Waking up and packing up the camping supplies for the first time was about half as chaotic as we expected it to be and probably still just as disorganized as those of you reading at home might imagine. There was only one bent tent pole, one lost bike computer in the folds of tent packing, and one campsite awoken at 6 am due to our shenanigans. Three things isn’t too bad, right? Today we achieved the highest elevation that we will reach throughout our Summer travels, saw another amazing ski town, and celebrated one of our own!
Ride Overview
Mileage: 79.2 miles
Elevation: +3,612 ft. / -7,054 ft.
Points of Interest: Percolated Peaks, Independence Pass, Aspen, Vedang’s Birthday
Tales of the Trail
Wild fires and their smoke were still a concern today after watching the development of a large fire during the ride yesterday. For the most part, the Southwest wind had continued overnight which meant that our route through the day was much clearer than it otherwise would have been. Some of the smoke at this point was touching Denver where we had some friends reporting that they were seeing what we had observed from the day before. At the campsite, there was a smoky smell to the air, but not enough to keep us from our ride, so preparations for pushing the pedals stayed underway.
On camping days, we have bagels and cream cheese for breakfast to keep the amount of equipment required to a minimum of one or two knives (well, spoons in our case… Why do we not have a butter knife or two? I do not know). This would really be just the start of the breakfast hour because a little ways down the street, maybe 1 mile, there was a previous year Illini 4000 favorite and a neat stop spotted by the van crew when they went past the campsite the day before: Percolated Peaks. With a sunshade hung between two VW Buses, the team sat down for coffees and some additional snacks before heading towards the headwall of a climb they had for the day.
Of the first 18 miles on the day, 15.4 of those were up a climb that covered 2,900 ft. of elevation gain. The team performed valiantly with all 8 of the riders who started the day finishing at the top of the climb under no assistance other than their own bodies. This crossing through the Rockies is known as Independence Pass and it reaches an elevation of 12,095 ft., at which point the oxygen-poor air can definitely be felt. While climbing up the road, the views were some of the most incredible of the journey, a definition it feels like we are rewriting daily at this point, and the road a fun combination of steep ascents and switchback corners for both the riders and the crew in the van.
Once we had reached the top, there were other cyclists, tourists, and motorists who were fascinated by our team and cause. It was fun to meet with people from a wide range of locations and hear how cancer and cycling had impacted their lives (for example, visitors from Colorado, Oklahoma, and more). We spent time looking around at the top at all of the peaks in our sight including mountains La Plata, Star, Casco, and Ouray. We marveled at one man carrying his skis up to go down what was left of the snow on the ridge and took many pictures of the team and individually at this milestone.
All of the rest of the day was downhill (there wasn’t much more up) and the next 19.6 miles of that was particularly rapid going from the top of Independence Pass down into Aspen. There was an incident to note, but everyone came out alright. About 1 mile down the descent, Vedang entered a series of a corners and took the last going just a bit faster than he bargained for. This sent him into the gravel and down into a fall. Our practiced safety measures worked with the van crew getting a satellite message and rushing to the scene to check on Vedang who was standing and walking. We all were very worried about receiving notice of a crash on the descent, but Vedang did a good job to care for himself and then accept help when the team got there. He also got back on the road later in the day!
As both teams continued down the pass, they held speeds similar to the cars on the road and enjoyed looking out at their surroundings without pedaling for miles. Each time they did stop to allow everyone in their groups to catch up, smiles were painted across all faces. Aspen, then, was home to the next rest stop. We felt totally priced out of this town yet wanted to spend more time there because it was just so neat. Bike shops, ski shops, a variety of food, the ski mountain right near the main street, plenty of cyclists, it was all happening in Aspen. Before all of our money could be spent, we rolled out and rode on to our last rest stop of the day.
At this time, those who were in the van with the addition of Vedang after the crash were trying hard to get Vedang back on the road to finish his birthday ride. Yes, you heard that right, we have a birthday! Vedang turned 20 today! It’s not everyday that the Illini 4000 have a birthday during the ride and today was certainly a special one. We were singing Happy Birthday throughout the entire day. And… we were successful! After a tire change, a stem adjustment, and then a wheel change, Vedang and his bike were back on the road and riding towards the finish in Glenwood Springs.
The mountains changed from the gray rock to which we had become accustomed, to red rocks giving an inspiring glow in the late afternoon. When we arrived in Glenwood Springs, we had a stayover that had been reconfirmed after a lot of work from Nishk, showers secured through Ren calling the literal mayor, and a pizza donated to our birthday man by Rocky Mountain Pizza Company. Until you ask, you’ll never know what you can receive. This was a fantastic way to enter the rest day tomorrow!
