I guess I’m doing the Copper Triangle RIde this morning.  I say I guess because it is cold out and it looks like it might be raining some or most of the time. I like to race in those conditions, but I’m not much into just riding at those conditions.   Especially at 8000 + feet altitude.  I might rather just be loungin’ watching the Olympic Road Race this morning.

If you didn’t click on the link above, here is the description of the ride from the website. A spectacular 78-mile loop cresting three Colorado Mountain passes – Fremont Pass (elevation 11,318’), Tennessee Pass (elevation 10,424’) and Vail Pass (elevation 10,666’). The course passes three ski areas and is littered with historic mining outposts and camp Hale, the training ground for the famous 10th Mountain Division.

There are lots of guys I know out here, from all over, doing lots of different things.  A few guys are training for Leadville, so are heading over there to pre-ride some of the course.  Vincent is going up to Laramie to do the Laramie Enduro on a tandem.  It is 70 miles, so not that much shorter than the ride today I’m doing.

Last year I rode from Silverthorne to Copper Mtn., but today I’m driving.  I’m still just mediocre and am just doing the ride because I’m entered and a bunch of friends are riding it.  Last year, Vincent and I rode pretty hard.  Like the 7th fastest time on the Strava KOM for the loop.  And if you subtract the 20 + minutes I stopped, then it was the fastest the loop has been ridden by someone with that uses Strava.

That isn’t going to be the speed today.  I’m a little worried about getting too cold.  We got caught in a storm coming back from Breckenridge yesterday and the temperature on my Garmin was 49 degrees.  And it was raining hard.  That is over 50 degrees cooler than I’ve been riding in at home and it felt cold. The ride benefits The Davis Phinney Parkinson’s Foundation, so it is for a good cause

Anyway, I’m going to keep optimistic and cross my fingers it stays dry.  I’d better get a move on.  We’ll already be the last ones starting.  Some guys take off before sunrise.

This is Sue, Laura Peycke, and Bill Lehman. Friends from way, way back. Team mates and support. Laura and Bill are riding the loop on a tandem. Laura had wrist surgery and is going to ride on the back.

Trent Newcomer in the Velofix van.  It is a mobile bike shop. He has two of these doing repairs in the Fort Collins and Boulder area.

Tucker, Trent and I.

It is nice out today compare to yesterday’s raining day.  We’re all going already this morning, so I’m going to make this just pretty much a picturitorial.  We’re heading out to ride to Vail from Silverthorne to meet up with Kart, who just drove there from Louisville yesterday.  Anyway, the women’s road race is on right now, but I’d rather be out watching than watching TV.  How about GvA winning the men’s Olympic Gold yesterday?  You think Peter Sagan is kicking himself for not racing on the road, instead doing the MTB event.  If GvA can make it to the finish, then I assume PS could have.  Bad decision.   Hope you have a good Sunday.

We came up upon these guys early yesterday climing up Fremont Pass. He was going pretty well.

Sue, Bill and Laura climbin up towards Minturn in the rain.

The rest stops were crowded yesterday. We only stopped once.

Vincent won the Laramie Enduro on a tandem yesterday. They finished 22nd overall, which is stellar.

This state trooper was on the bike path down from Vail Pass trying to control the downhill speed. The problem was he was going around 14 mph, which was ridiculously slow. I didn’t get it. We’d ridden 80 miles in the rain already.

The Olympics is on right now.

Tucker hanging out with the bicycles after the Copper Triangle ride.