Boulder, Colorado
We rode about 50 miles from Fort Collins to Boulder Colorado. I was a sweep, along with Kenny. In the paceline in front of us there were two ride-alongs: Joey Stassi's dad and a Pi Alpha from CSU. That paceline was going so slow that eventually the rest of our paceline broke away and passed them, leaving Kenny and I alone behind the slow group as the sweeps. It didn't matter much anyways, because since the first group was also being held back by the slow group the whole team was racked at around mile 38-42. We were supposed to do an arrival at the Colorado University chapter house, but because the last groups were so far back we didn't have time. I felt real bad for Brendle and Rob who are from CU and didn't get to ride in to their home on a bike, let alone in an arrival.
The ride itself was really cool. When we were about 30-40 miles away, we were told that Boulder was easily visible from where we stood; it was just below the cliffs with the vertical strips that we could see. Actually, we were told about the cliffs at the same place where I took this picture:
We could see where we were going for most if the day, which was cool. When we made a turn onto a road near Boulder we all of a sudden ran into more bikers than we had seen on any day this trip so far. There were tons of bikers going both ways on the road. We were passed first by an older woman on a road bike with aero bars, then by a man on a mountain bike, then by a very old man on a mountain bike. It was kind of funny. Boulder is apparently the most biker friendly town in the country, and t was apparent. There were bike racks and bikers everywhere.
We were racked to a rec center type place where we had lunch and a friendship visit with an organization called EXPAND, which does work with people with physical disabilities. We met with a few of their coaches and racers in their wheelchair racig program. We got to talk to a man who at one time was both the fastest alpine monoskier and the fastest wheelchair racer in the world. It was really inspiring to hear about his story. He lost both of his legs in battle in Korea (I think), in an incident that cost the lives of several of his friends. He doesn't see his lack if legs as a disability but as a blessing. Not only does it mean that he is alive, when his friends are not, but it gave him the opportunity to be the best in the world at two sports that he never would have done otherwise. He said he used to be a good downhill skier, but nowhere near good enough to be an Olympic champion.
We got to try out one of two racing wheelchairs that they had set up on trainers for us. They had bike computers on them reading out speed and distance. We had a little team competition to see who could gi the farthest and who could hit the highest top speed. It was really hard. You had to wear these gloves that force your hand into a fist, and you hit the wheels, rather than grabbing them with your fingers and turning them. I think my top speed was around 8-9 mph. Kent hit 12.5 mph.
When we ate lunch at the place I talked to this guy who goes to Springfield College. He was pretty cool, and it was good to talk to someone from Massachusetts.
After the friendship visit I went to a bike shop to get a new battery for my sensor on my front wheel for my computer and new grip tape. It was a huge bike shop, and there were tons of people there; more people than I would ever expect to see in a bike shop in other parts of the country.
While we were at the bike shop the rest of the team was at the Eta Gamma chapter house at CU. That day 3 bike wheels got run over my vans. People kept on leaving them under or against the vans as people were loading into the vans and forgetting to put them in before the vans started moving.
We had dinner and a friendship visit at a park with an organization called Sky's the Limit whose goal is to integrate people with and without disabilities through sporting events. We played baseball and bocce and ladderball and basketball. We had a really good meal with plenty of subway subs and pizza, all donated by local establishments. I did a video interview for the organization's documentary.
Our lodging fell through so we stayed at a Pi Alpha's apartment about 10 miles outside Boulder, making our ride into Denver the next day 10 miles shorter. That night I walked to a gas station with some of the guys to get some drinks. I have yet to see any Honest Ade anywhere except the gift shop in Yellowstone.
- Posted from my iPhone
Location:Boulder, CO
