Freemont Pass

25 June 2005
Ride the Rockies, Day 7
Leadville to Breckenridge
41 miles

I'm a woman, and women change their minds.

I am extremely sad the ride is over, and I'm not going to stop riding. I can't wait to get on my bike again.

But it won't be the same. Even though this was not my best bike event and I didn't do the entire ride, I'm going to miss the daily challenge, and I'm going to miss pushing myself more than I think I can go. I'm going to miss the camaraderie of other cyclists who like spending their vacation grinding their knees up a mountain. I'm going to miss the sea of jerseys that match the one I'm wearing or one I left at home. I'm going to miss passing one or two cyclists a day on a mountain slope. I'm going to miss seeing the one-armed guy pushing his way upward on a hand-crank bike. I'm even going to miss the bananas, trying to stuff all my gear in my bag and shaking water off my tent every morning. This has been a great vacation, and I don't want it to end.

Today's ride went well. I was tired by the top of Fremont Pass, and I was more tired every time I had to climb after Frisco, but not like yesterday, and not to the point I wanted the ride to end.

I didn't use any of the rest stops today, which is really amazing for me. I did stop plenty of times for photos and just to catch my breath or stretch my back. By the end, I was having trouble with my back, but I nevertheless dreaded the end of the ride.

That is, until we turned the corner in Breckenridge and began the final mile. I could see an archway up ahead, and my heart leaped because I was going to be able to get off my bike, go home to a real shower, a real bed and air conditioning. As we got closer to the arch, I read the letters "Cemetery."

Well, not quite the ending I was looking forward to...

Now my clothes are clean and put away, my hair is untangled for the first time in 7 days, and in a few minutes, I'll get to see the pictures I took throughout the week. I should be really excited.

I don't have to get up and take down my tent in the morning. I don't have to be in the next city before the SAG wagons sweep the highway. And I don't have to drink Gatorade again until I do another organized ride.

I'm going to miss it so much.

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