Sunday, October 15, 2006



Closed out the week in fine form. Took the day off thursday from any serious riding and instead got together with the group for the weekly Colorado Springs Bicycle Pub Crawl. Had quite a lot of fun, and despite the colder weather than we enjoyed last Thursday, there was still a pretty decent turn out.
For the last couple of weeks I've been pondering taking the single speed up Gold Camp. I was a little wary because the lack of gears could really hurt during that climb. Friday, however, was a pretty positive day at work, so I figured "screw it," and headed out right after clocking out. It wasn't pretty, but I think more of a mental challenge than anything else, and I eventually made it to the top, albeit a little slower than on my road bike.
Saturday was just a complete blast. Slept late 'til 10am. Ate a big breakfast at King's Chef. Then I hopped on the single speed and headed back up Gold Camp. I made it to the top more decisively this time, my prior uncertainty erased after Friday's ride. After getting to the end of the paved road (where I had turned around Friday) I kept going along the next 4 miles of unpaved, uphill dirt road, over to the parking lot at the top of Helen Hunt Falls. I saw some absolutely beautiful scenery, and bombing back down the dirt road and Lower Gold Camp into Old Colorado City was a blast.
The rest of the day meant more cycling. Meeting up again with the guys and gals from the pub crawl at Criterium Bike Shop, I joined up for the 2006 Colorado Springs Bicycle Pub Crawl Cannonball Run Race. This was basically a race that was also a scavenger hunt, with numerous checkpoint stops and tasks that every two-man team must complete along the way. Lots of fun, even despite the later rain showers.
After 8 hours of riding, I hit Jose Muldoon's for a big Mexican dinner. Went home. Put on the latest Red Dwarf dvd from Netflix, and promptly fell asleep.