Vail Pass

Travelling for work can really interrupt a training schedule, especially when it is on a very compressed timeline like I am facing. Luckily my recent trip to Vail, CO for the Pearl Izumi Spring 2011 Line Preview worked out in my favor. Jeremy and Matt at PI were kid enough to hook me up with a rental road bike so I got up at 5:20 each morning to ride before breakfast. With Pearl being a cycling/running company there was a group of mountain bikers heading out each morning at the same time and employees about to hit the running trails stretching in the lobby. Luckily it was just Jeremy and I on the road the first morning or I wouldn't have been able to keep up.

This road only goes up...

The trip up Vail pass is steep and hard even if you are used to the altitude. I was breathing hard and looking for an easier gear even before we got to the start of the "real" climb. It was also cold, about 50 degrees or so, but I was working hard enough I didn't notice. We followed the frontage road next to I-80 up to a little park where a gate prevented cars from continuing but cyclists could follow the old pre-Eisenhower paved road up to the pass. I was moving pretty slow and Jeremy had to hang back a little to keep from dropping me. We had hoped to make it to the top but were only about halfway when we had to turn around to make breakfast and our first meetings in time.

Wednesday was the last day of our three day meeting and Jeremy was determined to make it all the way to the top of the pass. He had ridden up the other side on Father's Day and wanted to recon the Vail side in preparation for the Copper Triangle Ride he was doing later in the summer. Our attendance wasn't needed at the first morning meeting so we met in the lobby at 5:45 along with George, the New England sales rep, and headed out. George is a big guy but plenty strong and set a fast pace along the main road on the approach. Maybe a little fast for me because I could barely hang on. I thought once the road turned uphill I could catch back on but he kept a steady twenty foot lead on me even on the steep sections.

When we got to our previous high point George had to turn around so Jeremy and I stopped to stretch. From here the road turned into a bike path following a short twisting descent through the trees and under the interstate to the south side of the valley. A sharp left turn and the path took us on the steepest part of the ride. Did I mention it was even colder this morning than yesterday? Mid-40's today and Jeremy's hands were numb. My toes were cold but I had warmer gloves on and wasn't suffering too badly. We could see sunlight a half-mile farther up trail and that was great motivation to keep the pedals turning.

Finally we rode into the sun coming over the pass and the road leveled out enough to shift out of my easiest gear. We pedaled past a couple of small lakes being stalked by fishermen and then there was no more "up". We were at the top.

Jeremy and I at the halfway point

The descent was fast and fun but with some sharp corners I tried to keep my speed in check. It isn't hard to get over 50mph in the mountains if you tuck down to cheat the wind but on an unfamiliar bike with questionable stability that's just asking for trouble. Eighteen minutes from the top back to the gate (over an hour going the other way!) and then an easy roll back to the hotel.

The mountains in Oregon might be this steep but at much lower altitude so this was great training for the RGR. I'm getting ready!

A double rainbow with a storm moving in over Vail to end the day