Day 45: 49 Miles

Canon City, CO to Hartsel, CO

I guess I’m in the mountains now. Today was all about climbing. I started around 6,400 feet, climbed up to over 9,000 feet and finished the day around 8,400 feet. The climbing was tough, but the scenery was great.

The first 10 miles out of Canon City were probably the hardest, but I happened to end up on a route that was also being used for a charity bike ride. I hit mile 13 and there was an aid station. I didn’t think I was going to have a spot to refill water today, but ended up with water, Gatorade, cookies, cake, and a banana.

I met too many people on today’s ride to mention, but it’s nice that there are people going in both directions now to run into. I stopped to talk to a few people as I continued to climb. By mile 32 I’d basically finished climbing, but a strong headwind had picked up, so my downhill into Hartsel was tough as well. Over 49 Miles today I only averaged 8.1 mph, but the scenery made up for it.

I made it to Hartsel and found a bar, which was basically the only place in town. It was also the place to check in to camp in town. It turns out the camping is in a field next to some junk cars across the street from the bar. Luckily there are a couple other cyclists here so I won’t be the only one camping in the field.