Something magical happens when you name a bike Basso
It wants to climb in the mountains! In the past two weeks, my new bike (named Basso) and me have had a great time riding in the mountains of Colorado. It has been hot in Denver, so the mountains have been a welcome reprieve from the heat. It is also prime-time riding season with local events like
Ride the Rockies last week and
Bicycle Tour of Colorado happening this week. Two weeks from now will be the Triple Bypass ride, and before we know it the USA Pro Cycling Challenge will return for it's second year.
If we're lucky we might get Chris Horner, Andy or Frank Schleck, a few others missing from the Tour de France this year, plus the newly crowned Olympians to come to Colorado.
For those who have asked, the forest fires still rage in northern Colorado west of Fort Collins. The fire, started by lightening, has now burned over 200 square kilometers, or 55,000 acres, and destroyed 181 homes of 700 dwellings in the fire zone. Over 1,600 firefighters have been battling the blazes.
I live safely south of the fires and have been fortunate to enjoy the mountain scenery from Denver south to Crested Butte and back. Here are some pictures to share from my recent adventures in
Colorado:
all Photos by PedalDancer.com/Karen
Scenes from Ride the Rockies
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| Drew and Sue, our road trip to Gunnison, Co, included a quick stop in Fairlplay |
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| Fairplay is in South Park - inspiration for the TV show (these 4 were also on their way to Ride the Rockies) |
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| Random mass camping signaled we had found the start city of Ride the Rockies |
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| Plus the sight of the expo and long registration pick-up lines |
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| I hope everyone ended up on the correct bike the next morning |
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| Our morning started at Camp 4 Coffee, a tradition in Crested Butte |
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| This is Blue Mesa Reservoir, the largest body of water in Colorado - beautiful |
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| This was a fixie rider - yes, not single speed, fixed gear, all 442 miles. |
Scenes from Summit County
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| Frisco Marina on Lake Dillon |
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| From above a mountain goat was peering down at the cyclists Photo by Ursula |
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| mountain goat Photo by Ursula |
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| The bike path from Frisco to Copper Mountain |
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| When did BMW get involved in cycling? |
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| A light rain was falling as I climbed to Vail Pass |
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| Creek |
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| Approaching Vail Pass at 10,662 feet (3,250 m) |
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| I returned to Frisco in time for the annual BBQ cookoff |
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| Main Street Frisco was filled with serious barbeques |
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| They award trophies, pig trophies |
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| This isn't snow, these are beignets |
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| What's for lunch |
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| American BBQ |
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| And fresh roasted corn on the cob |
Scene from riding to dinner with a friend (sorry Basso I went for my beach cruiser bike)
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| My "other" bike |
Scenes from Clear Creek County
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| river rafting |
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| An old Colorado mine |
Map of 2012 Bicycle Tour of Colorado, June 17-23, 2012. This year they are going to Wyoming. The fires west of Fort Collins may affect the last day of this week long event as well (the last day of Ride the Rockies was rerouted).
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| 2012 Bicycle Tour of Colorado route map |
And congrats to my good friend Sue Lloyd for her latest win at the Colorado State Time Trial Championships (she is also National Bronze Medalist).
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| Sue - last week she rode all of Ride the Rockies, yesterday she became a champion. |
This is Sue with her husband, Drew's Dad, and my good friend - Scott Christopher. Scott works for the State advocacy organization
Bicycle Colorado. He also played a strong role at Ride the Rockies in teaching rider and road safety to riders and the Colorado Highway Patrol officers on the route. A bit of fun trivia - Scott was one of the sprinting cyclists in the old Kevin Costner movie
American Flyers, something his sons (who both race) are very proud of. "Let 'em go Tommy they're nobodies."
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| Sue Lloyd and Scott Christopher |
