Time: 6h18m24s
Distance: 117.77km
Avg Spd: 18.7km
Climbing: 3,324m
Wow! What a day. It was an easy 88km run from Canon City to Colorado Springs, but then six of us decided to ride up Pikes Peak. Rachel, Joel, Marc, Brandon, Mark and Dave joined me on this adventure. Rachel rode with us for the morning, but opted not to ride up when we got the base. Dave ran out of water at the half-way point, and had to turn around.
We left camp around 6:30am, and we made it to Manitou Springs (a small town near the base of Pikes Peak) around 10am. It was another hour of climbing to reach the toll gate, followed by nearly three hours of tough riding to get to the summit.
And holy smokes, was it ever tough climbing. The road is 29.5km (18miles) long from the gate to the summit, and gains 2,181m (7,155ft) of vertical elevation. The elevation at the summit is 14,110ft. We started climbing around 11am, and it was after 2pm when we reached the summit. Ideally we should have left earlier, as a storm regularly forms at the summit around 1-2pm. I got rained on for the last 20minutes of my climb, but the other guys weren't so lucky, as they had rain for the last hour of their ascent.
When we reached the summit, it was cold - about 7C (45F) and rainy. I was the first to summit, and was so physically and emotionally spent that I hunched over the railing at the summit and summoned all my strength to breathe. I didn't care that I was getting drenched in the rain. I got another tourist to take my photo, but didn't even have the wherewithal to get a decent background to the picture.
About fifteen minutes after I arrived and was stumbling through the gift shop, Joel showed up, and we congratulated each other and got the 'world famous' donuts from the shop at the top. I also snagged a Gatorade and a Twix bar to try and rehydrate and get some sugar. A few minutes later Marc arrived, then Mark, then Brandon.
I had been eating every half-hour on the way up, but I ran out of water around the 13,000ft mark and that really hurt me. With maybe 2-3km left to ride, I had to take my first break and took ten minutes to eat more and collect my strength. The elevation was tough on me - it made me light headed, and every pedal stroke was a challenge. A few people in cars driving past yelled encouragements out their windows as they flew past, and that was actually incredibly uplifting. A few minutes after summiting, I felt fine, but after I finished eating, and once the last of us arrived I began to feel a little ill.
The rain was coming down hard, and we were shivering from the cold. My arm-warmers and vest had been put on during the climb, as the temperature dropped once we cleared the treeline - but we were way too cold to try descending, being drenched with sweat and rain and not being able to dry off in the gift shop. Thankfully, two other Sea to Sea riders had decided to drive to the summit to see it for themselves, and we were able to hitch a ride back down to camp with us and our bikes in their vans. But not before the obligatory (although somewhat bedraggled) picture at the the summit sign... from left to right: Me, Joel, Brandon, Marc & Mark.
The views from the mountain were spectacular, but somewhat terrifying when looking ahead and up the hill at the roads and seemingly unending switch-backs we had to climb. The change in vegetation from bottom to top is impressive - lush and green at the base, and stark and rocky at the top.
After the ride, a few of us climbers when out to Old Chicago's restaurant for dinner. Never in my life has pizza and beer tasted so good.
I'd like to say I slept like a rock, but that wasn't the case. We're staying at Colorado Springs Christian School, and were given freedom to sleep in any hallway. I couldn't get comfortable, or regulate my temperature properly, so was up a few times during the night. I'll try and nap this afternoon, and hopefully be ready to ride again tomorrow.
The school we're at is a spectacular, built on a hill over looking the city and mountains. But everything is far apart, and it's a long walk from the showers and washrooms up the 8% grade parking lot to the gear trailer... Pikes Peak is visible in the background (the mountain peak without trees).
Today we joined the Cragmore CRC for worship, and were treated to a huge dinner of pulled pork sandwiches and desserts. This afternoon was spent at the laundromat and blogging. Sleep is the next priority.
This week we start descending into the prairies. We're very much looking forward to not climbing and time to rest our weary legs.
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ReplyDeleteGreat commentary, Stephen, and congratulations on the ride so far! Pike's Peak makes the Highwood Pass look like a joyride.
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