Life at Altitude

I DNFed the ride today. I feel like a loser. Clay was so psyched to do an epic ride when Tony arrived and I thought I was too but my legs did not agree with me. After 45 minutes of climbing, most of which I was too pumped to stay on my bike for more than 100 yards at a time, I waved goodbye and headed to the Steaming Bean for a cup of french press.

I'm not always so lame. Last week I rode every day at least two hours and even did a four hour ride up in the clouds. Maybe my body is just saying, "Enough already".

The base elevation in Telluride is 8,750. Unless you want to ride the single track valley floor trail every day you are going to need to consign yourself to a big climb, or even many big climbs, if you want to experience the best trails the area has to offer. My favorite trails are on the north side of the valley. That's probably be because I know them without getting lost. You could be lost for a long freaking time by taking a wrong turn in these parts.

Here are some images from my long ride in which I took Sheep Creek to the Whip Line to Penelope's to Rudy's to the Water Line. I did not ride non-stop by any means. I stopped often to just catch my breathe and to take in the amazing scenery. The views of the valley on this ride are the best since much of the last two trails run along the edge of the canyon wall. It's a bit scary in a couple spots because a crash could result in a big tumble in which gravity would really take control.

Note all the tents in the field. A few hundred cyclist from the Tour of the Rockies were setting up camp all over town.