I'm not gonna lie. Yesterday's stage from Durango to Ridgway was hard. It took me 7 hours and 30 minutes of riding time to complete it, and ten hours total if you count my rest time. And yet it was everything I hoped for.
When I signed up for RTR I knew that Day 4 was "the day". My training was geared, in my mind if nothing else, to get me through it. My massage the afternoon before definitely helped. I didn't push too hard on any of the climbs (which can be judged in part by the number of people that passed me) whip gave me enough energy to complete the day. That said, I'm glad it wasn't a mile longer nor a foot higher. And luckily the weather couldn't have been better.
Today we hit the heat in Montrose, and that is one thing I haven't trained for. I've never been a fan of heat. In looking at the weather forecast and profile of tomorrow's ride from Montrose to Gunnison I'll admit that I'm a bit nervous. Maybe not as nervous as I was for yesterday, but nervous nonetheless. Thus we are aiming for the 5am shuttle from Ouray to Montrose so we can get an early start. Who gets up at 4:30 on their vacation? Cyclists.
Tomorrow we also turn the corner and head east. Towards home for me. This week has been an amazing experience and I won't cut it short by looking too far past the next two days. But I miss my family and want to be home with them. Training for RTR and being gone this week has put distance between us that I need close. I didn't know what to expect from the ride nor from my body, so I didn't have them to travel around with me. My mistake. They would have loved the scenery and, unknowingly to me, there would have been a few afternoons and all the evenings that we could have spent together. I'm hoping next year that it can be a family affair!
Until next time, ride on!!!
