Lacy and the Machine: Last Few Days and Pics Below

Estes to Granby, CO (~65) - 7/11

I was sweep today with Adam and we climbed to the highest elevation we will be on all trip through Trail Ridge Road – 15 miles from the top required full under-armor and a jacket as we were well above the tree line with snow lining the roads in many places, sometimes stacked 7 or 8 feet.

Adam and I ended up riding with Drea from mile 2 to mile 65. By mile 10 she was crying, convinced she couldn’t make it to the top. 12 hours later, we rolled into the host. Despite what I said to try to comfort her at the base of the mountain, I really didn’t think it was going to happen (and it was a really nice feeling to be proven wrong like that). It was definitely mentally draining to climb 6000 feet at 4 or 5 mph as well as play (however poorly) the role of motivator/cheerleader. I have a new-found respect for both the people who are infinitely cheerful and encouraging as well as those who regularly spend 2 to 4 more hours in the saddle than does everyone else.

Besides the ride being long and hard, I did see moose and antelope and deer and elk and it was all just terribly exciting. Oh, and did I mention we climbed the tallest continually paved mountain in the US? So yea, the scenery was literally unbelievable. I lugged my camera all the way to the top, knowing from mile 2 that I had forgotten my battery (however, Drea had hers so I will steal some later and post them). Really though, it didn’t matter because a photograph couldn’t come close. You know those picturesque postcards and the like of winding, clear mountain streams sprinkled with fisherman and of giant lakes reflecting enormous, snow-capped mountains? Well, that was pretty much how I spent my day except I could feel the freezing water and hear the wind whipping through the pines and taste the crisp air at the peak. It was just too much.

We are camping out tomorrow, probably in the rain. However, we have a net elevation loss and ONLY 28 MILES and pancakes for breakfast. Should be an adventure.

Boulder to Estes Park (~55) - 7/10

What a day. The elevation had us all literally gasping for breath and trying our best to retain consciousness until about mile 10 when we miraculously and virtually simultaneously acclimated. We did some hills though that I later discovered local cyclists avoid like the plague, earning us some major swag points with the locals. The descent though! The descent! During our lunch stop I remember commenting to someone that I didn’t realize places like that existed. The ride back down the mountain was right alongside the clearest, fullest, most beautiful mountain stream I had ever seen and all you could smell was pine sap and clean water. I get chill bumps just thinking about it.

Denver to Boulder, CO (~40m) & DAY OFF! - 7/8&9

We stopped at Coors’ Brewery (the largest in the world!) where Rachael used to work and took a special VIP tour. It was probably interesting but I was really too tired to absorb too much. The staff there did do a potluck breakfast for us and I ate three plates. Delish. (Once again, I was the last one to breakfast that morning so I was pretty hungry. WHY DO I NOT LEARN?!?). The ride was very short but the elevation was killer. It was frustrating to be gasping for air at such a slow pace and to fall behind the people I usually ride with but Kareem was awesome and kept me company the whole way. Together we cursed the arrogant policeman who seemed to be pretty confused about cycling in general, hid first behind a bush and later in a kind stranger's car during a rather painful hail storm, and petted some pretty mustangs we found just outside the city when we just didn't feel like riding the last 8 miles (all the while, me being in Debbie Downer, of course). So shout out to Kareem for being such a trooper.

Boulder was surprisingly tourist-y and much less down-to-Earth than Denver but a fantastic time nonetheless. Ryan and I walked around Pearle Street, the main drag, and wasted away that first night, coming back home with quite a few tales to tell about yoga gurus and B&B run-ins that I simply don’t have the time to explain properly now.

I spent our day off running errands, all of which somehow involved me replacing things I had lost at some point. I got a new bank account, new shoes, a new laptop charger, and some Colorado socks and a baseball cap (this last purchase has unfortunately provoked Ryan to comment something like “OMG I LOOOVE COLORADO” every time I wear anything with the Colorado flag on it when really I just needed some socks and a hat [Colorado is pretty neat though…]). Some people climbed to some 14000ft peak today. I, on the other hand, slept in until 10. I don’t know how the competitive side of me allowed this to happen but I am rather happy that it did.

Akron to Denver, CO (~107m) & Build Day! - 7/7

Century #2! I was pretty grumpy for most of the day, mostly because our food situation was pretty rough. I had a total of 4 peanut butter and banana sandwiches today, including one after our host's vegetarian option ended up being white rice (this last sandwich was accompanied by some yogurt that I did not realize was 2 years old until the first layer of my throat had already been stripped away by the acid-y yoplait. By this point I was too ill to speak to anyone and wandered around town until I found a Chipotle, bought a burrito, and collapsed into bed.

I felt much better about life in general come the next day when we all did a build day in Denver! Ryan and I spent the morning building Denver’s most beautiful/sturdy/magical stairs; it was quite the learning process, I assure you. The group also dug up a megaphone at the end of the day and much fun was had by all.

The ride back from the build site was quite action-packed as well. I squeezed into the van and while we were parked outside the post office picking up mail-drop stuff, the heavens opened up. Within 15 minutes, pedestrians were crossing the street in water up to their shins. The underpass we needed to go through was flooded, several cars trapped in the 3ish-foot water so the ever-resourceful Brando drove the van on the remarkably wide sidewalk and through a waterfall to get home again, home again.

I had dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Keefer who were in town visiting that night! It was wonderful. We went to Noodles and Co and spent some wonderful time just enjoying one another’s company. They even took home some of my things so I am no longer shunned by my peers because of the hefty weight of my bag. Thank you Cindy and Joe!

St. Francis to Akron, CO (~85)

We woke up early this morning, 4AM, and were up to see another sunrise! Always a good day. We also crossed into Colorado which was really exciting (although East Colorado is essentially western Kansas). Another corn/wheat-filled day. It was remarkable how isolated our host site was; the town of Akron was about 26 miles away and the nearest town outside of that was 50 miles.

A storm has been rolling about ever since late this afternoon and somehow Bryant just talked me into crawling out of my warm sleeping bag to see it in full force. We stepped outside the line of planted pines surrounding the church and had a pristine view of the stars and the night sky. It look as if lights were being flicked on and off all along the horizon, occasionally interrupted by a giant lightning strike that just completely took over the entire sky. I’ve never seen anything even close to a show like that.

Oberlin to St. Francis, KS (~75m)

We worked hard all morning to fight a sick nasty headwind and the best we could do was a steady 14 mph paceline. It kind of stunk and by mile 30 I was pretty darn discouraged UNTIL…a tractor pulling a winged bushhog passed us. It was moving pretty quick but Mike, Ryan and I kind of hesitantly looked at one another and surged behind it – to say we were desperate for a draft is an understatement. We ended up cruising behind this thing going a steady 18.5 mph for 17 miles to lunch (I definitely would have skipped lunch had I not already inhaled all three of the Cliff bars in my camelbak before lunch). Anyway, that 20 mile stretch made my life. (The flat I got on the second half of the ride, however, did not.)

*Sorry the pictures are out of order. Nonetheless, enjoy! Love, Lacy

Sunrise into Colorado.

Lizzy.

Colorado/West Kansas

Outside of Denver.

Pillsbury Crossing in Manhattan, KS.

You could go under the waterfalls, really neat.

Brando shaving for the scavenger hunt.

Me in Kansas City just before falling in a hole...

Mike in KC with our Safety Flags!

Slack-jawing at the baseball game. (Slack jaw is where you slacken your jaw while looking at someone else with a slackened jaw and whoever laughs first loses. I'm not very good.)