Day 17: Wide Open Spaces

Fruita to Montrose, CO
Miles:  75   Climb: 3130
Total Miles:  1222

The ride today started like yesterday, strong headwind and temperatures climbing fast.  My legs felt heavy and I was worried that I had left it all on Interstate 70 yesterday.  We continued to ride through arid, dry canyons, but it was not as desolate as Utah.

The first and only SAG stop was at 38 miles.  The ABB team was concerned about the heat and keeping everyone in water, so they used one van for the SAG stop and and the other scouting the route to make sure everyone was okay.  Like yesterday, the pace to the SAG was unbearably slow due to the wind.  At the stop I had the standard PB&J and some fig newtons and tried to reenergize.

When we left the stop, miraculously, the wind had changed.  We were able to travel at our normal speeds, and it felt like we were flying.  Even though the last 37 miles were a steady but gradual uphill climb, we rode well.  When we got into town we stopped at a coffee shop to celebrate.

The Europeans are amazed by how big the West is, and I agree.  These definitely are wide open spaces.  After experiencing the West on a bicycle the past two weeks I better understand how living near mountains and wide canyons influences the psyche of people who grow up here.

Tomorrow we climb into the Rockies.  We will be in the San Juan range climbing for two days to Monarch Pass.  Forecast is for continued hot weather and headwinds.