Day Two on RTR
Hotchkiss to Gunnison
by Steve Robb
Editors Note: Sorry for the delay in posting articles. My laptop malfunctioned on the trip and I just now got it fixed. Stay tuned for some more articles in the following week.
Day two was a tail of two rides. The first 35 miles were some of the most challenging miles we’ve done on a bike. It was uphill almost all the way. Add in a head-wind and it made for some difficult cycling. We started out at 6:30 a.m. hoping to get to the top before 10:00 a.m. Needless to say we didn’t make it. The last ten miles before the top were all uphill! We were two happy campers when we made it to the rest stop at the top of the climb.
The second part of the trip was mostly down hill, with some downhill stretches long and fast. Speeds in excess of 40 miles an hour were reached…..and we still got passed up by some bikers! After a rest stop at mile 55 we picked up a tailwind and had and easy final 25 miles to Gunnison. We arrived at our destination at 2:45 p.m. for a total time of 8 hours and 15 minutes. Our average speed was 12.2 miles for hour. Our riding time was 6.4 hours.
The scenery was spectacular today. The views from the road into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison were stunning. The high country is green and lush, the result of a wet spring and early summer in the mountains. We also biked along several high mountain reservoirs and lakes. The Blue Mesa Dam and Reservoir stretched on for over 20 miles.
Tomorrow brings yet another climbing challenge as we move from Gunnison to Salida, with a trip over Monarch Pass, a nine-mile climb to over 11,300 ft. Constant grades between 6% and 8% will make for the toughest day yet on the tour.
