Monday, July 1st, 2013 @ 9:31PM

Total Time: 7:43.36
Miles: 104.63
Avg Speed: 13.5 mph
Max Speed: 55 mph
4 days without a flat tire
11 flat tires in
Status: completed
Rode with: Sarabh and Austin
*tough first hill
*lower back
*steady climb after first pass
8000 ft climb
* thunder storms
* century ride

Today was another century ride. These really take a lot out of you both physically and mentally since they take a very long time. From a scouting report from yesterday I heard that the team would be climbing about 7000 feet. In addition, the first pass, Rabbits Ears, was going to be a climb that would happen very early on the ride and would last around 10-15 miles to reach the top. This got me really nervous because I am not a good climber since I tend to surge because of impatience.

Wake up was early, like usual, 6:00. Followed the daily routine to get ready, and was ready to ride again. Bruce rode with the team again and we began to venture out and begin our century ride. At around 7:15

The first 7 miles was a steady flat downhill. It was a decent way for my muscles to loosen up a little. I was suffering because Colorado is cold, especially in the mornings. Back to the ride, the team saw a steep incline and we knew we were approaching Rabbits Ears Pass. Going up was a slow exhausting process. My pace line was getting frustrated since they were getting swarmed by mosquitoes. I was fine since I had arm and leg warmers on as we continued to ascend up the pass. However, my lower back was getting most of the blunt going up so whenever I pedaled my left leg the pinch on the back got a little worse and moving the leg became a little tougher. I had to stop a couple times briefly to get the blood flowing properly. Eventually we made it to the top at around mile 18 and Rabbits Ears seemed okay. The terrain didn???t blow my mind but it was still nice to look at.

For about 60 miles, it was pretty much standard fare with our rides. Had a brief downhill, for about 5 miles then Wes bombarded with rolling hills. The mountains became more beautiful though, since there were actually snow on the mountains and as we continued to approach the mountains, the presence was pretty empowering because you get to take in how big the mountains actually were. Easily one of the bigger takeaways from the trip.

I was also told by some people that the final 50 miles were going to be a steady uphill. That stressed me out but it honestly was not bad at all. It really did not feel like I was actually climbing until I occasionally looked behind me and saw what I was able to accomplish.

I felt my pace line was pulling fairly strong and for a long time and I didn???t really feel like I was pulling my weight for that much. One guy pulled through Rabbits Ears, and the other led for an extended period of time. I hated the feeling of being weak and I wasn???t too comfortable pulling anytime I ride. Seeing how they pulled pushed me more. I was able to ride through 3 crew vans (passed one of them) and near the end of the ride I was pulling pretty strong for 20 mikes after lunch (mile 75).

Around mile 87, the terrain got darker, cloudier, and windier. It was going to rain soon, possibly a thunder storm. The team never encountered rain in our rides so we were worried we might get racked. Nobody on my pace line wanted that to happen and I pulled harder and nearly caught up to the pace line in front of me multiple times. As we approached mile 90, it began to rain a little and there was some flashes of lightning as my pace line approached a crew van. As we passed the gusts became stronger, rain got heavier which impaired my vision, climate was colder. I was still pushing as hard as I could but I was losing energy.

When mile 95 hit u saw another crew can that stopped. I thought we were going to get racked. That did not happen and the guy on crew told is to go stay in a hotel until the rain does out. There were other cyclists who also stopped there. We stayed there for about 45 minutes waiting to ride again and going back on the bike sucked. The last 10 miles were brutal. I was hungry, thirsty, muscles were tight, lower back was sore, cold , and my adrenaline was gone from the rain. The terrain was not bad but the wait made everything unpleasant.

The team eventually made it to lodging and we waited another hour for dinner. I was really hungry and ate all the candy I got yesterday. Bruce Rogers, some people in his company, as well as other people ate dinner with us. Most if the guests that were there are going to ride with the team tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, this will be one of the last tough climbs that we will have for this trip. To end with a bang we will be going up 12,000 feet. Never experienced going up elevation that high but I was more worried that it would be cold. Time to prepare for the ride tomorrow.

Posted by Reggie Quaye
Categories: Journey of Hope, Philanthropy