I Kept Trying to Will One More Gear Into Existence But My Summons Fell Short

What a day! I thought I'd throw some summit photos up however and just mention that It's incredibly beautiful in Colorado at 12,000 ft! We were joined by the Brick Oven/Avery team as we hauled ourselves up and over Cottonwood Pass from Buena Vista to Crested Butte. Thanks for the hospitatlity at Brick Oven Pizza!

Loveland Pass, Elevation 11,990'

Hoosier Pass, Elvation 11,542'

The 20 mile climb up Cottonwood Pass ended with us crossing the Continental Divide once again,

Elevation  12,126'

The Brick Oven/Avery Brewing team made today's ride with us from Buena Vista to Crested Butte, obviously leading the charge

Here's us, we're what you'd call "Way Behind"

I'm Not Very Helpful and I Tend To Stifle Progress

No other way to put it, this ride is fucking fun!
Other possible headlines from today range from "I love birds, but hate RV's" to "bikes and roads were here long before cars or you". Anyhow, we made it to Buena Vista where we were treated to a number of delicious beers, at Eddy Line Brew Pub, including my favorite, CPA!
I had one of the more terrifying moments of my life going nearly 54 mph down the back side of Hoosier Pass today--speed wobbles as though my front wheel was coming off! I just kept praying that I'd slow down a bit more before I crashed. The road was freshly paved and we had it all to ourselves, and I don't know that I've ever gone that fast! Turns out I made it to the edge of the highway without wiping out my friends or myself. It also turns out that my headset was a bit loose! I've never thought of myself as all that religious, but I must say that I've been praying my ass off on this trip (maybe that's why it hurts so bad???). So, I opted for bed while the troops opted for Salida and more beer at Amica's, and unfortunately my camera is in the van! But never fear, great photos can be found at Chad Melis' Oskar Blues Brews and Bikes blog! Chad's so much faster, he's got the time to pull off, take photos, eat some food, go catch a movie, and still easily catch us on the next switchback. Cheers!

If Lookout Mountain was Arlo's Cruel Mistress, Loveland Pass was his Leather-clad, Sado-masochistic, Spiteful Ex-mistress

Turns out Jeremy got a bit of food poisoning, puked large, and then punished the Colorado Rockies--Oskar Blues maintains the Yellow Jersey! Aside from a brief stint with some hail and rain the day was otherwise uneventful, but fantastically so. Climbing Loveland Pass proved to be much easier and more fun than last year. Couldn't do it without music though! Today's climbing mix highlighted Eels, and it couldn't have been more perfect.

You'll note in a photo below that Arlo found a new pair of drawers! Thank God.

It's always a good feeling to realize what a great industry we're in--we were greeted at the Breckenridge Brewery by our good friend and Breck Master Liason, Todd Thibault. Not only were the beers fantastic, but a hearty "Cheers!" to Breckenridge for giving a portion of every pint today to Bikes For Kids!

Arlo, riding for Mix 1!

The crew on our first summit, Loveland Pass at 11,990 ft!

"I'm gonna start out slow and then taper off"

At the risk of sounding weak, today was the first and shortest day of the venture and I'm alrady in pain. Unfortunately Dale (of Dale's Pale Ale fame) was unable to join us, but it was bittersweet because Jeremy completed the Oskar Blues trilogy, joining Chad and Dave on Team O.B. (on a 1x9 bike!) Adam, Ted, Caitlyn, and Orli would hold the reins for the Avery team. We departed from Avery Brewing this morning and took off out of Boulder on Hwy 93 to Golden, where we would encounter Lookout Mountain, AKA Arlo's Cruel Mistress.

Adam Avery and Chad Melis ride Lookout with Coors in the background

Last year on Lookout we saw some longboarder skate kids at the summit, and it seemed a bit insane and ridiculous but we didn't actually get to see them go. This year, however, 8 of them went flying by easily hitting 40 mph--it was crazy enough that it gave me a stomach ache, but at the same time completely took my mind off the climb. Uneventful would describe the next hour or so, but then, as always, comic relief would come from none other than Ska Barroom hero, Arlo Grammatica. His shorts blew out and he rode out the remainder of the day winking at everyone through his drawers, which was interesting because it was the only part of the day that I somehow got stuck behind him. Oh--Check the photo.

Once again, the beautiful part of the ride, aside from the Colorado mountains, was the array of beers waiting for us in Idaho Springs. We rode straight to the Tommyknocker Brewery and enjoyed some delicious Pick Axe Pale Ale, compliments of Steve Indrehus. Thanks Steve! And of course I am now reaping the benfits of riding with brewers 3 of Colorado's best breweries; a plethora of Ska Mexican Logger, Avery White Rascal, and Dale's Pale Ale. Tough job, but if I didn't do it, who would?

Tomorrow it's Loveland Pass to Breckenridge and the Breck Brewery to see our good friend Tebo. Prepare yourself, Dude.

Stats: Mechanicals--3 flats (Arlo doubled down with 2 blowouts, a tire and his shorts)