Day 1 - 80.16 miles, 6,112 feet of elevation gain, 4:45 ride time (also known as Copper Triangle)
Day 2 - 80.61 miles, 4,150 feet of elevation gain, 4:44 ride time
I rode the entire first day with Chris, who is pictured below. We rode well together, as I was a little faster on the downhills and flats and he was a little faster on the climbs. The route was well marked and organized, with lots of bathroom and food/drink stops. We rode from Copper Mountain to Leadville to Minturn to Vail back to Copper Mountain. After an initial climb most of the day was downhill or flat until we got to Vail. The climb up Vail pass was pretty hard after already riding 60 miles. All in all it was a great day, especially considering my fan following at the finish line. Because we started so early I was able to grab lunch (delicious pizza and beer) before the thousands of other cyclists arrived.
The second day was fun too, but not quite as scenic. There was more traffic and more bike trails on the route. However, the descent down Ute Pass and being able to ride around Dillon Reservoir were probably the highlights of the day. Chris and Mark (another guy from Compassion) rode together this day, since our 4th member had to pull out for health reasons. Better safe then sorry.
While I was riding the kids did things like face painting, design and color the welcome sign, and even made a blanket for someone saying at Children's Hospital. I wish I would have taken more photos along the way, but it's hard to stop to take photos. Thanks to others in the family I have the great pictures below. I can assure you that the route was very pretty even if I was more focused on things related to the ride.
The weekend was a huge success thanks in large part to my parents, Stacey, and Michelle. In a lot of ways this trip was about me, and they made it easier and better with their help in many different ways. Thanks all. We had a great time and it was a great fundraiser for a great cause!
