This is me, at 9,517 feet altitude. click photos for larger.

Last week I got to go to Denver, Colorado for a work-related conference. Usually, our group just sticks to the program and skips the more casual and fun-oriented field trips. This year, we made the decision early to loosen up a little and go on some of the field trips. Nine of my co-workers also attended the conference, and a third of us went on the bicycle tour of Summit County, where Breckenridge is. You can see the Breckenridge ski resort in this photo (it’s the mountain in the center-right with the zebra-like pattern indicated by the ski slopes).

The ride was incredible. And incredibly difficult. It was around the Dillon Reservoir. 23 miles at 9,000 feet, with a 500-1000 ft. elevation gain during the ride. I haven’t ridden in a long time, and was very unprepared for it. The altitude wasn’t debilitating, but it definitely winded me. I had been running 3-4 times a week since early August in preparation for the cardio demand. It may have helped some with the stamina, but the muscle groups used for the were entirely different. It didn’t help that they gave us 35 pound “comfort” bikes with both front suspension and suspended seatposts. I did alright; although I got passed frequently, I didn’t quit, push or come in last, which were my three goals for the day.

The worst part of the ride was a 6 mile climb, with the last couple on the thin shoulder of a very busy mountain road with giant waste management trucks barreling past just a few feet away. I was in the granny gear the whole time and still panting like a dog with emphysema.

After the grueling incline, we stopped at a scenic overlook for lunch. When I opened the bag lunch sandwich, the bread was absolutely sopping with mayonnaise (the most disgusting condiment and my least favorite foodstuff of all time). I was so hungry I didn’t even pause, I just wolfed down the entire thing in about seven or eight bites. And at that moment, it was the best tasting food I had ever had in my life. Chipmunks that had lost all fear of human visitors brazenly tried to steal everyone’s cookies and take bites of the sandwiches right out of our hands. One was about the size of a small groundhog, so I guess they are pretty successful thieves.

I saw three western birds to add to my meager life list. A raven, a mountain chickadee (probably) and a Steller’s Jay:

On the way down, we rode right over the reservoir dam itself; I got this great photo of blue water, yellow aspen and a white sailboat just before we hit the final leg.

We finished up at a brew pub, where there was a whole spread laid out for us: beer, ales, stouts, quesadillas and wings. It might have been more useful to have had painkillers, ben gay, and a whirlpool tub. For the rest of the day and evening, my legs felt like someone was hammering poisoned railroad spikes into my thighs.

All in all, a fantastic adventure.