The Colorado Trail... Stage 2 is supposed to be one of the hardest, one of the longest and yet one of the most fun stages in the race. Amber and I had the same idea in the morning - our Swiftwick Vision Colorado Spirit socks for the Colorado Trail... Maybe the only time we will be all matchie-matchie... The Colorado Trail was definitely a fun day on a bike, with some of the most fun riding I've seen this year. But before we even got to the Colorado Trail, we had nearly 14 miles of trail to cover. After a semi neutral wave start, Amber and I settled into our climbing groove. Because that's what was coming up - some nice long miles of climbing. Including the aptly named Heinous Hill - four miles of step, grunt and lung busting grinding. Amber made it to the top easily, I opted to hike for a few minutes on the steepest portions. Again, we didn't know where the first or third place duos were, but that didn't matter. We were riding against ourselves at this point.
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| Colorado Sprit socks for the Colorado Trail! A before and after... |
After the "intro climb" we found ourselves on a swoopy singletrack diving through the trees. Couldn't tell you the trail name if I wanted to, but it was fun! There was even one section that was like riding a skate park! But unfortunately, all good things must end. And in the Breck Epic, that means either a rocky chunky pedaly section or another climb. In this case, it was the Galena Gulch pedal. Narrow trail with steep drops on each side - not the place to be day dreaming. We had a decent pace going, with some company the entire time. It was supposed to be 11 miles to the first aid station, but we were still pedaling along the gulch when 11 ticked over. Oh well - that just meant less distance between aid 1 and aid 2. I really liked the trail addition there instead of the old trudge up the road. It was fun and kept us engaged the whole time. A quick stop at Aid 1 and we were off towards the Colorado Trail. At this point, the speedy boys in the 8:50 start wave were beginning to catch us. We would have traffic for most of the rest of the race.
There is this thing about memories of trails you've only ridden a few times and a many years ago. When I rode the first section of the CT years ago, I thought it was a terrifying descent. I psyched Amber up saying that it was a burly descent. And then we got onto it... And I'm not sure what I was remembering! It was a fun descent for sure, and not the scary trail that I was thinking about. After the first descent, it was time for the climb up North Fork to the West Ridge. Long, very long. Amber and I were keeping it real, making sure we talking and checking in. I was laughing because the last time I'd riding that trail, I'd been on baby wheels with a granny gear AKA 26" wheels and 2x! We kept grinding away, with Amber pulling away a few times. Dang, that girl can climb! And then we were at the summit. Time for some fun! We were holding our own against the guys on the entire descent off the ridge, including the switchbacks. Every time I turned, I'd glance up and check in with Amber, as well as looking back. Only one guy caught and dropped us on that section. Another caught us, but then missed a switchback and ended up in a cloud of dust. We never saw him again.
One more climb up to conquer before the second aid station. We pushed this one a little harder, making good time out of the valley. A little longer stop at the aid station to refuel and... More climbing! Ugh. At this point, my legs were starting to get a little annoyed with me. We dialed down the pace and just kept pedaling. Up and up and up. We were on the road we'd descended so many miles ago, climbing up. Onto the singletrack for some more climbing, then finally we got a chance to take a break from the pedaling. I will never be able to find all those trails again, but they were a lot of fun - well built for climbing but not missing a lick descending. One more tight switchback and I finally recognized where we were. Near the end of the second loop of the Breck 100 - that meant only one more ugly climb left to conquer. Getting closer. We didn't have to do the entire road, opting for some easier singletrack to gain the top. But we weren't done climbing yet. A few more punchy climbs, and finally. The end was in sight! I could hear Larry G's voice and recognized the trails.
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| Day 2 Podium - same riders, same positions! |
Five hours of pedaling to cover 41 miles and climb 6600 feet. Amber and I really rode smart on this stage, keeping our wits around us and riding together and working together. We finished another 16 minutes behind the first place duo, but put another 30 minutes into third. So the podium seems to be coming together - but a lot can happen in four days.
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