My Triple Bypass

"Well, you leave the school parking lot and start climbing...for a very long time." Those words, Lee's answer to my question about what the first ascent would be like in the Triple ByPass, have haunted me for almost a year. While I rode and rode and rode and trained and trained, I still never quite felt like I was up to the task of riding 120 miles in the Rockies. Constant doubt clouded my anticipation and dampened my enthusiasm. Still, I had set this goal and I was damned if my mind was going to screw with me. I was going to do it, doggonnit.

On Thursday, July 9 Godiva, all packed in her case, and I boarded a Frontier Airlines jet in Washington, DC and headed west to Denver. Arriving at Lee's apartment around 11:30 a.m. MT, I unpacked the bike, put her together & then headed out through town to the Cherry Creek bike trail. I rode again twice on Friday in an effort to remind my legs that they had a job to do on Saturday. Amazingly, I felt great and ready to ride. I still had a touch of worry about completing the climbs - but not much. I was proud that I was pushing all the doubting demons aside.

My cell phone alarm was set for 5:15 a.m. Saturday. Lee and I got up, I ate a bowl of oatmeal (with bananas and almonds), drank some coffee and then loaded his car and headed to Bergen Park for the start of the ride. The plan was for me to start riding at 6:30 a.m. but we were running just a little behind (so what else is new!) and I think I actually took the first pedal stroke at 6:45 or so. Lee watched me take off and then he went to a local coffee shop for more caffeine and some breakfast. Even though he was giving me a 90-minute head start, I figured if his original description of the first climb was anywhere near accurate he would catch me as I labored toward the top. Ha! Not only did I make the top of the climb but I was at rest stop #2 (Georgetown) 40 miles into the ride before he caught me.

Saturday had dawned sunny and warm. I think the temperatures were in the upper 50's when I started riding. I used arm warmers but not my knee warmers and was perfectly comfortable. In my jersey pockets I stowed a jacket for the inevitable rain showers that afternoon (I was hoping, since I was prepared, that the sun would shine the entire time). The temperatures eventually got to the low 80's, I am guessing.

"Leave the parking lot and climb for a very long time" was correct, but the climb was nowhere near what I expected. I don't know exactly what the grade was but I would guess it ranged from 3% to 8%, maybe a little steeper in short sections but mostly not bad. Long is what it was - 14 miles to the top of Squaw Pass at 9,708 ft., followed by an all-too-brief downhill and then another climb to the top of Juniper Pass (11,140 ft.). Lee had told me that the ride is very social and it really was. It is easy to talk to folks when there are 3500 participants. Since I was riding solo I spoke to just about everyone who passed me (lots of young whipper-snappers!) and everyone I passed. NOTE: I actually passed people! I was amazed that I was passing folks but I was - and I certainly was not speedy. It felt good to know I was faster than others, especially since I had gambled on arriving just before the ride. Based on past experience I theorized that arriving a week or even 10 days ahead would not give me enough time to acclimate to the altitude, so why bother? Instead, I decided to arrive just before, attempt the ride and then enjoy the rest of my vacation. (The gamble worked - wonder if I can stretch my luck to include the lottery?)

Some conversations involved breathing (or the inability to do so - I passed one poor 30-something guy from Chicago who had arrived a week prior and still could not breathe. I never saw him the rest of the day so I have no idea if he made it or not.) and lots of conversations were of the "where are you from?" variety. Once, a man asked me that question & I found that he had lived in VA for some years and had graduated from UVa ('67). I told him to look at my socks - I was wearing my UVa cycling socks - Wahoowa! I also told him that Lee had graduated from The University as well & that he would be meeting me later. Other conversations involved gear and components. Lots of comments about Godiva's lovely pink hubs and at least one about her manufacturer. Interestingly, all comments about the pink hubs came from men. Wouldn't you think women would notice? Humph!

The first rest stop, just over the top of Juniper Pass, was a welcome sight! Having been warned to pack in the food at every opportunity and to drink constantly, I was ready to get some vittles and refill bottles. I had already consumed a 22 oz. bottle of Heed energy drink & another of plain water. I also ate some freshly baked mini-muffins, half a banana and a small Cliff bar. The first eighteen miles were done; 102 to go! Trying to be as efficient with my stops as possible, I hopped back on the bike and headed down, down, down, past Echo Lake (the entrance to Mt. Evans, one of Colorado's 14'ers and the location of the highest paved road in the country), down, down, down to the town of Idaho Springs.

Idaho Springs marked the beginning of what I consider the toughest part of the ride, not counting the weather later in the day. This mountain town, wedged between Mt. Evans and Oh-My-God Road (really!), and bisected by I-70, marked the beginning of a 25 mile mostly gradual climb to the foot of the next pass, Loveland. Looking at the scenery - steep mountainsides, abandoned mines, old Victorian houses and spotting wildflowers were a helpful diversion. To me, this was much more difficult than climbing an actual pass. The wind was beginning to pick up and was always a headwind because it was blowing down from the Continental Divide straight through this canyon-like split in the Rockies.

As we cycled through Idaho Springs, locals lined the street ringing cowbells and cheering us on, just like in the Tour de France! It was such fun and something we encountered all along the route. Occasionally we would pass some children with a lemonade stand for the riders - and they were giving away the lemonade! (Ahem...didn't see any popsicles though.) The slog up to Loveland started at a low of about 7500 ft. and ended at 10,600 ft. at the base of the pass. Gaining that 3000 ft. in 25 miles was a long, hot, sometimes steep process. The route mostly followed the frontage road (old Route 6), parallelled I-70, and included a 2-mile dirt section near the town of Georgetown.

Georgetown marked the second rest stop and when I arrived (40 miles in, 80 to go) I still had not seen Lee. I stopped, filled bottles, ate more, went to the bathroom and ran into the UVa graduate again. He asked if my son had caught me yet and I said no. He replied, "Good! I hope you stay ahead of him!" Not two minutes later I saw Lee. I was happy to see him and we rode mostly together for the rest of the ride. Leaving the rest stop and after the dirt section, the road turned steeply upward for a short distance, then dumped us onto a bike path that climbed up to the level of I-70 through a series of switchbacks. This 5-mile bike path was probably the steepest of the ride and I was happy when we dropped back down below the interstate onto the frontage road again. Eventually the route ran out of frontage road and the inevitable happened - we rode on the interstate! Yes, on I-70. Oh boy was I not looking forward to this section. Yet again the anticipation was nowhere near the reality. First of all, the paved shoulder is a full lane wide so there is lots of room. Second, CDOT had swept the shoulder as there was no debris, no rocks, nothing. The climb was significant but because the pavement was so good it was not a bad experience. I stayed as far to the right as possible because I am not crazy about hugging tractor-trailers. Lee stayed either just ahead of me or to my left. We exited I-70 at the Loveland Pass exit and stopped there for the lunch rest stop - mile 56 - 64 to go. Almost halfway!

Lee could tell I had been struggling the last few miles and at one point he opened a gel pack and handed it to me & told me to eat it. I sucked it down without stopping and then slugged some water. At the lunch stop I was definitely not hungry - a sure sign of bonk if I didn't eat - so I force-fed myself a turkey sandwich, some oranges and cookies. Lee sent me off ahead while he visited with some friends, telling me that he would catch me before I got to the top of Loveland Pass. Leaving the parking lot at the rest stop (the parking lot for Loveland Ski area), the route joins Rt. 6 to go over the pass. The entire climb is a series of long switchbacks but the grade is only about 5%. I zoom along on temporarily refreshed legs and before I know it, I am almost at the last turn of the last switchback and Lee has not appeared. Minutes later, here he comes and we top the Continental Divide together. Loveland was the ride's highest elevation at 11,990 ft. and marks the halfway point in the ride at 60 miles. The wind was blowing and it was chilly up there, especially since we were sweating from the climb so we did not stop but immediately started down the other side. From here on out I had ridden the route of the Triple many times - in pieces, not all at once. I was familiar with the roads and trails so I was not at all intimidated by what lay ahead, I was just tired!

The switchbacks on the west side of Loveland Pass are much tighter than the east so I spent a great deal of time standing above and behind the saddle and feathering the brakes. Meanwhile, Lee went zooming down around the turns and before long was so far ahead I could not see him any more. It's at those times that I pretend I have no idea who he is because if I think about being his mother he'll scare me to death! The road twists and turns past Arapaho Basin Ski Area and then straightens. At this point I let Godiva go and somewhere along here I hit my top speed of 41.3 mph. We zoom past Keystone Ski Resort and I rejoin Lee just before we get to the Keystone Market. He had told me that he wanted to stop there and have me drink a Coke. I did - he told me to "slam" it because a storm was brewing quickly. I drank it as quickly as possible while trying to avoid a carbonated explosion in my stomach. Three rather large, rather loud, rather un-ladylike belches later I felt great and could ride again. As we approached the stoplight at Swan Mountain Road the raindrops started. I briefly stopped right beside Lee's first house & put my rain jacket on. Putting the jacket on did the trick as we just felt a few drops and nothing more, though the clouds were heavy and dark. We climbed up and over Swan Mountain - it is only about 3 miles to the top and on the topo map of the route it looks like a little bump. My, how that little bump used to get the best of me when I first started riding in the Rockies! Up and over Swan Mtn. we went and down to the intersection at Farmer's Korner (elevation about 9100 ft.), site of a wreck I had in the rain on my mountain bike about nine years ago. It is at this point that the sugar from the Coke kicked in and I was feeling much better. We passed through the light and joined the bike trail to the town of Frisco. There was another rest stop located at Summit County High School right there at the light. Lee stopped but I kept going. I passed the town of Frisco on the bike trail and headed to Copper Mountain. Somewhere between Frisco and Copper the skies opened - the magic of the jacket seemed to have worn off. Not only was it raining hard but my shoes were filling with water! There was so much water coming down that the trail was covered by a fine layer of H2O that found its way into my shoes at each turn of the pedals. Oh yeah, and the temperature dropped considerably. Brrr! I thought it was a good thing I was continually climbing and generating some heat because it would have been really chilly had I been going downhill. I had no idea what was to come.

The downpour lasted probably ten minutes and then things began to dry up and I began to dry off (except for my feet). Lee and I met up once again just as I arrived at Copper Mountain (elevation 9712 ft.). Copper lies at the base of the third of the Triple Bypass passes - Vail Pass. I remember riding through the Copper Mountain Resort with Lee and saying, "I can do this!" It was the first time that I actually said it out loud. His response was, "F**k yeah you can do it, Mom!" One more climb. I was all psyched and ready to climb when Lee threw a monkey wrench into my thoughts. "Hey Mom, you want to see the crit (criterium) course here?" "Uh....sure....", I say. So off the route we go and loop through the resort itself on the crit course. Fortunately, it loops back onto the route and shortly we are headed up Vail Pass once again. The trek up Vail Pass is normally a relatively easy one because it tops out at 10,560 ft. The climb from Copper is about 4 or 5 miles with only 800 ft. of elevation gain. However, that easy climb is usually on fresher legs! The bike trail up the pass is one of the most beautiful in all of the High Country, in my opinion. It climbs through meadows and wetlands covered in wildflowers, nestled between the lanes of I-70. The lanes are so far apart and so much higher than the trail that you can easily forget there is an interstate nearby. This day, with black clouds looming and on dead legs, it was more difficult than usual to enjoy the scenery. Lee had me ride ahead of him up the pass (he says he rides 3 mph faster following me than when I follow him!) and before I knew it I was at the steep, short switchbacks that signal we are almost at the top. A short trip through a tunnel under the eastbound lane of the interstate and out we popped onto the lower lot of the rest area. We circled around to the upper lot where the final aid station for the Triple Bypass was located and I stopped only long enough to call Michael and Carol Schimmer to let them know I had made all the climbs - and to let Carol know to come pick me up at the finish. (I was staying in Avon with Carol for the next couple days.) Ninety-five miles down, 25 to go, all downhill!

Lee and I took off on the bike trail to head down the very steep west side of Vail Pass. Zooming along, the skies kept getting darker and darker. I don't know how far it is down the west side when the trail ends and we rejoin old Rt. 6, but it was right at that point that the rain started once again. It poured and poured and poured all the rest of the way down to Avon. Lee and I flew. I don't know how fast we were going down the steep part of the pass but once we got down to Vail and from there to Avon (about 10 miles), my speed never dropped below 20 mph. and Lee said I was averaging 23 mph. We hammered, mainly because we were frozen and wet and wanted it to be over. At just under 7500 ft. in elevation, we dropped about 3000 ft. in 25 miles; just like the climb between Idaho Springs and Loveland Ski Area. It's easier going down, though scary in a downpour.

Carol met me and I couldn't wait to get to her house for a hot shower! The temperature in Avon when we arrived was 60 degrees. That's cold when you're soaking wet and traveling 23 mph. My feet felt like blocks of ice. Squishy ones.

The finish of the Triple Bypass is usually a big party complete with dinner and live music, prizes and beer. No one was staying because it was so wet and cold so the party was a bust this year. None of you will believe this, but I did NOT want a beer when I got there. The thought of something cold was completely unappealing. (However, after that hot shower...)

The organization of this event is amazing and as far as I can tell went off without a hitch. Since it is a point-to-point ride and not a loop, perks to the riders include trucking 3500 cyclists' gear bags from the start to the finish so they can have clothes to change into. The Colorado State Patrol, local police or volunteers from Team Evergreen (the sponsoring organization) manned every - and I mean every - intersection to ensure that no one got off course. Each cyclist had to wear a wrist band and periodically along the route bands were checked or you could not pass through. There were road closures in places (Squaw & Juniper Passes, Swan Mountain for example) and SAG wagons galore. I cannot imagine what it takes to put on an event such as this but they do a fabulous job.

I am amazed that I actually did this ride. Please bear with me because I think I will be talking about it for a long time. My biggest worry was the air pressure (or lack thereof). It was not an issue. I worked so hard on my deep breathing this spring that it paid off. My butt hurt - as it always does after about 75 miles - but it was not unbearable. My knees and feet were fine. The shoulder pain I usually have on long rides came and went but was no worse than it ever is. Final stats: 120 miles, 12.2 mph average (hey, there are a few big hills along the way!), high of 41.3 mph, 10,310 ft. of climbing, 9 hours, 43 minutes ride time.

Would I do it again? Let me think about that. I know now that I can do it, and to me that is most important.

Now to set the next goal...:)