Conference noted::bicycle

2412.0. "Mt. Evans ride" by SPEZKO::SMITH (Recreational pCYCLEpath...) Tue Sep 15 1992 09:42

                               Mount Evans or BUST!
        
        I've been  looking  forward to doing this ride ever since I drove
        the road  in  a  car  2 years ago.  Well, last Saturday, while on
        training in CXN,  I  had  an opportunity to do this ride.  It was
        GREAT!

        I  brought  my  own  bike,  a  Trek  1400,  but re-geared it  for
        Colorado.    I  swapped  out  my 42 chainring for a 39 tooth  and
        replaced my 12x26 cassette with a 12x28.  This helped alot!
        
                
        Here's a report...
        
                         el.     �F       mi.      avg.  
        -----------------------------------------------
        Bergen Park    ~7,200'   65�       0   
        Squaw Pass     11,273'   45�     ~16   
        Echo Lake      10,588'   60�     ~18   
        Summit Lake    12,830'   45�     ~27   
        Mt Evans       14,260'   40�      32.7     8.3
        
        & return                          65.4    11.8
        
        It was a perfect day  -- clear, sunny and cool.  Left Bergen Park
        at 10:00 and began the 16  mile  uphill climb to the top of Squaw
        Pass.  It was too cold to stop here so on to Echo Lake, a ~2 mile
        downhill.  After refilling water  bottles, and eating some snacks
        it  was  onward  to the remaining,  steeper,  14  mile ride.  The
        thin air didn't bother me as much  as I thought it might (being a
        near sea level dweller, Hollis NH).  I  suppose  the before class
        rides around Colorado Springs the week before helped alot.   Just
        as you near the 14 mile marker and you think  you've made it, you
        discover  the  road still switchbacks up for about another � mile
        :'(  The signs at Echo Lake lie...  It's about 14� miles  to  the
        peak, not  14.    The  last  half  mile was torture after looking
        forward to the 14  mile marker.  I arrived at the peak @ 3:00.  A
        ~4 hour cycling, 5 hours elapsed time trip.
        
        At the top it was cold, but not as cold  as  coming  back down to
        Summit Lake.  I wish I had brought full fingered gloves.    I did
        bring a jacket and sweatshirt and I was sure glad I did.    Going
        down was almost as tiring as going up.  The road surface is  ruff
        from the  peak  down  to Summit Lake and the constant braking and
        pounding on the  road gives your upper body a good workout.  With
        all the switchbacks and  ruff  road,  I  usually hovered my speed
        between 15-30 mph.  I arrived back in  Bergen  Park  @  5:30.   I
        stopped in Summit Lake to warm up and again  at Echo Lake to eat.
        The trip down was ~1:40 worth of cycling (coasting ;')
        
        Great ride!!!
        
        

      Also one of my favorite rides.  I raced this last summer.  Finished
    about 30 seconds ahead of Mike Engleman.  (Of course the pros started
    45 minutes after my race).
    

    so you finished more than an hour ahead of the pros?  :-)
    
    Right on!
    
    ed