This guest blog post comes by way of St. Louis from Natasha Kimling Kwan, aka @pedalpedal on Twitter. Enjoy.
It took me a week of riding the mountains of Colorado to truly appreciate (a) The roads in and outside of St. Louis, and (b) My skills as a cyclist. Last month, Rick, my significant other and I took off for a week long vacation to Breckenridge and Aspen. With bikes in tow, we drove from St. Louis to Breckenridge. I’ve never cycled the mountains. I had no idea what was in store for me. Did I have enough gears? I didn’t add any to my bike. Did I have enough clothing? Do the drivers respect cyclists? Can I get coconut water?
We split the time up equally between each town. Some things didn’t really register with me about cycling in the mountains, considering I had never done it. I didn’t realize for some reason that you spend hours going up just to go down. I also didn’t realize that you could experience a temperature drop of around 30 degrees in less than 15 minutes. Oops, should have done some homework.
We had very unpredictable weather in Breckenridge. We rode up to Vail Pass one day and Loveland Pass another. Each ride had its challenges and they were all weather related. Independence Pass was the most mentally challenging ride I have ever done so far in my 36-year life. Getting up the mountain was great. Looking down was a bit scary, but nonetheless it was a gorgeous day and we had no problems . . . in the beginning. Once we hit the top, it began to sleet and the temperature plummeted. On the way down, the road was extremely slick. It took everything I had to maintain a 10mph descent down the mountain, all the while hoping that a diesel truck was not going to be behind me. My first time sobbing on a bike and I had the mountains to make it echo. I didn’t care; I couldn’t feel my hands. Once we hit the flats, the road was dry and the sun came out. I couldn’t have been happier.
On our way to Aspen, we hit Independence Pass and Nike was filming their new Lance Armstrong commercial. We didn’t see him, but we did see John “College” Korioth, who acted as his stunt double according to one of the crew members. I think the picture verifies that it’s him. You can make out his identity with far distance, helmet and sunglasses, right?
After the weather challenges in Breckenridge, we were ready for some easy rides. Luckily, Aspen’s weather was in our favor and we didn’t hit any rain. We rode to the Maroon Dells and to the Castle Creek Valley. We decided not to do Independence Pass; we didn’t have to prove that we could climb for hours, we had already accomplished that. At times, I had to remind myself that this was a vacation; I didn’t need to push it every single day. Rick summarized Colorado as being “either 5 or 30”. You spend hours going up a mountain at 5 mph just to go down it at 30 mph. All worth it, really.
What I truly appreciate about this trip was that I underestimated the difficulties of riding the rolling Missouri hills. We have rollers. We have 10 – 12% climbs that will make your quads burn and cry for your mother. The difference to me is that my hometown rides are more physically challenging while Colorado is mentally challenging – of course, both are needed to become a better cyclist. As for the coconut water, yes, it can be found, but you should just bring your own.
About the author
Natasha Kimling Kwan is an avid road cyclist (we established that, right?), amateur runner, handbag designer and coconut water fanatic. She lives in St. Louis. You can find her on Twitter as @pedalpedal.
Loveland Pass up two miles high
Castle Valley Creek outside Aspen
Nike filming new Livestrong ad at Independence Pass, John "College" Korioth working as double for Lance Armstrong
Typical road outside of Aspen. They appear "flat" in photographs
The Maroon Dells
Related posts:
- Why I ride On Sunday, we honor those touched by cancer. These rides can be a bittersweet endeavor. But I prefer to look at them as a way to celebrate memories and be thankful for gifts among us. Livestrong....
- A bike with your name Today I wish I had a different first name. Something like…“Guido.” If I did, I’d buy this vintage bike, learn French and strike up a conversation with the lovely folks at my local bakery. Guido has a certain toughness to it. The red Polchlopek (French/Dutch circa 1970s) bike below lives at...
- Beautiful panniers These panniers are about the sexiest pair I’ve ever laid eyes upon. Check the subtle curves and minimalistic panache (if there can be such a thing). Bruce Gordon is an artist who happens to also make bikes in Petaluma, California....
- Tailwind “Dreams are necessary to life.” - Anais Nin I woke up this morning, stepped outside to pick up the NYT and felt a brisk wind. The kind that can break your will to go hard solo on a bike if you let it. Headwind for 60 miles up the coast...
- Winter in summer Bikes that go left very fast. Those would be track bikes. And this one below called Speed Metal is made by Winter Bicycles. It was supposed to be here in San Diego in April at the handbuilt bike show but alas couldn’t make the trip. These pictures tell the story....
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post about some great riding. The topping on this delightful post was the ever-so-fabulous rig, yes, a Colnago C-50, that Rick (?) was riding. Now there’s a man with a fabulous taste for fine velo machinery.
jon – very good eye. i cannot believe you were able to identify the brand OR the style of rick’s bike. you know your stuff and you obviously have good taste.
Natasha… well, I have a bit of an advantage as it’s the exact frame that I ride. Rick has splendid taste!