compare with a Potts’ meat and potato; they only had things like pecan and lime that was smothered with cream and ice cream, so I declined. I don’t think the Americans would know a good meat growler if it bit them.

Leaving the Pie shop, we were at about 7,000′ and then had to climb up to the one and only SAG of the day at 8,730′. The headwind by his time was much reduced, but replaced by a scorching sun. Once again, head down, low gear, pedal and get there sometime. There was an added bonus, too, of road works. The local Highways Department were resurfacing the road with tar and chippings. These chippings, after they have been thrown at random over the tar, are strangely mobile and adhesive. They have also been trained to seek out the tyres of passing cyclists and stick like the proverbial to a blanket, which all adds to the fun.

I don’t do uphills. Even when I have to go up them, I don’t do hills very well, so I was nearly the last up to the SAG, but I did get there and didn’t have to get off and push at all.

There were a couple of more hills to go up and down, and then we followed the Gunnison River valley through some beautiful countryside. There’s a picture of the Blue Mesa Lake and one of the gorges that we went through on our way down the hill. We followed the banks of the Blue Mesa Lake, the Gunnison Lake and Lee Lake whilst steadily making our way to Gunnison. We made another stop at another store further on for a carton of cold chocolate milk. (It’s the law that you have to eat and drink loads of food and drink on this trip - mind you it seems that it’s the law that we have to have a head wind for the hardest part of the day, too) then pushed on to our overnight stop.

Today was a hard day but we all got through it by drawing on physical and mental reserves. I guess that at the end of the day, the whole group was spread over about 30 miles due to the different standards of each rider and once again, the support team were fantastic in trying to service every rider’s needs and get the whole group in safely.

There wasn’t much amusing going on today as there wasn’t much talking going on, but everyone was glad to get in and relax after expending so much energy.

Today’s stats are not the most accurate as the bike computer is taking on a mind of its own and needs some attention, but I have cobbled these together from mine and other people’s. 

Oh, and by the way, two nutters took the optional ride up and back down as discussed yesterday….    ….and before you ask, I wasn’t one of them!

Distance 65 miles;  Ride Time  Around the 6 1/2 hour mark  Average speed 9.2 mph  Maximum Speed  46.4 mph Altitude 5,240′