So, Leadville was a bust. I woke up with a stomach bug and couldn't get any food down, not a way to start a 12 hour ride. I called it off and slept in to feel better and try and break a slight fever. Rode down to the race finish with Sue Kiefer just in time to see Lance set a new course record, finishing on a flat tire. A little lunch at a surprising good cafe in town, then waiting for Stan as we cheered on all the finishers. Finally get a call from Stan on a borrowed cell phone that he is at the finish line. He cramped at the top of the 12,600 foot climb that marks the turn around. He managed to get a massage up there and head back, but missed the time cut off at mile 75. Tough break for him, but 75 miles on a MTB above 10,000 feet is brutal. Don't know about Stan, but I still want to finish a 100 mile MTB race, even though the thought scares the crap out of me.
Drove up to Wyoming today, with a stop for a bike ride on the way. I was looking to get in a ride before I left Colorado, and was heading to Steamboat Springs in search of a trail, when I saw a cross-country ski sign on the side of the highway. I pulled into the parking lot and got on my bike. It's not a good idea to ride on an unfamiliar trail, in an unfamiliar area without a map, but I'm not that bright. I started up the overgrown jeep trail that climbed pretty steeply for a little over a mile. At the top the trail was a little tough to find and I was concerned about losing the trail and getting lost. I pressed on anyway, only pausing to put in a marker on my Garmin. Decided to turn around after about 3 miles as the trail was getting harder to follow and I wasn't sure where it went. As I got back to the top of the hill I was pretty sure I picked the right trail to take me back to my car, but at the bottom was a gate that proved I was lost. I retraced my way back up to the top and searched for a trail off to my right that should be the way back to my car. No luck finiding the right trail, so I finally pushed the "back to start" button on my Garmin. The little arrow pointed me back down the trail to the gate, so with no luck finiding the right trail I headed to this gate and the highway in the hopes of picking the right direction on the road to my car. I popped onto the highway at a marker for the Continental Divide at Rabbit Ears Pass, and the little arrow pointed right, so I headed that way and found my car a mile or two down the road. Apparently I should've been looking for a trail to the right, not the left. I knew I should've left a marker there. :rolleyes: All's well that ends well I guess.
Drove another 7 hours to get most of the way up to Grand Tetons, so that I don't have much driving the rest of the week. Stopped at a quirky little hotel calle the Chinook Winds Mountain Lodge in Dubois, Wyoming. No phones or TV, but they have wi-fi, go figure.
