loveland pass

The first day of the 2016 edition of the Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour will have riders heading west from Idaho Springs toward Loveland Pass. On his website, mybicycleroutes, Mark Andrysiak rates the east side ascent of Loveland as moderately difficult based upon altitude and some sections of 9% grade. He also claims it's the "easiest" moderate climb in Colorado. However, he bases that on starting from the Loveland Ski Area parking lot, leaving only 4 miles and about 1000' of elevation gain to the summit. CRMBT's tour director, Peter Duffy, rates the climb from Idaho Springs as a Category 1, based on 4200' of climbing over 28 miles. Only an HC (for the French term: beyond categorization) would be more difficult. What does all of this mean? It means that I'll be climbing all morning, but the first 24 miles will be a more gradual elevation gain, with the real push to the top coming in the last 4 miles. I can do that.

Assuming I make it to the top, my reward will be a nice long descent down the west side of Loveland Pass; 8 miles of twists and turns, and then slightly downhill for the next 15 miles. The only thing left between me and Breckenridge, our home for the night, will be Swan Mountain. It's only 500' over 3 miles, but near the end of the ride I'm sure it will live up to its nickname, the "horrible hump". The top affords some nice views of Frisco and the Dillon Reservoir before  a short descent and  a few miles left to Breckenridge.

Some serious altitude, but only 50 miles or so makes this opening day seem do-able. It's kind of like going from base camp to camp 2 to acclimatize, and back down to base camp. I'm looking forward to climbing Loveland Pass from the east side so I'll know what to expect when I eventually return for the Triple Bypass. Overall I think this is an excellent first day's route on the best bike tour in Colorado.  Day 2 will be a little longer, a little less altitude, but containing some of my favorite descents. I have some serious training to do.

changes

I haven't done a lot of posting on this bike blog lately, because I haven't done a lot of biking. Two weeks ago I went on a group ride to enjoy a pleasant Saturday in January, and the no-drop ride turned into a fast group, a slow group, and me. (They call themselves a slow group) Actually Greg, the ride organizer hung back with me and we had a nice visit. But, I hadn't been on my bike in over four months, and it showed.

Well, that's going to change! I've been looking at the route for the 10th annual, 2016 CRMBT. Quite frankly I felt a little intimidated. I mean, there's some serious climbing to be done on this tour. But then I read a comment on their forum that this route is the reverse of their 2010 route. Hey, I did that! So as a motivator to train, and get myself back in shape, I signed up. Now if Theo will save a space for me in SherpaVille, I'll be all set.

I'll post more about the route in the near future, but the highlights are Loveland Pass (from the east side, like on the Triple Bypass), two-thirds of the Copper Triangle, Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park, Peak-to-Peak Highway, and a final day that calls for 60+ miles including Squaw Peak and an up-and-back to Mt Evans. I'll take my camera and my GoPro to document the awesomeness, and hopefully have some good stories to tell from a great Colorado bike tour.

desert road

I was on the road again last month, but not on a bike. My family accompanied my Dad to Mesa, AZ where we all boarded a chartered bus on a beautiful Saturday morning for a drive out into the desert. Our destination was Bouse, a small town with a big appreciation of history and the veterans who trained under General Patton during WWII. My father is one of those veterans. He was part of the 748th battalion which trained for dessert warfare in Africa, but ended up on the beach at Normandy on D-Day instead. We had been with my Dad to Bouse several times for a ceremony they hold each spring. They have erected several monuments to different battalions which trained there. And there was one monument that only listed the others who had served, without much added information. Thanks to my brother found out what it would take to get a monument for the 748th, and several tireless volunteers, a new monument now stands on Monument Row. The "Rhinos" are represented!

Click on this link for the story:

 Wednesday, November 11, 2015

emotions

In 2007 I joined my brother-in-law for the 2nd annual Tour de Kota, which is no more. But on the first day that year, standing on Main Street in some small town in southeastern SD, my brother-in-law, Bruce walks up to a guy wearing a Ride The Rockies jersey to ask him about that ride. He gets the idea that we should go to Colorado and ride a tour in the mountains! At the time it sounded really hard. By week's end when I dragged myself into Mitchell after 400+ miles of SD rollers, the idea of a week long tour in CO was preposterous.

The next year we showed up in Gunnison on a Saturday in early August to ride the Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour. On the 3rd day I set a personal record for how slow I could ride without falling over, 3.7 mph on the last stretch of the climb up the western side of Independence Pass. (This record would be shattered in 2014 on Pikes Peak). By week's end I had been hot/cold, wet/dry, fast/slow and overall exhilarated that I had made it up and over all the climbs on CRMBT 2008.

We had so much fun we were back with a few friends in 2009 to ride a different loop. Again I was forced to push myself past what I thought I was capable of. I took time to rest and take lots of pictures, realizing that a bicycle was the perfect vehicle for exploring remote corners of this beautiful state. I couldn't help but notice that in addition to seeing the tour organizers again, many of the volunteers at the aid stations were back. And many of the riders too.

In 2009 none of my previous riding partners were able to make it to Colorado that summer. The route that year went over some familiar passes, plus offered a chance to do Loveland Pass, Mt Evans, Peak-to-Peak Highway, and Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park. It sounded too good to miss. So I went by myself. And the year after that, and the year after that.

I've become friends with other riders, volunteers, and organizers from all over. Going back to CRMBT each August became a given. How could I miss it? Thanks to this tour I had slept in cool mountain air in Gunnison, Frisco, Crede, Leadville, Glenwood Springs, and many more. I've ridden my bike over Independence and Cottonwood Passes, Slumgullion and Monarch, over Trail Ridge Road, and up and back Mt Evans and Pikes Peak. Good times!

I knew I wouldn't be able to do the tour in 2015. We were putting in long hours all Spring getting the beautiful new Scheels Overland Park ready to open. When I was slated to be the manager of the bike shop I didn't want to be gone so soon after opening the end of June. And as a member of the leadership team it still seemed too soon to be gone for a week. Not to mention that I've been on my bike, like six times in the last few months. If I tried to go to Colorado to ride now most of my views would be from the inside of a SAG van.

So I'm going to miss my first CRMBT since 2008. I'll miss Colorado. I'll miss the people. I'll miss the challenges and the satisfaction of completing them. The only thing that makes it a little easier to take is that this year's tour won't be climbing any passes that I haven't already done. Thanks to them I've climbed all but a few of the highest paved passes in Colorado, including everything over 11,000 feet.
But I still wish I could be there. I'm hoping that they will share lots of pictures and stories of the ride. And I'll plan on joining them for CRMBT 2016. Peter, make it a good one!

scheels

I'm disappointed that I'm going to miss my first Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour  in 7 years. But in all honesty I haven't had much time on the bike this year. My passion for biking helped me land a job with Scheels, a sporting goods store, and so much more. Scheels is based in Fargo, ND, where I grew up. I've been a fan and a customer of theirs my whole life. When I heard they were coming to Kansas I wanted to be part of it. I was hired to be the Specialty Shop Manager for Bikes, but have since accepted a position as an Assistant Store Leader. It's been fantastic working with so many talented, fun people. It's also been time-consuming. In the last 2 months the only time I've been on a bike was as part of product training rides for some of the folks who will be selling bikes for us. So I'll set my sights on next years CRMBT and find something a little flatter and closer to home for now.

We're less than 2 weeks away from our grand opening, and local media were invited to tour the store last week. I think they were impressed:



For all of my Colorado friends, don't worry, we're headed your way soon:

SCHEELS Announces New Retail Destination in Johnstown, Colorado

Johnstown, CO – On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 SCHEELS announced their new location in Johnstown, Colorado. Unlike a typical sporting goods store or department store, the new Johnstown SCHEELS will be a collection of entertainment venues, specialty shops and boutiques staffed with Experts who focus on their passions. The 250,000 square foot SCHEELS Retail Shopping Adventure will showcase Colorado’s largest selection of sports, fashion and footwear under one roof!

“SCHEELS is thrilled to announce our newest location in Northern Colorado. After more than 15 years of studying the Colorado market and searching for the best possible location for a flagship SCHEELS, we are proud to be bringing our newest store to Johnstown, Colorado”, states Steve D. Scheel, the company’s Chairman of the Board. “We are excited to be bringing 250,000 square feet of sports, fashion, and footwear to the intersection of I-25 and Hwy 34 in Johnstown. The store will be 30,000 square feet larger than our most recent openings in Overland Park, KS and Billings, MT. And whether it is women’s sportswear and fashion footwear, biking, running, golfing, or camping, hunting and fishing, this location is the best possible location for SCHEELS to serve more than 750,000 people in Northern Colorado, as well as customers to the north and east in Wyoming and Nebraska. We will break ground early in 2016 and open in September 2017 to join the great mix of retailers at or near this intersection.”

“After searching multiple Colorado locations for our new shopping center, we are confident we have found the perfect location and town for our project to call home. We are excited to bring a new tenant mix to the area, and the addition of SCHEELS to our development is great news for Johnstown, the surrounding communities and the shopping center” says developer, Allen Schlup.

“I am excited and proud to welcome SCHEELS to the Town of Johnstown and the beautiful Front Range of Colorado. SCHEELS has a great reputation for quality operations and commitment to the communities in the locations they serve.

We look forward to collaborating with SCHEELS in developing an outstanding sporting goods retail destination,” Mayor Mark Romanowski.

Modeled after SCHEELS stores in Springfield, IL; Sandy, UT; Billings, MT; and Overland Park, KS the SCHEELS in Johnstown will feature specialty shops ranging from technical running gear and the latest fashion, to spectacular hunting and fishing shops. The sport shoe, hiking boot, and casual footwear selection will be the largest in the region with everything for toddlers to all athletes, from serious hikers to beach goers, and from hunters to the fashion conscious. There will be a World Class golf shop, bike shop, ski shop, canoe and kayak shop, and fishing shop. The gun and hunting shops will have the largest selection of guns in Colorado, ranging from everyday shooters to modern sporting rifles and collectible firearms.

Special attractions will include a huge 16,000-gallon aquarium; a 65-foot, 16-car, operating Ferris Wheel; photo opportunities; a wildlife mountain; shooting galleries; and laser shot shooting simulators. Customers will be able to test their golf, soccer, hockey, baseball, football and basketball skills on the sport simulators. No shopping experience would be complete without tasty treats; SCHEELS’ deli and fudge shop, named Ginna’s Cafe, will serve gourmet soups and sandwiches, Starbucks® coffee and specialty drinks, 24 flavors of homemade fudge, and 18 flavors of gelato, which will make the shopping adventure something unlike the Johnstown retail customer has ever experienced.

Johnstown SCHEELS will employ around 400 associates. SCHEELS provides the best training in retail for its career associates. The people at SCHEELS make it special and SCHEELS associates are among the highest paid in retail, with outstanding benefits. SCHEELS is an employee-owned, privately held business that owes its consistent success to its empowered associates, leaders and partners who think and make decisions for their individual store and the entire company.

World-Class Shopping and Customer Service

Providing SCHEELS’ customers with first-class customer service and the World’s largest selection of sports, sportswear and footwear are the priorities throughout the organization. Although each SCHEELS location is unique in design and sometimes varies in product selection, every customer is greeted and welcomed by friendly and knowledgeable associates. The SCHEELS guarantee is:

Everything you buy at SCHEELS, on sale or otherwise, is guaranteed satisfactory or your money back. You don’t take chances at SCHEELS, ever!